what you think is a better saw husky 346xp or stihl ms 260 pro

[Rocky_J]

Why don't you quit with the 'pro' vs 'homeowner' thing. It's just you. I had a long explanatory post typed up but deleted it, you aren't worth the time.   :

[downeast]

Why don't you quit with the 'pro' vs 'homeowner' thing. It's just you. I had a long explanatory post typed up but deleted it, you aren't worth the time.   :

I am too (worth the time )  :D

And please, cut safe. Use PPE. It ain't macho to not do it right (double neg). We don need no stinkin "explanatory post" (2nd double neg). :

[windthrown]

The outboard clutch is only a big deal if you constantly throw chains.  ;D

I do not see the issue with OCs with throwing chains. Never made any difference between OC or IC saws to put a thrown chain back on, or swap bars or chains for that matter. Not that I throw many chains, I cannot recall the last one, really.

The reason I do not like OCs is that I swap rims a lot when using differenet length bars. I am not gonna pull the clutch just to swap rims on my saws.

[windthrown]

I dumped my last 026 Pro for a 346 with the outboard clutch in order to escape the outrageous proprietary parts costs and the horrendous fixed jet carbs they were using at the time. Stihl finally got smart and gave up the fixed jet carbs but by then it was too late for me. I was unwilling to go back to a saw with the same weight, higher cost and half the power. My oldest 346 is now about 8 years old and is still my 'go to' limbing and smaller bucking saw.

Fixed jet carbs... they did not have them for very long. None of my 026s has a fixed jet in there. The best carb for them is the Walbro WT-194. They can be had for about $30, new. No not from Stihl.

Half the power, eh? Now I can see why some of your posts are so... distorted here... amusing. Bucking with a 346? More amusment. I would never reach for a 45 or 50cc saw for bucking duty. Even my ported 026s. But what the buck...  

[downeast]

I dumped my last 026 Pro for a 346 with the outboard clutch in order to escape the outrageous proprietary parts costs and the horrendous fixed jet carbs they were using at the time. Stihl finally got smart and gave up the fixed jet carbs but by then it was too late for me. I was unwilling to go back to a saw with the same weight, higher cost and half the power. My oldest 346 is now about 8 years old and is still my 'go to' limbing and smaller bucking saw.

Fixed jet carbs... they did not have them for very long. None of my 026s has a fixed jet in there. The best carb for them is the Walbro WT-194. They can be had for about $30, new. No not from Stihl.

Half the power, eh? Now I can see why some of your posts are so... distorted here... amusing. Bucking with a 346? More amusment. I would never reach for a 45 or 50cc saw for bucking duty. Even my ported 026s. But what the buck...

What the buck, right.
Remember a couple of things: first, we Easterners don't have your oh so soft 100"+  DBH monsters to buck. Most of our stuff is in the +/-24" range and smaller very hard wood. Very. :(
And second, you will find as you reach into the 3 score bracket, lighter is better. The wind diminishes. Strength drops. Endurance kicks the BUCKet (get it?). Not a pretty sight.
Old injuries that we ignored or "pushed through the pain" rear up and bite your a$$. Any airbourne around ?
So, we look for power in a lighter and smaller package such as the old, but revered MS260. Stihl did make some serious engineering error that were quickly corrected such as fixed carbs. Their flip caps are a godsend for us cutting in cold, in snow. The toolless filters are another wonder. Someone once said better than silicone.

 

[rbtree]

3 score bracket...? Guffaw!! I'm working on my 7th decade...and going rather strong, thank you verddy much.

Of course, running almost all woods ported saws helps out.

I sold my first ported 346 to a bud. Got it from Lllamabert John, ported by Dennis Greffard about 2001. My second, and a 5100, were done by Ed Heard several years ago. Running strong, years later. But my go to 3 cuber, for *DanG near anything up to 24", aloft or on the ground, is my Slinger 346NE. 54% faster than stock. Yes, the man can build a saw! Broaaaaaaaad torque band. Saw would pull a 24 inch bar with ease in softwood, if I was inclined to try it. I'm not. That's what my 3 ported 372 and 7900 Dolmars are for, or the 3 that are stock or just muffler modded. They are why my 660 mostly sits unused---it'll eventually be for sale when I get Slinger to port a 390 for me!

[windthrown]

I picked an old 'tired' 026s from Andy (Woodinville, WA) in a saw deal late last year. Andy said it was a tree servie comapny saw that he never got around to finishing. I wonder... maybe an old Roger saw? I popped in new rings and lightly ported it and it SCREAMED! Guy I was cutting with late last fall liked it so much he made me an offer I could not refuse. Heck, I had 4 other 026s.

