Lets talk Chainsaws

[Dogone]

I bought an 80cc Chinese clone saw. Works fine for a second saw on big stuff. Half the price of a name brand saw. Use premix gas always. Even pro loggers use it . Keep your chain sharp and be real careful.

 

[.204smokechaser]

I’d look for a stihl 036 or a straight 362 in a scenario like your original post and get a full wrap.

Unless you’re strictly falling and bucking merchantable timber all day long 6 plus months a year, no need to waste a lot of dough and become the latest member of the property owner 500i club.

Don’t get any of the “c” stuff. I’ve had nothing but problems with “c’s” and mostly they’ve been the ones to first blow up. Yes have 7 saws going into the shop this winter and 5 are c’s that are either blown up or I want to get rid of.

 

[Wellsdw]

if possible find a small time logger to come in cut the timber, make him use his saws. use the timber $ if there is any to start paying on the grading work. it will take years to turn timber to pasture without big equipment. as far as saw selection goes id say it depends on the tree type and size. for small stuff say under 10" im not killing myself with an 80cc 24" saw. bending over or not. ill use my 246 husky. favorites saw though hands down my 330t topper.

 

[M1SF1T]

To the OP - your choices are fine all around general light use consumer level homeowner saws.

I would go with the Husky every time. At that level I would go with the 445 over the Rancher.
If you have the budget or you're planning on falling anything larger than a small tree you might consider something with a bigger bar and more power. 565 is a nice saw (or if you can pick up a used 365 special) with 28" bar will work be ideal.

A long bar is easy nicer bucking too. Crouching and bucking cords of wood with an 18" bar gets old. Stand up and buck!

 

[Hoodie]

What’s your preferred sharpening method? I’ve been using a Stihl 2-in-1, but I’m not convinced I’m really getting the chain very sharp (very well could be operator error).

I personally hand file with round file and then file down the rakers separately with a flat file. We keep a 2-in-1 around at the shop, but I'm in the PNW and 80% of my work is on softwoods so I typically run my rakers a little lower than .025. I always use a file guide. I've heard lots of people advocate not using them, but they're for more than just getting the angle right. They also keep the file seated at the right depth while you're sharpening.

Sharpening just takes time and practice. I teach a lot of new folks to use chainsaws and everyone on my crews has to learn to sharpen their own saw. It usually takes about 6 weeks or so before they're proficient at it. In the meantime if I see their saw isn't cutting well I'll give them a different one so they don't develop the bad habits that come with learning on a dull saw.

This is a pretty solid tutorial.

 

[Ope]

Everybody knows you need 2 saws . You'll eventually need to get the first one out of a jam. Don't forget the wedges and safety gear. I wear chaps and a forestry helmet. Guys around here like to laugh about it but if you ever had a dead limb fall out of a tree while cutting it you'll be glad you have the helmet. Plus it keeps saw chips out of my face and it has ear pro.

I heat solely with wood and maintain my property, both my sisters' property, my parents' property, and do a little milling for personal use. Stihls are good saws but I don't have any experience with them. I have 5 Husky pro saws 268xp, 372xp, 395xp, 550xp, 572xp, 1 Husky 350, an Echo CS590 (which is a pro saw I believe?) and a small top handle saw for trimming. As a single saw for homeowner use, for the money, I'd go with the CS590. Learn how to use and maintain it, and when you go to get your second saw you'll know what you like/don't like about it. You can always size up if you need to and use the CS590 as a secondary.

I see advice of longer bars. Which is fine, and I'm no expert, but if you're not familiar running saws in my opinion I'd stick to a 20" bar, a longer bar is just more bar to get pinched, stuck in dirt, hit rocks, and more chain to file.

Learn how to mix fuel, learn to tune your carb (if it's not electronic), learn HOW and WHEN to file the chain (teeth and rakers), learn safe felling practices, and learn the correct way to cut blown down trees, a lot of people don't realize there's a lot of tension in them. Stay away from that rootball when it lets go. Check out arboristsite it's a good site with a lot of info you can learn from. Good luck and stay safe bud!

 

[Steve300xcw]

For a saw getting used a lot, mixing gas makss sense. For something that will sit for a while, I like buying those cans of premix. Dunno whats in them. But that shit seems to last a lot longer

 

[Coopsdaddy]

I use a chain saw for a living off and on.Have 120 acres off my own so this is my experience.
I have used a sthil 280 for 15-20 years.
Tune it up every few years.Keep it clean and in case,run pure fuel and use sthil oils.
Sharpen the chain every tank of fuel,just one or two swipes with the file.
Get two or three chains and when you hit a rock etc stop,don’t keep going.Change chain and sharpen the damaged one at the end of the day.
Get sthils dual file hand sharpener.
Work saws are all sthil of different sizes.
We run oils we buy at fastenal and cheap gas.
They dont last a few years but we also don’t take good care of them.
Plus the newer saws are not as good.
Dicks and bar sizes,all men want bigger.
Ask anyone of the 14 on our crew and they would tell you 16 if the majority of your trees are less than 28inch.
If your saws got enough motor you can always buy a larger spare bar and chain.
Less chain to sharpen,less bar to pinch and they rev faster.Sthils like to eat not get lugged along.
Alos I’m not sure about today but years ago the even number saws were a professional grade.Supposed to be 500 hrs saws compared to 300 for example.
I can’t remember the exact numbers.
260 pro (best saw I’ve used)
280
Neither are made any longer.
Farm boss is fine but it’s made for farm use,not heavy use.
Etc
A small elec is very nice to have.
You will find yourself using it A lot on minor things and small stuff.
Chaps,gloves and glasses are not a option & ifak in your chainsaw gear box

 

[cali_hornhunter]

MS-261 Should be able to accomplish everything you need unless you plan on cutting big timber. Use good ethanol free gas and mix, don’t worry about certain brand of bar oil…its oil saws are tougher than you think I maybe clean mine once a year (stihl 500i) that’s working on the wildland fire side of things cutting hazard trees and fuels reduction projects. Bigger the saw the heavier it gets. Fatigue is real

 

[nodakian]

Another Stihl fan here. I ran 038s and 044s with 24" bars and 028s with 20" bars for the USFS back in college. We usually took a few strokes off the rakers to get a little more bite. I don't recall my current model, but it also has a 20" bar.

