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Ron Eggen 
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Joined: 15 Sep 2009
Location: Lohman, Missour
Points: 524
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 Posted: 05 Mar 2021 at 12:06am |
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If you read the owners manual on the cheap Poulan saws it says they are designed for 25 hours of casual use !
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Thad in AR.
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Arkansas
Points: 9271
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Posted: 05 Mar 2021 at 5:23am |
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I have a shihl Husvarna 2 echos and a Poulenc my neighbor put in my truck after I helped him one day.
I’ve had good luck with all of them.
Years back I had an 031 Stihl that grew legs and ran away. I was working up in Mo and needed a new saw. The little town had nothing for saws. I was headed back to the job site when I saw a pawn shop. I went in and they had a few. I saw an 026 Stihl. I asked the guy what he’d take? He said $100. I bought it right there. I went to the gas station and bought gas and 2 stroke oil. She fired right up and I’ve been using it for years.
My big echo also cost me $100.00
A coworker bought it new and put ethanol in it. It never made 3 cuts. He put it away and next time it wouldn’t run. I bought it took it home dumped the old gas pulled the filter blew it out put it back on and filled with new gas mix. 3rd pull she fired and runs like new.
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Dave H
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Central IL
Points: 3477
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Posted: 05 Mar 2021 at 6:45am |
Well Thad, you did not do much to promote the theory that if you throw a lot of money at a product it will be better than a reasonable/good buy. 
Yep i bought my Stihl 017 24 years ago for 85 bucks used. It is running good as of two days ago. 
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IBWD MIke
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Joined: 08 Apr 2012
Location: Newton Ia.
Points: 3436
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Posted: 05 Mar 2021 at 9:09am |
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The MS 170 Stihl is at the upper end of your price-range but that is what I'd go with. Would like to have one to compliment my other saws.
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Thad in AR.
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Arkansas
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Posted: 05 Mar 2021 at 10:00am |
 IBWD MIke wrote:
The MS 170 Stihl is at the upper end of your price-range but that is what I'd go with. Would like to have one to compliment my other saws.
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Mike you don’t have to buy a saw for that. I think your saws work very hard, they do nice work and they’re very good looking saws. Please forgive me.🙂
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Stan IL&TN
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Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Location: Elvis Land
Points: 6730
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Posted: 05 Mar 2021 at 8:35pm |
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Of the ones you listed I have owned Poulan, Poulan Pro and Husqvarnia.. Poulan was 30 years ago and was a great saw. Next went with the Pro about 6-7 years ago. What a piece of crap. Had less than 5 hours on it and I gave it away. Went with the Husqvarnia and have been pretty apply with it but did ditch their chain and went with Oregon chains. I do keep a Stihl at the farm and it is the best........but you pay for it.
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1957 WD45 dad's first AC
1968 one-seventy
1956 F40 Ferguson
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IBWD MIke
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Joined: 08 Apr 2012
Location: Newton Ia.
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Posted: 06 Mar 2021 at 9:49am |
Thanks Thad. This thread has me thinking, I'd like to have another saw, or two. Hopefully, I get the trees under control and don't need so many. Think a Stihl MS261 would be great, something bigger than the 362 would be nice too. Probably just need to take a breath, let the weather warm up, and get back to working on tractors.
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Dusty MI
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Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Location: Charlotte, Mi
Points: 5053
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Posted: 06 Mar 2021 at 10:45am |
Anyone use a chainsaw mill on their chainsaw ?
Dusty
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917 H, '48 G, '65 D-10 series III "Allis Express"
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Thad in AR.
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Arkansas
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Posted: 06 Mar 2021 at 1:15pm |
IBWD MIke wrote:
Thanks Thad. This thread has me thinking, I'd like to have another saw, or two. Hopefully, I get the trees under control and don't need so many. Think a Stihl MS261 would be great, something bigger than the 362 would be nice too. Probably just need to take a breath, let the weather warm up, and get back to working on tractors.
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I have 5 and can find a way to justify each. I haven’t had the big one long and wouldn’t want to run it long but it’s handy when needed
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Rick
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Jonesburg,Mo.
