Stumbled on an estate sale, which saws should I keep?

[Bigeclipse]

All,
As the title would say I got extremely lucky and purchased 5 chainsaws and a weedwacker for 350$. The Weedwacker was basically brand new and worth $200 alone. The Saws all run but im having a hard time trying to determine which ones I should keep and which ones I should let go (I think I would like to keep one of the bigger ones and one of the smaller ones). I live on 120acres. My wife and I do not plan on doing heavy logging ourselves nor do we cut for fire wood BUT we do need some saws to take care of the property whether it is maintaining trails, or improving the land for hunting purposes ect. I was able to start up each saw fine and watch them run with out any hickups. I will list the model and what I think the overall condition of the saws are below. please help me choose as I really know very little to nothing about chainsaws but have used friends or families saws in the past. I have cut up numerous trees and understand the over basics of safe sawing.


1. Stihl MS 201 T. Runs well. Couple of dings in the plastic but nothing major. Overall I would say in good to great condition.

2. Stihl MS460. This saw starts on first try. A touch of black smoke comes out but maybe because it was sitting? The plastic chain brake handle works BUT the top portion of it broke off (so it is like half a handle...cosmetically speaking). I ordered a new chain brake handle for it.

3. Husqvarna 365 special. This saw started fine, cut well and seems to be in good-great overall condition.

4. Husqvarna 450. This saw started up fine, cut well and seems to be in great to new overall condition.

5. Echo CS 370. This saw started up (took a few pulls). cut fine and appears to be in great overall condition.

I think I want to keep the little Stihl MS 201 T as it is so small it would be usefull doing very small cuts around the house or up in tree stands. I understand the dangers of using a top handle saw and have used one in the past. I really have no idea about the other saws though so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[thecfarm]

Don't know much about what you have.But.............
I have a 372 hushy and a Efco 52. The Husky is used for the big stuff,more than a foot and the Efco is used for limbing and small work. It's nice to have a big saw and a small one,

[EvilRoySlade]

It depends on how much money you want to make. I would sell the two Stihls and the Husky 450. The 365 is a great saw and also worth money to the right buyer. It's a saw that fits right into a racing saw class so it's valuable to that group. Otherwise a pretty good saw still.
Scratch that, sell both Stihls and the 365. You will easily recoup your money, almost 3 fold.
Or I'll cover your cost and take this burden off your hands.

[Bigeclipse]

It depends on how much money you want to make. I would sell the two Stihls and the Husky 450. The 365 is a great saw and also worth money to the right buyer. It's a saw that fits right into a racing saw class so it's valuable to that group. Otherwise a pretty good saw still.
Scratch that, sell both Stihls and the 365. You will easily recoup your money, almost 3 fold.
Or I'll cover your cost and take this burden off your hands.

I was not really intending on making money to be honest. Ive been keeping my eyes out for a decent saw (currently have a beat up husky 345 which works ok enough). Then I came across this deal so I jumped on it before someone else did. I simply want to keep 2 saws and maybe sell the others off. Don't need the money nor do I need to make a profit.  Now im thinking I might keep 3, the stihl 460, stihl 201T and the Husky 365special. Then sell the Husky 450 which is basically brand new with my crap husky 345 I currently have and the echo as a combo for like $200 locally to recoup some of the money.

[AnvilRW]

I have a MS201 that I use mostly for clearing scrub oak.  It's a hell of a saw and light to boot.  After spending more days than I care to recall cutting gambel oak, painting Garlon on the stump, and then dragging out the tops on steep ground, you really learn to appreciate a very light, compact, saw that still has enough power to do the work.  I'd keep it.

[clearcut]

You should keep ... going to estate sales :D

[Bigeclipse]

You should keep ... going to estate sales :D

did I make a bad move on purchasing these?

[EvilRoySlade]

NO...it was a great deal. If you keep those 3 and sell the others that is the best plan.

[EvilRoySlade]

I have a MS201 that I use mostly for clearing scrub oak.  It's a hell of a saw and light to boot.  After spending more days than I care to recall cutting gambel oak, painting Garlon on the stump, and then dragging out the tops on steep ground, you really learn to appreciate a very light, compact, saw that still has enough power to do the work.  I'd keep it.

Keep painting the Garlon, it'll keep me employed. I make the Garlon molecule.

[AnvilRW]

You should keep ... going to estate sales :D

did I make a bad move on purchasing these?

You only paid about 3/4 of what the MS201 cost on its own.  I wish I'd hit a deal like that.

[AnvilRW]

Keep painting the Garlon, it'll keep me employed. I make the Garlon molecule.

No kidding?  Funny you say that, more just got delivered today.

[EvilRoySlade]

Yup, 3A. Came out of my building. 25% chance I sampled and tested that batch, 4 work shifts on rotation. It'll have a lot number on it somewhere, I could tell you everything you never cared to know about it.  Never mind, the lot number is on the box, D058xxx. I'm going to look it up for fun. On vacation so it'll be a while.
Do you use personally or for business?  Most sales talked about are for utility right of ways, forest service roads, and farm land range & pasture.

[slider]

I would not let the 201 get away that's a $650 saw new.We run the top handle saws in our tree business and could not do without them.

[AnvilRW]

Yup, 3A. Came out of my building. 25% chance I sampled and tested that batch, 4 work shifts on rotation. It'll have a lot number on it somewhere, I could tell you everything you never cared to know about it.
Do you use personally or for business?  Most sales talked about are for utility right of ways, forest service roads, and farm land range & pasture.

Both.  We have about 300-acres and we're zoned forest agriculture.  Part of what comes with that is a forest management plan and fire mitigation.  Our property was a working ranch from the beginning of the 20th century and then it sat pretty much abandoned since the 70's or so.  Overgrazing, no forest fires, and then the drought played hell with it (entire front range really) and the gambel oak took over.  We have sizable stands of Douglas Fir, Ponderosa, etc. and we're also trying to win back more pasture for grazing.  So far we've cleared about 40 to 50-acres or so of oak mostly with our Bobcat T770/Fecon bull hog combo.  We've also put in lots of firebreaks, and performed a lot of understory thinning in the woods.   You can mulch the oak with the Fecon but you can't kill it.  It will come back hard and I have to go back out and knock it back down and that reality changed how we fight it.  Now we cut the stem, paint the stump, and come back in and mulch after the Garlon has done its work and killed the root system.

Pretty far afield of chainsaws, but you can see in this picture what I'm talking about.  This is one of the easier slopes (17-20 degrees) to work.  We've pulled about 50 trees out of just that small plot to the right of the road.  Lots of dog whiskers, dead fall, leaners, storm damaged, etc.  The landing area there was solid gambel oak before we cleared it as you can see in the background behind the Willys.  It's been a lot of work but we hit it as hard as we can on the weekends.

[AnvilRW]

Sorry for the hijack, Bigeclipse.

[jcmc]

  "Now im thinking I might keep 3, the stihl 460, stihl 201T and the Husky 365special. Then sell the Husky 450 which is basically brand new with my crap husky 345 I currently have and the echo as a combo for like $200 locally to recoup some of the money."
[/quote]

That is what I would do!

[Buddyw]

I would keep them all, cant ever have too many saws/toys.  ;D

[Logger RK]

Maybe consider what brand dealership/parts store is local for you. But myself I'd keep all the Sthil's.