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How to start a petrol chainsaw

Updated: 22 October 2026

The saw is still in the box, and the first pull is the part you are unsure about. How to start a petrol chainsaw, for a new owner in the UK, is a set of checks, the right two-stroke mix, and a cold start on the ground. It is not a lesson in felling. The three saws on the [petrol chainsaw comparison](/hub/forestry-tools/petrol-chainsaw) do not share one choke diagram. The Neilsen listing states 25:1. A hosted Hyundai HYC6200X manual says 40:1, which the amazon.co.uk fields do not state. The Akorida file states no ratio. Peter F. updated this on 22 October 2026 from those files, HSE leaflets, and Husqvarna and STIHL starting notes. He did not start these saws. A purchase via the comparison's amazon.co.uk links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The saw is still in the box, and the first pull is the part you are unsure about. How to start a petrol chainsaw, for a new owner in the UK, is a set of checks, the right two-stroke mix, and a cold start on the ground.

Our top picks

Hyundai Hyundai HYC6200X 62 cc

Best overall

Hyundai Hyundai HYC6200X 62 cc
8.4/10about £109.89
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Neilsen Neilsen 25.4 cc 12 inch

Best value

Neilsen Neilsen 25.4 cc 12 inch
8.2/10about £83.00
View offer
Akorida Akorida MS381 title, 32 inch

Rank 3

Akorida Akorida MS381 title, 32 inch
1.0/10about £268.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before the engine runs
  2. 2.Two liquids
  3. 3.Cold start, then hot start
  4. 4.Where you stop

Before the engine runs

Do the checks that need no fuel. HSE's INDG317 expects tight bar nuts, a chain that is tensioned rather than hanging, a throttle lock-out that works, and protective kit on you before you carry a running saw. Husqvarna UK and STIHL UK both tell you to set the brake before you pull the cord on their own saws. None of the three listings here states a chain brake, so you follow the manual in the box and you do not invent a lever the file never named. If the saw has a brake, the usual maker pattern is brake on, saw on the ground, and your left hand on the front handle. That is a ground start, not a start with the saw in the air. A chain that droops will slap, and a chain that is rigid will overheat the bar. The Hyundai file says tension is side-mounted and does not give a measurement, so the booklet's picture is the one to use. Helmet, hearing protection, visor or glasses, gloves, chainsaw trousers, and boots belong in this step. Fuel comes only after the chain is seated.

Two liquids

Petrol mix and chain oil are different fluids. The hosted HYC6200X manual says 40:1 and chain oil at every refill. The amazon listing does not print 40:1, so if your booklet disagrees with that PDF, the booklet in the carton wins. One UK reviewer also wrote 40:1. The Neilsen bullets state 25:1, a 230 ml tank, and an automatic oiler. The Akorida listing does not state a ratio, a tank size, or an oiler. Do not guess 50:1 because you have seen it online. STIHL states 50:1 for STIHL saws, and STIHL says home-mixed fuel is for about 30 days on those saws. That storage line is STIHL's, not a rule printed for the Hyundai or the Neilsen. Measure oil, then petrol, in a marked bottle, and shake it before you pour. A 230 ml Neilsen tank is small, so a sloppy cap of oil is a long way from 25:1. Too little oil scores the piston. Too much fouls the plug. Chain oil goes in the oil tank only. You still fill that tank if the oiler is automatic. Then you are ready for the cord, outdoors, not in the garage.
Hyundai Hyundai HYC6200X 62 cc

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Hyundai Hyundai HYC6200X 62 cc
8.4/10about £109.89
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Cold start, then hot start

