Load Trail Gooseneck Dump Time.

Saws and wimmen are a lot alike: You've got to talk to them like they want to be talked if you gonna get anything accomplished. My Huskies have demanded that they not be "choked" too much, or they pout for an hour or so and won't do anything. My '89 Shindaiwa 500 has a smaller diameter starter/flywheel and you best have a good grip on the starter handle or it will be snatched out of your hand when it hits compression. When you talk to it, you have to mean it, and follow through, or it will sometimes fire up running backwards. Reach your own female analogy on this one!

 

Nick, did the dealer run it in a bit, and check the adjustemts, if there are any? The Virginia Beach plant is at/near sea level, so will likely need leaned out a bit at your elevation. I sold hundreds and hundreds of Stihl saws, and never found them to be the least but finicky. If it doesn't sputter by the third pull open the choke anyway.

 

That was my problem, it never did fire so I wasn't sure if it needed gas or had too much. This happened twice, once at the shop then again when I was in the log yard. I was about to hook up my drill to the sprocket...I did that one time on a Craftsman lawn tractor, never again! When it started the socket came off the drill and flew around the plastic fan until it blew apart. It will make you hunt for some low ground

Small engines all seem to have a start combination, when I learn it I will be fine.

 

I'm looking for a new small saw for lighter stuff. I was looking at a limber last week at my Stihl dealership. The guy had a 193 in the back he was doing a tune up on and fired it up. That thing sounded like a pissed off weed eater! LOL. And felt like half the weight of my 460 which feels like it stretches my arms 4-6" after a few hours of smaller trees and limbs
I have a home lite XL with a 14" bar that I used to use for this stuff, it was a great little saw for what I had into it. But needs more work than its worth to fix so it's sitting on the shelf in parts .

 

Yes, they did a run in with me standing by and gave me instruction. He was a big guy and made it look easy, even without the compression release. I did buy one quart of premix ($8!!) for break in. The oil mix is stupid expensive too @ $21 for a 6 pack, a hair less than 1 quart total. They want me to use it, so I will. I used plain jane mix for my 32 year old Pioneer....Is 50:1 mix okay? I always used 40:1 on my Pioneer.

I really like the chain tensioner and the 8# less weight.

 

I have one of those little Homelites and a small McCulloch but they are so old they are manual oiler. I really like my Pioneer but parts are almost impossible to find, even bars, all mine are worn out. It is going to be interesting how the carbide chain does. Regular chain works fine in Pine but the dirty shaggy bark Juniper they are only good for about an hour.

 

Did they explain the extended warranty if you buy their synthetic oil? I'm pretty sure they're still doing that .


And yes on the 50:1. I run My 460 a tad heavier, but i dont know enough about the mtronic in the new saws to know how it would handle a richer mix.

What's your new saw weigh, 12-13 lbs plus the bar? And your old saw had 8 lbs on that

 

Yes, 13.7# for the Stihl and I think the Pioneer is 21# so maybe 7# different. I didn't want the M-Tronic, too complicated. Yes, 2 year warranty if you use the HP Ultra oil mix but I didn't see that in the book. I did get a new gas jug so I can keep premium gas on hand. I always thought premium didn't have the methanol but the dealer said it does.

 

Hopefully they at least acknowledged it on the receipt, it is a legitimate warranty but I imagine you will have to have proper documentation.

https://m.stihlusa.com/information/warranty-service-info/engine-oil-double-warranty/

 

The bigger saws can be a bugger to "drop start". I put it on the ground with my boot in the rear handle, or there is too much lost motion. As to oil, 50:1 should be fine, especially after break-in. We had great luck with Stihl's oil as far as avoiding stuck rings, plugged spark arrestors, carboned up ports, etc. People who ran generic oil tended to have those issues. That is not to say there are not viable, ashless, high quality alternatives. Red Line, for instance. But they may not be a bunch cheaper. Stihl historically ran cylinders and pistons made by Mahle. Very high quality, and Nikasil plated, tough as heck. Treat them right and they will go a long time.

 

TFucilli, when I see "drop start", I CRINGE! Our SC Baptist Disaster Relief Team instructors go berserk if anyone mentions it! I know this is "preaching to the choir", but maybe one person can be helped to get a safe mindset. They insist that a saw be put on the ground and foot in the handle, or (my choice) put your right foot forward and put the handle behind your right knee. The left side of the saw is braced against the left leg, and with your straight left arm on the handle, you have a triangle that is steady. You can then pull the starter cord straight up, not "rubbing" it like drop starting. IT IS SAFE!! One more thing: Though Baptist Teams are volunteer, we are covered by an accident policy. If a team member is caught without chaps, no helmet, or any unsafe practice, the whole team can be sent home. At a training, an experienced operator had something happen, and the chaps saved his leg. He turned white as a sheet. Most of us are older and slower, so, like the warden in "Cool Hand Luke" would say, "Boy, git yo mind right!" and use yo head for something beside a hat rack when you pick up a saw. Make safety a life style with chain saws.

 

Believe me, I am not endorsing "drop starting", as I used to pretty much make folks sit through Stihl's ultra-corny, but very informative safety video when they bought a saw. It taught the dangers of drop starting, monkey grip on the front handle, kick-back, etc, etc.

 

TFucilli, Stihl and their local dealers have been good to the Baptist Disaster teams when on callouts. I think maybe the video you referred to is the same one we have to watch in training and refreshing. I didn't figure you to be encouraging drop starting--I just take opportunities to discourage it seriously. The Lord will forgive--chain saws do not

 

I followed this advice and the third pull, full choke it fired. Then 1/2 choke/high idle 4 more pulls it was running. But, I only thought it was 1/2 choke, it was full idle or it probably would have started on about two more pulls. Gotta watch that closer. I might have been too lazy/slow on the pulls yesterday. I don't see the danger in starting a warm saw on full idle by drop starting. When you are a small guy you need that extra weight helping

Thanks for all the advice guys, I might keep this sucker.

 

Anyone ever see any method other than a drop start while hanging from a tree

I've limbed out a limited number of trees so am by no means an expert. But I feel it's like anything else. There's a safe and a dangerous way for everything we do.
Completely agree on the chaps. I watched my dad lay his thigh open when I was a teenager, we were clearing the property out where he built his house and in a hurry didn't bring his chaps. Bad day to forget.
I was too young to have a drivers license, way before cell phones so I had no choice but to drive him in. It's a good thing he taught me how to drive that old 3 on a tree Land Cruiser at an early age! I thought he was gonna pass out a couple of times on the way. White as a ghost. The passenger side of that Land Cruiser looked like we had gutted a deer.

 

This guy is nuts!
https://www.facebook.com/crazymachi...Rm4sD5fq5FWcPJQQ9P_QEeobXhMTUmYeMQ&__tn__=C-R

 

Rinse and repeat with some hard woods

 

Sort of like the saying about pilots, there's old loggers, and bold loggers, but there's no old bold loggers.

 

Yup. they just get a new Peter-built

 

fuel has to be labeled if contains ethanol. Dealer probably wanting to sell his canned mix. Premium here has No ethanol.