Points: 3639
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Posted: 06 Mar 2021 at 1:41pm |
Wow! This is a long thread! LOL! I'll simply say that, if you're going to do a lot of wood cutting, then there's only one saw...STIHL! I've tried all of the odd balls and they're just that. My dad used Pioneer chain saws back when and they were great saws, but I prefer the Stihl...gets the job done fast and move along. I was a logger, besides being a clutch rebuilder and a brake guy and would not have anything else...my two cents.  Rick
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Mactractor
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Joined: 20 Jun 2011
Location: New Zealand
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Posted: 06 Mar 2021 at 2:11pm |
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Done a lot of milling with Granberg (known down here as Alaskan mill) Dusty. Would always cut nice and true for about 12-14 feet, then no matter how good you kept your chain cutters filed, the cut would start to run off to one side. That was using aluminium ladder or frame to guide every cut too, not just the first cuts. Concluded I just use the Granberg for shorter cuts. Also use a small alu frame with a block of solid aluminium in it that runs parallel with bar just inside cut, and bolts to bar through holes you drill in them. Block is 3/4" x 4". It slides in alu channel that is screwed to 2x6 timber you can fix to the flat of a log after you take one slab off with Granberg. Bar then cuts vertically, the best way. No run off at all then, no matter how long the cut.
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fleeter allis fan
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Joined: 05 Apr 2018
Location: Niagara Ont
Points: 133
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Posted: 06 Mar 2021 at 3:19pm |
Dusty MI wrote:
Anyone use a chainsaw mill on their chainsaw ?
Dusty |
I have never used a chainsaw mill, but you can turn out lots of lumber with one of these.
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I'm a man...and I can change...if I have to... I guess.
'44 B, '46 WF, '49 G, 810GT, 916H, 620
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iowallis
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Joined: 04 Jun 2017
Location: North Iowa
Points: 318
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Posted: 06 Mar 2021 at 4:37pm |
Rick wrote:
I'll simply say that, if you're going to do a lot of wood cutting, then there's only one saw...STIHL!
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Mostly fence row stuff that has been growing for 8 years since my dad quit doing it (and has since passed away) and cutting some lower hanging branches that I are coming close to knocking my hat off while mowing.
Went on a road trip today to get some old car parts and stopped at a Stihl dealer in another town. Same prices as my local dealer so I think Stihl must "lock" their prices amongst dealers. Salesman was as uninformative about prices during Dealer Days as my local store also. He did mention that Father's Day is usually good time to buy a saw so maybe they run a special then.
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john(MI)
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: SE MI
Points: 9263
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Posted: 06 Mar 2021 at 4:52pm |
Just go online and buy this then go to your local store to pick it up. Or if they will ship it to you, you may not have to pay sales tax! This is the model you want. My friend has one with a handy dandy just turn and lock the tension on the blade and hates it. This model has the two nuts that hold it tight. You can also ask them for the other bar that takes the more aggressive chain. A few bucks more but well worth it.
Edited by john(MI) - 06 Mar 2021 at 4:56pm
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D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446
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iowallis
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Joined: 04 Jun 2017
Location: North Iowa
Points: 318
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Posted: 06 Mar 2021 at 5:25pm |
john(MI) wrote:
Just go online and buy this then go to your local store to pick it up.
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Checked it out.... At my local ACE Hardware store it is not available
Free Store or Curbside Pickup Unavailable for pickup at Kramer Hardware - Mason City, IAItem not available nearby
Ship to Home Unavailable for shipping. Also the local Stihl dealer is also the Toro dealer and have bought several mowers from them. If I would get a Stihl it probably would be from them.
Edited by iowallis - 06 Mar 2021 at 5:33pm
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Dakota Dave
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: ND
Points: 3893
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Posted: 06 Mar 2021 at 6:57pm |
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Had two stil ms261s at the farm first one went back to dealer twice was hard starting and never did idle. Was warranties both times first time they had for a week and claimed we were letting it idle to long and was loading up. It never did idle. Second time they said it would be a month before we'd get it back. Bought a second saw that day. It worked great from day one. Always started right away idled and ran great. 4 months later we got the first saw back. Dealer said out of warranties. Showed the receipt for drop off was still in warranty so got it back still hard to start and ran poorly. Someone borrowed both saws out of the shop to never return. Don't have any idea who. Replaced with a box store Poulan you can get 5 of them for the price of one stil. Gets left in the farm truck or sitting out on the 4 wheeler hasnt walked away and we can buy 9 more for what the one good stil cost.
