orphan Stihl Chainsaw

[LCHIEN]

OK, here's something I don't see much.
My wife contracted a tree guy to come and prune our 5 20-Y.O. oak trees at a cost of around $850.
I'm glad they did it because the main guy was dangling around way up there from ropes flung over adjacent branches and roping wayward limbs, cutting them off with a chainsaw dangling from his hips. Theyd then lower the offcut limbs using more ropes and he'd lean over and cut off something else.

They left their tools lying around including the chainsaw and came back what turned out to be two days later on the weekend because of a lot of rain.
Well they finished but they left the chain saw on the ground after cleaning up, it was behind something and they must have missed it.

So my wife calls them and says he you left your chainsaw - he says he'll come by and pick it up she says can i just leave it on the garden work bench in the back yard he says OK.

Well been three weeks now and the CS is still on the bench. So I look at it again -it had a hard life, I'd venture to say its fallen out of several tall trees.

I know it was running fine because I saw him using it but after 3 weeks in the rain it's a little worse for ear (not much tho). The thing had two tanks, one for gas-oil mix and another for probably chain oil I think. THe chain oil tank is missing the cap and the tank was nearly empty so to keep it from leaking my wife put it on the bench tank opening up so now its got a little oil and a lot of water in it. THe chain bar is all rusty.

The model is Stihl MS182 which I can't find reference to being sold, or parts for or a manual anywhere on the web. I think it deserves at least an cap for the tank that's missing a cap (chain oil?) Length of the chain bar is 13"
I'm wondering what to do if he doesn't come for it (maybe that tells me something in and of itself)
OK the pictures are below - tell me your thoughts:
Junk? Disaster? just toss it
Usable, fix it up a bit
Are the top tank for 2-cycle gas-oil what ratio?
is the bottom tank for chain oil?
are all those cracks/missing pieces in the case safe?
whats the knob for on the back end of the saw in center of the orange cover?
The green label says for "Trained Tree Service OPerators Only" is that a normal warning or is this not suited to any other use or especially dangerous???
why is this model not listed anywhere?

Oh and BTW I don't have a chainsaw except a pitiful electric one.

[Dal300]

It's a tree service saw, not sold to the general public.

I would go down to the local friendly Stihl dealer and have him get what you need.

If you want, since I will be going to our local dealer tomorrow I could check on parts for you.

[LCHIEN]

It's a tree service saw, not sold to the general public.

I would go down to the local friendly Stihl dealer and have him get what you need.

If you want, since I will be going to our local dealer tomorrow I could check on parts for you.

what makes a tree service saw special?
ask him how much is the lower cap (looks like it may be different from the upper cap in keying so they can't be reversed)

[Dal300]

Professional saws don't really limit the kickback like a home owner or rancher saw so are much more prone to kickback which can hurt you badly.

Also I would venture to say that the motor is probably in the 1.5 to 1.7 HP range and with the 12-16" bar it will scream while cutting in it's range.

The last part of the MS number is probably "T" as in MS-182-T denoting a top handle.

This isn't a standard rear handle saw that's easy to control from the back. The top handle will let it kickback more than most homeowner saws.

OSHA doesn't like these saws for private parties, LOL.

[tommyt654]

Stihls are very good chainsaws,Just throw it in a box and mail it to me

[Dal300]

You are about 100 miles from me, bring it up and I'll put it back together and sharpen it up for you and maybe even show you what it can do as opposed to a small homeowner saw.

[cabinetman]

I'm wondering what to do if he doesn't come for it (maybe that tells me something in and of itself)
OK the pictures are below - tell me your thoughts:
Junk? Disaster? just toss it
Usable, fix it up a bit

If it was me, there would be no question. It's not my saw, and I would do all I had to do to preserve it for the owner, or go out of my way to get it back to them. What's right is right. Just because it hasn't been picked up yet, doesn't mean the owner is discarding it. If he said..."Oh, go ahead and keep it...I don't need it", that would be different. He may be sick, out of town, or just busy.

This is a moral issue. There were times I have left tools at an installation, that I just plain forgot about. When I finally do get a call from the client I appreciate the fact that there are still good honest people out there.

.

