Thinking of rolling the dice on an Echo Timberwolf

TurdFerguson

TurdFerguson

thinking sucks
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Jul 18, 2014
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#1
Need a new saw. I have a late 80's 038 probably made in Germany (was my dad's). Time to let it sit on a shelf and take up space. Work we use newer Stihls, the high end saws are nice. The mid range take a dump constantly (throttles break all the time).

Looking at the Echo 620P. Would be used mostly for felling/bucking around the farm, might occasionally take on some extra work felling with a neighbor to feed his mill. 620P should be American made.

Most of my reading says they are a good tool. Not quite a pro saw but better than consumer (rebuildable, light weight/power). Compared to here, most places I have read do not suggest buying a Stihl or a Husky. Jonserd is nice, but no local dealers/parts suppliers. We have Stihl, and Echo here and TSC sells the cheaper Huskys.
 
#2

Want to Sell - NIB Husky 288xp, 353, Stihl 660, 070, 381, Echo CS-1201

Hi Guys, I am selling the saws listed below, im located in Malaysia and can arrange shipping PM me for price, thanks in advance 353xp (18", 20" sprocket nose b&c) 288xp (20",25",28" hard nose b&c) 070/ms720 (36" hard nose b&c) 1201 (36" hard nose b&c)
www.arboristsite.com www.arboristsite.com

If I where in the the market for another saw it would come from here. Give this thread a read.
 
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#4
Have a 3-year old CS-501, when it starts it has enough power to work big oak trees without wanting more power. Problem is at times it just will not start, been back to the shop twice and they will adjust choke and carb but problem still continues today. This is also an inconsistent issue that has been observed by the shop guys also, don’t try reaching out to Echo they have incredible gatekeeping, emails only direct you to see authorized dealers etc. My neighbor has a Timberwolf saw, it has significantly more power than my 501.
 
#5
I’d look for an older, well maintained/barely used Husky 262xp. Absolutely crazy power to weight ratio.

If that failed, find the same condition 261, then replace the piston with a flat top and upgrade the muffler. 261 is the same saw with a dished piston and more restrictive muffler.
 
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#6
TurdFerguson said:
Need a new saw. I have a late 80's 038 probably made in Germany (was my dad's). Time to let it sit on a shelf and take up space. Work we use newer Stihls, the high end saws are nice. The mid range take a dump constantly (throttles break all the time).

Looking at the Echo 620P. Would be used mostly for felling/bucking around the farm, might occasionally take on some extra work felling with a neighbor to feed his mill. 620P should be American made.

Most of my reading says they are a good tool. Not quite a pro saw but better than consumer (rebuildable, light weight/power). Compared to here, most places I have read do not suggest buying a Stihl or a Husky. Jonserd is nice, but no local dealers/parts suppliers. We have Stihl, and Echo here and TSC sells the cheaper Huskys.
Click to expand...


I have a 620P with a 28 inch bar. It is amazing and I have used the hell out of it and never had to do a repair.
 
#11
I have no dog in the echo fight but I will say a stihl ms290 with a 390 head and piston is hard to beat. Plenty of power and your forearms don’t burn at the end of the day.
 
#13
I have older Husqvarna XP saws.

Pretty sure Husky and J-Red are the same? Maybe that's older ones.

Go-to around the house or in a storm; a Husky 346xp. I think it's a 2010? Pre-emissions, and a full 50cc. Thing revs to the moon, and with a 16" bar will roll firewood right up your leg. Easily handle an 18", I'd grab a bigger saw for reliability on 20"+. Currently that's a 372xp of the same vintage for me.

I was always a Stihl guy: my weed whacker and backpack blower still are. But after I tried that 346xp, it never left my truck, and has been a proven winner ever since. I'm no arborist, but it sees a faor amount of hours each year.
 
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#15
My Echo stuff has been bulletproof. My CS-400 is my only chainsaw, right now. If I need bigger, I’m not doing it. Mine has spent a lot of its life doing light commercial work, from 2016-2022. Now, it mostly sits in the garage, but still fires whenever needed.
 
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#17
Finally came in, we’ll see what it does.
IMG_5182.jpeg
 
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#20
I paid extra to get a Stihl 462 with a standard carb.

It rips with the 28" it came with. If I was doing hard wood I'd probably get a 20" bar, but I did have a 5' tree down across the road camping one day so I have a 36" bar with skip tooth chain now. Between the 28 and 36 I find the weight isn't bad since I don't have to bend over.
 
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#21
I would again buy another brand new Husky 550XP before even considering anything else.
I have one along with quite a few others....bigger and smaller Stihls and Huskies.
Hell, I have a 3120XP husky (read: 120cc of badass, heavy, 3 foot bar and can run a 4 foot, hard as fuck to start even with the compression release).

NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING will run on the power to weight limits like the 550XP.
It is so bad ass I cannot even try to accurately describe it.
Check reviews and the arborist sites, they'll catch you up on it.
 
