"I generally ike Poulan chainsaws. That being said, they're not a professional tool and do not last or perform quite as well. HOWEVER, this Wild Thing chainsaw is a good purchase for the occasional user and firewood cutter. The one I got 'reconditioned' was in fairly good shape and had a sharp chain. After a struggle to get it started, the Thing sputtered to life and reluctantly ran. It would not idle and tended to stall out at full throttle. Why? There's a good reason.
Rather than simply return the saw and get another one (that probably wouldn't work any better), I adjusted the carburetor as Poulan should have done at the factory. Poulan makes the tool to fit those oddly-shaped H and L fuel mixture valves on the side of the carb. One five-minute tuning session later, and the saw was ready to go to work. It is still running well to this day.
Why the erratic performance on these saws? Well, Poulan gives the owner of these units 50 hours of run time. The engine is set to run on so little fuel when new that it ususally burns up by the time 50 hours have come and gone. Lean running allows the saws to meet EPA emissions laws at the cost of longevity. A quick carb. adjustment, as well as running a 40:1 fuel:oil mix ratio, will make the engine run better and last MUCH longer. My properly-adjusted Wild Thing is still running strong after about 200 hours of run time. I've worn-out three guide bars, but not one engine!! So, yes, these saws are not junk. The factory just won't take the extra step to properly tune the engine."
What is your level of technical expertise? Professional
