honestly theses saws are actually great there has been no complaints with them that i have heard now yes as you said they are meant for home owner use not pro use but at the same time it really doesn't matter what brand for what quality it is they all require one thing and that is to maintain them
An older gentleman gave me a very old homesite xl. All he could tell me about it was his exwife bought it over 45 years ago and used 2 or 3 times. The tank was all nasty with 2 cycle oil, tore it all down and cleaned it up. I was afraid the carburetor would be junk. Surprisingly it started after a couple pulls and runs perfect to this day. Great video as always!!!!
I have a homelite super2 saw from the 80s. I swear it’s the most reliable saw out there. It started after sitting for ~15 years and didn’t even have to clean the fuel system or carv
My first thought was how nicely built that air filter is. I have a cheap home depot Homelite and the air filter just turned into power after some years
My friend have one of these in his shed. Thanks for reminding me I’m going to ask him for it tomorrow. He ain’t doing nothing with it. Great repair my friend. 👍🙏👍🙏👍🙏
I kinda have a fix for that pesky over-oiling problem these Homelite 45's seem to have. I just used a piece of a 1/4" zip-tie, stuck it in the outlet oiler hole behind the bar, and trimmed it on the sides of the zip-tie until I had the amount of oil I thought was good. Worked like a charm. Just make sure you get SOME oil to the bar and chain!
Thank you for this video. I recently picked up one of these Rangers at a garage sale for $20. Looks like it was used maybe a dozen times. Original owner had the good sense to drain the fuel before storage and it runs perfectly. I’ll keep it as a backup to my old Tanaka saw as parts are scarce.
I agree the lines look good and you made the correct call. I had never considered a bulb transplant before you showed your other video, and being cheap myself, I think it’s the best idea I have seen in a while! All of my equipment tends to be yard sale or auction finds bought cheap. I appreciate your videos on getting abused and neglected equipment running again.
That is a good backup saw or primary saw for a homeowner that does not use it very much as long as, like you said drain the fuel and oil from the saw. I tell my customers to use the engineered fuel if not using the two cycle equipment very much.
Have an old Homelite Timberman 45cc 20" and it ran for 25 yrs no issues. My son used it once and it has not run right since. I am doing a full disassemble and going to refurb it, only issue I see is getting the carb parts. Amazing that the muffler is still in good shape. should be a great back-up saw to my Salem Master 6220H, which I have had a couple years now and cut about 15 cords without any issues through white oak, red oak, cedar, pine, and madrone, also a few railroad ties as well. KEEP YOUR FUEL CLEAN ANS STABLE and YOUR CHAIN SHARP, you 'll have no issues.
I really love your videos! A couple of things I do differently are first, I never try to start an engine with unknown fuel quality. I empty the tank first and inspect the fuel for water or other contaminants. Next, I clean the tank. That’s much easier for me than risking having to repair a problem that I created. Keep up the good work! I have learned a lot from you.
My dad still runs a homelite super 2 that belonged to my grandpa in the 80s it doesn't get used a ton but it's cleared a few pine trees felled by ice storms every year for my entire life (31 years) and we cut a 6" diameter sycamore root with it last week. It's not a Stihl or Husqvarna but he empties the gas every season and it keeps working
That's a great saw I have the same one cuts and runs well not that perfect for the branded ones but surely does the job ...amazing videos as always ...
I have a 23 yr old $40 homelite electric chain saw I use as back up when near the house outlets and on a portable battery power pack. It has been used every year for firewood season making logs to fit the size into a wood stove . I thought it would die long ago, but just keeps going. Probably because I always keep a sharp chain on it so doesn't strain the motor down on cuts.
@@HomeGaragechannel haha. The throttle cable was too long (old poulan 2009 made 3516) and appeared to be missing the gasket. I just put a bolt on the throttle cable sheathing from the inside of the chainsaw and tested the trigger until I found the right spot, marked it with a sharpee and used metal glue to keep the bolt permanently in place. It now acts as a stop from too much of the throttle cable coming out the rear end of the chainsaw body. I can still completely remove the throttle cable if I need to so it's a 100 percent redneck but works great fix.
