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what chainsaws do lumber jacks use?

Started by tuco1963, January 07, 2011, 11:57:08 PM

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tuco1963

hi  all
i have a mcculloch pro mac 610 thats giveing me fits trying to get it re started warm , so im considering a new saw and was wondering what the saws pro's use?

Ianab

Generally the Pro grade Stihls, Husquvarna (XP series), Johnserred (pretty much same as Huskys) with a smattering of Dolmars, Oleo Macs and a couple of others.

Pro Mac 610 is a 60cc saw, so something  like a Stihl MS 362 or a Husky 357XP would be the current replacement.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

JHBC

I'm sure a lot of different makes are used, but Stihl and Husqvarna are really all I ever see.  What part of the world are you in, and what size and sort of trees are you cutting.  Guys here usually carry one saw with a 36", MS660 or 395XP or an older version of either.  And at least one back up saw with a 28"-36" in the 372XP-395XP, or 460-660 range.  In the last ten years or so I've seen a lot of 385's, 060's, 372's and lately a lot of 390's.  Get what feels best.  Of all my saws, I use my 385xp, and my slightly smaller ms460 the most.
MS460 28"    MS660  36"    MS441 20"/24"    394XP 32"/36"    3120XP 32"/42"

thecfarm

tuco1963,Welcome to the forum.I run a husky 372.I don't think these are being made now. Probaly on the west coast bigger saws are being used.We can help too.But find a good dealer and tell them how much you cut a year,what kind and size and they will help you out with spending your money.  ;D
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

weimedog

Quote from: tuco1963 on January 07, 2011, 11:57:08 PM
hi  all
i have a mcculloch pro mac 610 thats giveing me fits trying to get it re started warm , so im considering a new saw and was wondering what the saws pro's use?

Not much to add to what's already been said in terms of brands & models. Going to the Stihl or Husqvarna website, they have their saws broken down into commercial vs. landowner or occasional use saws. I think one point is worth making...Depending on the type of work done, and the type of tree's harvested, different sized pro saws are selected. the big tree guys from the Pacific North West typically have the plus 80cc pro saws and pull longer bars. Around here there is a mix. A lot of the local "pro's" run the 70cc-80cc class commercial grade saws, although the huge local logging company uses MS660's. For a guy who's not taking down the plus 25inch tree's, why carry the weight and spend the up front money of a Stihl MS660 with a 28 or 30inch bar when a MS460 with a 25 inch bar would easily handle anything a prospective buyer would ever cut? AND the guys who do this for a living are going to be a bit stronger and in better shape...easier for those guys to hang on to 80cc of raw power..you get a little older and softer...bottom line you shouldn't have pride influence a saw decision..they can create a terrible mess in a hurry if you slip or lose control and get in contact with the wrong stuff.

Then you have the local twists, like here a lot of loggers only run 18inch bars...reasons range from its what my dad ran to we only cut hard wood, too I like the handy nature of a small length bar on the rugged ground....

Suggestion? Unless you are going to be cutting really large tree's in a production environment...shoot for something less than 80cc with a 20inch bar. Some of the best Pro level "all around" saws used by those in the business include:

Husqvarna 372XP line (There is a whole bunch of variations on the theme out there, 372XP thru the now 372XT and a whole bunch of others)

Stihl MS460 (Probably the most common)

Stihl MS441 (Seem to be getting more popular around here..I know two loggers who have them now replacing their MS460's. The one long time local pro who thinned my woods did it with a new for him MS441)

Dolmar 7900 (Don't see them here but they have a following on line..)

Jonsered 2171 (What many are going to because the Original 372XP design is being phased out because of Uncle Sam and this is essentially a 372XP in red plastic..what I would buy given this choice for no other reason than I like them...no technical rational.)

