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

[Troymichael]

Hello, this is my first post, I am looking forward to learning alot from this forum.

I need help deciding which chainsaw to buy. I have decided on Stihl because there is a dealer near me that I like.

Here is what I have: 13 acres of it. Right now I am way too close to the road. I would like to clear out 1-5 acres somewhere in the middle of the 13 acres I own.


Here is where I would like to start clearing a road / trail. at first at least wide enough for some ATV's to fit through. Then eventually my Truck, then later I would like to move my camper back there.



So far I own a Stihl MS-171 homeowners saw , here's what I cut so far :


I think I ran that saws brains out. I think I could really use something with more power .

I am leaning towards the MS-241 pro saw which is 9.9 lbs and 3.1 Bhp or the MS-261 at 11.6 lbs and 3.9 Bhp

The price isn't much different $549 vs $599

I am leaning toward the lighter saw, as my largest trees are not that big .. seems most are less than the 16" bar that I'm using now on the MS-171


Thoughts ? or should I be looking at a different chainsaw than the two mentioned ? Thanks !

[beenthere]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum.

Sounds like you have a pretty good idea what you want, and in the price range you want.
I wouldn't suggest anything different.
  Having a good dealer is important, and listening to his/her recommendations is also a good idea. If they suggest something and you don't like it, then it is kind of on their back to make it better for you so to get what you like.

I have the MS362 with 20" bar that I like, and it works very well like my previous MS361 did for a dozen years. So far like the mtronic feature, and hope that "like" continues.

[HolmenTree]

I'd  take the MS 241CM  with Picco 63PS chisel  b /c  setup. Don't  get the 63 PS3 chisel  chain if you can help it. Be warned  though the 63PS  is a yellow chain without the extra safety  links the 63 PS3 has.
But you'll  have a green E bar so kickback  energy is reduced  anyways.

[Troymichael]

I'd  take the MS 241CM  with Picco 63PS chisel  b /c  setup. Don't  get the 63 PS3 chisel  chain if you can help it. Be warned  though the 63PS  is a yellow chain without the extra safety  links the 63 PS3 has.
But you'll  have a green E bar so kickback  energy is reduced  anyways.

That brings up a very good point. I am by no means an expert at cutting trees down. I would consider myself a beginner as far as chainsaws go, this is my first year with using a chainsaw.


With that said, should I stick to a homeowner saw with a green bar, and a green chain, for the sake of safety ?

I have never had a chainsaw kickback at me, and I'm now wondering what it would be like, if I'm not paying attention, it can kick back into my face correct ?

interesting .... I forgot all about the pro saws not having all the anti kickback safety features. ...

[JohnG28]

They have the same inertia activated chain brakes, at least all modern saws do. There is a difference in the chain links and differences I'm the bars, but the same forces apply regardless. Slightly less in the one case but not enough that one should have a false sense of security. For the little cost difference I'd go with the 261, more saw is usually helpful. A light saw is nice but sounds like you already have one.

[HolmenTree]

I'd  take the MS 241CM  with Picco 63PS chisel  b /c  setup. Don't  get the 63 PS3 chisel  chain if you can help it. Be warned  though the 63PS  is a yellow chain without the extra safety  links the 63 PS3 has.
But you'll  have a green E bar so kickback  energy is reduced  anyways.

That brings up a very good point. I am by no means an expert at cutting trees down. I would consider myself a beginner as far as chainsaws go, this is my first year with using a chainsaw.


With that said, should I stick to a homeowner saw with a green bar, and a green chain, for the sake of safety ?

I have never had a chainsaw kickback at me, and I'm now wondering what it would be like, if I'm not paying attention, it can kick back into my face correct ?

interesting .... I forgot all about the pro saws not having all the anti kickback safety features. ...

Well I just said be warned just to keep things straight.
The 63PS /63PS3 Picco chain whether you take the #3 safety link model or not are safe low kick chains.
The Picco 3/8 chain is actually  a 1/4" cutter bit chain stretched  out to 3/8 pitch. This design with its  long low cutter produces very low kickback energy  that's  why it was designed for the consumer market.

But recently Stihl introduced the 36 year old Picco semi chisel chain with a chisel  cutter bit and now potential  for increased kickback energy  is there. I like the 63PS chain better then the PS3 safety linked chain because it cuts a little faster.
So realizing  you don't  have that much  experience  I suggest go with the 63PS3.  Even with this chain the MS241CM  will cut faster and easier to file then the 23RSC .325 chisel chain.

