STIHL Excalisaw: “Give It To The Wife To Do Gardening With”

In 2015, STIHL New Zealand ran a promotion/competition/marketing event in which participants attempted to pull a stuck chainsaw out of a stump.

The lone chainsaw sat in the stump in the middle of Takutai Square in Auckland, with a sign saying:

Will you be the one to draw the saw from the stump?

Whoever pulled the chainsaw from the stump got to keep the saw – a STIHL MS 250. What an awesome competition!

They gave away quite a few chainsaws by the end of it.

Here’s the video.

Comments from those who won a free Stihl Chainsaw revealed they probably weren’t Stihl chainsaw fans or regular chainsaw users.

Winners said:

• “I’m gonna cut down some plants in my yard” (the American)
• “Give it to the wife to do gardening with”
• “I’ll probably give it to my dad for his birthday”

But everyone was happy – who wouldn’t want to win a free STIHL?!

The trick in removing the Excalisaw from the stump seemed to involve releasing the chain brake, but the method was never revealed. 

@nickisabella724 on YouTube said:

I figured there was a rod holding the chain stationary, so the chain brake would allow it to spin.

But if you slow to 0.25 speed at 1:07 it doesn’t seem like the chain spins when she takes it out. Must be another mechanism.

She also left the gas and oil caps open… Brings back funny memories of seeing new employees covered in oil.

@Saw_Squatch said:

All I’m saying is I probably would check the condition first, ya know pull the muffler and spark plug, give the cylinder and piston a quick check.

I’m not afraid to look a gift saw in the exhaust port.

@ArsonistArborist said:

I’d disengage the chain brake. If that doesn’t work (maybe there’s actually something in the stump they installed so that they can pick when to release it) then I would pull out my scrench and take the bar off, got myself a nice new power head.

Then I’d sell it and buy another Husky 😉

@user-jb8wk1vp9c said:

But when you undo THE barnuts, and pull out THE powerhead, after that you can get THE bar and chain out!

As usual, not everyone was happy with the competition. @TheNativestyle89 said:

Great Stihl, you just gave saws away to people that are going to do gardening with them. Hope you can afford the hospital bills people.

You could have just given me an MS880 Magnum and I would have put that puppy to good use.

Unfortunately I’ll never be able to afford one so I’m stuck with my 034AV electronic quickstop.

Nothing wrong with an 034 (especially if it’s been customized into the Excalibur)!

While the event shown in the YouTube video was held in 2015, Stihl still pulls out the stump occasionally.

For example, in 2021, it appeared at a new Stihl Shop opening in Hastings, New Zealand.

The big difference is that instead of a 250, they were giving away the smaller and cheaper MS180. Still, a free Stihl is a free Stihl, am I right?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And if you loved the STIHL Excalisaw, you’ll love the STIHL Jetsaw or this NOS-powered STIHL.