And last point...if the $800 dollar price tag stings too much...there are two really good "almost" pro saws that should be right next in line..Husqvarna 365 (If you can find one still) and Jonsered 2165....both built on the same guts as the 372/2171 series saw.
Husqvarna 365sp/372xpw Blend, Jonsered 2171 51.4mm XPW build,562xp HTSS, 560 HTSS, 272XP, 61/272XP, 555, 257, 242, 238, Homelite S-XL 925, XP-1020A, Super XL (Dad's saw); Jonsered 2094, Three 920's, CS-2172, Solo 603; 3 Huztl MS660's (2 54mm and 1 56mm)

lumberjack48

I logged the Chippewa National Forest 30+ yrs, cut 36+" White Pine, Norway ect, never needed a bar longer then 18". The only thing i seen with a longer bar is you have more chain to file. You can take a 066 and i could take a 034 ,And at the end of the day lay down just as many trees if not more.
If you know how to keep a chain sharp you don't need a big saw.
I fell for 2 skidder's with a 034, the best day they skidded 78 cords in, this was clear cut Aspen [ White Poplar ], what I'm get at is you don't need a big saw to put wood on the landing, just good methods.
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

ErikC

 In my experience, cutting a 36" tree with an 18" bar works, but it is not easier to do. To do a good job bucking logs in the woods that size is near impossible. I will be happy to sharpen a longer chain when I am in bigger wood. The most popular saws I see here are stihl 460 and husky 372xp. Those are probably 90% of the saws used by logging crews here. Quite a few of the firewood cutters, tree services and homeowners have them in these parts as well.
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

HolmenTree

What lumberjack48 was referring to was felling, limbing and topping for cut and skid piecework operations using a 18" bar in central N. America. Roadside portable slashers did the bucking at the landings.
I'm in the same part of the country and I ran a Stihl 044 and Jonsered 630 with 18" and the setup was the best balance for felling/ limbing/ topping in small to medium timber. Bigger timber called for a Stihl 064- 20" b/c. As you go further west the 24" became common and then on the west coast 28", 32" was the standard. 36" at the top of the scale.

Willard.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

QuintonAlame

Good question.  I know they use huskys and stihl what models im not quiet shure.

lumberjack48

 I ran McCulloch, Homelite, Lombard, Jonsered, Husqvarna and Stihl, I'm sorry but at the end of the day the Stihl proved to be the best saw.
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

Al_Smith

The PM 610s' were okay in their day . A tad heavy for 60 cc though .

What happens on a 610 is chips get packed in,around and through the things from years of use and they don't cool right .That saw is tough enough to take it but the solid state ignition balks once it gets hot from no fan blast .I've been down this road .

Remove the covers ,starter  housing,clutch guard etc and give that thing a good blow job with compressed air .Get all that crud out ,under the cylinder too .The saw will once again be more user friendly is my guess .It might putsy for another 30 years .

saw_nut

Quote from: lumberjack48 on January 10, 2011, 03:36:05 PM
I ran McCulloch, Homelite, Lombard, Jonsered, Husqvarna and Stihl, I'm sorry but at the end of the day the Stihl proved to be the best saw.

I have run almost every brand and model out there since the early 1980's for a living logging in Nova Scotia. I came to the same conclusion as you regarding Stihl, until the new xx1 series came out. Can't stand them.

Heres what is on my truck on any give day. Stihl, Husky, Jonsered, Dolmar, Solo, Efco, Redmax. If it runs I can make a pay with it.

Like your little C4 pic. Sold my 1967 this past summer. Just running the C6 porter now. Also looking for a good C5 or C6 skidder. There is a nice C7 for sale here, looks rugged enough.

nhlogga

For every day work I run Jonsered 2171 with a big bore kit and 24" bar. For the bigger wood and bucking logs I run a Jonsered 2188 with a 24" bar. For cutting brush/diceing I use my 670 jonsered with a 24" bar.
Jonsered 2260
Husky 562xp

Dale Hatfield

Use all the brands  from above . My only problem would be the guys I see packing a long bar on a smaller power unit day in and out.
I watch hardwood cutters pack a husky 372 with a 24'' bar, that are not cutting big wood. On a saw that can run it but would be alot better in a 20 '' bar . Yet cant wont hear see the logic or the reason of why .
Game Of Logging trainer,  College instructor of logging/Tree Care
Chainsaw Carver

ga jones

2171 jonsered or 576 huskys 20 inch is the norm around here you can fell 40 in trees with a 20 inch bar. I have a 32 for big white pine for back cutting but never back cut big hardwood..
380c timberjack c4 treefarmer international trucks jonsered saws. Sugi hara bars d31 komatsu 350 tj grapple

nhlogga

Quote from: Dale Hatfield on January 10, 2011, 09:02:57 PM
Use all the brands  from above . My only problem would be the guys I see packing a long bar on a smaller power unit day in and out.
I watch hardwood cutters pack a husky 372 with a 24'' bar, that are not cutting big wood. On a saw that can run it but would be alot better in a 20 '' bar . Yet cant wont hear see the logic or the reason of why .





