New MS261

[thecfarm]

I have not owned a Sthil in more then 40 years. 
But on the 2 huskys I own, a slow pull on the rope, with the switch and choke on makes a big difference in the way they start.
Most times 2 slow pulls do it, then a quick one and it will fire. Then no choke.

[Magicman]

I was finally able to get my new MS261 into wood today.  I have no idea why I was struggling along with the MS170 as my small sawmill saw?? 


   
Then of course, from 30cc to 50cc is a huge jump in and of itself.  That plus going from a 16" to an 18" bar also made the difference that I knew it would. 

Otherwise, I would have had to break out the MS362.   :

[KWood255]

I have a MS170, MS261CM, MS290, MS400CM and a couple Husqvarna's...357XP and the old 266XP. My 261 is my go-to saw for everyday use. I keep the 170 near the mill for the quick odd jobs, but it's certainly no powerhouse, nor was it intended to be. The 400 with a 20" bar seems a little heavy to swing around, but has very impressive performance for falling the spruce, pine and poplar around here. I find the 261cm to be just the right balance of power and relatively light weight. I did open up the exhaust a bit, which real improved its performance. She's loud, but I wear ear protection when running saws anyway.

[Magicman]

 

 
After I sawed the White Oak logs into Bridge Decking the slabs and side lumber were all bucked into 2' firewood.  This was my first time to use the MS261 and I was impressed.  Three pulls cold and one pull afterwards.   

[trapper]

Most times I will grab my 241cm perfect replacement for a 250. Lighter more powerful than the 250 and starts better.  My dealer says it was a dumb move for Stihl to quit making them.

[JD Guy]

My impression is that Stihl didn't quit producing the 241 but doesn't make it available in the US. Readily available in Europe and some other countries. If it were easily available here I would definitely own one  8)

[sawguy21]

We couldn't keep the MS250 or MS261 in stock but couldn't give the MS241 away. If the customer was spending that much on a saw he was stepping up.

[Arcticmiller]

I had a MS260 pro for about 6 years as my only saw. There were several reasons for that...first I was young and broke, and I found a new powerhead for 240 bucks or so from a tree service place that had stolen some parts off the unit, then switched to the newer 261 series.

Second, I was only cutting lodgepole pine generally under 20" for firewood. The saw did beautifully. I was young(ish), broke, and had a young family. That saw kept the house warm, and paid for itself many times over. -Even a new saw would have paid itself off repeatedly.

I have a ms362 now, a 261cm and a 70cc saw on the way, (still have the original 260 as well) but if I could only have one saw and wasn't dealing with huge west coast trees/or large hardwoods. It'd be the 260/261 personally. It's light, powerful for its size. There were many 2.5-3 cord days I put in with it-the weak link in the weekend firewood game was me-not the saw.

I'm a fan.

[Arcticmiller]

 
After I sawed the White Oak logs into Bridge Decking the slabs and side lumber were all bucked into 2' firewood.  This was my first time to use the MS261 and I was impressed.  Three pulls cold and one pull afterwards.   

I sure wish we had oak to burn up here in Alaska! I'd never been around hardwood as firewood til spending time at the in-laws in Tennessee...that stuff burns hot, clean, and seemed to go all day on one stove load...here I'm throwing spruce or balsam poplar in the stove all day long lol. Birch is a little better, but still not the same.

Where I grew up it was mostly Douglas fir or tamarack. Not hardwoods, but decent firewood nonetheless.

[Magicman]

 ;D

I sure wish we had oak to burn up here in Alaska!

Heck I wish that I was there in Alaska with you.  Of course we were there in the Summer and spending my entire life in the South, I don't know Winter.   

[Arcticmiller]

It's 6 degrees above today, 39 below just a few days ago.... We cut firewood in the winter because that's when the snowmobiles can get to it. Lots different up here. One downside to the winter wood cutting is you're wallowing around in 3' of snow when doing the felling....I suppose that's hazardous. That was a bit novel to me.

I have to break trail in to a nice fire killed woodlot I found a few years ago, but it's about 12-15 miles away of rough trails. Need to weld up a snow groomer to make towing loads less rough on man and machine....same old story, lots of work.

Brought in about a cord of wood yesterday, took two snow machine trips. But it'll keep the house warm for the next while. We have a heating oil boiler, but it's pretty expensive to run at $15 a gallon local prices. Wood keeps the cost of living way down. That and moose in the freezer, we can't have enough of that on hand.

