Chain saw for $20!!!

[Al Launier]

I was returning home from running errands when I spotted an "Estate Sale" sign on a tree. Decided to check it out in case there might be some tools. No tools, but there was this Poulan chain saw marked for $50. The guy managing the estate sale asked if I was interested & decided to start it up to show that it worked. Well it did, very well in fact. It started on the 4th pull, ran well at both high speed & at idle; it has a brand new blade plus the old one that appears never to have been sharpened (the blade is not worn, ground, or filed down); there is a scrench plus a maual & it all fit nicely into a hard case. He offered to let it go for $30 & that really got my interest. But being late in the day & thinking he wanted to clear things out to finish up with the one day estate sale, I counter-offered with $20. He couldn't do it. OK, no deal. So I started walking down the driveway & he yells out "OK I can do it for $20". Now how good is that??? Seems like a good deal to me!

[Tom M King]

That saw has a lot of life left in it. I wouldn't run ethanol gas in it, and run Stihl synthetic 2-stroke mix. I have an old Poulan xxv that's so old it doesn't have a chain brake on it, but it still runs. I keep it for a loaner, since I don't loan my good saws out.

[Wade Lippman]

That saw has a lot of life left in it. I wouldn't run ethanol gas in it, and run Stihl synthetic 2-stroke mix. I have an old Poulan xxv that's so old it doesn't have a chain brake on it, but it still runs. I keep it for a loaner, since I don't loan my good saws out.

You lend dangerous saws?

[Tom M King]

It's so little that I don't consider it dangerous to the few people I lend it too. I don't lend it to just anyone. A ported 066, or even stock 044, or 036 (yes, they are all over 15 years old. That's why I said to run non-ethanol and Stihl synthetic in one) would be a lot more dangerous, even with a chain brake.

It looks like this: It's one my Dad had. There's also an old early '50s 7.5 inch Poulan around here somewhere with a big bow blade on it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1974-Poulan-Super-XXV-Automatic-Chain-Saw-Color-AD-/261906486590?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3cfad7d53e

[Jim Matthews]

$20 - it's a bargain.

You suck.

[Kent Adams]

Awesome find! Like someone else said, DO NOT PUT ETHANOL GAS IN IT. You can likely buy pure gas somewhere in your area. Go to this website and search. I did a search for you and found these stations in NH. http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=NH

Its worth the drive if you have to. Just take a couple of 5 gallon containers to fill up and then treat them for the winter. Ethanol ruins small engines fast!

[Ole Anderson]

Been running e10 ethanol spiked gas in my Stihl 018 for at least a 15 years and it always starts fine in the spring. Frankly I think the whole ethanol thing is overrated. Never ran anything but e10 in all my gas engines, except for my FL outboard which gets straight gas as that is what the marinas sell. Stihl trimmer, blower, 018, 290, my pressure washer, generator, snowblower, snowmobile, chipper, ski boat. Oh yea, also an old Poulin Pro a friend found on the road at least 15 years ago and gave to me. I do try to run the gas out at the end of a season, but even that doesn't always happen, particularly on the saws. I have started using StaBil Ethanol gas treatment in my new Generac generator as it is critical yet sits a lot.

Your $20 saw was quite a steal, by the way!

[Jason Roehl]

I'll be a contrarian here. Even if you offered to pay me $200, I wouldn't take a Poulan saw. Just my experience. Someone stole mine, thankfully. I put the cost-of-replacement towards a Husqvarna 372xp, which you wouldn't be able to pry from my cold, dead hands.

But, if it ends up working for you, congrats...

[Ole Anderson]

Now if it was a Poulin Wild Thing, I would agree Jason. Mine has been just OK, nothing to write home about. Doesn't get used much.

[Jason Roehl]

Now if it was a Poulin Wild Thing, I would agree Jason. Mine has been just OK, nothing to write home about. Doesn't get used much.

It wasn't a Wild Thing, just the largest homeowner-grade 20". I should have known when I bought it. The first one ran all of 5 minutes or less, then died, never to restart--seized up or something. The (identical) replacement saw as much time on my repair bench as being used in my hands, not counting chain sharpening--bar bolt pulled out, starter pawls broke (actually started pretty well with a drill in place of the pull cord), muffler bolts kept falling out, etc.

[Jim Matthews]

Husqvarna 372xp, which you wouldn't be able to pry from my cold, dead hands.

Pffft....

Dolmar made the only saw worth owning,
and I bought mine all those years ago
when they still made them.

[Moses Yoder]

I'll be a contrarian here. Even if you offered to pay me $200, I wouldn't take a Poulan saw. Just my experience. Someone stole mine, thankfully. I put the cost-of-replacement towards a Husqvarna 372xp, which you wouldn't be able to pry from my cold, dead hands.

But, if it ends up working for you, congrats...

I typed in the same thing early yesterday morning and then thought I better not say it. For just occasional use I would drain the tank and then run the carb dry every time you store it.

[Al Launier]

Thanks for the heads up on ethanol gas & the source for "pure" gas. I'll check out the sources & keep a supply on hand just for the small engine tools.

I already had/have a Homelite EZ Start 16" chain saw that I've had for many years. It is much less bulky than the Poulan I just picked up. Frankly I don't like the bulkiness of the Poulan (never did), but for only $20........ what the heck, it'll serve as a backup should the Homelite break down, or as loaner to my neighbor(s) that frequently borrow my tools (and sometimes forget to return them).

As an aside, the last couple years, or so, I was having trouble starting the Homelite EZ, despite tuning it, so I tried high test gas (ethanol) & it started right away - world of difference! Now it's 2 choke pulls & a start pull when it's cold. Starts on the first pull when warm. It'll continue to be my goto chain saw.

As for the effects of ethanol gas I really had problems on my boat motor (115 HP) when ethanol first came out. Seemed like it ate everything rubber inside - a very frustrating experience, especialy finding out several miles out on the ocean. Had to install a Racor fuel line filter!

[Matt Meiser]

You can buy ethanol-free gas in quart cans, premixed with oil at Lowes and numerous other places. Expensive, but convenient, has a long shelf life and no ethanol worries.