LittleLebowski's big inspirational chainsaw thread

[jeep45238]

That's absolutely unacceptable customer service from the dealer.

[LittleLebowski]

It took a couple of weeks to get to it, but my Stihl dealer has determined that the saw has low compression and needs a top-end rebuild. When I went down there the advisor took me back into the shop to show me my saw. He stated that he was a little puzzled in that there was no scoring on the intake side indicating grit/dust intrusion and that the air intake is spotless. There is no scoring on the exhaust side suggesting that it was damaged by straight gas, and that the decomp valve is not stuck open. They are not sure exactly why the compression is low. He indicated that it may be a defect that did not show up until after the warranty period ran out. I bought the saw in December 2020, and have cut less than seven cords of wood with it. As I mentioned previously, I have only run Motomix through it. (for $30 per gallon) The dealer is not offering a concession. Stihl claims to have a one-year warranty and will double it if you buy Motomix or their premium two-stroke oil at the time of purchase. I was not aware of this until after I bought the saw, so although it has lived on Motomix, my purchase receipt does not reflect it. They want $650 for the repair.

I have reached out to Stihl directly to ask for some consideration. Hopefully, they will take a look at my situation.

Unsat. Hit them up on Twitter. It’s often surprisingly effective.

[Cookie Monster]

Absolutely unsat. That sucks.

[cornstalker]

Well, that's that. Stihl is not going to do anything. The dealer is not going to do anything. A 572XP is $1200. Looks like I have to buy 60% of my MS462CM over again.

Guys, I appreciate the tips. I am not on twitter. I don't feel like wasting time hollering about it. Looks like it's time to eat it and move on. I will say that this experience will heavily influence my future buying decisions. I will be trying Husqvarna for my equipment needs next. I could not support Stihl in good conscious going forward.

I feel bad because I recommended the MS462CM to a friend, so he bought one when his MS391 got straight gassed. He cut one tree and it would not start again. He took it in and they found a faulty decompression valve. Easy fix and he is up and going, but still not the kind of performance you would expect from a top-of-the-line professional saw.

I may still buy a full wrap 572XP with a 28. Does anyone have experience with that saw?

[theJanitor]

So I was in the market last week to buy a couple more Makita 18v batteries for my other tools. Homedepot had a chainsaw, two batteries, and a dual charger for under $400. The batteries and charger are nearly $400, so I got a cordless chainsaw for free. Its was something I've kinda wanted for my emergency kit anyway, so it all worked out fine

[Crazy Dane]

Well, that's that. Stihl is not going to do anything. The dealer is not going to do anything. A 572XP is $1200. Looks like I have to buy 60% of my MS462CM over again.

Guys, I appreciate the tips. I am not on twitter. I don't feel like wasting time hollering about it. Looks like it's time to eat it and move on. I will say that this experience will heavily influence my future buying decisions. I will be trying Husqvarna for my equipment needs next. I could not support Stihl in good conscious going forward.

I feel bad because I recommended the MS462CM to a friend, so he bought one when his MS391 got straight gassed. He cut one tree and it would not start again. He took it in and they found a faulty decompression valve. Easy fix and he is up and going, but still not the kind of performance you would expect from a top-of-the-line professional saw.

I may still buy a full wrap 572XP with a 28. Does anyone have experience with that saw?

Sorry to hear about the Stihl.

In short, I needed a big saw and went to buy a 365 and walked out with the 572xp with a 28-inch bar. The tree sump in the pic is a red oak with a 54-inch diameter at that cut. The saw pulled a full bar in that red oak without bogging. I have since added a full wrap handle and felling dogs, I got the kit of amazon. I went to a 24-inch Husqvarna branded Sugihara light weight bar. It screams through oak, maple and everything else I have cut. I could not imagen have to run the saw without the full wrap handle now. I have only had to reset the carb one time and that was after a trip to sea-level and back to 3000 feet in the same weekend.

I came back to say, when my 350 finally gives it up, i will replace it with a 550xp. I really like the xp series. I keep trying to justify the 592xp....

[cornstalker]

Sorry to hear about the Stihl.