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iowallis
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Location: North Iowa
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Posted: 07 Mar 2021 at 6:21pm |
Decided on the Echo at Mills Fleet farm. With the 12% off it brought it down to the top of my price range. Went to the store after church and there were none on the shelves. Guess people had the same idea I did. Walked around the area for a bit trying to find somebody to ask to see if they had more in stock/in back but it was a ghost town.
Sadly, since they dropped the "Mills" from Mills Fleet Farm it has become more like WalMart in trying to find someone to help you.
Checked online and it said they have some available at that store so maybe go back during the week and check. Really don't want to buy online then store pickup if I can't hold it in my hands before buying.
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DaveKamp
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Joined: 12 Apr 2010
Location: LeClaire, Ia
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Posted: 08 Mar 2021 at 12:00am |
First and foremost... it makes absolutely no difference WHAT chainsaw you get, if it doesn't get clean, fresh fuel, quality oil, a judicious cleaning after each use, several sharp chains, and regular attention to the bar's working edge.
Second... a cheap, junky chainsaw will cut through a tree just like a quality one... the quality one will just last longer, and be more serviceable, more durable, and will have good support for longer.
Next: Having a saw that is too big, or too small, is usually the worst, and most dangerous circumstance. Too big when you're trying to cut through close-quarters brush, or clear a fence is clumsy and tiring, while trying to fell a large tree with one small saw is downright suicidal. Running a really short bar is handy for up-close and small stuff, running a really long bar is for felling, clearing big limbs and trunks. Running a short bar on a bigh powerhead isn't a problem, but running a big bar on a small powerhead is not a good idea, as it takes engine power to pull a long chain through a fat trunk.
A small saw runs a small chain, a big saw runs a big chain. My MS170 has a.043 Pico chain with 3/8" link pitch, my MS880 runs a .404 with 0.063 groove. All my other saws run a 0.050" groove 3/8" pitch chain. The narrow 'pico'chain cuts a narrower kerf, which is to allow a smaller engine to make a faster cut, because it's ripping out less material. My Stihl MS180 came originally with the .043 Pico chain, when I replaced the bar and chain with a 0.050" 3/8 combination from a larger Stihl, I was told by many that it 'wouldn't work', and that the MS180 was 'not strong enough' to pull that chain and bar, but they were all very much wrong (more on this later), but going to that 0.050 increased neighborhood availablility for a compatible chain, which is important to having sharp chains on hand at all times. (that, and a chain sharpener!!)
Finally: Having several saws on-ready-hand ALWAYS beats walking onto a job with just one saw... because when the one you have runs into difficulty, your forward progress STOPS... but grabbing the backup saw gets you back on track.
Big box stores mostly source what they call 'consumer grade' saws from brand-engineered manufacturers. 'Consumer Grade' means they sell it off the shelf, it gets used a time or three, then sits on a shelf for four five years before someone tries to fire it up, it doesn't start, they take it to a small engine shop, and get a repair estimate of more than it cost new just to give it a carb and fuel line, so it gets thrown out. With so much stuff coming from Asia, you can now buy twelve practically identical saws, with twelve different names... they're all dirt cheap, and they all share some very common weaknesses in workmanship and quality control.
What makes a 'professional' grade saw? One of the first things, is a metal crankcase. Most big-box brands have plastic crankcases. They get brittle in the cold, then crack, which causes a vacuum leak, and they won't run. Cheap saws have cheap crankshaft seals, the same problem. Lots of other little issues that the professional world (Arborists and tree services) simply don't tolerate.
Brands... The manufacturers of professional grade saws have been identified... Stihl, Husky, Echo... Jonsered (Sweden), Dolmar (Germany) Shindaiwa (Japan) EFCO (Italy) all have some really good stuff... and the clue you'll find, is that they're most frequently sold and serviced through lawn and garden shops of professional service companies, rather than 'big box' outfits.
Someone mentioned 'don't buy used'... I have a Stihl MS170, Stihl MS180, Stihl 026, Stihl 029, Stihl 034AV Super, a Stihl 046, and a Stihl MS880... a Shindaiwa 575, an Echo CS310, a John-Deere (made by SOLO), and a 40ish cc Ryobi. I DON'T own any top-handle climbing saws, but my next saw WILL be a tiny top-handle. NONE of them were purchased by me, 'new'. Most used, some were free, on account that they 'didn't work anymore'. The MS170 (yes, it's the lowest price level on Stihl's lineup) took an hour to clean up.