I am merely in my early 50's. But really, I do not buck with my 50cc saws, even my other ported 026s. I am a firm believer in using the smallest saw that I can get away with, and I only have 50-70cc saws. No more 066. No more 460. No more 025s. For me the issue is not so much weight as is AV. Vibratoin is your enemy in chainsaws. Also time. We have a lot of soft and hard wood here, and I am not talking about bucking up 4" DBH trees. For that I use my 044. Most bucking logs around here are 2 feet and less. But with a 50cc saw you will be there for a while bucking, even in 12-18 inch wood. For that I use one of my lovely 361s. For noodling, bucking, or firewood scrounging, they work great. Light, good AV, good power, done. When I was falling and thinning more, I used the 50cc saws for topping and thinning smaller stuff, as well as limbing. They are great for that. But you get below the top cuts and start bucking lengths for the mill or into rounds for firewood, the larger saws are needed.

[Cut4fun]

us homeowner users would never cut over the jugular. Posting a video show of it is a bad example for the more inexperienced here. Unless of course, we have a Magical Thinking syndrome of Superman being able to control a kickback into your jugular.  ;D  Get those chaps on boy; taxes pay for E.R. and EMT care.
That's an order.

Harry Homeowner here smiley_whacko

I never thought about it because I do it all the time with my 066 and sometimes even with my 084. 084 was when I was called in for some big trees after a storm and it was a  doing so. Never even thought about the kick back at head level  smiley_curtain_peek.
Now if anything happens I guess I can blame Rocky for my stupid acts of a homeowner sawyer  :D. 

[Rocky_J]

I didn't reply to that unnecessary comment before because I couldn't think of an appropriate response without getting nasty. Actually, I still can't. But I'm not as stupid as downeast seems to assume I am. And I guess his eyesight isn't so good because at no time was my cut ever in line with my jugular.


(the rest of this post has been deleted out of respect for the forum management)

[Cut4fun]

I dont think I have my one handed limbing with the top handle saws down pat yet either. Any good how to's out there so a Harry Homeowner  smiley_whacko can get it right.  ;)

smiley_nananana  to the PPE police.

Just like some guy wanted people to wear gloves and hearing protection to a local gtg, after signing a release. Well I sign releases all the time to race and IMHO it would be more dangerous to wear gloves to race.  Hearing is good, but I need to hear the saw motor racing. So I made a choice and said   on that gtg.

[Al_Smith]

Oh I've heard it all too .Things like a top handle is not safe to use on the ground .It's not safe to soup up a top handle and things like that . I  just pretty much ignore comments like that because obviously the poster is unaware  of what he's talking about .

Shucks we raced the little things and had no problems  and even out ran some 3 cubers with the little darlins .--not however the 346's if that means anything .

Ha ,as for that GTG I think I'm going to pass too .We'd scare them to death if we showed up with our hot rods . 8)

[SawTroll]

I've used the exaulted 346XP often. It is a highbread fussy that needs too much attention at work. The MS260 does not: it cuts well at any speed depending on the user's state. The caps are simple, easy to use, reliable. The easy-off filter cap also.
You're sometimes tired, sometimes clearing a messy hedge of blowdowns, often cold in our winter when starting a job--the 260 does it in all cases. The 346XP on the other hand ALWAYS needs WOT. Yes, I know you're supposed to cut at WOT, but it doesn't work like that in the real world.

The other concern is about reliability for those of us who choose to use one saw for most cutting. The 260 is an old (proven) design. Other than usual maintenance--sprockets, plugs, filters, lines, etc...--- the 260 is a go-to tool. Works and works. I don't give a flying %$#@&%* about that extra second of speed in a cut. This skilled user  : has dropped it running into water, snow, run over it, had trunks roll on it, it runs. It even ran badly when this skilled homeboy put oil in the fuel tank, mix in the oil tank. Kind of reminds us of the new improved standard issue rifles to replace the heavy, standby, slow M-1. The MTBR ( Mean Time Between Repair ) of the M-16 was terrible at first in combat ( before your time for most of you  ). The newer M-4 and M-5 worse; 5% failure rate of these is deadly.

