Stihl MS 241c-m or MS 261c-m ?

[beenthere]

Also stopped using my old 041 at age 65. Was a great saw for 30 years.
Switched to an MS361 until this year, backed up with an MS250 last year.
Now have the new MS362 which I prefer for most sawing, which is admittedly only about 10 cord annually, give or take.

[missedbass]

  This thread has me thinking and that usually costs me some coin but hey that's what it's for. I cut all of my firewood for a lot of years using my 044 with a 20" bar and my old 041 for a back up, about the time I turned 60 I got a 261 for the small stuff. Now I use the 261 for 90% of my cutting and keep a 24" bar on the 044 for rare big stuff and thinking these old shoulders might like the 241. Just thinking. ???

just thinking leads to just spending :laugh:

[lamimartin]

Ahh icic.  Yea having a carbide chain is good, but who's gonna sharpen it?  It says that you need a diamond grind wheel to sharpen them in the catalog.  I have no experience sharping carbide saw chain so I'm not sure how it goes.  I'm guessing they don't have a special file?

Carbide chain is just as easy to sharpen than a regular chain when using a diamond coated bit on a dremel. All you have to do is to pick the right diameter bit and keep on the same angles as you would normally do. Regular stone bits, files or wheels cannot be used on carbide.

Again, Carbide is not the fastest, but on it reduces downtime so much because it will remain sharp much longer. This is why I consider it the safest chain to use for someone who does not want to sharpen or switch chains several times a day because they became dull in fallen wood.

I use regular chains on my MS660 to fall trees and to chop the large diameter sections immediately on firewood size logs. If for any reason I must drag a big log into dirt with my logging winch, I will clean up dirt as much as possible and use my MS261 with a carbide tipped chain to spare the sharpness on my regular chains.  It all depends on the equipment you have, the size of trees and the equipment you have to get the wood to destination. I use the loader of my farm tractor to carry the 16-18in sections to the area where they will be split. I use my logging winch to drag the long logs that will be used on my my portable wood mill.  Prior to milling with a regular ripping chain, I will clean dirty surfaces with a garden hose connected to a portable water pump.

If someone has a different size and different type of wood, equipment, skills and type of operation, his choice of chain will likely be different than mine, but before you say carb tipped chains performance is so much slower and hard to sharpen, just try it for a few days.  You may have a different opinion after that ! If you can't touch a dremel and prefer regular chains and old fashion files, you are more patient than I am. If you prefer grinding wheels, we may open another topic to discuss if that is the best sharpening method to start with. I think unless you got the right quality of grinder and technique, sharpening with a grinding wheel is fast but not the best for maintenance. I use diamond dust coated or regular manual files to shapen my ripping chains at precisely 10degrees with a filing guide and a Timberline chainsaw sharpener for maintenance of my regular chains. I only use the Dremel on my Carbide tipped chains. Too much powererd grinding is eating up chains very fast. Manual sharpening is best for maintenance in my humble opinion.

[dirtmover1250]

is this 63PS chain available for saws above 50CC?

[HolmenTree]

Not recommended as the largest saws to accept a 3/8 Picco rim sprocket are the 024/026- MS241CM /MS261.  These Picco pitch rims are only available  in 7 tooth mini spline .

I do have an odd ball Picco sprocket drum for my 066. Stihl years back made this spur sprocket clutch drum for Log O Sol chainsaw mills for the 066/660.

[dirtmover1250]

just because of this chain and this thread, its got me thinking about a 261 now.

[lamimartin]

just because of this chain and this thread, its got me thinking about a 261 now.

You won't regret the extra power (43 vs 50cc) MS261 is very versatile and rugged.

[ladylake]

 
40cc saws with picco chain are not that far behind a good 50cc saw and cut faster than mid range 50 cc saws.  With the wood your showing you'll like the light weight of a 40 cc saw.   Steve

[lamimartin]

 
40cc saws with picco chain are not that far behind a good 50cc saw and cut faster than mid range 50 cc saws.  With the wood your showing you'll like the light weight of a 40 cc saw.   Steve

Maybe dirtmover1250 has different needs and than Troymichael who started this topic.
MS-261 offers more power, more bar lenght options and more possible chain types than MS241. Both are excellent saws but unless MS241 is equipped with a picco chain, it just can't compete with a MS261.  If light weight is the main focus, a MS241 is fine, but otherwise the MS261 is more powerful and more versatile. If you ever need a bar longer than 16", MS261 is again a clear winner, even if personnaly, I prefer to remain light and powerful at 16" on mine.

[Troymichael]

Hey everyone, well I picked up the MS 241-CM last night, heres a few quick pics comparing it to my MS 171

going up north in about an hour to try it out. Thanks for the help everyone.




  

 

[HolmenTree]

Looking good.
Get about 10 tanks of fuel through it then you'll  start to feel its real potential 8)

[Troymichael]

Alright, so I am back from up north..

First thing, is this saw is awesome !!! tons of power ! is like the weight of the ms 171 but with tons of power ! 

I took it safe and steady, cut down two trees, and worked on one stump ..

I think I need help, what is the best way to get these stumps down to ground level ? basically I need them low enough so that My camper can drive over them without scraping .

so far very happy with the saw ! nice and light, but with tons of power.




  

 

[dirtmover1250]

your best bet is to dig dirt out away from the stump all the way around so your saw will have clearance to cut.

im not sure of the name, but they make this stuff that you can put on stumps that will prevent second growth and speed up the decomposition of the stump. i cant think of the name of it, but i think it starts with "termi" at the beginning. its a green color when you apply it.

a tree company put some of that stuff on one near our fence line and it wasnt long after, you couldnt tell the stump was even there.