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#22
n2ishun said:
I would again buy another brand new Husky 550XP before even considering anything else.
I have one along with quite a few others....bigger and smaller Stihls and Huskies.
Hell, I have a 3120XP husky (read: 120cc of badass, heavy, 3 foot bar and can run a 4 foot, hard as fuck to start even with the compression release).

NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING will run on the power to weight limits like the 550XP.
It is so bad ass I cannot even try to accurately describe it.
Check reviews and the arborist sites, they'll catch you up on it.
Click to expand...
Is the 550xp the saw that replaced the one I mentioned a few posts back? 346xp.

I will agree on the bigger Xp saws; 372xp absolutely loves the 36" skip tooth. It's just doesn't get used much these days
 
#24
AMGtuned said:
Is the 550xp the saw that replaced the one I mentioned a few posts back? 346xp.

I will agree on the bigger Xp saws; 372xp absolutely loves the 36" skip tooth. It's just doesn't get used much these days
Click to expand...
I believe the 550 is the replacement for the 346, the 550 is probably the slightly better saw, but there is just something about the old 346. Such a bad ass little saw in it's day. The 346 is better looking too. At least to me.
 
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#25
tylerradke said:
I believe the 550 is the replacement for the 346, the 550 is probably the slightly better saw, but there is just something about the old 346. Such a bad ass little saw in it's day. The 346 is better looking too. At least to me.
Click to expand...
A friend has the 550xp. The in-hand feeling of each, made it feel like the 346 would cut the 550 in half.

It definitely revs higher too. Mine is the full 50cc and pre-emission.

Regardless, I've been sold on Husky chainsaws. Period.
 
#26
In the past two years I've bought four new chainsaws and one professional pole saw- three are Echo and two are new in box/unfueled Makita/Dolmar- made in Germany.

The Echo 620p with 24 inch bar has been very reliable and starts easy every time. The cs355 arborist saw is great too but sees less use. The Echo 2620 Pole Saw is a bit heavy and awkward when extended to its full 12 feet, but once you get the hang of its handling you're good.

Makita (Dolmar) quit the gas power tools biz a year or two back, so I picked up a couple of their pro saws in 50cc and 79cc. I have yet to unbox and fuel them.

Contaminated/Old fuel is probably the single biggest issue with chainsaws, trimmers, blowers, and other small power equipment. If you're just a home owner and can afford to- run canned fueled instead of pump fuel- because pump fuel is such a gamble with the water and other contamination, and pump fuel quickly goes bad in about six months. Canned fuel is good for 5 years when unopened, and 2 years after opening when the lid is put back on tightly.

If you have to run pump fuel, only use non-ethanol fuel, it's about 20-30 cents more a gallon but it's worth it for power equip longevity.

@IronSkillet mentioned starting issues with an Echo 501p and there's a very good chance it's fuel related.

One good practice when done using a CS is to let it idle until it runs out of gas.

Another important habit is a correctly sharpened chain under proper tensioning.

ETA: No I don't have a big lot, no longer have lots of trees, but I do free tree work for a bunch of friends and neighbors- they just pay for the canned fuel.
 
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#28
The views on fuel stabilizers are mixed, and quite a few experienced small engine techs on the 2-3 outdoor power equipment boards say it doesn't work as advertised. Here are just two opinions:



 
Last edited:
#32
AMGtuned said:
Is the 550xp the saw that replaced the one I mentioned a few posts back? 346xp.

I will agree on the bigger Xp saws; 372xp absolutely loves the 36" skip tooth. It's just doesn't get used much these days
Click to expand...
Yup.
I've run a 20" mostly on my 550......it'll freaking scream thru anything you wanna cut.
With a muffler mod and no porting it tachs so fast it's almost scary.

Husqvarna 346xp vs 550xp

Just killing a few minutes comparing these two Husqvarna 50cc saws. Weights are almost the same as well as power. One looks like it was conceived in the Nike athletic shoe labs and the other traditional. One has a computer and one does not. The 346 is about $50 cheaper retail. Not sure what they...
www.arboristsite.com www.arboristsite.com
 
#33
chevy_man said:
I paid extra to get a Stihl 462 with a standard carb.

It rips with the 28" it came with. If I was doing hard wood I'd probably get a 20" bar, but I did have a 5' tree down across the road camping one day so I have a 36" bar with skip tooth chain now. Between the 28 and 36 I find the weight isn't bad since I don't have to bend over.
Click to expand...
Love my 462cm. I too run a long bar so I don't have to bend over. It's nice for cutting stuff that's in a bind also. I like to be a little further away when stuff lets go.
Milf Dots said:
In any event, avoid fuels with ethanol at all costs. Non-ethanol fuel is better than treated ethanol fuel.
Click to expand...
I bought the ethanol free fuel for a while but it made the spouts on my cans brittle. The ethanol fuel didn't seem to do that to my other can. All vp fuel jugs. I figured if it was doing that to the cans, it probably wasn't good for fuel lines so I just buy the ethanol fuel now. It usually doesn't sit long though.
 
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