Is Something Wrong? This is the first chain saw I've owned, gas or electric, and today was my first use and it seems to have greatly underperformed.I used it to cut down a large branch of a tree, maybe 6-8" in diameter maximum, and it probably took 5-7 minutes of constant cutting to sever it.Out of the box I only added oil ... was there something I missed? There are black smoke marks where the motor vent is ... is this normal?I have a 14.4V sawzall that cuts nearly as quickly as this chain saw, and maybe even faster. That can't be normal, right? Is Something Wrong? This is the first chain saw I've owned, gas or electric, and today was my first use and it seems to have greatly underperformed.I used it to cut down a large... » Read More Is Something Wrong? This is the first chain saw I've owned, gas or electric, and today was my first use and it seems to have greatly underperformed.I used it to cut down a large branch of a tree, maybe 6-8" in diameter maximum, and it probably took 5-7 minutes of constant cutting to sever it.Out of the box I only added oil ... was there something I missed? There are black smoke marks where the motor vent is ... is this normal?I have a 14.4V sawzall that cuts nearly as quickly as this chain saw, and maybe even faster. That can't be normal, right? « Show Less
1084939
I would notify Poulan of the situation just so that they could tighten up their quality control dept. What if next time, instead of backwards, they forget to tighten the blade & the chain comes flying off at full throttle?
1084940
I bought the Craftmans 18" yesterday. It made two cuts and then acted just like it wasn't plugged in. I returned it today.
1084941
Seems like something is wrong. Mine cuts like a hot knife through butter. I have not tried to cut anything larger than 9" or so, but it will go through a 6" branch in 5-10 seconds. I debranched and cut up a fallen 20' pine in about 10 minutes.
1084942
I have a problem with the auto lube feature. It does not work. I've heard it is a known defect, but I am concerned it needs to be repaired or replaced. Ideas?
1084943
Check the safety brake - the black plastic mudflap in front of the support bar that you put your left hand on. If that thing gets bumped, the motor shuts off and never starts again until it's moved back.
1084944
Yep, turned out whoever assembled my saw put the chain on backwards! Now that I've fixed it the saw works very well. I just hope I didn't cause any permanent damage running the motor for so long.
1084945
Try calling Poulan directly at the 800# in your owners manual & let them know what's going on.
1084946
My 400E burned a motor at 11 months. The folks at Billiou's (pronounced Bill u's), the western distributor at 800-554-6723) were very nice and said they would send me a replacement chainsaw. That was a very nice offer, but it has been nearly 2 months and still no chainsaw. I keep getting told "it's on back-order from the factory". If that is true, why is it available through other retailers? The Billiou's service rep says they will call me back with an update but they never do.Amazon says to take it up with Billiou's. Not happy with Billiou's or Amazon, I should have gone to Sears instead. My 400E burned a motor at 11 months. The folks at Billiou's (pronounced Bill u's), the western distributor at 800-554-6723) were very nice and said they would send me a replacement chainsaw. That was a very nice offer, but it has been nearly 2 months and still no chainsaw. I keep getting told "it's on back-order from the factory". If that is true, why is it available through other retailers? The Billiou's service rep says they will call me back with an update but they never do.Amazon says to take it up with Billiou's. Not happy with Billiou's or Amazon, I should have... » Read More My 400E burned a motor at 11 months. The folks at Billiou's (pronounced Bill u's), the western distributor at 800-554-6723) were very nice and said they would send me a replacement chainsaw. That was a very nice offer, but it has been nearly 2 months and still no chainsaw. I keep getting told "it's on back-order from the factory". If that is true, why is it available through other retailers? The Billiou's service rep says they will call me back with an update but they never do.Amazon says to take it up with Billiou's. Not happy with Billiou's or Amazon, I should have gone to Sears instead. « Show Less
1953198
It's a powerful saw that works hard, but I don't have any experience to compare it with. It's only my second saw and I use it infrequently. Sorry.
