chummer
5 year old buck +
Yes I use ethanol free gas. It was the first time I used the saw. It was 15 degrees not sure if that had anything to do with the initial problem. If it doesn't run right next time I use it I will take it back. I shouldn't have blamed the saw for how it was cutting. Obviously I messed something up on it unless I got a lemon. Just seems like it should of ran perfect first time out.
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Regardless of your pinch problem - I have a friend who owns an outdoor equip. business. As Steve B., Buckly, and Tooln said, the gas you use can make a big difference in the saw's performance. My friend the equip. guy told me to run high-octane premium gas in ALL my equip. - saws, snow blower, mower, etc., and to add marine grade fuel system cleaner per the label directions. Also fuel stabilizer. I can tell you first-hand ..... he was right. What a difference !! The right gas smoothed everything out. He told me a lot of his service work problems are not mechanical - but fuel-caused. FWIW.
I can vouch for the 170 being able to handle some pretty big stuff. If I had to pick one saw to have it'd be the 180 or the 170. I haven't found a tree it can't cut. I cut a 22 inch diameter pine with it last year. It took a while, but the saw got through it. the only problems were operating error (pinching). I always carry a plastic wedge with me though because I'm still learning. I did as Steve B suggested and once I got about half way through, I angled it on each side (think of making a triangle, where the base is the the far side of the tree where the saw exits.. or likewise think of a pacman shape taking a bite out of the side that you're cutting). I also feel safer when I use this method because you can slowly take out some of the heart until she starts to go. Long story short, if you keep your chain sharp, you should have no problem.
My neighbor has a bigger saw that he'll let me use from time to time, although usually he's with me because I'm still not 100% comfortable cutting the bigger stuff without someone there. As far as limbing out tree, I actually prefer the 170 to the bigger saws. I'm not a slouch when it comes to moving weight, but after an hour or so, I'm definitely a lot fresher with the 170. His saws are also from farm sales in the 1980's and 90's, so they're pretty heavy.
The one negative is the small gas tank. The saw will run through gas pretty quickly, but it's not all bad because it gives the saw a little bit of a rest every now and then.
B
BJE80
Guest
Looks like I found a MS180C to use as much as I want and I don't have to buy one. :cool:
*Hawaii5joe*
5 year old buck +
How much do the 170s run $$$$? Is a guy better off with a small compact chain saw vs a silky zubat. Or both???
I'd say both, just because I tend to get tearing when I use the chainsaw. You can get a used one for anywhere between 50 (probably not working) and $150 (like new).
If you go to stihl.com you can click on the 170 and type in your zipcode (on the right hand side) and it'll give you a list of dealers.. then click on the $ sign and it'll give you their price
If you go to stihl.com you can click on the 170 and type in your zipcode (on the right hand side) and it'll give you a list of dealers.. then click on the $ sign and it'll give you their price
I'll match that offer.
Steve Bartylla
5 year old buck +
I'm with Stu and Rally on this one. You guys hinging with hand saws, well, you're more manly than I am. I don't care how good/expensive the hand saw is, it just takes so much more work/time for me when trying to do it with handsaws....more power to those that do, but I'm never going into a hinge job armed with a hand saw, if I have a choice in the matter....been there, done that more than I'd care to remember, never fast, fun or easy.
I should have clarified when I said both. I meant that I want both of them for overall cutting. I like the silky for pruning, but for cutting most things DOWN, or hinging I'd want the saw. Basically if I care about the tree I'm cutting on (e.g. apples, pears, oaks, some nice pretty birch in a picturesque spot next to the water) I'll want the silky, or at least some type of hand saw. I find that even if I do the move where you cut the underside of the branch first, I still get some tearing of the bark or the saw jumps a bit and I don't get as clean of a cut. I guess I'd say one is a cleaver while the other is a fillet knife.
*Hawaii5joe*
5 year old buck +
Good feedback. I was going to buy a silky but dollar for dollar it seems to be a better deal to get a 170 for hinging. Thanks
MA VT Flatlander
5 year old buck +
Stihl 170 $179.95 at my local Stihl dealer. I don't think I would by a used saw when you can get a new one for that $.
That's how much it was at mine as well. I think they said it was a special, although I could be wrong.
OkieKubota
5 year old buck +
I have a small hand saw similar to the Silky that is made by Stihl that I have used on some pretty large areas of small hickories and elms - reason I used it was I wanted to hinge in stealth mode fairly near one of our neighbors houses. I am gradually hinging them out of a view into our land 2 or 3 trees at a time...
chummer
5 year old buck +
I am more sore after a day with the chainsaw than the silk. Plus bringing the gas and oil is a pain. However, I am not doing 100's in a day. I probably only do a 100 a year.
chummer
5 year old buck +
You nailed it about the snow and I didn't even think about it. All the hinging I do is on top of a lot of snow and I hate using the chainsaw with snow shoes. Probably why I have moved to the silky and didn't even realize why it seemed so much easier.
