Echo CS-4600 Chain saw

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Thinking about buying this. any thoughts?  excellent condition, they are asking 150.

My old saw was a Poulan 3400 which was great, sold it years ago. Also looking at the mid range Huskys, i like the 240 but may need something bigger.

If size isn’t the leading factor, I’d take a look at stihl ms 170.  They are 159.00$ new right now....

I like my Echo saws and Weed-Whackers,  also have a couple Echo hedge-trimmers.

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/echo-cs-4600.94896/

http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.nsf/ed1d619968136da688256af40002b8f7/a...

I would Run it and see how well it starts / runs with fresh 50:1 mix.  Dump out whatever fuel is in there first before starting it.

(Edit)  just read Trailhead's post as I posted.  Have a Stihl MS-170 and it's OK,  but the bottom end of the Stihl line.  Can't adjust the carb.  My Echos are better saws in many ways.  

Looking at that particular Echo,  it's pretty close to a Stihl 026 or 028 re:  displacement.  One nice thing about Echo vs. Stihl is that you can get parts online really easily.  W/ Stihl you have to go to a dealer (more or less).  Echo has good customer support from my experience.

 

I think the 170 is too small. Are you suggesting the 170 would perform as well as the 4600?

Stu, are you saying you like the 4600 if it runs good.?

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Ended up not running right, too bad.

Now looking at a new Echo 590 maybe 490, or a Husky rancher 460.

I wonder what about that saw didn't run quite right for you.  Maybe you could offer the sellers a lesser price if it needs some 'fixing-up'.  Aside from actual mechanical stuff that wears out,  the usual grumps on a chainsaw are fuel,  air,  or carb adjustment. Before I drag any saws over to "Famous Ray's" shoppe,  I

 
A:) Dump the old fuel and replace with fresh 50:1 mix.  I always use the Stihl orange bottle 2-cycle oil and 89 or 91 octane gas.  Stuff works great.
B:) Take off the cover over the air filter,  and blow away all the dust with a compressor and air chuck,  before removing the air filter.  You can often clean those if you know what you're doing,  or just buy a new one.  You don't want to get more dirt in the carb,  so you put it on "Choke"  first.
C:) Remove the side cover like you're switching a chain,  clear off all the grunge with an old toothbrush,  check the sprocket and chain-brake.  I use an old steak-knife to clear all the gunk from the groove in the bar and the little holes bar-oil flows through.

Then when you put the bar & chain back on,  tension the chain properly so it rolls freely with no engine running and chain-brake off.

Those are all the steps I go through with saws that aren't running quite right or sat for a while.  Just basic maintenance that most people don't get around to,  especially those who(m) only run their saws once in a while.

Hüsqvarna aren't making stuff like they used  to 20-30 years ago.  Friends have had some farmer / rancher models that they found to be too fussy.

I've had good luck with both Stihl and Echo saws.  I think Japanese Echo basically stole the design & build of Stihl and threw in an improvement or two.

Look for tiny cracks in the fuel line at the connection, too.

The guy actually called me and said it stopped running, he claimed to have numerous stihls, i asked if he would sell me an 026, and he offered me an 025, lol  I have a feeling he decided against selling it.No way am i giving up on it and i made it clear i wanted the echo.. I suggested fuel lines and spark plug, he said carb. He's probably right. He drained the gas already.

leaning towards the Echo 590 timber wolf. Better emissions. Cheapest one i saw was around 380 with 5 year warranty. This would be in addition to the 4600 for the big stuff.

I dug out my old poulan 2300, i'll try those steps on it this weekend, its not ran for over 20 years. forgot i even had it. Still wish i had my old poulan 3400 countervibe. Someone wanted it and offered me something in trade? or someone borrowed it and never returned it then avoided me?? Was reading up on it and Husky purchased the motor design from Poulan years ago.

Ended with a nice Stihl 026, paid 180. Starts right up, good compression, will give it a good cleaning soon. The echo 590 timber wolf was tempting at 380, if the 026 gives me trouble i may go that route in the future. I really want an older echo pro saw, keeping my eye out for one.