56253
I have had no problem starting the chain saw. I have started it at least 100 times. I have had a sometime problem while the saw is warming up that at full throttle it stops running. However after a while it will run at full throttle. Just to make sure it is a carburetor issue you may want to read the starting instructions again. Make sure you pump the primer bulb about 5 or 6 times times. Pull the choke all the way out as far as it will go. That will activated the start button. Next pull the cord 5 times. After that push the choke half way in. Pull the cord until it starts. Once it starts let it warm up by pulling the throttle all the way for a few seconds backing it full and partial throttle for about 30 seconds. Hope this helps and your issue is pumping it with gas, full throttle, half throttle and warm up. I am sorry but I have no knowledge about the carburetor.
331120
Return it and get another... this should never be an issue. I just had an alignment issue on the one I ordered on Amazon. Had to RMA it.Also, make sure to never crimp when the wires aren't passed through the tool properly and straight, this will cause the blade to get bent or dull prematurely. ...I'm no longer ordering these on amazon, I haven't had good luck with quality from the ones received on here, now getting from approved platinum tools dealers and having much better luck.
2242328
Besides the already mentioned advice the only time I've had the chain slip off was when I twisted it while cutting. Sometimes the angles can get a little awkward or you get a little rushed and you just need to be patient and keep the saw perpendicular to the cut until it's complete. It's only slipped off very few times for me and each time I knew it was my fault and not the saw's. Fortunately it only takes about 5 minutes to reset the chain even if it does slip loose.
2033671
I was doing similar cutting and found out to get the best cut I had to blow across the blade opening after 3 cuts. It seemed to get clogged with almost invisabe pieces of paper. I was using a new blade. Oncertainly I was done with all the fussy cutting blade works fine. Been told that a blade last 3 - 6 months with normal cutting. I had used a previous blade for Six months.
2214823
well the 180 stihl is a bit small i use a 73cc husquavarna it cutts well but i dont want to get into production speed because its not realy for cutting a lot of board feet more for personal wood working but i also have a granberg mini mill for beams and i just use a husky 55 rancher 54cc equivalent to a stilh farm boss and with a RIPPING chain works fine a 32cc saw i dont think you are going to have the tork to power through but you want to let the saw do the work so your cuts are nice and true ripping chain wise i am not sure they have one in a .325 size chain but dont quote me grandbergs web site could tell you they sell ripping chain if you do get the 777 its very simple to assemble keep all the nuts loose till you get it all squared up and lock them all down tite. one more thing when cutting soft woods cedar and pine cutting speeds are much faster in like 3 hrs i cut 12-14 2ftwide by 9 long cedar logs into 1.25in thick boards just keep your teeth sharp and no problem
827565
I agree with Gordon...the saw I purchased went together perfect and the performance was as well. Only thing I can think of is that it was damaged at manufacture or while being shipped. What size tile are you working with and how far out is the cut?. You might call Bosch and see what info they have for you. I am very pleased with the saw, it is built very well..only thing I thought was unnecessary is the plastic splatter guards, useless and only get in the way.Also....for those of you who don't like the available stands for this saw I have an option. I also purchased the Bosch Easy Up and with some inistrute, metric bolts made one killer saw/ stand combo. I agree with Gordon...the saw I purchased went together perfect and the performance was as well. Only thing I can think of is that it was damaged at manufacture or while being shipped. What size tile are you working with and how far out is the cut?. You might call Bosch and see what info they have for you. I am very pleased with the saw, it is built very well..only thing I thought was unnecessary is the plastic splatter guards, useless and only get in the way.Also....for those of you who don't like the available stands for this saw I have an option. I also purchased... » Read More I agree with Gordon...the saw I purchased went together perfect and the performance was as well. Only thing I can think of is that it was damaged at manufacture or while being shipped. What size tile are you working with and how far out is the cut?. You might call Bosch and see what info they have for you. I am very pleased with the saw, it is built very well..only thing I thought was unnecessary is the plastic splatter guards, useless and only get in the way.Also....for those of you who don't like the available stands for this saw I have an option. I also purchased the Bosch Easy Up and with some inistrute, metric bolts made one killer saw/ stand combo. « Show Less
1952246
I bwlieve it is due to not having tightened it enough, tho I also believe there is a flaw in design which could help with this. It is VERY frustrating and after the 10th slip and catch, I am ready to send it back.....but when it is going well....what a beauty and so much safer than an elec chain saw or gas one.....
