Technique Patriot Garden rapidly expanding its market position. Already, under this brand name is presented not only a variety of garden equipment (mowers, cultivators, snow blowers and chainsaws), but also consumables and oils for them, as well as construction equipment, in particular, concrete mixers. We tested two new products – Patriot Garden 3816 and 4518 chainsaws.
Patriot Garden 3816/ 4518
Chainsaws
ENGINE: 38/45 cm3
POWER: 1.5 / 2.1 kW (2.0 / 2.9 HP)
FUEL TANK VOLUME: 0.31 / 0.55 l
TIRE LENGTH: 40/45 cm
CHAIN: 3/8 ″ / 0.325 ″; groove width – 1.3 / 1.5 mm
CHAIN LUBRICATION: automatic variable oil pump; tank volume – 0.21 / 0.26 l
THE WEIGHT: 4.85 / 6.5 kg
SECURITY: automatic chain brake; anti-vibration system; chain catcher
PRICE: RUB 3821/4006
The two models presented, 3816 and 4518, belong to the popular domestic class of chainsaws. They differ from each other primarily in engine power, which logically implies a difference in size and weight. But there are other design differences, which we will talk about a little later.
The design of the main units of the saws is approximately the same. The crankcase is metal, the engine crankshaft is forged, the cylinder-piston group is chrome-plated to reduce wear. The housing cover, allowing access to the spark plug and air filter, is secured with one nut and can be removed without the use of tools. The candles can be turned off with a 21 key, which is convenient. If the original key gets lost, you can use a regular car plug. The size of the spark plug wrench “by 16”, which is also often used in gasoline engineering, is still less common with us. Air filters are nylon, collapsible, if necessary, they can be easily blown out or washed. There is a possibility of manual adjustment of the amount of oil supplied by the pump to the tire.
As for the differences, the first thing you notice is the chain tensioning system. The adjusting screw on the 3816 is located on the front of the housing, parallel to the bus; on the 4518 it is located on the side, under the busbar nuts, and the entire adjustment mechanism is mounted in the side cover. The first design is a classic, it is simpler, but the second is more user-friendly. The Patriot Garden 3816 has a primer, for 4518 the fuel flows to the carburetor by gravity. The filler openings on the 3816 are located next to each other on the side of the rear handle. This reduces the size, but requires more careful attention to refueling, so as not to confuse the fuel mixture with chain oil.
The most interesting difference between the saws is not noticeable outwardly, it became clear in the process of preparing for work. The smaller saw is equipped with an “easy start” system for easy starting. When the cable is pulled, the inner spring of the starter is compressed by about half, the crankshaft does not rotate. As it is pulled further, the spring begins to unwind and helps the engine quickly pick up the revs it needs to start. This design reduces operator effort.
TESTS
Before starting work, install the bar with the chain and check the tension: the chain lifted with two fingers in the middle of the bar should separate from it by 3-5 mm. We fill in oil and fuel, pull out the suction, for a small model we pump up fuel with a primer, for a large model we press the trigger and sink the latch. Both saws are brand new, so there was no fuel in them before. From the second or third jerk, the motor started working in both cases. We put the saws into idle mode, pressing the gas to release the lock, and remove the suction (it will not be needed anymore). A minute later, we turn on the engine at full speed for another minute, at the same time, directing the tire onto a sheet of paper, we look to see if the oil flows to the chain. Small specks appear on the sheet, which means that everything is in order. We check the operation of the brake by sliding the protective lever forward with the wrist at full speed. The chain stops instantly. We muffle the saw, return the lever back and check the chain tension. The saw is now ready for use.
For testing in the forest, a felled spruce with a diameter of about 25 cm was found, conveniently jammed in a horizontal position in a fork of two birches just at the waist level, that is, in almost the same way as when sawing firewood in the goats. The task is to saw off a “pancake” 5-10 centimeters thick from a log for a while. For the purity of the experiment, the experiment was repeated three times and the average value was calculated. The saws worked at full throttle, under their own weight, to exclude operator assistance. Of course, if you press the handle, you can speed up the process, but you do not need to do this: the load on the engine and chain wear will increase significantly, and the speed will change slightly. It can be increased by “twisting” the saw up and down (but not back and forth, as beginners like), however, this was not a task for us. A normal sharp chain will do the job on its own, you just need to correctly guide the saw. Both saws did the job. The 4518 sawed wood in 7 seconds, and the 3816 took about 14 seconds, occasionally slowing down slightly in the cut. This is fine considering the difference in both weight and power.
In the second part of the experiment, they sawed a thick oak trunk lying in the same forest. Here the goal was not to saw off a piece, it was more interesting to see how the machines would behave during longitudinal and transverse cutting of dense and heavy wood. And here the result was expected. If desired, you can cut the log with both saws, although, of course, this will take a long time.
When working on almost the entire width of the chain, any saw starts to bog down and then it needs to be slightly “twisted”, accelerating the speed. Sawing along, at an angle of 45 degrees, sawing into the tree with the end of the chain, is also possible, but in the beginning, increased attention is required: there is a high probability of a rebound. And of course, power and weight make a big difference in these conditions.
The next run was carried out about an hour later, without using a suction. Both saws started from the first jerk.
The final conclusion is that the saws showed confident work. Of course, you cannot compare them directly, the parameters are too different. The 4518 is more handy for those who need power, but the 3816 is just fine for felling, sawing and even delimbing. But it is smaller and lighter, which is sometimes also important.
