Recent content by mainer_in_ak

A torquey saw locked into an Alaskan mill is just a nessasary tool for typical bush Alaska tasks. Milling birch for floorboards, milling spruce for dimensional lumber and milling up dog houses for my sled dogs. Also easily hauled by riverboat, dog team, snowmobile or ATV to remote locations...

Hoser, yep that salt always surprises me, what it does to the undercarriage of a work truck. I feel awful for the mechanics who have to battle with that level of rust. But I won't imply that Alaska is all that great either. Ran 30 bales of straw on the Taylor highway last week to Eagle...

Bill, those 67-72 chevies held up purdy good here in interior Alaska. No salt on the roads and extremely dry/long winters. Nothing rusts when you have below zero temps from November to April. Here's my 68 k20 wood truck:

Not too hard to find some echo muscle saw to run if u like that old school feel to yer saws. I like saws that are durable and simple. I also like filthy good oilers that over oil even a 36" bar. My ported qv 8000 banished my Jonsered 2172 to the lewis winch. My original 91.6 cc 900 evl...

Hard to share advice when each region and trees species are so different. But I tend to not use a hydraulic wood splitter because they're so slow and boring. If it's a massive tree that would be difficult to split, that gets saved for a saw log. I tend to keep firewood at 18" diameter or...

Kind of depends on your location and time of season. I'm currently selling cords of alaska birch $400 per cord and hand split everything. Today was a soupy mess. The snow is rotten and soft. The snowmobile nor the atv would haul. Slowest cord of the season: 6 hours. I had resorted to pulling...

I have read saw troll's echo bashing but never took it too seriously. Along with age, doesn't necessarily mean wisdom follows. In my opinion, the Echos are what bring Stihl and Husq guys together. I'm running 2 fire department Echo quick-vent saws that were both torched from cutting roofs on...

I had the opposite experience of what you described. I spent the $2000 on a new Stihl 881 for milling. I didn't like the saw at all, for a multitude of reasons. It was no milling saw. It was replaced with a CS 1201 and it is the pinnacle of milling saws. I also run a full wrap CS 900evl every...

Haven't had too many problems working on my echo saws here in Alaska. I've always received free service manuals to download and good parts availability from at least a half dozen companies. Also, echo has been good on the warranty, sending parts free of charge on saws that are many years old...

Back of the lucas bottle:

Thanks, no canned, would be too expensive. I go through about 5-6 gallons of chainsaw gas a month. Anyhow, the mmt octane booster does help.

I have experienced detonation towards the end of an 18 ft milling wrip, 36" bar buried, pulling .404. Pav-ported CS1201. The saw got HOT. The detonation wiped out the spark plug. Ignition timing and squish a bit too spicy for mid-grade. Midgrade 90 octane is all we get here in Alaska. Replaced...

I need a 28" 93 dl, 3/8 pitch, .050 gauge, husqvarna d009 bar please would consider any brand of bar not made in china and in good condition. No rusted out wire-wheeled ebay garbage please. I have for trade an OEM stihl ms 660 magnum filter cover with winter tab, oem muffler and an oem plastic...

Snow blowers vs chainsaws: I tend to spend a disproportionate amount of money on chainsaws rather than snow removal equipment. Therefore I bludgeon an Ariens 24 Deluxe through too much snow. Got my fingers crossed that it will last another coupla years. This little fker punches way above its...

Oregon discontinued 8 pin .404 rim sprockets. I'm gonna get my remaining ones gold-plated. Put them on ebay for $1000.