I rarely need or use a chainsaw, so the thought of having to service it once or twice per year just to keep it ready to go on those rare occasions was more than I was ready to sign up for; so I just bought a corded electric model.
You mentioned incorrectly mixing the oil/gas. I recently did that - absentmindedly mixed 80 to 1 (I always mix 40 to 1). Ran the older Ryobi saw pretty hard in mild weather for maybe half an hour. It ran great. Next day I realized my mistake and corrected the mix. Does not seem to have done any harm. Btw for several years I have been working off a gallon of outboard 2 stroke oil.
yep for sure as i know i can trust myself to look after it for a long good life and easier starting each season for it etc and even other times in my usage too depending on what the fuel ratio is and how it performs too from my own view.
Great video I actually have this exact same chainsaw. I bought it in 2000. I’m getting ready to replace the fuel lines and primer bulb for the first time. Started leaking gas last summer still started and run though even though it was pouring gas everywhere.
As another small engine repair says. It’s money efficient for a residential owner to use the synthetic fuels in a saw like this. Even at three times the price of regular gasoline it still beats paying for a carb cleaning or putting the thing in the alley and it ending up on a mustie1 video.
hey i bought this same saw at goodwill for 15 bucks. took it out into the parking lot and it started in the lot with the fuel that was in it. I was shocked goodwill sold something like this but it was a hell of a deal. Just had to get a chain for it and a new carb and it runs like new. Could've gone without the new carb to be honest, but it wasn't running great and it was cheaper and simpler then messing with the old one to tune it
Looking at the saw I suspect that the chainsaw I bought aout ten years ago in LIDL is basically the same. As other people have commented, it's a really good saw and has given me no trouble in all that time -- the only problem I've had till now is getting decent chains. However, at last the primer bulb has cracked and I've been looking locally and on the Interwebs for a replacement. This has turned out to be a fruitless search, especially locally -- no-one wants to touch anything other than Stihl or Husqvarna these days. But I did think about trying to split open the bulb holder, only I was concerned that I might be left with random small bits of broken plastic -- so it was very reassuring to see HG do exactly what I was thinking of and have it work. So, off to the garage, fingers crossed, and then to ebay to order the bulb/s, which come out at about 50 cents each instead of the 5 bucks the local guy wanted.
thank you WildeFox, I was concerned about that, but I guess a preventative repair is the best I can do for right now. Don't worry, I'm sure it will come back for something else soon.
I have a couple of vintage magnesium case Poulans. I bought a plastic Poulan Woodshark around 2000. I shy away from any new saw that's bought at Waldo's World.
The first chainsaw I ever used back in the sixties was a Homelite X12. My father started teaching me on it when I was about 12 years old. That thing ran for many, many years without any problems. Would I buy one now? Not sure. Depends on if the company is the same as then. I doubt it. Things are now built with planned obsolescence.
My great grandad had a Homelite xl-12 bowsaw. My grandad put 50 stiches in his leg with it when my mom was a small child. Still got grandad, still got old blue, but torn down on the bench right now unfortunately. I am doing a new piston and cylinder and crank seals. It is way out of my comfort zone, I hope I can get it running!
Homelite is owned by TTI out of China. The machines are the cheapest of the cheap now. I don't think they are continuing the brand, I do not see them at Home depot any more.
I'm pretty sure the ring on the primer bulb is a snap on fit.I replaced mine a couple years back,...and just replaced the whole thing a few days back,....a big limb kicked back and sheared mine off. I prefer a Homelite saw to anything else,....but given all other choices if they were free I'd want the Echo. I absolutely hate all safety feature's. The other saws you mentioned have safety crap on them. I like the way you tighten the chain on a homelite,... I thing some of the others suck. And the others are not worth $600.00
Air filter is obsolete. No aftermarket support that I could find. I ended up buying an NOS one on eBay for probably as much as the saw is worth. 😕…but it does run well after replacing the diaphragm in the carb.