2155484
My girlfriend weighs 100lbs and she didn't have any issues with the kickback cutting some trees in the back, honestly I can't think of any reason to go with a low kick back chain if you need any serious cutting done. My saw came with a low kickback and I couldn't get anything done. Replaced it with one of these and cut through several trees in the same time it took to do one with the low kickback and I did it with less effort because you are holding the saw a lot longer per cut with a low kick back chain. Low kickback chains make the work exhausting, I hate em. If you're elderly or a small child, maybe low kickback is the way to go, but then why are you using a chainsaw lol.
683862
I have used it for only a few hours on hard wood and gotten excellent results and have had no trouble to date. I am careful to take only small cuts each time as I don't like to overburden any tools. It sounds to me like a rubber burning odor is caused by belt slippage when trying to take more aggressive cuts. Bob Heller
48679
There is a problem with the small bottle that came with the saw for the oil. It is very stiff plastic, so squeezing it to get a drop of oil or so was hard. I had my 20-year-old son squeeze it (he was helping me with the wood anyway) and told him when I saw a drop at the end for him to put in the port. Then I bought a small, squeezable bottle for the next cutting session. Too much oil is not really a problem, but too little could ruin the saw, so I chose to be cautious.
1457141
Thank you so much for the response.The saw is new, I purchased it on the 8th. Over all I am very pleased with the purchase and thanks to you guys the problem is corrected.Thank you again.
1553144
I like it and I use the gauge to file the teeth on my saw chain. I took a bit to get use to it but now that I have mastered it, I am happy with it. I have not used it to file the rakers mainly because it does not work well for that or I don't understand how??? In my opinion the use for the teeth is a good deal. I don't like free hand filing and I have use several other jigs and gauges. They all work fairly well but for the cost this one is a good deal in my opinion. You should know I am not a professional sawyer but I have made money running a chainsaw doing precommercial thinning, slashing and building fire line on active fires including falling snags so I do have some experience. Good luck!
457219
The chainsaw has a gear driven oilier that lubricates the chain and the bar to prevent wear and a possible seizure. If you have bought this saw follow the user manual for your information about the saw, how to start, how to adjust the chain, the safety notes are helpful. I have been cutting wood for close to fifty years and this saw it one of the best little saws I have ever owned and operated! Cuts like a hungry piranha and is lite and well balanced. The older I get the liter I like my equipment. Again, great saw!
2076260
The motor has a thermo cut out to protect the motor If you put to much down pressure the motor will heat up the motor faster, try using mild pressure and see what happens. I did not run my saw that long, project was small and the saw worked great. Good Luck!!
1333969
The blades are small, sharp bits of steel attached at intervals along the chain. They do not come off. The chain is pulled along the bar by the motor. It is dangerous to operate the chainsaw if the chain is not properly tightened. And it is normal for it to become loose if you are using it for fifteen minutes or more. If the chain gets loose during a cutting project, tighten it with the combo flat head screwdriver/hex wrench that came with the owner's manual, or find the right size crescent wrench and any flat head screwdriver. The two-part adjustment is on the bar. One nut adjusts tension, the other deals with slack, like a cassette player. Turn one, then the other, until your chain is snug against your bar. Then tighten both adjustments with the wrench. And remember that the links of the chain have ball bearings that need to be oiled frequently by pressing the bar oil button while the motor pulls the chain about, but not while sawing logs. Hope this helps. Merry Christmas.