[Troymichael]

Hey guys ,

I tried uploading pictures for about an hour, and I couldn't get it to work, not sure about why ?

anyways, I'm going to get the MS-241, as it's a nice and light saw, with over twice the power as my MS-171

I will keep my homeowner 171 for limbing, and as a backup, and use the 241 as my main saw, if I could get pics of my land to show up, all the trees are fairly small, not sure any require larger than a 16" blade, and if they do, they are so far and few between, I can go around them, as they would be above my skill level anyway

now, I want to start clearing in the middle of my land, and the problem I"m having is the trees are so close together they will just fall onto each other and get hung up ,, ,

can anyone give me any pointers or tips on how to go about this ?

so far I am thinking, once the first tree gets hung up, I will fall another tree to land on the first tree, and so on, and eventually I will have 5 or so trees all pushing onto each other, and eventually they will all fall down ?

[Troymichael]

--Photos MUST be in the Forestry Forum gallery!!!!!--.com/albums/ss211/TroyMichael_2009/Askov%202015/DSC_0054_zpsnnm2saha.jpg

[HolmenTree]

Domino  falling is a disaster for the inexperienced.
First thing you have to do is to see what direction  the "natural lean" or "common lean " of your stand of timber is.
In my area our tree's natural lean is south east. So the first tree I would fell is in the south east corner of my woodlot. I would cut a straight "face" or a cut line along the south boundary east to west cutting and piling my logs or stove length as I go.
Keep working your stand of timber north ward cutting swaths and piling as your work east to west , west to east.
Limbs and tops cut and left where their  laid , only clear them off your piles as you go.

But to clarify,  as your cutting and piling on a "face" east to west, west to east as you work northward  your trees are felled at 45° pointing south east into your cut over or clearing along your  face line.

[HolmenTree]

Hope  I didn't  make that too complicated :D but trust me it's  good advice.
I have a hunch your trees common lean are south east too if your ground is  fairly level consistently........and your able to "read the lean ."

[CTYank]

Two items of potential interest:
1. Stihl publishes power figures that are often fabrications. Best not put too much trust in them.
2. For untangling stems that hung on the way down, you can get a lot done with a cable winch. Either just pull on the butt and slide it out from under if it won't plow a furrow, or "fold" the stem by making another face/backcut combo maybe 4-5 feet up, with the face cut away from the direction you'll pull on that area with the winch. Use the winch to "pop" it, with everyone out of harm's way.

Once you make an opening, things loosen up a lot. As mentioned, don't just pile up lots of big sticks. Buck them, and maybe move them out of the way, before continuing felling.

Wedges are always welcome.  8)

[SawTroll]

The obvious answer to the dilemma is 550xp (or 346xp if you can still find one)!

[JohnG28]

The obvious answer to the dilemma is 550xp (or 346xp if you can still find one)!

They're not made by Stihl, which is specified in the op.

[Troymichael]

The obvious answer to the dilemma is 550xp (or 346xp if you can still find one)!

They're not made by Stihl, which is specified in the op.

Correct, there is a Stihl dealer near my house, but not anyone else, that I am aware, and my Stihl dealer seems very nice and helpfull.

I had alot of trouble with chainsaws in the past, the Home Depot and Menards Saws, once they had problems, I had a hard time getting help and getting them running again.

That is the main reason I am choosing Stihl, as if I buy a $600 saw, and need help with it, at least if I can't figure it out on my own, I can bring it in if it comes to that .

[JohnG28]

While I can't speak to any of the cm saws from personal experience there are many reputable guys out there running them and I have yet to hear of anyone having problems. I can say that Stihl's pro saws are great, I have 3 of them. When I need one they start and run whenever called upon. I'm sure you'll be happy with the new saw. 

[lamimartin]

Here is what I have: 13 acres of it. Right now I am way too close to the road. I would like to clear out 1-5 acres somewhere in the middle of the 13 acres I own.
(...)
So far I own a Stihl MS-171 homeowners saw , here's what I cut so far :
(..._)
I think I ran that saws brains out. I think I could really use something with more power .
I am leaning towards the MS-241 pro saw which is 9.9 lbs and 3.1 Bhp or the MS-261 at 11.6 lbs and 3.9 Bhp
The price isn't much different $549 vs $599
I am leaning toward the lighter saw, as my largest trees are not that big .. seems most are less than the 16" bar that I'm using now on the MS-171

Let's say MS-171 is made for light duty and should only be used for pruning and backup saw (that's what I use it for only)
The components of this saw will quit within a few days of continuous work, as opposed to 241 or 261.
If you plan to clear a few acres, you need as much power as possible in a relatively light package.