All in all it's quite the life, hard, and extreme at times, expensive, but great, the kids won't lack for stories growing up here.

[Magicman]

Are you in the Talkeetna area?

EDIT:  And then I just read in the Oil topic that you are above the Arctic Circle?

[Arcticmiller]

Yep, if a guy went into Fairbanks and flew north for approximately 200 miles that's where home is-til I get tired of cold/darkness/and 24 hour sunlight in the summertime. It's kind of a trippy place to live. I really, really enjoy it though. Might be sick in the head.

[Magicman]

 

 
We watched the "sun not set" on June 20, 1997, which was amazing but it was a touristy thing.  That was the first time that I had ever paid $2.00 per gallon for gasoline at the Yukon River crossing.

Alaska holds a fascination for me but I know that it was a "once in a lifetime" deal for us.

[Old Greenhorn]

It's 6 degrees above today, 39 below just a few days ago.... We cut firewood in the winter because that's when the snowmobiles can get to it.........

You touched on a subject here that has baffled me for years. My wife is addicted to all the Alaskan and Yukon reality shows. I watch some too when I can tolerate the characters and some of the inserted drama. So yeah, I get that these shows are entertainment and can be very misleading as far as daily life goes. I also understand that where you life firewood (fuel of some sort), water, and meat/food are the 3 things you need to survive (along with shelter of course). I have cut my own firewood for 30 years or more, it's an annual 'requirement'. I get all that, so please don not be insulted or take offence by this question which is driven by watching these shows.

It seems like I always see folks going out to harvest firewood in the winter for use 'right away'. It is very rare to see anybody doing wood for the following years use. I hardly ever see large woodsheds with a winter's supply of wood. Yes, I get it that pulling wood during the frozen months is much easier and work that will not take away as much from hunting and fishing time, but why not put up wood a year out? Why not have a good stash? If the weather changes and you can't get out, you are in a bad way.

Perhaps it is that the standing dead you harvest will not hold up well when cut and stacked? Beatle killed pine goes punky pretty quick when it is cut up and may not last a year, even in a dry shed. But the question always bothered me because it is more than one or two individuals, it is many/most who do that, so there has to be a good reason.
Can you learn me up on this?

[doc henderson]

Yes, on one show, the firewood guy would girdle trees for the next year, but yes take them down under harsh conditions, although in sunlight.  to sell immediately.

[Arcticmiller]

No offense taken at all, I'm puzzled by a lot I see too.

Full disclosure, if I didn't want to cut wood I don't have to. Because heating oil is included in my rent it's not a "must do" so I can't speak for anyone except my own situation.

For 2-3 years I lived in a rental without a wood stove, so it just wasn't an option, then for a couple years I just didn't because life was busy, and I was saving for a better work snowmachine.


If it were up to me I'd have 2-3 years worth of wood stacked and split, then just get a years worth to go through each winter. I don't have good firewood storage set up yet- one small shed that holds two cord or so. I did get a bunch of poly cubes that hold about a half a cord each to maybe solve the storage conundrum though.

I think that woodsheds being exempt from taxes would be a good step towards that on a couple fronts. Another factor I see is many people just have no idea what they are doing. The "move to Alaska" and just figure it out not realizing they are plugging their chimney by burning green spruce all winter. It's not uncommon to spend as much on your mortgage on heating a home just on heating oil in Fairbanks during a deep cold spell. I think the lack of knowing how to do it "right" is part of the nonsense that happens.

Things are no way as dramatic as the shows portray-as we generally all guess. But they may have their value, on that I'm a bit skeptical though. I was asked to be on one once and I politely declined, it's a level of scrutiny I don't really want in my life. They wanted to have a bunch of scripted snowmobile breakdowns, and I was like if I know a machines gonna break down I am not going out on it, enough can go wrong in extreme circumstances that I don't care to look for more dangers ....that wasn't exciting enough I guess.

I did have a track split in half on my machine 20 miles from home once at -30 and that was a long night walking home. -as it turned out I only walked a few miles to an old cabin where I started a fire and warmed up a bit before a friend came by and picked me up. It was a cold walk but she got off work at midnight and was like I'll go grab him! Lucky break.