What a load of crap - ol' wives tales, free fantacy/wishful thinking, and Stihl mythology!   : :

[John Mc]

I've used the exaulted 346XP often. It is a highbread fussy that needs too much attention at work. The MS260 does not: it cuts well at any speed depending on the user's state. The caps are simple, easy to use, reliable. The easy-off filter cap also.
You're sometimes tired, sometimes clearing a messy hedge of blowdowns, often cold in our winter when starting a job--the 260 does it in all cases. The 346XP on the other hand ALWAYS needs WOT. Yes, I know you're supposed to cut at WOT, but it doesn't work like that in the real world.

The other concern is about reliability for those of us who choose to use one saw for most cutting. The 260 is an old (proven) design. Other than usual maintenance--sprockets, plugs, filters, lines, etc...--- the 260 is a go-to tool. Works and works. I don't give a flying %$#@&%* about that extra second of speed in a cut. This skilled user  : has dropped it running into water, snow, run over it, had trunks roll on it, it runs. It even ran badly when this skilled homeboy put oil in the fuel tank, mix in the oil tank. Kind of reminds us of the new improved standard issue rifles to replace the heavy, standby, slow M-1. The MTBR ( Mean Time Between Repair ) of the M-16 was terrible at first in combat ( before your time for most of you  ). The newer M-4 and M-5 worse; 5% failure rate of these is deadly.

What a load of crap - ol' wives tales, free fantacy/wishful thinking, and Stihl mythology!  

While I might not have put it quite so bluntly, I have to agree with Saw Troll. The 346XP didn't get to be one the most highly thought of saws in it's category by being a "highbread fussy that needs too much attention at work". It's not just racers and tinkerers who are buying this saw. If I didn't already own a saw in this size range (bought before the 346XP came out), I'd be shopping for a 346.

John Mc

[LeeB]

I like my 346. Can't compare to stihls because I never owned one for more than a couple of days. It was too fussy and flooded every time I tried to start it. Granted, it was a 361 and not a 260, but it was what led me to buy the 346 instead. My other saw is a 372 and it has been going strong for about 8 years with only a clutch change a few months abck. That was why I bought the 346 so I had something to use while working onn the 372. I guess I do have another stihl, a 180 that never gets used because it just won't start worth a DanG. The only other saw I ever owned was an old homelight that is still around my shop somewhere.

[ihookem]

Well, I got my 026 back this week. It runs better but not much worth bragging about. I stihl don't understand why my 034 kicks my 026 and is only 1/2 horse more. Any reasons for this? I love my 034, my 026 is ok for 6" and smaller.

[ihookem]

No reason why my 034 kick my 026? There has to be a reason. My 034 is twice the saw.

[SawTroll]

No reason why my 034 kick my 026? There has to be a reason. My 034 is twice the saw.

The 034 should kick your 026, as it is a larger saw - but it should hardly be "twise the saw"...... :

[ihookem]

Could the 026 rpm's being set too low?

[SawTroll]

Could the 026 rpm's being set too low?

That is very likely, unless something is wrong with it - does it "four-stroke" (or "burble") in the cut?

[Rocky_J]

I just got another 'new' 346 in the mail yesterday. The 'new' one (on the left) is a 2001 model. My ratty looking 'old' 346 on the right is a 2002 model.  8)

[Al_Smith]

While I will agree a 346 is most likely a much more powerful saw than an 026 some day I hope to acquire an 026 .Just for the simple fact just see for myself if I can rework one to out run a 346 . It's just a challange else why would anyone spend so many hours working on them . :D--you never know if you never try ---

[Rocky_J]

My old 346's putt along pretty well considering their age.  8)  And the log is a quarter of that big oak tree stump which I cut down about 6 months ago, a lot harder than pine or ash.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo-x97ChujA

[ladylake]

 Just like on the other forum , guys cutting half rotten wood trying to impresss us.   Steve

[Rocky_J]

Was all I could find on short notice today, Steve. Of my friends with wood yards nearby, one is out of town and the other changed the combination to the gate lock recently (due to employee turnover) and I don't have the new combination. This tree is 4 blocks from my house and he was home.

Chain was cutting a bit slow since it was untouched off the roll. I was looking for an equal comparison between the two saws, touching up the chains would have introduced another human factor that could have skewed the comparison.

[downeast]

My old 346's putt along pretty well considering their age.  8)  And the log is a quarter of that big oak tree stump which I cut down about 6 months ago, a lot harder than pine or ash.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo-x97ChujA

There you go again R.J., cutting nude. ;D
No, nada, nothing for protection. No helmet, no gloves, sandals  :D(perhaps?), no chaps. Not only a bad example from a pro, but dangerous for Florida taxpayers when they have to pay for the EMTs and ER and FD.
The video is a kind of what not to do.