BBT Chainsaws - handy to have on the tracks!

[Tarts]

Hey all, as we know it sucks when you're on a mint 4by track and then get to a spot where a tree is fallen down over the track blocking you from proceeding further.. well if you havent got a spare $500 + for a big name Husqvarna or Stihl, i suggest taking a look at the Bigger Boyz Toyz range of Chainsaws !

LINK: http://www.bbta.com.au/categories/Chainsaws/

i bought a 54cc BBT chainsaw with 20inch bar equipped with a walbro carburettor and Oregon bar and chain for $180..
I sh!t you not it is by far amazing. Chopped up 3 tonnes of firewood with an arborist mate with his 75cc husky and he was astounded.. highly recommended ! Top of the scale chinese and even he, ( Husky man through and through) said it is very good bang for buck as long as looked after and using high quality oils.

The website shows a variety of saws to suit all needs. So jump on em! You wont be dissapointed!

 

[gazza414]

Do you have any connections with this company ?

as it would appear to be an advertisement ?..just asking

 

[Tarts]

Most certainly not. I am just amazed at what the saw can do for the price.

 

[KevinE]

Just wondering, but how do you feel about it now that 2+ years have passed?

Do you still have it? If so, how much do you use it?

Have the fuel lines failed, as this seems to be the biggest problem with the Chinese saws?

Genuinely interested!

 

[jonney]

the 2 stroke chainsaw engine is just as simple as the 2 stroke whipper snipper engine , i bought a chinese made whipper snipper some years ago and did have to replace the fuel lines [ tygon yellow $2 ] replaced the torch brand sparkplug with an njk brand and all good ever since. be wary when they say has a Walbro Carbie as there are alot of walbro copies especially from china.
but if your not using this full time for a living the price is good for alot of the chinese stuff.

 

[Rabbid-chop]

Just wondering, but how do you feel about it now that 2+ years have passed?

Do you still have it? If so, how much do you use it?

Have the fuel lines failed, as this seems to be the biggest problem with the Chinese saws?

Genuinely interested!

+1 yeah id be curious to know how its held up for X amount of hours use.

 

[KevinE]

the 2 stroke chainsaw engine is just as simple as the 2 stroke whipper snipper engine , i bought a chinese made whipper snipper some years ago and did have to replace the fuel lines [ tygon yellow $2 ] replaced the torch brand sparkplug with an njk brand and all good ever since. be wary when they say has a Walbro Carbie as there are alot of walbro copies especially from china.
but if your not using this full time for a living the price is good for alot of the chinese stuff.

I remove & prune trees for a living. So, I sort of understand 2 stokes lol! I tried a Chinese chainsaw once out of curiosity, it was pure, unadulterated faeces! The plastics were garbage, screws just stripped threads in the crap alloy top end & the muffler fell off. The alloy pressed into the clutch cover where the bar studs pass through just squished like butter. The carb wouldn't load fuel, so you could pull all day, but it wouldn't start!

I was interested to read what the saw in question was like after 2 years.

 

[happy john]

The build quality is poor Kevin as you said, most of those saws are buggered by 30 hours the chrome just strips off the bore and the machine goes in the bin. But the average home owner would seldom use one that long. Trade Tools saws are ok for a cheapie and they have parts backup too.

 

[KevinE]

Hi HJ! That's why i asked about the fuel lines, as any Chinese saw I'm using would be completely stuffed long before the fuel lines could fail. I recon your 30 hours usage for Chinese saws is spot on! I'm getting a tad more than that from Stihl/Echo/Dolkita lol!

I had a quick look at the Trade Tools saws, they look different to 99% of the Chinese saws I've seen! As you probably know, most Chinese saws are Zenoah knock offs. Those aren't

 

[happy john]

I have a 45cc T/T saw with 16 and 18 inch bars. It's only a backup saw but I can't fault it. In 5 years only the choke lever has broken. I have their pole saw too, it's just as good.

 

[Czechmate]

Most of you guys probly already know about these but echo are the best small chainsaws out there
Built in Japan and reliable as a 70s corolla
This guys just $399
http://allpower.com.au/product/echo-cs310es-rear-handle-chainsaw/
No affiliation with echo just friggin love em

 

[KevinE]

Most of you guys probly already know about these but echo are the best small chainsaws out there
Built in Japan and reliable as a 70s corolla
This guys just $399
http://allpower.com.au/product/echo-cs310es-rear-handle-chainsaw/
No affiliation with echo just friggin love em

Have to agree! I have 3 Echo top handle saws; 2511TES, 350TES & 360TES. No complaints from me about any of them. My 350 has done a MASSIVE amount of work (7 years day in, day out for about 4-5 hours a day). It still starts 2nd, or 3rd pull & its a bit worn, but it rips! My 360 is only 2 years old & so it rips a tad harder lol!

