Here are hints and tips about Chain Saws.
When you bought your chain saw, it came with an Owner’s Manual. If you bought it used, go online and get a digital copy of the Owner’s manual. Take 15 minutes and read on how to operate and maintain your chain saw. Make sure you write down your Model Number and Serial Numbers for your unit.
Gas
- Use FRESH gas. Don’t use anything that has been sitting for more than a month.
- You can use 100% pure gas or you can use 10% ethanol gas.
- You need to know what type of gas you need to know what type of gas you need for your chain saw.
- You need to know the ratio of gas to oil that your unit calls for. 30:1, 40:1 or 50:1
- You can buy bottles of 2-cycle oil that you can use for 1, 2 or 2.5 gallon jugs.
- Only buy and set up your gas for what you will use in one month.
- Keep your plastic gas can out of the sunlight and out of the elements. You don’t want to get water in your jugs.
- Don’t use metal gas cans.
- If you use ethanol gas, use mid-grade, 89 octane, gas. That is what is recommended in your Owner’s Manual.
- Gas starts to loose octane after 30 days.
- If you know that you are not going to use your unit for more than 3 months, follow the Storage Process listed below.
Tips
- Every time you fill up for gas, fill up your bar oil chamber.
- Chain saws are for cutting tree limbs and trunks. They are not to be used in the dirt. Dirt will dull your blade and ruin your bar and chain.
- When you start up your unit, make sure that it is oiling properly. If you are not getting oil to your bar and chain, do not use it. It will damage your whole unit.
- When your blade is sharpened properly, you should be able to cut straight and easily through any tree. If your blade is dull or not sharpened properly, it will pull to one side or the other and you will have a harder time trying to cut through the wood.
- When you get a replacement or spare blade and/or bar, make sure you get the correct one for your unit. Not just any blade and bar will work on your unit.
STORAGE PROCESS
There are several different ways that you can store your unit when you know you aren’t going to be using it for 3 or more months, like over the winter. Some call it Winterizing, but it is the same process you can use on mowers, trimmers, blowers, pressure washers, tillers, anything that is gas powered.
- Use Stabilizer in your gas. You can use Stabilizer in your gas year round and it won’t hurt anything. By using Stabilizer in your gas, it will help prevent the gas that is in the system from gelling up and causing carburetor issues when you go to use it again.
- Some people swear by just draining your gas out of your unit when you are storing it. That is fine, but there will still be some gas in the carburetor that can still cause trouble. You can drain it, then still try to start it. Don’t forget to prime it so you get the gas out of the primer bubble too.
- You can combine the first two by putting Stabilizer in your gas. Run it for around 5 minutes so it is distributed throughout the fuel system. Drain your gas. Prime it and try to start a few times to try to get as much gas out of the primer and carburetor as possible.
- To really hedge your bets so that when you need to use it again, use the Stabilizer in your gas. Run it for around 5 minutes so it is distributed throughout the fuel system. Then once a month, start it and run it for 5 minutes to get the gas moving.
- Any gas that you have left over when you put your unit in storage, get rid of the gas in a safe manner. Do not use it in your equipment when you start using it again.
When you use your unit again after it has been in storage, use FRESH gas. Gas that was purchased within the past 2 days.