Best Chainsaw for Farm Use

farmer2018

Can anyone recommend a good chainsaw for farm use for fencing, cutting firewood. Which is better Husqvarna or Stihl?

The one with a properly sharpened chain.
Junk saws for under 100 quid cut like a knife through butter as they are using a new properly sharpened chain on straight rails for the first hour or two.

the_pen_turner

Its Ferrari v Porsche or oasis v blur.
Both great, just comes down the personal preference.
I personally only like style over husky but we always had sthl and have a great dealer near us that always looked after us

the_pen_turner

the_pen_turner wrote: »

Its Ferrari v Porsche or oasis v blur.
Both great, just comes down the personal preference.
I personally only like style over husky but we always had sthl and have a great dealer near us that always looked after us

Shindaiwa for the win. They're the Pagani of chainsaws.

farmer2018

Deleted User wrote: »

The one with a properly sharpened chain.
Junk saws for under 100 quid cut like a knife through butter as they are using a new properly sharpened chain on straight rails for the first hour or two.

Have a Aldi saw atm its crap..

What is it not doing well? Does it overheat? Is it hard to start? Is there too much vibration being transmitted through to the operator? Is it markedly heavier than an equivalent saw of semi-pro standard from a well known manufacturer.
Bars and chains can be bought on eBay quite cheaply and transform the experience.

farmer2018

Deleted User wrote: »

What is it not doing well? Does it overheat? Is it hard to start? Is there too much vibration being transmitted through to the operator? Is it markedly heavier than an equivalent saw of semi-pro standard from a well known manufacturer.
Bars and chains can be bought on eBay quite cheaply and transform the experience.

It has a sharp chain but its very slow cutting through timber

Is it oiling the chain? If you can afford to reduce the bar size by 2 inches the peformance of the saw will be transformed.
Is there wear on the sprocket. How does the bar look? Are the lubrication holes on the bar clear?
Has someone adjusted the carb to make it run too rich?

If the saw is undersized for your job then it is undersized but buying an undersized saw from a respected brand will leave you in the same situation.

SmartinMartin

Cut up an entire 200 Yr old fallen oak last week with an aldi saw, no bother to it. That's next year's firewood taken care of. I'd say your chain is blunt. Are you letting the saw do the work?

farmer2018

Deleted User wrote: »

Is it oiling the chain? If you can afford to reduce the bar size by 2 inches the peformance of the saw will be transformed.
Is there wear on the sprocket. How does the bar look? Are the lubrication holes on the bar clear?
Has someone adjusted the carb to make it run too rich?

If the saw is undersized for your job then it is undersized but buying an undersized saw from a respected brand will leave you in the same situation.

Bar is fine and oiling ok. The carb might be the issue.

His model of Aldi saw may not be the same as yours. They use various manufacturers, some of which are better than others.

farmer2018

SmartinMartin wrote: »

Cut up an entire 200 Yr old fallen oak last week with an aldi saw, no bother to it. That's next year's firewood taken care of. I'd say your chain is blunt. Are you letting the saw do the work?

Yes.

farmer2018

https://www.aldi.co.uk/gardenline-petrol-chainsaw/p/082616197259100

Mine is this saw

A new 16" chain for that would cost very little.
Would someone have adjusted the carb away from default value? What does the user's manual say regarding that? It looks like there is no adjustment based on pictures.
Is the warranty still intact. If dying under load then if you return it they'll probably send you a new saw in its place.
At least that is what happened when I returned my Aldi battery toothbrush a few weeks ago.

That is a hobbyist saw and will only be suitable for trees which are under the diameter of the bar.
It should perform that task adequately but not something greater.

SmartinMartin

Sorry, wasn't sure what experience you had. That model looks slightly smaller than the one I'm using. Mine is not as powerful as my Stihl or jonsered, but they are both awaiting service, so the aldi one did the job no bother, just a bit slower. I did notice it could do with bigger spikes.

farmer2018

Deleted User wrote: »

A new 16" chain for that would cost very little.
Would someone have adjusted the carb away from default value? What does the user's manual say regarding that? It looks like there is no adjustment based on pictures.
Is the warranty still intact. If dying under load then if you return it they'll probably send you a new saw in its place.
At least that is what happened when I returned my Aldi battery toothbrush a few weeks ago.

That is a hobbyist saw and will only be suitable for trees which are under the diameter of the bar.
It should perform that task adequately but not something greater.

No one adjusted the carb.

it's not dying its just very slow cutting.

I want to cut trees 30/40cm

TooOldBoots

Have a Huski and a Lidl saw. Have use for both but to be honest its the Lidl saw that gets used the most as its small, lightweight and cheap but it gets some punishment. Gets about 3 days full use per year so I don't have a reason for an expensive saw.
What interests me most is those battery operated chainsaws, they look small and very convenient.

farmer2018

farmer2018 wrote: »

No one adjusted the carb.

it's not dying its just very slow cutting.