Before the 2511 was released I had (still have) a little 231T Makita (Dolmar) since 2011 - its a great little saw (dual port muffler & 4 degree timing advance), but the 2511 in stock form has made my little Makita obsolete.

I used to have both a 260C Stihl & a 346 Husky, but the 350 Echo could do pretty much everything they could do, so i sold them. They were good saws, but I didn't need a 50cc saw as I have the 35cc Echo's.

 

[Czechmate]

Ive got the echo cs3400 top handle
Its good for everything
Light enough to clip to your belt and climb pine trees with
Powerful enough to cut a trailer load of pink gum logs
Its over 5 years old, still starts first pull every time after months of sitting in the shed
Perfect little saw for 4wd missions
Think the new equivalent is echo CS360

 

[KevinE]

There's a blast from the past! I had a 3400 before my 350 - it was an excellent saw! Old school, but a very good saw.

It gets confusing, because the saw we call a 350 was released in the US as a 360. Then, the saw we have here as a 360 was released in the US as a 355.

 

[happy john]

The thread title may have to change to Echo chainsaws lol. Jokes aside they are one of the best, I used a Shindaiwa years ago it was disapointing and I sold it after a few months. It suffered badly from vapour lock (hard starting when hot) and basicly gutless and poor build quality for a premium saw.

 

[KevinE]

Yes, I thought that too lol! Still no update on the BBT saw yet though.

 

[KevinE]

Shindi & Echo are the same company these days.

 

[Old.Tony]

I can't afford to try a BBT saw, but having bought a Stihl about 5 years ago there's no real need to 'upgrade'. I started with a Homelite (Bunnings, it was cheap) which destroyed itself while helping during the cleanup after the July 2007 storms in Newcastle (remember the Pasha Bulker - now renamed as the Drake?).

I replaced that with a Dolmar which I was told was an excellent saw. It was, until we bought a new place that had a number of trees that needed felling (17 in all, including 8 palms). A kind gentleman decided he wanted to play with my saw and stood with it running flat out while he shook the hell out of it to see what it did. Since the brake was on, it fairly quickly self-destructed.

And that's when I bought my Stihl. It was actually a bargain - we were quoted a minimum of $1,000 per palm tree, and instead I hired a cherry picker ($290) and bought my Stihl ($500). Saved some money, really, and had some fun!

I've since changed the bar and chain from the .043 supplied to a .055 of the same length. The motor is still strong enough to work on the local mahogany and ironbark and it ejects the chips much better. I also invested $88 in a hand file that I give the teeth a couple of swipes after every tankful - the saw never lets me down.

 

[Czechmate]

Seems weird that the shindaiwa was cruddy
They're basically the premium end of the echo range, same company built in same factories in japan
Our local mower guys have been to the factory in japan and said every part is made under one roof, right down to the shiny stickers on the housing
One lady they met had even made up a jig at home and brought in so she could get the stickers stuck on perfectly straight on every unit!
They also reckoned the food in the engine factory tuckshop was better than any seafood they'd ever eaten
+1 for Japan

 

[KevinE]

I can't afford to try a BBT saw, but having bought a Stihl about 5 years ago there's no real need to 'upgrade'. I started with a Homelite (Bunnings, it was cheap) which destroyed itself while helping during the cleanup after the July 2007 storms in Newcastle (remember the Pasha Bulker - now renamed as the Drake?).

I replaced that with a Dolmar which I was told was an excellent saw. It was, until we bought a new place that had a number of trees that needed felling (17 in all, including 8 palms). A kind gentleman decided he wanted to play with my saw and stood with it running flat out while he shook the hell out of it to see what it did. Since the brake was on, it fairly quickly self-destructed.

And that's when I bought my Stihl. It was actually a bargain - we were quoted a minimum of $1,000 per palm tree, and instead I hired a cherry picker ($290) and bought my Stihl ($500). Saved some money, really, and had some fun!

I've since changed the bar and chain from the .043 supplied to a .055 of the same length. The motor is still strong enough to work on the local mahogany and ironbark and it ejects the chips much better. I also invested $88 in a hand file that I give the teeth a couple of swipes after every tankful - the saw never lets me down.

There are a LOT of Stihl chainsaw models Tony. Which one did you buy? .043 sort of suggests an MS170, 171, 180, 181 _ the only saws I have that run .043 are my polesaws (Stihl).

PS: I think that you upgraded from 043 to .050, rather than to .055?