I grew up in the rural setting in north eastern Washington, on farms/ranches, so cutting wood is in my bones. It's just "what you do" last place I lived in Wyoming there was wood everywhere and I had a 10-12 cord stack just because I could. Roughly 2 years worth, I can't get enough of it once I get going.

A lot of my friends in the villages run trap lines, so they keep incredibly busy running lines and all winter. Part of it might be seasonal affective disorder. When it's dark all the time you tend to sleep a lot, and just feel groggy.

A lot of places like Fairbanks there aren't many sizeable woodsheds that I've seen, I suspect because of borough property taxes. As a result people cut and burn a lot of green wood, given the climate they then deal with a lot of air quality issues, it's complicated.

A lot of folks up here don't have plumbing, so all the water gets hauled via truck. Warming up a vehicle at -40 can take a long time, so maybe it's partly the fact that everything stacks up and takes so much extra time that gets in the way of folks' getting stuff done.

Then again I can have a truck break down, and order parts and they take a month to get here too, so that can put the damper on things "getting done" so that's frustrating all the time lol.

I suspect lots of folks just get a months worth or so during a break in the weather and that's enough of an ordeal they just supplement their toyo stove heat. Slogging it out in -30 and 3' of snow is a lot of work.

Expense may play a role. A skandic superwide track machine is close to 20k, I bought an enclosed trailer a couple years ago, it cost double what it would in the lower 48, used trucks are expensive-and abused (imagine everyone hauling 3-500 gallons of water in their half ton trucks on a regular basis....those poor axles) crime is high on the road system. I have met more than a few folks who had their "moose lights" or light bars cut or torn off their nice vehicles by tweakers while they were off cutting wood.

Add up a used snowmobile, trailer, and truck cost, to roughly 30k and it's no wonder people don't do it more.

[Arcticmiller]

Yes, on one shoe, the firewood guy would girdle tree for the next year, but yes take them down under harsh conditions, although in sunlight.  to sell immediately.

Then the next guy beats you to you carefully prepped trees and heats his house, because it's all off public land up here lol. That's a pretty common occurrence.

[Arcticmiller]

 
We watched the "sun not set" on June 20, 1997, which was amazing but it was a touristy thing.  That was the first time that I had ever paid $2.00 per gallon for gasoline at the Yukon River crossing.

Alaska holds a fascination for me but I know that it was a "once in a lifetime" deal for us.

I drive past that spot every winter a few times on my annual grocery runs to town. Yep gas is up to 7ish per gallon there now! Not as bad as the station where I'm at, (15) but we all haul drums from town anyway-otherwise a person couldn't afford much but fuel and food.

I'm glad you made it up! It's a wild landscape, that is incredibly vast and unique. I'd suggest everyone checks it out -if they are able. -Not just because the wife and I have a small lodging business! The huge place devoid of people just can't be described any other way. It's serene, rugged, intimidating, lonely, harsh, and one of the most beautiful places I've ever been-in its own way.

Where else can I live and hunt moose and not see another soul during hunting season for two weeks? It feeds my soul.

[beenthere]

It seems like I always see folks going out to harvest firewood in the winter for use 'right away'.

What I find for many, having a woodshed full for firewood a year or two (or three) in advance, results in procrastination to just keep adding another year's supply annually. So the end result is after the supply is down to near nothing, becomes critical to get out and get more firewood.
Maybe it is just the nature of the beast, or stockpiling ahead is too "long term" and not for sure going to be here at this place that long.  ??? ???
We often see posts of having empty woodsheds and such on the FF.

[Old Greenhorn]

No offense taken at all, I'm puzzled by a lot I see too.
.........