Last fall at the dump i snatched an electric remington chainsaw 16' 3.5 something, finally got around to testing it, runs fine just needs to be cleaned, looks like harry homeowner had it and it overheated because he never cleaned it. Had a choice between an electric scooter or the saw, worked out good. You would not believe what people here toss out at the dump.

We have a big elm down near our driveway. Elms in this area are being killed off by that beetle. Thats the first one. Then in the back we have a large red oak down, We intend to mill and save what we can of that.

Thank you for creating this thread on Viva. All content here is appreciated.

Good find on the 026.  I've got one,  and like it a lot.  Bought at a pawn shop for $200 around 2001,  still runs fine.  I run 3/8"  full-chisel Stihl 'pro' chain on it,   but some 026 are set up for .325.

Mine's  got a 20" bar,  72 drive links.  That's nice because my 362 takes the same chains.

One thing to note about 026:  they made them for several years and there are 3 different air filters... So when you buy a new expen$ive one at the Stihl dealer,  take the old one along to get the correct part. Or if you opt for a less costly after-market model on AZ or eBane,  send the seller a photo of yours.

With my air-filter,  I can actually clean it pretty well and get more hours from it,  here's what I do:  apply the choke like you are cold-starting,  blow the dust away with a high-pressure air chuck / compressor,  remove plastic cover and repeat the air stuff,  remove filter (two bolts).  You don't want sawdust in the carb.

Then you can carefully separate the air filter into two halves,  again blow dust away (from inside -> out) and spray some carb - cleaner on there.  Let the halves dry in the Sun on a clean piece of cardboard,  then hit them with the air chuck again before reassembly.  The process is worthwhile if the time / money ratio allows.  

Don't use any 2-cycle oil besides Stihl brand orange or silver container.  The lesser brands are not as good.  Expensive but worth it.  I mix the 92-93 octane with Orange to about 40:1,  thicker than the factory-spec  50:1.

I have an Echo CS-310, but it hasn't been running well lately.  It dies a few seconds after I start running the blade.  It also looks like it might be leaking some oil.   I should take it in but am worried that the cost of repair by exceed the value of the tool.

Ken, sounds carb related, Stu may have some insight.

I'm hoping to just clean the filter following your awesome description and not have to buy a new one. Thanks

My new neighbor has an old 028 that gave out on him, he purchased a new 290 i think..

Mine has the clear gas tank so i know its not the oldest model. I'll let you know when i test it, i'm very excited about the whole thing.

The guy that has the Echo said he picked it at a yard sale for 50 bucks, thinking about offering him 60 and try replacing the carb. I did contact him again and he's convinced its the carb.

If you only run nice sharp chains,  you'll make chips,  not fine sawdust.  Carbs / air filters get clogged w/ dust and make the saw act up.  So when you take off the air filter to replace it,  you really want to run the shop-vac or compressor to remove the dust.  If tiny particles of dust get in the carb that's a pain to deal with.

For Ken's Echo,  first thing I would do is dump the fuel into a clean glass jar,  let it sit and watch the water separate from the fuel.  They suck water in from the air if they sat a while.  Then choke it and vac / blow the dust away a few times before taking off the air filter.  New air filter,  fresh fuel and clean up your bar / chain making sure that it's not too tight.  Don't keep trying to start it if the saw has old water-logged fuel. 

Those are the steps I follow with saws that won't run right after sitting too long.  The next steps would be inspecting fuel lines & fuel filter,  removing the spark plug to clean or replace it.

As long as you have the covers off,  clean off all the bar-oil / sawdust Goo.  I use an old toothbrush,  paper towels for the saw & covers and an old steak-knife to get the Goo out of the groove in the bar.

BTW I use the processes described with good results.  My chainsaw mechanic taught me that stuff so I don't bug him with simple shit I can do myself.

He's the best guy in the area and is always busy.

We're all happy when I just bring chains to sharpen and a Pizza.