[Skaning]

The saw look to be fairly current so the fuel mixture is probably 50-1 like most Stihl equipment. I have found the best way is a one gallon container and buy to small packs of Stihl 2 stoke oil. One bottle pre-measured for one gallon of fuel. Stihl recommends 89 octane. Yep, bottom plug is bar oil. That basically is a limbing saw which is what the guy was using it for.

I'd give the guy one more call and say pick it up by such and such date or it's going to be disposed of. Disposed of has a broad connotation including moving into your tool collection.

[LCHIEN]

Thanks DAL. I was thinking that chainsaws are supposed to be 2-handed devices for safety but the way these tree guys use them is to sling them around one-handed by the top trigger handle only. since they are hanging on for dear life with the other hand.

I wondered if these were made for one-handed acrobatic tree users at some cost of safety which is why its labeled for Tree service use only and its not generally available.

I'm curious that what appeared to be his main "weapon" in his job could be not missed too much for weeks, unless he had a spare and (perhaps) was about to retire this one anyway.

Anyway I'll probably give him one more notice and then see what happens.

[BigguyZ]

I respectfully disagree. To a point, yes- you do what you can to get the tool to the owner. But your obligation ends at a certain point. I don't think it's a matter or morality. I think it's immoral for a contractor to burden the customer by having them to have to store your equipment or go out of their way to return a tool that you left at a job site. It's nice if they do- but once the outreach was made, and the contractor was contacted directly- there's a limit to how long you have to house their stuff.

If it was me, there would be no question. It's not my saw, and I would do all I had to do to preserve it for the owner, or go out of my way to get it back to them. What's right is right. Just because it hasn't been picked up yet, doesn't mean the owner is discarding it. If he said..."Oh, go ahead and keep it...I don't need it", that would be different. He may be sick, out of town, or just busy.

This is a moral issue. There were times I have left tools at an installation, that I just plain forgot about. When I finally do get a call from the client I appreciate the fact that there are still good honest people out there.

.

[HauntedBranch]

Chainsaws are dangerous tools. I wouldn't try to use a one-handed model myself even if I got it free.
Phil

[Dal300]

My saw guy isn't in today, he is attending a funeral. I'll check first thing tomorrow.
BTW, how long is the bar? It looks like a 14" from here but could be a 16". There should be a stamp back toward the power head that gives a number.
I'll see if I have a correct chain for it.

[phrog]

Just out of curiosity, what are you going to say to the guy if he finally comes by to pick it up after you've put a lot of time and money into it to fix it up? None of my business, but that question would be going through my mind if I were in your position.

[All Thumbs]

Just out of curiosity, what are you going to say to the guy if he finally comes by to pick it up after you've put a lot of time and money into it to fix it up? None of my business, but that question would be going through my mind if I were in your position.

I don't think the dollars involved are so great that Mr. Loring is going to deny the guy his saw. I think he is simply considering putting a cap (a few bucks) on the unit, adding some oil, and giving it a spin.

If they show up and want the unit back, he can hand them the unit back in better shape than when they left it behind.

But I doubt they will be back.

Maybe the tree guys are thinking they will wait until they are back in the area before they go get the saw. But (and don't take this the wrong way, tree guys), I've found tree service people somewhat flaky, so they may never return.

[phrog]

I don't think the dollars involved are so great that Mr. Loring is going to deny the guy his saw. I think he is simply considering putting a cap (a few bucks) on the unit, adding some oil, and giving it a spin.

If they show up and want the unit back, he can hand them the unit back in better shape than when they left it behind.

But I doubt they will be back.

Maybe the tree guys are thinking they will wait until they are back in the area before they go get the saw. But (and don't take this the wrong way, tree guys), I've found tree service people somewhat flaky, so they may never return.

I didn't mean to insinuate that Loring will not do the right thing. (If I came across that way then I apologize to Loring and the other members. After reading my question I can understand how it could have been misconstrued. ) I'm just not sure that I would put a lot of money or time into the project until I was absolutely sure the guy doesn't want the CS back. Loring has always impressed me with his thoughtful replies and I AM SURE that he will do what he thinks is right. I was just trying to stimulate his thought process. And I think the question that I asked of him is truly one that I would ask of myself were I in his position. Again, I apologize if I have offended anyone, even if unintentionally.