[beenthere]

I'd suggest just building your camp fire over the stump location and keep burning til it is gone.
Otherwise, sans a stump grinder, it will be a heck of a lot of sweat and dull chainsaw teeth. ;)

[stihltoomany]

I agree with Holmen Tree. Picco super is great. Thought the 026 had been ported after the changeover. I also like the Duro carbide chain. not for every saw everyday, but when needed. You guys are awful hard on the ms170. I have a MS180 that has been used for several years without problems. It ain't no 056 but useful for its intended purpose. I don't cut everyday like Holmen does, but when I cut we hit it fairly hard. By the way thanks to Holmen for turning me on to picco super chain. Good luck to the OP, looks like you are in for alot of fun. Just be careful, experience is what you get from mistakes, if you live to tell about it.
:D

[lamimartin]

Alright, so I am back from up north..

First thing, is this saw is awesome !!! tons of power ! is like the weight of the ms 171 but with tons of power ! 

I took it safe and steady, cut down two trees, and worked on one stump ..

I think I need help, what is the best way to get these stumps down to ground level ? basically I need them low enough so that My camper can drive over them without scraping .

so far very happy with the saw ! nice and light, but with tons of power.

I'm glad to hear you are pleased with saw performance...
Just remember you are breaking in a brand new chainsaw: (from user manual)

A factory new machine should not be run at high revs (full throttle off load) for the
first three tank fillings. This avoids unnecessarily high loads during the
break-in period. As all moving parts have to bed in during the break-in
period, the frictional resistances in the shortblock are greater during this period.
The engine develops its maximum power after about 5 to 15 tank fillings.

I would add: (from User manual)

The machine may only be used to saw wood and wooden objects

I used carbide tipped chains for cutting stumps very low as you intended, but beware of the fact this is a very risky business. Imbedded rocks are often found between roots and you may simply BREAK your carbide teeth under such conditions. Carbide teeths are intended for dirty wood but not really for cutting roots.  Making a fire over the stump is a cheap alternative if you have plenty of water available to kill the fire (usually not the case in forest)... and even if you think it is killed, fire tends to spread under the moss and may ignite again weeks later. The labour intensive, less expensive but safe other way to do it is to dig a trench around it and cut roots one after the other with a big axe you can resharpen and demolition Reciprocating Saw with a few spare blades. Low speed and low cost tools you can sharpen up.

I would rather follow Beenthere suggestion : Renting a stump grinder is the safest, fastest and easiest way to get permanent results with predictible cost. It will save you time and potentially expensive damages.

[HolmenTree]

Stump grinder was my first thought too. I use my 395XP and 066 with 28"/32" b/c to lower my stumps to save time and work for my stumpgrinder. 
Troymicheal shop around at a local rental shop for a stump grinder to rent for a day or so.

Other option is I see you have a Honda generator that could power an angle grinder with a wire brush wheel or cup. Clean up the bark with that and then run your 241.
But be warned as hardwood trees are known to draw stones up into their stumps as they grow.
Depending  how soft your ground is I think a 4" high stump would  be low enough for your camper. Just throw some gravel or dirt around a 4" high stump and I think you'd  be good to go.

[luvmexfood]

There is a product at Lowe's that is supposed to aid in stump rotting. Never picked up a bottle and looked at it but it is the chemical aisle along with the weed killer etc.

[HolmenTree]

There is a product at Lowe's that is supposed to aid in stump rotting. Never picked up a bottle and looked at it but it is the chemical aisle along with the weed killer etc.

Stump removal is a big part of my business and it's  funny when a customer asks about drilling holes in theur stumps and pouring stump remover chemicals into it.

I just reply  "In 5 to 10 years you may have success, but in the meantime  don't  let your pets or kids go near it." :D

[missedbass]

+1 on renting a stump grinder. The time you save using a stump grinder is worth it.

[Ianab]

I'd suggest just building your camp fire over the stump location and keep burning til it is gone.
Otherwise, sans a stump grinder, it will be a heck of a lot of sweat and dull chainsaw teeth. ;)

Some folks have used a hollowed out tire rim or 1/ 2 a drum. Put that around the stump, and keep chucking wood in there over the day(s). This keeps the fire and embers piled on the stump, Just lighting a fire leaves you with a charred stump after 1/2 an hour. But keep that fire contained and burning hot, and there wont be much left next day.

For example
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,67464.msg1012421.html#msg1012421

[JohnG28]

I like that idea, may have to try that on a stump or two here.  I have seen roots smoldering underground 2 days later when a neighbor placed their fire pit in a bad spot near our camp though, so I assume some care needs to be taken.

[sablatnic]

Normally I just cut the stump low enough not to bother the lawnmower or car, or whatever I have to drive over it. Found this option on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OogDqtS798

[4x4American]

TSC sells a product called Gordon's Stump remover.  I have never tried it but I have heard good things.  I bought a bottle the other day a few months ago.  It was like $8 and looks like one bottle will do quite a few stumps. 


What you do is you drill one hole straight down, and another at a 45 degree angle, meet the ends, kinda like the falling notch they have to meet.  Then dump diesel or kero down the holes, and water and stuff, then you dump the Gordon's down it with more diesel or something, and light it on fire.  Supposedly it will smolder for a few days until its down to the roots.

[Dixon700]

Backhoe for stump removal. That was my choice, but then you'd need a bunch of fill...