So I've been having a few problems with my Husky 435 and have been told a few times that i need a more professional saw for the amount of wood i cut with it. I usually cut anywhere between 6 and 10 chord of wood a year. last year was log length and some down wood from the property. this year i hope to cut it all from down wood around. we had lots of wind damage. logs are anywhere from 18" to 36" diameter. what do people recommend. I'm not against spending money on a saw that will last and i won't need to replace in the near future. i like my 16" bar for in the woods so a saw that could take a 16" and a larger bar for log length.
I have a Jonsered dealer and many stihl dealers around, and lots of places carry huskys.
any advice what i should look for in a new saw?
I lean toward Husky's, but the saws you mentioned are all good. Look for a good dealer. I would go for a saw in the 70cc range.
I agree, 65 to 70 cc and 20" or 24 " bar.
I too agree. A 70cc range saw would give you good power and not too bad on weight. Stihl and Husky both good saws. I lean towards Stihl but that is what i run. If you look at a Stihl the MS460 is great saw. The little extra power over the MS441 makes a difference.
I used a makita 79 cc saw and it was great.
A good dealer is important to me. Could have 2 bars,one 24 and one 16 if you wanted.
First, I'll admit I'm biased towards the smallest saw that will do the job reasonably. I've got back and neck injuries that flare up when I do a lot of chainsawing. I also suffer from "weekend warrior syndrome" - I don't touch a chainsaw for months, then go at it fairly intensely. After a day or two, I'm feeling it when I get up in the morning.
Is 18" - 36" diameter really what you are mostly cutting, or is that just the biggest you run into on an occasional basis? If you've been cutting much of this with a 435 (9.2 lbs, 40.9 cc, 2.2 HP homeowner saw), you've got a whole lot more patience than I have.
If that really is what you regularly cut, then the 70+ cc saws may make sense for you. There are some real cutting machines in that size range (Stihl 441 & 460, Husky 372 and 576 to name a few). They are also a BIG step up in price and weight. The Stihl 460 and 441 are $950+ and $850 and tip the scales at 14.6 lbs. Huskys in that size range are similar prices and weights. A bit over 5 pounds difference may not sound like much, but it's quite a bit - especially if chainsawing is not something you do regularly. This is more than I would want to lug around for a day of cutting, unless I really needed it.
If 18" - 36" is really just the big end of what you occasionally run in to, I'd come at this from a different perspective. You may want to look at 60cc range saws, such as the Husky 359 or 357xp, or a Stihl 361 or the newer 362. You certainly wouldn't want to cut a lot of 30" wood with these, but they will do it. They're a good bit lighter than the 70 cc saws, but still a big step up fro the 435 you are using. Husky is also coming out with a 560 and/or 562xp "real soon now". That might be something worth looking at in this size range - those who've tried the demos that were floating around a while ago really liked them. I'm sure they won't be cheap, however.
John Mc
I cut a little more than you but it's usually from a deck. I recently went with the Husky 372XT and I'm very happy with it.