Cold means the engine has been standing. Husqvarna UK's guide for its own saws is brake on, choke on, primer about six times, pull until the engine pops, choke off, then pull again. STIHL UK's page is for STIHL's lever layout: outdoors, brake on, saw on the ground. Other guides say six presses, ten, or until you see fuel. None of those counts is printed for the Hyundai, the Neilsen, or the Akorida. Follow this saw's manual. Do not adopt six presses because a Husqvarna article uses six. UK reviews of the Hyundai include first-pull starts and starter damage from hard pulls, an idle screw that needed setting, and an air filter that had to be cleaned before the saw would keep running. If the cord does not come freely, do not reef on it. A flooded start is often too much primer, or choke left on after the first pop. Clear it the way the booklet says. A hot start is a different control position, and Hyundai reviewers do report hot-start trouble. A saw that only runs with the filter off is not started. Cleaning that filter is maintenance, not a shortcut. HSE's AFAG308 says start at least 4 metres from the fuelling point. STIHL's page says at least 3 metres for STIHL refuelling. These three saws are not STIHL, so use the 4 metre gap. If the saw still will not run after the booklet's cold and hot sequences, stop. More violent pulls are how the Hyundai starter complaints begin.

Where you stop

You stop being a first-day owner when the task is no longer a supported log. A hung tree, a stem against a wire or a building, and any cut you are doing as paid work are outside this page. HSE's leaflets assume training for people who fell timber at work. If you cannot explain where the tree will fall, do not start that cut from a web page. Wind, rot, and a lean toward a fence are the usual reasons a simple tree is not simple. Cross-cutting logs that are already down is a different job, with its own limits, on chainsaw for firewood. Noise and fumes are why some gardens should stay with a battery saw, which is the petrol vs cordless chainsaw page. Set the brake if the saw has one, mix the fuel that manual names, and start outdoors on the ground before you think about cutting.

Common questions

How do I cold-start a petrol chainsaw?
Put the saw on the ground, set the chain brake if your saw has one, and use the choke and primer in that manual. Husqvarna's UK guide for Husqvarna saws describes about six primer presses, a pull until the engine pops, then choke off and another pull. The Hyundai, Neilsen, and Akorida files do not print a primer count, so six is not universal. Stay at least 4 metres from the fuel can, which is the AFAG308 distance.
What if it will not start when hot?
Use the hot-start position in the booklet rather than full choke, which often floods a warm engine. Hyundai reviews include hot-start trouble as well as first-pull successes, and starters damaged by hard pulls. If the saw was over-primed, follow the flooded-engine steps instead of adding fuel. A saw that only runs with the air filter removed needs that filter cleaned, not left off.
What mix do I put in the Hyundai?
The amazon.co.uk fields for the HYC6200X do not state a ratio. A hosted manual says 40:1, and one UK reviewer wrote 40:1. If the booklet in your box says 40:1, that is the mix, with chain oil in the separate tank at every refill. Do not use the Neilsen's 25:1 or a STIHL 50:1 figure. Those belong to other saws.
Do I fill chain oil as well as fuel?
Yes. Chain oil lubricates the bar and chain. The petrol mix lubricates the engine. The Hyundai manual says chain oil at every refill. The Neilsen states an automatic oiler and still needs oil in the tank. A dry chain blues the bar within minutes. Do not pour chain oil into the fuel, or mix into the oil tank.
Should the chain be braked while I pull the cord?
On Husqvarna and STIHL starting guides, the brake is on before the pull. These three amazon.co.uk files do not state a chain brake, so this page cannot report a test of a lever they do not document. If your saw has the lever, set it. If it has no brake, do not start it until you have decided it is the wrong purchase. The fuelling gap remains 4 metres under AFAG308, or 3 metres only if you are following a STIHL manual for a STIHL saw.

Related pages

Petrol chainsaw buying guide

Petrol chainsaw

Best petrol chainsaw UK: three amazon.co.uk listings

Chainsaw for firewood: bar length, horse and moisture

Petrol vs cordless chainsaw: noise, fumes and runtime

Sources

Public UK sources listed below, dated 21 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for these three ASINs on 19 October 2026.

  1. HSE INDG317 chainsaw guidance (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. HSE chainsaw PPE (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. HSE AFAG308 top-handled chainsaws (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK felling licence (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Forestry Act 1967 section 9 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. STIHL UK chainsaw fuel mix (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Hyundai HYC6200X manual (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. GOV.UK Ready to Burn (retrieved 22 October 2026)