As for the bar oil it is Husky premium bar & chain oil, about 2.99Q. I just looked at the saw this morning and there was only about 3 drips of oil there, the same amount when I looked at it last night. So like you and others said it was just what was left on the bar after running it.......going out this afternoon to test it out on some tree's.

 

Yea, that sounds about right. They are an oily mess all the time, so you just have to deal with it. Soon enough the oil feeder will be gunked up and you'll be getting too little oil and have to clean it up. Hold your saw at a 45 degree angle toward the ground and race the engine. You should see droplets of bar oil fling off. If not, find out why.

As for chains, unless you are a very experienced chainsaw user, stick with the safe chains. You now own a tool with a very high potential for injury. The safe chains will cut great if you keep them sharp, and unless you need to make a living at this they are all you need. No offense Jake00, but that was really bad advice for a new owner.

And it's not like I'm overly cautious myself. I think you can live without the saw chaps, face sheild, chain mail gloves, and stuff the pros recommend. But the anti-kick back links are best for most of us.

Bill

 

Bill, thanks for the advice.....I think I will stick with the "safe chains" for now. I have used my uncles saw a few times(20"..cant remember which brand but it is about 10 years old.) but by no means am I a professional with a chain saw. As far as safety I got gloves, ear plugs and eye protection......like you said most of us can get by without being all "decked out" in gear.

 

I know of a couple of professional loggers who swear by Husqvarna - that saw should last a long time. We have two old Stihl 20's that are still running strong some 15+ years and a few thousand hours after purchase. They have a good balance and make good power. Pricey, yes. Also, they must be rebuilt every few seasons as they will lose power - that can be both expensive and time consuming. When it's time for your saw to be rebuilt, take it to a pro - don't try it at home.

I've never heard of safety chains, they may be useful for preventing accidents. I agree with BPounds, safety gear is typically there for a reason.

I can say that I spend good money on top quality chains. I try to get really good Swedish steel chains whenever I can, but they are expensive. They are also horribly difficult to sharpen but once sharp, they stay that way for a very long time and throw beautiful chips.

Good oil matters to both the bar and the engine. Don't try to save money on oil. Also, store the saw on its side with the caps up. I do that and neither saw has ever leaked.

You'll be glad that you got the longer bar. Concerning the size of a chainsaw or bar length, you do not want to find yourself in the position of constantly cutting things that are more than 2/3 of the bar length in diameter. A big part of using a chainsaw is letting the tool do the work for you. A longer bar will give you better weight and leverage in both felling and bucking.

I was relieved to see your last post saying that you had some familiarity with sawing. At minimum you need good leather gloves, good eye and ear protection, and a pair of steel-toed boots. Always wear long sleeves. Consider getting a top quality hard hat if you are regularly cutting dead trees that have been standing for a while (aka Widowmakers) as rather large pieces will sometimes fall at random. Use caution and common sense, never saw alone, and when something unexpected happens - walk away and spend a few minutes looking at what's going on with the tree and thinking.

My best investment in logging accessories was the tree jack that Northern Tool sells. I got tired of climbing trees with a rope. It lets you have an additional degree of control over the direction that the tree falls in - two of these working together with a proper notch and it is possible to miss what you were hoping not to hit when the tree falls. Just don't get overconfident with them because if a tree is really determined to fall in a particular direction (i.e. a really, really bad lean or one alongside an old road) nothing short of a harvester can stop it from happening.

 

Well I just finished bring my last load of limbs to the dump. Took down 3 trees total and trimmed 4 others. The ones I took down were about 30-40 foot high, only had to rope one that was over hanging a neighbors house, the rest I was able to let fall in place. As for the saw I was impressed on how well it cut through everything. There was one little thing....the saw would not want to staying running while it was just idling, kept dieing on me a few times....If the bar stop was engaged it would stay running....was starting to **** me off! Well after I felled a tree about 18"-20" running the saw at full throttle a couple of minutes I have not had it die on me again....I guess I needed to let it roar for a few


Here is the link to my gallery along with a few of them. There is also a short video in the link


4x406f150/Husqvarna 142 ChainSaw - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

 

Dang, to bad I didn't notice this thread earlier. I've known many Husqvarna to have the problem of not running while in at an idle. Personally, I prefer a Stihl over anything else. They cut well, easy to clean and repair by ones self if need be, and I very much so like their safety features. They have have the brake set that if the saw is dropped, it will continue to idle but automatically set the break. Also if you were to get the chain tip at a very downward position, like toward ones leg, it also sets the break itself.

Overall, Husqvarna is a good brand though. Good job on the tree work.

 

liked the hard hat I just use my wild land gear neibors probably think I am nuts

 

I like the chaps they have! thoses are always fun to wear around

 

Too late now, but I didn't see any hearing protection in those pics. Earplugs would be a minimum, muffs are better. My in-laws gave me the Husqy combo faceshield/helmet/muffs for Christmas one year, and that is very handy and comfortable. Also, remember to run your saw full throttle--2-cycle engines are meant to be run that way. Listen to the engine when cutting, the RPMs should only drop a little from unloaded full throttle (if tuned properly, it should "4-cycle" a bit at full speed--you'll know what that is when you hear it). Don't force the cut no matter what--at that point you either have a dull chain or you will bog the engine and burn up your clutch. As soon as you notice your chain is not cutting as well, stop cutting with that chain and get it sharpened. Otherwise, you'll just waste your chain and your energy. Chains can go dull the instant they hit dirt, too, BTW--this includes the center of rotted trees.

Jason (cut up two 60-70' cherry trees Monday that came down during Sunday's storm, about an hour each with my Husqy 372xp)

 

I bought a Poulan at Home Depot 6 years ago and it still works fine. For the price I am very happy with it. It sometimes sits for a year between uses, but always fires right up. I do use Stabil though.

 

Dunno how I missed a chainsaw thread either

When I was buying a saw it was between a husq and a stihl no questions asked.

Ive cut alot of wood with my grandpa's stihl, and my dads husq. They are both great saws but in the end i chose husq just due to the SLIGHTLY better track record that Ive experienced.

My grandpa is auctioning a bunch of his stuff now, and the stihl is in the auction, so I will probably go buy it and have both now

 

I did have ear plugs in....just cant see them in the pic. If I start using the saw regularly I will look into muffs & chaps. BTW used the saw three more times and have not had it die out again on me, so I think it was a flute.

 

"Saftey chain" has extra pieces on the chain that follow the rakers / cutters


Regular chain doesn't have them


Here's a link to all of Stihls chains
STIHL Incorporated USA -- Products -- Chain Saws -- Manufacturing the World's Number One Selling Brand of Chain Saws