Help me figure out these Stihl Brushcutters please! FS311, FS360, FS240

[VeryTallGuy]

 
First of all, I am very tall, 6'8" to be exact, and I've had a KM130R that I put a big handle on years ago to substitute as a "bicycle" handlebar. I'd been using this thing with a three and four blade, and recently a circular saw attachment at my 2 acre homestead for a few years, with a harness. Well me and the wifey are now on a 128 acre little plot and I've been working on re-claiming the roads, which there are several. I have decided that it is time to get something a little more suited for that task. I want something with a straight, continuous shaft, not a split shaft like my KM. I also noticed that the FS240 is about 6" longer than my KM130, which is very desirable to me. We will also be maintaining the wooded forest. She wants a very significant portion of the Virginia pines removed so that hardwoods can grow. There are very very many pines to remove. Many of them will be easily removed with a brushcutter, some others will require my MS441cm or my little Husky.

I am asking for anyone who knows how the lengths of the FS311 and FS360 compare to the FS240. I understand the better gearbox and vibration damping system of the 311 and 360 are very desirable, but if they are short, that makes them less desirable for my tall stature. Stihl dealers do not have the 311 or the 360 in stock anywhere around here, and I have spent 45min on the phone with their tech support having measurements from exploded diagrams and then actual drive tubes done, to try and guess what lengths these things are. Nothing concrete, but research seems to suggest that the 311 and the 360 may be up to 3.5 inches shorter than the 240 if going by drive tube length alone (4' 10" -311&360 vs 5' 1.5"-240).  I really want to understand what I'm getting into if I order a $600 or $950 brushcutter. The Stihl website, dealership, and tech help have left me no choice other than to peddle my query on this forum.

I would very much appreciate any advice about this issue.

Now that all of that has been said, let me gripe and say that it is inexcusable the Stihl doesn't publish simple data like ENGINE TYPE on their website! I shouldn't have to make calls to the corporate website to find out that the FS240 is 2 stroke, the FS311 is 4 mix (4 stroke), and the FS360 is 2 stroke. There is no excuse for omitting this information from the website.  Overall length listing would save me from having to write this book online also.

If you know of another forum somewhere else that would be better suited to me getting my answers, please tell me what it is.

Thanks.

[teakwood]

You should post this question in the chainsaw section, there are the professionals for this type of tools