I personally never use any brand other than Stihl. Honestly speaking I've learned that after you are finished using any piece of equipment to empty the fuel and run it dry so you will not have any major issues when you finally decide to use your equipment. I'm still guilty of leaving fuel in my equipment from time to time tho🙈🙈
IMO what differentiates the big name brands from the cheaper saws is parts availability, and whether or not it is worth to fix! I could straight gas my 025 and it would definitely be worth fixing. The same cannot be said for that rather IMO cool homelite you have there!
Agreed. As I just mentioned in another comment, all the local people (who used to service absolutely anything) will only touch Stihl or Husqvarna now. They all quoted "parts availability" as the reason.
why would my craftsman eager 1 run great for a while then the rpms drop and it stalls it has compression it has fuel, it also has a non adjustable carb I'm thinking its the coil or the flywheel key what do you think
I was recently given one in trade for a carb rebuild on an echo cs-3450. Both saws needed carb kits and now run perfectly! While not even remotely close in quality to pro or even farm and ranch saws, they seem to be slightly higher quality than comparable poulan saws from that Era IMO. Also my Homelite ranger has much larger bar nuts, actually uses the same size scrench as my stihl ms660.
Loved video I have one just like it and runs fine until I grab the throttle and it bogs down. Fresh gas oil at 50:1. Starts fine but bogs down. Any ideas?
sure, the carb might need a slight adjustment. Try turning the L screw counter clockwise half a turn, and turn the idle screw clockwise to make sure the engine doesn't stall with the extra fuel.
The only concern I see is the pressure on the gas tank. Maybe the tank vent is plugged . May cause the saw to die out after 10-20 min of cutting. Not sure though. Cheers
@@HomeGaragechannel I have a mix of solar, milling ,and chainsaw videos. Some farm tractor vids too. Mainly homesteading and what is involved with it. Cheers
@@farmbossmikey1350 John Deere sold Homelite subsidiary to HK based Techtronic Industries Company Limited (TTI) in 2001. Deere chainsaws were probably made by Homelite.
This might be a stupid question, but why right before you were getting ready to cut and at the end of the video the purge bulb looked like the old one after you replaced it? Just curious, did i miss something? I just picked up a Homelite 250 chainsaw. Someone had hooked the fuel lines up wrong and had kinks in the lines. It was a mess and ridiculously dirty, but because of your videos i was able to get it runnig and cutting great again!!! Thank you for all your content
wow you're the only person to notice that. It's been some time since this video was recorded but when I gathered by watching the video is that there as nothing wrong with the saw, and after realizing it, I made some test cuts with it. I then fixed the bulb and after that I didn't do anymore cutting. But for some reason I put the precutting video at the end of video. nice catch
@@HomeGaragechannel yeah I thought that was weird, i know you'd never put the old bulb back on😀😀. I can't believe today is the first time I've seen this video. I thought I've wanted all of your videos. I tend to binge watch both your channels
Awesome video. Found one of these for 80 with a 20” bar and a sthl for 150 with 13” bar. Trying to decide which is the better deal. I know sthl is pro grade and I should be able to buy a bigger bar when needed. I’m new to chainsaws. Any advice?
I have a similiar machine, but i lose the base of the filter and the filter, and the carburator need change for a new. You know where can buy? Or found the parts
I have conflicting feelings about these UT model number completely plastic homelites since they are entirely the cheapo plastic not a hard polymer case bottom like the big names. But they actually run really well if they’re tuned right. All in all for the price you can buy them for if you are a homeowner that never hardly cuts more than a couple times a year or a little more these 42-46cc homelite saws aren’t the worst thing to spend money on
Homesite chainsaws i hear have a decent reputation, now fr your chainsaws that you personally have, do you switch out the chain and bar for Oregon or use what was with the machine.