There is hardly any extra weight difference between the 241 et 261, but you won't regret the extra power (43 vs 50cc) especially if you are harvesting hardwood. It is smart to keep the bar at 16" in order to minimize weight. You are talking of a large volume of threes, you won't regret the extra power. If you ever need a longer bar, the 241 will really be limited to 18". The very fact it only has ONE nut holding the bar instead of two would make me think twice about that saw.

I own a MS-171, a MS-261 with 16" bar and a MS-660 Magnum (92cc) with 20, 24 and 36" bars, because I often have to fall threes in the 24" diameter range. I also own a Logosol M8 portable sawmill that requires the MS-660, but beleive me, the extra 5 pounds are rather exhausting compared to the MS-261 which is ideally suited to be used all day long. It is easy to maintain and very rugged. MS-261 is designed for a blade up to 20" (as opposed to MS241 limited to 18") which may be convenient for safety if 16" is not enough.

One thing I appreciate very much with the MS261 is to use it with a carbide tipped chain (Stihl Picco DURO) which can be sharpened with easy to find diamond dust bits on a Dremel. If you sharpen it yourself, the cost difference is minimal, considering extra safety and time saved. Rather than changing and sharpening chains, you keep on sawing, on and on, producing tons of little square chips (what a sharp blade produces). It is a bit slower at first  compared to a standard blade, but it does remains sharp so much longer! It has barely any kick back effect and is ideal for trimming dirty logs fallen on the ground.

I have not tried the 241, but I have tried 42cc saws and I can tell you there is a clear difference when you load the saw at full bar capacity and have 20% more power. I would not hesitate to recommend the extra pound for 20% more power: MS261 is a great saw for falling tons of small to medium threes. Lighter saws are for climbing on threes for pruning, not great for falling and cutting a large volume of firewood.

[SawTroll]

The obvious answer to the dilemma is 550xp (or 346xp if you can still find one)!

They're not made by Stihl, which is specified in the op.

I know, but it still is the only sensible choise....

[HolmenTree]

From what Troymichael mentioned his timber is small and thickly grown together. Sounds like a spruce or pine stand...am I correct?
I think for a beginner  the MS241CM is the best choice with a 16" b/c. Very versatile  saw for pulpwood  and small thick timber. This saw can do all your felling, limbing and bucking. Just keep the 171 on site to cut the 241 out of a tree if you should  get it pinched.

I was at the Stihl dealer  today and compared the 241 and 261 . The 261 is way more bulky and the extra almost 2 lbs would tire out a beginner much quicker.
Remember  accidents and poor judgement happen much easier with fatigue.

[lamimartin]

From what Troymichael mentioned his timber is small and thickly grown together. Sounds like a spruce or pine stand...am I correct?
I think for a beginner  the MS241CM is the best choice with a 16" b/c. Very versatile  saw for pulpwood  and small thick timber. This saw can do all your felling, limbing and bucking. Just keep the 171 on site to cut the 241 out of a tree if you should  get it pinched.

I was at the Stihl dealer  today and compared the 241 and 261 . The 261 is way more bulky and the extra almost 2 lbs would tire out a beginner much quicker.
Remember  accidents and poor judgement happen much easier with fatigue.

Good advise: The lighter the better, as long as he can do with a 16"bar/c. If not, he should get a 261. Falling and limbing small diameter wood is very hard work the 241 is ideal for.  I can work all day long with my MS261 and a 16" bar, which I can't with my bigger saw, but nothing replaces a powerful saw in hardwood or frozen wood bigger than 16".

[Troymichael]

Alright, I think I finally got the pictures to work ..

So the first pic shows pretty much what all the trees look like size wise, does everyone think 16" saw will be enough for these ?

The last two pictures showed what I cut with the Stihl MS 171 two weeks ago, took me a good 6 hours of cutting



  

  

 

[Troymichael]

I think this shows the size of the trees much better, as you have stuff to compare them too.




 

[HolmenTree]

Yup 16" is plenty enough for that stand.
You got a little bit of birch and what looks  like mostly maple or ash.

[missedbass]

I would go with the 261c since you already have a 171. why limit yourself.

[HolmenTree]

I would go with the 261c since you already have a 171. why limit yourself.

The 171 is not a good backup saw for what he's doing . It won't  take the steady cutting day in out.
Good enough to cut the main saw out of a tree or log if it got pinched or a quick backup if the main saw rocks out it's  chain.
The MS241CM  with Picco chisel chain  will out produce a MS261 in that small timber.
Also perfectly  suited for a newbie  with limited physical  and skill capabilities.

[dirtmover1250]

i dont understand what you guys mean by a 171 not taking the daily cutting day in and day out. why not?

i own a 180C, would it stand up to that? i have yet to run mine a full day, but i have used it every day for a week about 3hrs at a time. never had any problems.