As I noted above, maintenance is a key reason for a saw to 'not' work right. Plugged up spark arrestor, plugged up air filter, fuel pickup full of sawdust, fuel line cracked from exposure to ethanol or additives, carb impulse pump inlet screen obstructed by sawdust or fuel plaque... Cheap two-cycle oil grants no favors... I use a 1-gallon can and the Stihl Ultra small bottles, which assures that I get the right volume for a 4-quart jug.
I always look up the various performance modifications indentified for a saw. My MS180 was supposed to be a weakling (hence the PICCO blade suggestion), but with the muffler flow improvement, the carb adjustment screw limiters removed, mixture readjusted, and timing advanced about 4 degrees with an offset key, a sharp blade and good fuel, and it is one tree-hungry machine. Rightfully so, yeah, it WAS a pooch prior to the mods, afterwards, it pulls chain like a boss... starts on first pull after the pop. Unlike the MS170, My MS180E has a no-tools bar/chain feature. i can adjust chain tension with a quick half-twist of the hand lock, turn the chain adjust thumbwheel, and snug the hand lock, and be back on biz in moments. Easy to remove the chain and/or bar for a quick turnaround, too.
Regardless of WHAT you get, plan on reading lots about that particular saw... plan on cleaning it, sharpening the chain, dumping out the unusued fuel after each use, using a high-test non-ethanol source with some quality 2-stroke oil, keep the chain sharp, and clean it up when you're done.
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Ten Amendments, Ten Commandments, and one Golden Rule solve most every problem. Citrus hand-cleaner with Pumice does the rest.
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shameless dude
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Location: east NE
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Posted: 08 Mar 2021 at 1:18am |
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i bought an Echo years ago, was new but on an estate sale, think it is a 660 size or so, i chunked 2 big trees up with it and then i had rotator cuff problems, not from running a chain saw, but from another doings. i couldn't run that Echo anymore for quite awhile, and i soon forgot about it sitting in the shed. i'm sure the gas in it is something nasty and it'll prolly hafta go somewhere to get cleaned up inside. it's only cut 4-5 trees in the 20 sum years i and the previous owner had it! where is the screen ya'll are talking about? plus...i'm sure it'll be for sale soon. think it has an 18-20 inch bar
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Dave H
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Location: Central IL
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Posted: 08 Mar 2021 at 6:38am |
pull the filter outa the tank and replace it.
If that won't do it try knocking the carb apart and checking the diaphragms and the little screen that lets fuel go from one side of the carb to the other, or just buy one on line for a few bucks.
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fleeter allis fan
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Location: Niagara Ont
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Posted: 11 Mar 2021 at 2:06pm |
Maybe one of these would work.
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I'm a man...and I can change...if I have to... I guess.
'44 B, '46 WF, '49 G, 810GT, 916H, 620
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Kansas99
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Posted: 11 Mar 2021 at 4:03pm |
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"LET"S GO BRANDON!!"
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Dakota Dave
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Posted: 11 Mar 2021 at 9:24pm |
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The saw I get the most use out of is my old USA made Poulan. It's a 2300 CVA. The CVA is a top handle lightweight saw. I took the 20" bar off and put a 16" in its place. Since 1986 I've replaced the spark plug fuel line and filter, air filter and a few chains.
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BillinAlberta
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Posted: 11 Mar 2021 at 10:58pm |
Lots of different saws running for you guys. I got a McCulloch for my 12th birthday in 1966 (different times and dad thought he was being kind to me by buying me a lighter saw).I kept the house stocked with wood till college in 1974.Filled a 16 by 20 woodshed every year with poplar windfalls and cutline slash .I can't take all the credit for filling that woodshed. I had a little brother who helped a lot. Bought a brand new XL76 Homelite and cut firewood to help pay tuition and room and board through till graduation then used it lighter till buying my first farm in '81.It was pretty worn out so after babying it till the next year I splurged and borrowed the money for a D17 tractor and a Husqvarna 16 inch "limbing saw" .That little saw ran a heck of a lot from 82 until my 60th birthday when my wife bought me a Husqvarna Rancher. Sure like the extra length of bar(18 inch).
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