Man I know you know but getting into a 2 stroke there is only just so much that can be wrong . My 1996 38cc craftsman is needing attention now it was given to me and the carb should be replaced or rebuilt as it’s a nice large warbro
Hey at home garage I have a stihl hl 45 if my primer bulb is broken should I replace it or just replace carb thank you if you help that would be amazing
Did you say when you cranked it up , you didn't realize the choke was still on and that's why it idled ?? I may be wrong but I thought when you pulled the throttle open it automatically disengaged the choke ?? Maybe I missed the part and you didn't open the throttle ??
@@HomeGaragechannel 2:47 to 2:54 time stamp , this homelite chainsaw may have a different carburetor design than others like the poulan but usually when you prime the bubble several times and pull the choke out to full choke when it cranks and you pull the throttle the way the linkage is set up on the carb it trips the choke off
I finally figured out what you're asking about. After the test run, I was stating that I forget to press the choke lever, all the way in, so it was in partial choke, meaning the choke flap was partially blocking the air intake. On this design, "blipping" the trigger, takes the engine out of- " high idle", and doesn't release the choke. That's because according the instructions, you should have already had the choke, in the partial choke, position. You can see still have the choke flap partially closed on this model, no matter the trigger input.
@@HomeGaragechannel yes that is what I was talking about , after looking at several of my older chainsaws , some have the manual choke so that pulling the throttle trigger does not effect the choke at all , and some have the high idle feature made into them so when you pull the choke fully when cranking the chainsaw when it does crank you can wait a few seconds say 10 , 15 seconds and blip the throttle which will release the throttle "" cog aka cam , so that the carburetor flips back to normal idle setting ! Manual chokes unaffected by throttle were om most older poulans and other brands , but the ones made after 2000 had a choke release attached to the throttle so when the throttle was blipped it disengaged the choke all together , of course this may not be true on all models and they do vary a lot per manufacturer, cheers !
Hi Home Garage. What are your thoughts about storing a chainsaw for the winter? I’ve heard a couple of conflicting stories. With gas, without gas, run dry, stabilizer or not. Thanks for your time.
that's easy, run dry, make sure there's not gas in the lines either. The reason, constant contact with fuel, is not a good thing for the lines or the diaphragms. Minimal contact is what I practice.
@@HomeGaragechannel That’s what I was always told as well. Lots of people say put a fuel additive in and leave it so the seals don’t dry out. I personally think the regular gas will eventually degrade the seals anyway. Maybe on something like a chainsaw, I’d use TruFuel. Just don’t want the headache when it doesn’t start. Thank you for your prompt reply.
@@HomeGaragechannel that fuel line looked like the same stuff used on my MAC PM610, 1/4” OD, 1/8” ID. It was used on a lot of older saws. I woul have put my MightyVac on the carb end of the fuel line and pressure and vacuum tested the fuel line, tank and tank vent. A lot of screwy problems come from these three items. You can test the carb from the filter end of the fuel line but not the other two. I pump it up to 7# and it better hold this pressure.
Should I get a neo tec 843 or a homelite timberman the timberman needs some work but the owner says it has compression. He wants $50 as is. The neo tec is $104 but new
Also the timberman is an hour drive away. There is a poulan 2150 near where I live for $30 obo. I have some fairly large oak and madrone I need to buck
the epoxy fix (its just my opinion) i think is just a dangerous fix (just my opinion) so i would just do a fix with a expensive primer bulb instead of epoxy.
@@HomeGaragechannel I did find out that Homelite is sold in Canada and the store that used to carry it where I live, went out of business years ago and nobody else picked this brand up since.
i wouldn't touch that saw unless it was super cheap and even then they can be a gamble. a new saw like that can be purchase for about $100-200 so spending money to buy it used doesn't make as much sense. . they also seem expensive when they need parts where stihl saws seem super cheap to get parts for. can almost rebuild most common stihl saws for about $100 or less using chinese parts.
