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New Saw reccomendations

Started by Bosco, October 11, 2020, 05:37:00 PM

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Happysawer

What i quickly found out about getting a chainsaw, what i thought i could just grab fire it up and get to sawing, was just in my mind then i woke up to the fact that i am no longer a 20 year old who could lift 200 pounds of gear and run and run and run.
Now i am 82 and i know the smaller chainsaw that will do the job is the best for me today.

sawguy21

Kevin, don't be so touchy. Nobody is slamming your choice of saw, the majority of the guys responding here have Stihl and are happy with them. I like Husky too but if I were buying new I would go Stihl because of the local dealer, he is good to deal with and his tech really knows his stuff. The Husky dealers in neighboring towns not so much so.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Bosco

I'm cutting primarily Ponderosa Pine up to around 30" dia. I have a Stihl 180 and 170, and a bigger one I think 311? Also a Husquavarna older Rancher 55. I can do most anything with the 180, We had a bad fire here and I got a ton of logging to do! I have a Woodmizer LT15 and a Norwood HD36. Neighbor brought me 60 logs yesterday,I have 100 acres badly scorched. I likr the bigger saw that throws chips instead of dust! So is there a smaller saw that will do that? I've never seen or used those battery ones are they ant good ? Seen a Dewalt that looked ok?

btulloh

Oh.  No idea what or how much you were doing. 

Battery saw is for small work and short duration. 

You probably need a good 70cc saw with a decomp button. Ms461, 372xp, or equivalent Echo.  Keep a sharp chain if you want to throw chips. 

Sounds like you've got some work to do. 
HM126

Real1shepherd

Quote from: gspren on October 13, 2020, 06:17:53 PM
Quote from: Real1shepherd on October 13, 2020, 10:45:50 AM
This is really simple and it's not about personal preferences. Just look at the entire forum page....count the number of posts related to Squeal and Squeal related questions. The majority of posts are related to one saw brand, that's all I'm sayin'. Don't turn this into a 'best oil mix' thread kinda thing.

Kevin
So far you're the only one I see putting down a brand of saw.
Why, because I say "Squeal". I'm just poking fun....nothing more. If you really think they are the 'top dawg' saws, then what's the harm?

Or do you think this is like religion; my way or the highway.

Kevin

Real1shepherd

Quote from: sawguy21 on October 13, 2020, 08:21:23 PM
Kevin, don't be so touchy. Nobody is slamming your choice of saw, the majority of the guys responding here have Stihl and are happy with them. I like Husky too but if I were buying new I would go Stihl because of the local dealer, he is good to deal with and his tech really knows his stuff. The Husky dealers in neighboring towns not so much so.
Not being "touchy" at all. Nobody is slamming my choice of saws because I haven't given a CHOICE. It's pretty clear I run vintage saws and yes, I do have two favorites. But I have absolutely no idea who makes the best saws today....I'd have to run them and hard for months.

One member here PMed me that I should just know that Stihl is the best saw out there and that was that...get used to it. Well sorry, but I'm literally from MO, so show me. And I told him the same thing; it's all about dealership and service. If you're buying little Huskies in box stores with no service, naturally, Stihl is going to have the advantage.

Absolutely agree; dealer/service makes all the difference when choosing.

Kevin

Southside

Yup - dealer service is why I got rid of my Stihl saws and went to Husky, been happy since.  
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

Air Lad

Quote from: Happysawer on October 13, 2020, 07:17:16 PM
What i quickly found out about getting a chainsaw, what i thought i could just grab fire it up and get to sawing, was just in my mind then i woke up to the fact that i am no longer a 20 year old who could lift 200 pounds of gear and run and run and run.
Now i am 82 and i know the smaller chainsaw that will do the job is the best for me today.
Bought a battery polesaw to do some lighter/up there clean up work(I use Makita battery tools in air conditioning business). They had a promo which added 2 extra 5ah batterys
Point is this little thing is a beast
Perfect to replace 40cc and smaller saws
It's going that way slowly

Patrick NC

Quote from: Bosco on October 13, 2020, 10:51:14 PM
I'm cutting primarily Ponderosa Pine up to around 30" dia. I have a Stihl 180 and 170, and a bigger one I think 311? Also a Husquavarna older Rancher 55. I can do most anything with the 180, We had a bad fire here and I got a ton of logging to do! I have a Woodmizer LT15 and a Norwood HD36. Neighbor brought me 60 logs yesterday,I have 100 acres badly scorched. I likr the bigger saw that throws chips instead of dust! So is there a smaller saw that will do that? I've never seen or used those battery ones are they ant good ? Seen a Dewalt that looked ok?
I think if you got a 50cc pro saw like a husky 550xpmk2 or a stihl ms261 you would love it. My 550 is a great saw. It has become my go to saw for almost everything. Starts easy and with an 18 " bar / full chisel chain it will really eat some wood. I wouldn't be afraid to put a 20" bar on it if I didn't have my 372. 
Norwood HD36, Husky 372xp xtorq, 550xp mk2 , 460 rancher, Kubota l2501, Case 1845 skid steer,

thecfarm

I won a Efco saw,52cc back in 2011 on here and ran until last year. The thing that ran the sprocket broke off. That saw got used a lot. Never had it in the shop. That had some power to it. 
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Bruno of NH

