What to look for in a second hand Chainsaw?

[Spelunx]

Hey Everyone,

I am in the market for a secondhand chainsaw. Looking for something that will cut a reasonable bit of firewood, ideally around 60 cc.

What should I be looking for? Absolutely ideally, I would like to pick up a saw, three or four years old, with not much use, but these are few and far between.

The rest of the saws on Gumtree seem to fall into three categories, 1. Older, lots of use, worn out 2. Older, but not much use, well maintained, 3. Newer, lots of use.

I have discounted number one, I dont have time to tinker with a saw to get it going.

Other than that what would be best? I have been told to expect 10 years from a good quality saw?

When I go to look at a saw, what are the areas I should be looking at, and what Questions should I ask? Are there any tell-tale signs of heavy use?

I am reasonably familiar with machinery, but I am no mechanic, and have only had a few months experience with a brand-new, very small chainsaw I inherited, hence the upgrade to a bigger one!

Cheers

[Master Splinter]

Based on my mostly successful secondhand power tool purchasing habits, older but not too much use from a trade respected manufacturer (like Stihl or Husquvana) would be my thoughts.

BUT

Be aware of new prices as often good older stuff is listed at very hopeful prices... I wouldn't be buying a 15 year old machine at 75% of new replacement price.

The only quality brand chainsaws I ever see at the local tip shop are soooo shagged they look like they've spent the last few years being dragged on a chain behind a ute through forests, rather than being used to cut them down. Cheapie brand ones, though, in generally (visually) good condition (barring oil leaks, cracks and abuse) could probably be bulk purchased by the kilo.

If you live in a city with plenty of Casino action, pawnbrokers can be a possible source....

[Dingo Dog]

Hi Bloke

Don't know much about second hand chainsaws, I binned mine at the local tip last year after 25 years service, it developed a hole in the tank, which was part of the chainsaw body, unable to repair the hole. Bought a new Stihl replacement last week, they have separate plastic tanks on them now. Anyway, that rant won't help you out much, check out the known brand dealerships, maybe they might have secondhand units.

DD

[Spelunx]

Cheers guys!

Yep, definitely looking for a name brand, either Husky or Stihl, not fussed about which.

Every now and again one of the professional series (ie Husky XP or Stihl Magnum), comes up on Gumtree, so I will keep an eye out. I figure if I buy a professional quality saw from a domestic user, it will be more likely to be a better buy, and last a lot longer.

Cheers

[BobL]

There is no substitute for trying it out. so the obvious thing is, does it run and does it cut wood.

How easily does it start.
How smoothly does it run.
How hot does it get
How much vibe comes through to the handles
Do the chain brake, kill switch and choke work correctly
How well/straight does it cut

Ideally the compression should be checked cold and then after running half a tank of mix through it.
A hard core check would involved a crankcase compression test. It's not essential as problems in this area would also be reflected in being hard to start and how well it ran.
If you can I'd also look at the end of the spark plug. Gummed up plug is a sign of poor maintenance.

I would remove the clutch cover and examine the wear on the crankcase around the drive sprocket.
Lots of missing paint and gouged metal/plastic around the crankcase/cover is a sign that the chain has been run loose and maybe come off a few time.
Corrosion in this area is a sign that it has been used to cut palms and not cleaned thereafter - this can cause probs.

I would remove the air filter cover and look at how clean this area is. It's no guarantee but if its gummed up with sawdust and resinous oil that's poor maintenance.
Pull the air filter off and look for holes in the filter, crushed gasket and other possible leak points around the filter gasket.

Cosmetic wear should be age related, premature cosmetic wear is a sign that it has been badly treated.

Bar, chain and sprocket are all consumables but complete replacement can end up costing as much as a used saw.
Look for:
How much cutter length is left on the chains
Wear on the drive sprocket - new chain on a worn sprocket or VVt is not so good
Measure the depth of the bar groove - it should be a couple of mm deeper than the length of the drive teeth.
Chain should not rock too much in the groove - too much slop means a worn bar groove
Chain tensioning screw should not have too much backlash

Some questions to ask
What ratio mix has the saw been used with.
What brand lube has been used
What brand chain oil has been used
How many hours has it been run for - even approximately. A quality saw should be able to run for 2000 hours before it needs a new piston/rings.
If you can look at where the saw is being stored - a pool of oil indicates chain oil leak probs.

Most of these things are relatively low cost fixes but should serve as a guide/lever as to how hard you bargain.

Happy to answer more questions.

Oh yeah - and take some photos because you want to get feed back from your uncle but post the pics here so we can comment on it here!

[Spelunx]

Wow! Thanks BobL!

Awesome post....

So you reckon 2000 hours is a good guide for a chainsaw huh? What about age? ie would a saw that is 6 years old, used a few times a year, be a better purchase than a 3 year old saw, used on a farm all year round?

I realise the question is very subjective, so generalise all you want....

[BobL]

Wow! Thanks BobL!

Awesome post....

So you reckon 2000 hours is a good guide for a chainsaw huh? What about age? ie would a saw that is 6 years old, used a few times a year, be a better purchase than a 3 year old saw, used on a farm all year round?

The 2000 hours is not my estimate, it's from some research done by Sthl Engineers.

I realise the question is very subjective, so generalise all you want....

Age will matter more if the saw has been poorly maintained and stored (e.g. water in fuel) for things like plastic and rubber gaskets. A saw that is stored in a hot tin shed is likely to have perished gaskets etc whereas a saw stored in a box under a house for 50 years could be fine. A few years ago when I was in Canada I visited a friend who had a cabin in the Rockies and he asked me if I could help him get his grandfathers Honelite going. He estimated it was at least 30 years old and was last used about 15 years ago. I was expecting to see a POS but it was in really good condition. The was some sticky residual mix in the fuel tank and I put some raw petrol in and shook and swirled it around and then tipped that out, put fresh mix in and it started on about the 5th pull and ran like a new one. It had been well maintained and stored in a cellar.

Of course really old saws may have design and safety issues (i.e.heavier, no chain brake) but otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to get a 10 - 15 year old saw if it was in good condition.

[Handyjack]

Maybe its not how much use but how it has been used.

eg, Used a few times but blade/chain has gone into dirt/slush/mud on regular basis, rarely cleaned and sharpened;
or, Used monthly with logs off the ground, or only timber underneath, cleaned and sharpened after use.

First one might have done under ten hours but abused, second one might do 300+ hours in three years but looked after.

It might be a bit like looking at used cars, you can get the perfect vehicle but you need to do some tire kicking along the way.

[BobL]

Maybe its not how much use but how it has been used.

eg, Used a few times but blade/chain has gone into dirt/slush/mud on regular basis, rarely cleaned and sharpened; .

The point about how often a chain is sharpened is very important and a good question to ask the owner.

Blunt chains result in the operator pushing the saw hard to get it to cut and this puts extra load on the motor which him turn means it runs slower and hence hotter so wear and tar increases.

In Aussie hardwood the cutters on a chain should be touchéd up after every tank full of fuel used and the rakers should be adjusted after every 4-5 tankfuls.

[Old farmer]

Yes. I agree with BobL. On the farm, we had a mid-range Stihl for 10-odd years with absolutely no trouble butI was careful with maintenance.

[Spelunx]

Cheers guys, I really appreciate this.

I have put aside $600 for now, and am planning to sell my small saw as well, hopefully for around $100-150. Then I will keep my eye out on Gumtree for a good one, and go and have a look.

I also got told today that the local Stihl dealer sells secondhand saws as well, so I might call him and see what they have available.....

Its a pity they dont have an electronic chip in them to tell me how many hours it has been used!