I want to cut trees 30/40cm

sharpen the chain properly (easier said than done and a bit like saying cut your own hair)
or
buy a new chain
or
if you can afford to loose 5cm of reach drop to a 14" bar and chain(or just bar and cut 16" chain down to 14") and you'll see even bigger performance increase
or
buy a compatible chain with a more aggresive saw tooth(I don't recommend this although though the low pro chain fitted as standard dulls the effectivity of the chainsaw)

hurling_lad

Whichever brand you go for, my recommendation is that you buy a Stihl filing guide along with a few of the correct size file for your saw.
Has transformed the job of chainsawing for me.

patsy_mccabe

I've a Stihl MS170 and its a little dinger of a saw. Lovely and lightweight. It was made in China though, by Stihl but still.

farmer2018

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I've a Stihl MS170 and its a little dinger of a saw. Lovely and lightweight. It was made in China though, by Stihl but still.

Yes, I am told the MS180 are a cracking saw, they would last for a life time

What do you cut with it Patsy?

3/8 low profile chain is still the limiting factor regardless of whether it is fitted on a branded hobby class saw or a chainstore hobby class saw.
It is designed not to be aggressive to minimise the risk of kickback from the bar's nose tip.
bigger and older saws didn't use this type of chain.

meathstevie

hurling_lad wrote: »

Whichever brand you go for, my recommendation is that you buy a Stihl filing guide along with a few of the correct size file for your saw.
Has transformed the job of chainsawing for me.

Absolutely, that little gizmo is priceless. Around €45 when I bought mine but worth every penny and than some.

patsy_mccabe

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I've a Stihl MS170 and its a little dinger of a saw. Lovely and lightweight. It was made in China though, by Stihl but still.

His saw is 1.5KW in power. An MS170 is 1.6KW.
They're both two-stroke and are not going to have dramatically different torque curves.
Buying an MS170 will not solve his problem other than giving him a brand new bar and sharp chain.

patsy_mccabe

farmer2018 wrote: »

Yes, I am told the MS180 are a cracking saw, they would last for a life time

What do you cut with it Patsy?

Mostly for cutting bushes, light firewood up to maybe 6". I also have a much older MS 250 and that it much heavier but twice as powerful.
The MS170 is so handy though because it so lighter.

farmer2018

Deleted User wrote: »

His saw is 1.5KW in power. An MS170 is 1.6KW.
They're both two-stroke and are not going to have dramatically different torque curves.
Buying an MS170 will not solve his problem other than giving him a brand new bar and sharp chain.

But sure buying a cheap saw and the likes of a Stilh is miles apart like buying a Fiat and a Toyota. Stihl would be miles ahead

farmer2018

farmer2018 wrote: »

But sure buying a cheap saw and the likes of a Stilh is miles apart like buying a Fiat and a Toyota. Stihl would be miles ahead

No. not much difference between two-stroke engines on these small chainsaws with plastic crankcases. I'd hope the additional 80 to 100 euro price-premium would deliver a product with a little bit more longevity in terms of exterior plastics and bearings and cylinder coatings but apart from that they should be similar enough.
You are not complaining about longevity as the Aldi saw is still working.

bogman_bass

I think my next Saw is going to be battery powered. Nothing worse that won’t start when you want it too

Charolois 19

Id do a lot of cutting a year, mostly all hardwood and ive cheap saws up to pro saws your huskys and sthils are great saws but about this time last year I bought a Echo 420es as a farm saw, tsumera roller tip, and without doubt I absolutely love it, have serious cutting time put on it this year and not a bat out of her, I was thinking of a husky 435, but glad I picked the echo, think I paid around 550, but the bar was 100, lightweight, revs out to 11000 rpm, good torque, decent sized oil and fuel tanks, 16" bar on mine can go up to 20" im told, not sure tho, seems to not be as high torque as the husky and don't rev out as high as the sthil, right in the middle, and shes on carbs with a lot of new saws going injection, can't fix that I the woods, great build quality too, and very little vibration it its going to be a long day cutting, light enough to that its comfortable for limbing and bucking, my go to saw every time now

BnB

I have a fairly small Oleo Mac saw that I bought a few years ago when a local fella was a main dealer for them and it's a great little yoke. It's lite as a feather and always starts on the 2nd or 3rd pull after being left idle for a few months. I've an Oleo Mac Leaf Blower as well and that's the same - Only started once or twice a year and never fails

Zimmerframe

farmer2018 wrote: »

But sure buying a cheap saw and the likes of a Stilh is miles apart like buying a Fiat and a Toyota. Stihl would be miles ahead

Not really.
It's horses for courses, taking engine power, bar size, chain etc into account.

eg

I have a Stihl 181c which cost me approx. 350 euros and it's a lovely little saw, light as a feather, starts first assisted pull, a joy to use.

I also have a Lidl saw, which cost me 99 euros.
If I was cutting big logs, I would go for the Lidl saw every time.