Such as a 24" bar on a 357xp? I run one on my 357.
Jonsered 2260
Husky 562xp

JHBC

Hi again, it seems that this and the post about "big bars" have a lot in common.  I am not a fan of too long a bar for the saw. For example, 372XP with 32", it feels awkward and unbalanced, but it can work to bring down large trees safely.  The saw/bar combos of large saw long bar, are working day in and out for thousands of guys on the BC coast, and Wash and Ore coast as well.  It is heavier, no doubt about that. But it is safer.  When I'm not falling, firewood etc., I'm very happy to use a smaller  20"-24" bar.
MS460 28"    MS660  36"    MS441 20"/24"    394XP 32"/36"    3120XP 32"/42"

smalldog

People I know that like long bars can't seem to match cuts working around the tree. They think their problems are solved with a long bar.
Hang in there body...just a little further to go.

weimedog

Quote from: smalldog on January 16, 2011, 08:41:06 AM
People I know that like long bars can't seem to match cuts working around the tree. They think their problems are solved with a long bar.

Hummm never thought of that angle before ::)

I guess I have nothing to say/add (I'm not an expert) as the longest bar I use for dropping the trees is my 28...and the reason I have used it many times is because its the only one that is both long enough to bore cut with and light enough that I can still manage it...the reduced weight bar is really getting interesting as the weight difference is noticeable. I understand Bore cutting isn't a priority for the real good guys out there. It's a habit I think because of all the Ash we have here. If I was better, I wouldn't have the need to bore cut; I know that. As it is, if I don't bore cut;  I sometimes get a tree with the guts pulled out. The other reason is (confession time) I get a sense to whats in that tree before I commit to a strategy..I'm alone way too much out there AND I'm not a pro by any stretch of the imagination! But I cut a lot of trees. I want to know what I'm dealing with especially  on those old maples. Bore cutting as a "probe" as well as a cutting technique has saved my bacon a few times..hence its now just what I do as I'm not as interested in the speed of the operation like a commercial guy..just want them down in the right direction and safely.

Also I have, without a lot of thought; noticed that once is a while, I limb the trees that are right on the ground (no over the waist work) with the 28 because I don't bend over as much..easier on the back at times..wonder if that will increase as a trend with my work with the Sugihara RW bar? Humm...maybe a Sugihara 28 on a 365 pwer head. :)

(BTW I use a 18 or 20 inch setup more than anything else by far.)
Husqvarna 365sp/372xpw Blend, Jonsered 2171 51.4mm XPW build,562xp HTSS, 560 HTSS, 272XP, 61/272XP, 555, 257, 242, 238, Homelite S-XL 925, XP-1020A, Super XL (Dad's saw); Jonsered 2094, Three 920's, CS-2172, Solo 603; 3 Huztl MS660's (2 54mm and 1 56mm)

lumberjack48

When i cut a bigger tree with a short bar, i would mark a line around the tree with the saw. With out the line to follow the saw was a tendency to come up ward.

I had a P50 and a P70 [ Partner] back in 1982 , they were a good saw, but not a production saw, they were like carrying a battery around with a bar on it.
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

quietrangr

At my decrepit 58 years, I'm down to a 361 with 18 inch bar. I cut and forward about 90 to 100 cords/month. I have a 24 that I use on trees bigger than 40 inches, but of course the balance is way off, and you have to grip the saw tighter, fatiguing your arms. Well designed saws are balanced for the proper length bar. The best balance I've ever seen is the 372/2171 with a 20 inch. As for bore cutting, I use it most of the time with the plunge cut method for trees with any size to them. For brands I recommend Stihl, Husky or Jred.

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