In short, I needed a big saw and went to buy a 365 and walked out with the 572xp with a 28-inch bar. The tree sump in the pic is a red oak with a 54-inch diameter at that cut. The saw pulled a full bar in that red oak without bogging. I have since added a full wrap handle and felling dogs, I got the kit of amazon. I went to a 24-inch Husqvarna branded Sugihara light weight bar. It screams through oak, maple and everything else I have cut. I could not imagen have to run the saw without the full wrap handle now. I have only had to reset the carb one time and that was after a trip to sea-level and back to 3000 feet in the same weekend.

I came back to say, when my 350 finally gives it up, i will replace it with a 550xp. I really like the xp series. I keep trying to justify the 592xp....

Thanks for sharing your experience. Pulling a buried 28 in oak takes some nuggets!

A 14-pound, 72cc power head with a full comp 28 seems to be the sweet spot for what I do. Now that I have learned to use that combo, there is nothing I prefer a smaller saw for except carrying to the truck and back and sharpening the chain. I doubt I would want to run a bigger saw for very long. I go from 6000-10000 feet regularly, so adaptive fuel/spark management is very useful to me. I think the MS462 is a touch lighter, has more horsepower, and has higher rpm than the Husky, but I hear the Husqvarna saws have a much beefier bottom end. For me, the long game rules the day. It's unfortunate that I just happened to get a bad Stihl.

We will see. If the Stihl runs like it's supposed to when I get it back I may keep it. Or I could sell it, plus sell two cords of wood at peak market and fund a 572XP.
Hopefully Husky will unveil a fuel-injected saw soon.

[cornstalker]

Oh, and a full wrap is absolutely necessary. It's great for felling, but it's mandatory for limbing a 100-foot spruce.

[Crazy Dane]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Pulling a buried 28 in oak takes some nuggets!

A 14-pound, 72cc power head with a full comp 28 seems to be the sweet spot for what I do. Now that I have learned to use that combo, there is nothing I prefer a smaller saw for except carrying to the truck and back and sharpening the chain. I doubt I would want to run a bigger saw for very long. I go from 6000-10000 feet regularly, so adaptive fuel/spark management is very useful to me. I think the MS462 is a touch lighter, has more horsepower, and has higher rpm than the Husky, but I hear the Husqvarna saws have a much beefier bottom end. For me, the long game rules the day. It's unfortunate that I just happened to get a bad Stihl.

We will see. If the Stihl runs like it's supposed to when I get it back I may keep it. Or I could sell it, plus sell two cords of wood at peak market and fund a 572XP.
Hopefully Husky will unveil a fuel-injected saw soon.

I was a sawyer for NC forest service and the 350 with a 20-inch bar was my line saw and I used it to cut through a lot of Laurel and Ivy thickets. It was also big enough at the time to handle most of the trees I would have to fall. Our timber here is getting back to the age where a 28-inch bar or bigger is needed. I was offered all of the Stihls I wanted but chose to carry my own Husky. I did have a 460 Stihl as my big saw but sold it when I got to worn out to continue as a sawyer. The 50cc saws are still the best for cutting the underbrush here. If I'm felling a tree or cutting logs, I grab the 572.

[cornstalker]

I was a sawyer for NC forest service and the 350 with a 20-inch bar was my line saw and I used it to cut through a lot of Laurel and Ivy thickets. It was also big enough at the time to handle most of the trees I would have to fall. Our timber here is getting back to the age where a 28-inch bar or bigger is needed. I was offered all of the Stihls I wanted but chose to carry my own Husky. I did have a 460 Stihl as my big saw but sold it when I got to worn out to continue as a sawyer. The 50cc saws are still the best for cutting the underbrush here. If I'm felling a tree or cutting logs, I grab the 572.

Pretty wild the difference in the environments and the saw use from one to the next. I cut firewood for personal use, and have never even had to deal with anything that would qualify as "underbrush". I would guess clearing brush would be a big deal in the PacNW as well. I haven't had to double-cut anything since I got a 28, but I have buried the bar in softwood at high altitude. For what I do, the time savings of the 462 over my 261 is very noticeable. Especially now that the 462 is down.

Generally, I turn this:


Into this:


The full wrap 462/572 is ideal for me. Had my recent experience been different, I might consider a 500i. We will see what the future holds.