Well thank you for not being offended, really, and thank you for the detailed reply because I learned a lot. But I am just as confused now, but I think I am getting it. First I am shocked (yes SHOCKED, I SAY) that you are taxed for your woodsheds. That just seems un-American. This is what's needed to survive, even more so where you are than where we are and we are not taxed on such structures.
But even with that, can they raise your taxes for a big pile of split wood with a loose tarp over it to keep the snow off?
I don't know. Maybe it's just that these TV shows are trying to show the routine daily life of winter firewood gathering but then fabricating in the drama that if they don't get the wood in, they will have no heat or cooking. Sounds plausible given the need for 'entertainment' and the producers (questionable) NEED to make it into life or death drama for the folks they think won't 'get it' otherwise.
I guess the whole question was driven by my thought that anyone who have lived off-grid for way more than 5 years would have his/her act together on getting in the firewood to get through the winter. I think these folks know what their doing and the producers of these TV shows don't understand it. That's my take. I know these producers go to extreme lengths to make things 'dramatic'. A young cousin of mine worked for one of the characters everybody knows on one of these shows (I think he is still on). My cousin tells me he could never be on the show even in the background because A) it might hint to the public there was a functional business supporting his supposed 'off grid doing it all by myself' lifestyle, and B) because he would need to share some of the TV pay with any employee seen on camera. He was depending on that TV money for a lot of his income. Funny thing was, my wife watched that show every week, and when I saw that guy come on, I left the room because he was such a wingnut it made me crazy. I didn't find out until 2 years later he was the guy my young cousin worked for. :D OH, and I STILL don't like the guy, I think he is half a bubble off plumb.

[Arcticmiller]

No worries, I'm confused too.

Alaska doesn't have sales or income taxes, as a state. So the taxes are all borough/county or city levied. If you live in a municipality they are brutal. A buddy of mine bought a house in Fairbanks. Nothing fancy, but his borough taxes are 500 bucks a month. On a house he paid 140k for. I don't think they tax blue tarps or cordwood-but let's not give them any ideas!

The do tax the curb appeal on homes, so basically you're punishing people keeping a property up or even siding their homes. I have a buddy who's a talented builder and lives in a luxurious two story dream home. Man it's jaw dropping inside. He even built an apartment off each side and made it an income property pulling 3k a month in rent. It's sided with tyvek, because it saves him so much money in taxes. It's really dysfunctional.

One of the big drivers I see is actually caused by the military presence. Nothing against our fine troops etc, but here's the issue as I see it. The come to Alaska for a temporary station and vote. You're never going to vote for an income or a sales tax in a place where you aren't going to settle and stay. Now if you're only gonna be here for 4-5 years you're going to let the military pay your rent, vote in ways that benefit you etc. and leave when you're pcs'd to the next base, having such a large block of the population be transients isn't a great recipe for building a stable functional community. Since the military pays the rent for a married couple they don't care about the increase in costs or tax increases to the property owners, because they don't directly pay it. Nothing against them, I'd make the same decisions in that situation. Vote on the taxes that don't "cost you directly".

Another issue is the oil money, Alaska was incredibly rich when the pipeline went in, there was no end in sight to the money-til there was. The state hasn't had a real budget in the decade or so I've been here. It's madness. They have a lot of money in the pfd fund which belongs to the "residents" but every year they raid that payment to keep the state rolling. It's actually a terrible form of taxation on the poorest residents. For me and my family we have been blessed and the pfd is a nice boost, but it's not really the difference between keeping our house warm etc.

What happened is they got used to spending the money too freely set up too many programs and now the chickens have come home to roost. It's not a pretty picture. And no politician wants to try and sell sacrifice, responsibility, and austerity, that's political suicide.

I personally live in a village where there's no private property. All lots are leased from the native tribe or the Alaska dot. The dot leasing makes it a royal pain in the ass to build anything, which is ok-huge issues with people moving in starting projects and leaving their trash behind when they give up.

I do know that it's pretty common for the show characters to be laughing stocks in their communities-before the tv shows. The people without anything better to do and dreams of fame... I know of a couple real deal outliers, but I think they are in the minority.

I know it's more complicated, and everyone is different. A lot of it probably comes down to ignorance and laziness lol. I'm just trying to not be those things myself.

[Magicman]

Thanks for the insight.  I love reading about anything Alaskan.   

[Arcticmiller]

Thanks for the insight.  I love reading about anything Alaskan.   

No problem, I hope it's eye-opening in an entertaining- and thoughtful, yet humorous manner. I did get a little long winded though.

I've spent a long time thinking through the issues I've seen trying to parse out the why's, and it bothers me when things don't make sense, or policies are harmful.

Honestly I'll probably never build or buy a home in the state simply because of the tax thing. Even if you buy and build outside the borough with taxes intentionally -later your neighbors can vote you into an expansion and now you're basically renting your home from the municipality. I'll take a tribal or dot lease for 1-2k/year over that any day.

[Magicman]

It's hard to swallow if any of us really sat down and put a pencil to it.  I can not change anything so I won't.