36 Hours Before a Storm Cleanup: STIHL Yard Tools, MS 170 Pricing, and a Lawn Mower That Would Not Prime

4:12 p.m., 36 hours before the deadline

In March 2024, I was coordinating rush orders for an outdoor power equipment dealer that serves landscape contractors. My phone rang at 4:12 p.m. on a Tuesday. A commercial landscaping client had a municipal storm cleanup contract starting the next morning at 6:00 a.m. Their trailer had been broken into the night before. Chainsaws, trimmers, and a blower were gone. They needed stihl yard tools, fast. Normal turnaround for a full equipment order was three to five days. We had 36 hours.

The client was not panicking yet. That came later. First, he asked the most practical question: what can you get me by tomorrow?

The quote: what the MS 170 price actually includes

He texted me: ms170 stihl chainsaw price? I pulled up our dealer sheet. This pricing was accurate as of January 2025. The market changes fast, so verify current rates before you budget. Back in March 2024, our price for an MS 170 with a 16-inch bar was $199.99. That included the saw, bar, chain, and standard scabbard. It did not include bar oil, an extra chain, tax, or rush delivery.

I told him all of that before he asked. Hidden costs add up fast (like rush delivery, setup, bar oil, and extra chains). He had another quote for $179. To be fair, that lower sticker looked better. But after setup, delivery, and a mandatory kit, the other quote came to $286. Ours came to $244.99 out the door. I am not saying we are always the cheapest. In my opinion, the vendor who lists all fees upfront usually costs less in the end.

He said something I still remember: I do not need the cheapest saw. I need the one that shows up first and starts on the first pull.

Loading: STIHL yard tools, a filter wrench, and a compact washer

We pulled two MS 170s, a BG 50 blower, an FS 38 trimmer, and an HS 45 hedge trimmer. Nothing fancy. Just stihl yard tools that a cleanup crew can actually run hard. We tested each unit. The process was fairly straightforward, but the clock was pretty tight.

While we loaded, I noticed their 500 series compact washer wgb24600uc was leaking at the inlet filter. They had it on the trailer for rinsing equipment before inspection. A small swivoil filter wrench from my kit fixed it in about five minutes. That was not on the invoice. It was not even part of the order. But if that washer had failed, the crew would have lost another hour they did not have.

The most frustrating part of rush equipment orders: the same avoidable issues show up again and again. You would think a machine worth a few hundred dollars would get a five-minute filter check. But when a job is on fire, maintenance is the first thing skipped.

5:30 a.m.: the lawn mower will not start

We delivered at 5:45 a.m. The crew started unloading. Fifteen minutes later, my phone rang. Their commercial walk-behind mower would not start. The foreman asked: how do you prime a lawn mower? I could hear the stress in his voice. The inspection was at 7:00 a.m.

I walked him through the basics. Check the fuel shutoff. Check the oil. Find the primer bulb. Press it three to five times, or until you see fuel moving through the return line. Set the choke. Move the throttle to the start position. Pull the cord. If it floods, wait 15 minutes, open the choke, and try again with no prime. If there is no primer bulb, do not invent one. Check the manual.

Per the STIHL MS 170 operator manual, small engines have a starting procedure for a reason. Do not just yank the cord until something happens. The same goes for mowers. The mower manual is the authority. He found the primer bulb, pressed it four times, set the choke, and pulled. It started on the second pull.

Result: delivered with 15 minutes to spare

The crew finished the cleanup. The client kept the municipal contract. We got paid the quoted amount. No surprise fees. No emergency surcharge added after the fact. He has since ordered more stihl yard tools from us, and he now keeps a small filter wrench and a spare primer bulb in the trailer.

I learned this kind of lesson in 2024. Things may have evolved since then, especially with new battery models and dealer inventory systems. But the basics of a rush order have not changed: confirm what is in stock, confirm what is not included, and deliver before the deadline, not after.

What I would do differently, and what I would keep

I would have asked about their mower maintenance earlier. We caught the washer leak because I walked the trailer. I did not ask about the mower. That was a miss. My experience is based on about 200 rush orders, mostly landscape and municipal clients in the Midwest. If you are sourcing for arborist crews or large golf courses, your experience might differ.

What I would keep: the transparent quote. The small swivoil filter wrench. The habit of testing every saw before it leaves the shop. The 48-hour buffer policy we now use for non-emergency orders. Granted, that buffer is not always possible. But when it is, it saves everyone a lot of grief.

Ask what is not included before you ask what the price is.

If you ask me, that one question prevents more emergencies than any tool in the trailer. I get why people go with the lowest quote. Budgets are real. But the lowest quote is not always the lowest cost. The MS 170 price is a good example. The number on the tag is only the beginning.

The short version for anyone in a rush

If you are sourcing STIHL yard tools under deadline, here is the checklist I use:

• Confirm the exact model and bar length, not just the brand.
• Ask for the out-the-door price, including tax, delivery, oil, and chains.
• Test every unit before it leaves the shop.
• Keep a small swivoil filter wrench and spare primer bulb in the truck.
• Know how to prime a lawn mower before the crew is standing in wet grass.
• Verify current MS 170 pricing with an authorized STIHL dealer, because rates change.

Note to self: update the checklist for the 500 series compact washer wgb24600uc too. We keep forgetting that inlet filter until it leaks.