Stihl 076 VS Stihl 066 For mill

[brucec]

Hi All, i have a choice of buying an Stihl 076 or Stihl 066 both are being sold for $300. my plan is to cut up some ceder for fencing and some home repairs. what do you all think? ???

[beenthere]

No way to tell which saw is in better condition, so IMO no way to advise you what to buy... if that is the question. ;)  Buying a used saw is a "pig in a poke" (old saying) at best.
What are the bar sizes on the $300 saws? Do they both run with no problems? Do they both have good compression?
Post pics of the saws. Might get some help by "seeing" their condition, but that is just skin deep.

[Logger003]

Both were good saws in there day. But like was already said it really just depends on condition, and buying a used saw is like playing Russian rollette. Might get lucky or just bought someone else's problem

[celliott]

076 would be better for a dedicated milling saw, more displacement, might not have a chainbrake. The 066 would run a mill alright, wouldn't go over 36" for sure, but would be a much more usable saw off the mill than the 076. Parts for the 066 (OEM and AM) are plentiful as well.

[pabst79]

The 066 is a 91.6cc saw compared to the 076 being 111cc's, the 076 is at least 4lbs heavier and kinda of bulky. I love my 075 which is a twin to the 076 without a chainbrake, but I really don't use it often because its a monster and will wear you out. IMO if both saws are in identical condition I would go for the 066.  ;)

[brucec]

No way to tell which saw is in better condition, so IMO no way to advise you what to buy... if that is the question. ;)  Buying a used saw is a "pig in a poke" (old saying) at best.
What are the bar sizes on the $300 saws? Do they both run with no problems? Do they both have good compression?
Post pics of the saws. Might get some help by "seeing" their condition, but that is just skin deep.

The bar size for the 076, is 36inch i dont plan on cutting logs larger then that. i dont know  what it is on the 066 yet im going to look at it tomorrow, then on tusday im going to look at 076 here is a pic of it


 
as you can c he was using it for a  mill. maybe that means more wear and tear on it. the guy that has the 066 told me he was using it for a fire wood saw and it is to heavy for that. that's why i wanted to know about price and availability of parts, because im going to be fixing whatever one i get i bet. on that note, what is the worst case scenario as far as fixing. would it be fixing the top end?  how do you check for good compression?

[celliott]

Worst case scenario I'd say, you'd be doing a full rebuild. Piston, maybe cylinder if it couldn't be salvaged, crank bearings, hopefully not a new crank.
The lower end rebuild requires splitting the crankcase, and is more labor intensive. That much work is very costly, especially if you have to replace the crank and cylinder.

To check compression, use a gauge, but if you're buying a used saw, I would also definitely take the muffler off and look at the piston through the exhaust port. Look for scoring, or a not smooth surface.
You can check for play in the crank bearings by seeing if there is any up\down movement on the end of the crank, clutch side. Don't mistake wiggling the clutch drum though, only the crank end. Should be no play there.

Most all of these expensive parts mentioned are available aftermarket, oem, or used oem depending on your preferences, for the 066. I do not know about the 076.
If one fella said the 066 was heavy for the firewood, just know the 076 is heavier!

[YellowHammer]

I used to chainsaw mill and can say I wouldn't consider buying a saw that had been previously used for it.  CSM involves long duration full throttle operation, lots of vibration, lots of general wear and tear. All things being equal, bigger is better, with a CSM, but between the two choices, a 066 used for firewood or a 076 previosly used on a mill,  I'd be looking real hard at the 066, assuming it's in decent shape.

[jmouton]

we got a 075 and that thing is a monster  with a 49 inch bar it has a ton of torque,  havent used it much to mill with  but  cutting  a butt end log  just hold the trigger down  and let her go ,,,awesome ,,,but at 23 pds  and then the bar and chain  its friggen  heavy   ,   gotta have good muscles  in your arms ,,


                                                                                                    jim

[brucec]

we got a 075 and that thing is a monster  with a 49 inch bar it has a ton of torque,  havent used it much to mill with  but  cutting  a butt end log  just hold the trigger down  and let her go ,,,awesome ,,,but at 23 pds  and then the bar and chain  its friggen  heavy   ,   gotta have good muscles  in your arms ,,


                                                                                                    jim

true, that 075 is a big saw maby to big for what i want to cut. i was thinking bigger is better in order to have a large rang of size of logs to cut. but realistically im just one guy with no loading equipment for logs, so a 36" bar in a 066 would a better fit for me. im going to pick it up in about 45min from now.... hope me luck  :-\

[mad murdock]

I would go for th 066 and set it up to mill with 63PMX picco milling chain. The 076 has grunt for sure, but have to mill with 3/8" or .404 chain. I have an 075 (couldnt pass it up for the price), but a lot of times i would rather have a more nimble 90+cc saw. For brewking down large logs though the bigger the better. 

[brucec]

Thanks guys i did go with the 066 i did look at the piston and it had some lines on it, i showed him and he dropped the price down $250. im going to take into the saw shop and have him go over it. really if can cut $1000 worth of carder the saw pad for it self and the mill attachment. i well c if i can find a  Chinese top end. OEM might be to much cheddar for me right now.