I'm an Echo guy because of dealer service.
And they start much better for me.
Traded my 2172 in on a new echo .
Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

Nebraska

@Bosco buy a 70 cc saw with a 24 inch from the best closest dealer. Be it a Husky, Makita/ Dolmar or a stihl and get busy salvaging that pine.  A competent service department is important.  I own five brands of saws, each with good and bad. I've picked up a couple used efco 52 c.c. saws like thecfarm mentioned over the past couple years and honestly have been impressed, great little firewood log saws happily handle an 18 inch bar one or the other lives in the sawmill shed all the time.

moodnacreek

No luck with husky here, have 3 , 2 xp's and 1 home owner that blew up in less than a year. Got a pile of Still's and they can all run. Never blew one up in a lot of years. My chainsaws only run in the mill yard these days and get parked next to the starting fluid. I think I would recomend  what a close to you dealer sells.

donbj

These discussions can go the same way as the ford chevy thing. Mines better. Had a guy I worked with years ago that was so easy to get raging mad(literally) if you made a bad comment about ford. It got comical for a grown man to take it like that.

I lean toward Husky only by the experience I had back in the 90's when I thought I should upgrade, so I bought a brand new 034 Stihl. That saw was a complete disaster from the get go. The dealer tried everything possible to get it to run right short of replacing it, which is what he should have done. He tried though, got to give him that.

I got so fed up with it I went to the Husky dealer and traded it in on a brand new 262XP. That saw runs like a champ still today. I think I just got a dud saw with the Stihl.

I won't knock them at all as I think both make good saws and they both put out a dud once in a while.
I may be skinny but I'm a Husky guy

Woodmizer LT40HDG24. John Deere 5300 4WD with Loader/Forks. Husky 262xp. Jonsered 2065, Husky 65, Husky 44, Husky 181XP, Husky 2100CD, Husky 185CD

ehp

this is just me ok and what I would do, I would look hard at the MS 261 , they are a great saw and they do cut pretty good for a small saw , fairly easy to start . I know lots would say or go to the MS 362 which is also a very good saw but for me I would go straight to the MS 462 , about same weight as the MS 362 but more power . You been running stihls so why change and this is from a guy with both shoulders rebuilt , I got 52 pieces of metal in left shoulder and 31 pieces in right shoulder and I run whatever works best for that job that day but most days I'm running a MS 462 Arctic

barbender

Yep I really like my little 261, it's got a lot of torque for a 50cc saw.
Too many irons in the fire

duane4238

Well, from all the replies I've read here, I don't think anyone has used any of these chainsaws who had an unrepairable rotator cuff.  I went through that, but luckily the Dr. was able to fix my shoulder. Took 2 full years before it felt like it was fully healed. I had an 028 Super but it was just too heavy for my shoulders. I ended up getting an MS192. Quite a powerful little saw with a 14" bar and the lightest I could find.  I've cut lots of wood with it. Now that the shoulders are better, I bought a new MS250 with 18" bar and couldn't be more pleased. The OP is gonna have to go and handle some of these saws before he makes a decision.  It's no fun cutting wood when your shoulders hurt all the way to your toes. Good luck with your choice.
Duane

btulloh

Good points. Trouble is it sounds like the OP has a 70cc task and a 35cc shoulder.  I understand first hand when once routine tasks don't fit into one's current capabilities any longer. Makes for some tough realistic choices.  At a certain point it becomes necessary to give up mountain climbing and pole vaulting. The mind still wants to do all that, but . . . 

HM126

realzed

I can fully relate with the shoulder comments having had both of mine redone and with a few bits of hardware still implanted in them.
I've also got fairly severe osteoarthritis throughout my shoulders, elbows and especially my thumb joints - so not only can I relate to how it feels, but also how it can hurt your hands to try and start saws that are stubborn and 'kick back'.
To do the best I could in trying to get a saw as light as possible and as easy to start that still retained as much power as possible I tried out a few and settled on a Stihl MS 261CM.
It pretty much rules when it comes to power / weight ratio, has a decomp valve, and is about as well balanced and vibration free as there is out there.
I opted for a 20" bar so I wouldn't have to bend too far forward as a shorter bar would require, and for the most part it has served me very well and I couldn't be more impressed with the power and torque for the size, balance, and weight.
Al would be happy - as I added a 461-style Rescue Saw 'D' handle as he often mentions, to make it a lot easier to get and keep a grip when starting it, verses the smallish OEM pull cord handle and it all works quite well for me - on a small saw that still requires a good sharp tug or two to get it rolling!
Unless one really really needs a longer bar than a 20 incher most or all of the time - I would certainly recommend a look at one of these little guys - you might be very happily surprised all things considered!

    

btulloh

Those 261's really are amazing for 50cc saw and the power/weight is outstanding. They will do good job on bigger wood, just takes a little longer. Might just be the sweet spot for shoulder issues. You gotta be able to start a saw before you can run it.  

Best of luck to OP. 
HM126

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