The 028 was ok for trail work, backpacking into fires, and thinning/slashing, but it came up short sometimes. We humped the 038 sometimes, too, if we expected bigger timber. My current 20" is mostly ok, but is not ideal for working big stuff.

In my experience, 20" bars suck because I am always bent over. Personally, I would rather have a larger saw with 24" or 28" bar. They cut everything faster, and I bend over less.

Big saws also seem safer to me because I am not tempted to work overhead or in strange positions. The engine stays on my left thigh, and the bar can't get me.

Good luck on your search.

 

[devildog.34]

I switched from the Husky Rancher 450 to the Echo 620 with 20 inch bar. The Echo is an awesome saw and I prefer it over the Husky.

I cut around 15 cords per year.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

What is the best way to store the saw long term? Just run it out of fuel or...

Sent from my SM-S926U using Tapatalk

I always run it out but also start it every 6 months for a bit.

 

[TreeDog]

Splurge for the MS 261 and have a saw that will do everything you need and last a long time.

 

[wind gypsy]

I have a Echo 355T (little top handle saw), Stihl MS170, MS391, and MS261C. For uses similar to what you're talking about, the Stihl MS261c gets used 5x more than all the others combined.

The 261 is the only "Pro" saw of the bunch although some claimed the echo 355T was borderline that class. It is the only of the bunch that has continually run like a top. The Echo has a better warranty but when it started running like shit and I brought it in they gave me some bullshit about bad gas and didn't stand by it. I had only ever used expensive pre-mixed gas in it.

Compared to the MS271, the MS261 is lighter and more powerful.

I read complaints from saw geeks about m-tronic not being as good as a carb they can tune. My experience has been the exact opposite. Not being too technically adept when it comes to saws, i like that it doesn't need my tuning and runs like a top.

My vote is step it up to a MS261 or similar.

I see the recs for bigger saws and was recommended similar by guys who worked as loggers and do a lot of heating with wood. For guys not accustomed to doing a lot of sawing, those big saws will wear you out in a hurry! My MS391 with a 20 or 24" Bar wears me out quick and its not that much more powerful than the 261. If going a size up from 261, i'd much prefer a 400 or 462 in lieu of a 391 but now you're talking much more expensive saws. The 271 is closer to the 400 in weight than the 261!

 

[Steve300xcw]

I read complaints from saw geeks about m-tronic not being as good as a carb they can tune. My experience has been the exact opposite. Not being too technically adept when it comes to saws, i like that it doesn't need my tuning and runs like a top.

Far from a saw geek. And an example of one 362cm..Whata pile of shit. Gutless and you better get all your cutting done before you turn it off... Sold it to a buddy for $100 and we both walked away thinking we got one over on each other! Made sure the saw I replaced it with had a carb. I'm far from an expert on carbs but tuning them isnt that hard

 

[wind gypsy]

Far from a saw geek. And an example of one 362cm..Whata pile of shit. Gutless and you better get all your cutting done before you turn it off... Sold it to a buddy for $100 and we both walked away thinking we got one over on each other! Made sure the saw I replaced it with had a carb. I'm far from an expert on carbs but tuning them isnt that hard

Interesting. I had read stories like that prior to buying but the C model is what the shop had when i was buying and it's been great. Actually, it did have issues starting once after getting hot and shutting down and i thought "aw shit, here we go" but ive never had an issue again and with my use its always on and off. How long did you run it before offloading it? Well past any break-in and tuning window for the saw?

How long ago was the saw purchased? I know they have had multiple m-tronic updates.

 

[JimIsland]

I'm not a chain saw afficionado but own two Stihls and wouldn't have it any other way. In Sept of 1989 Hurricane Hugo made a mess of Charleston SC, with a CAT 4 making landfall within a few miles of my house. I purchased a small Stihl with a 16" bar and still have it. I've purchased multiple blades, a few bars, of course fuel lines, plugs, etc. and to this day runs like a champ.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Tools are specific to needs. On horseback, I have a dewalt electric. It's light and good in lodgepole for logs up to 10-12". The kerf is narrow and prone to pinching in the bigger wood.

If I have a lot to cut, I use a stihl 170. It still has a kerf problem but in the smaller trees it does fine. As the trees get bigger, you will get tired of pinching and the low speed of cutting.

As the trees get bigger I move to a stihl 311 or 312, It has the power and the bigger kerf. It handles the bigger wood but is heavier. If I'm cutting a block that has a lot of 16-20" trees, I choose the bigger saw.

If I'm cutting firewood from bigger larch and fir, I use my Husky 576 and or my old stihl 038. Both have 30+" bars and enough hp to cut through the bigger wood in a short time. They are heavier so I'm not prone to packing them a long ways. I can transport them with a packhorse if I need.

I have no experience with hardwood so I have no reference as to needs.
For me the choices are pretty much dictated by log diameter and number.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Interesting. I had read stories like that prior to buying but the C model is what the shop had when i was buying and it's been great. Actually, it did have issues starting once after getting hot and shutting down and i thought "aw shit, here we go" but ive never had an issue again and with my use its always on and off. How long did you run it before offloading it? Well past any break-in and tuning window for the saw?

How long ago was the saw purchased? I know they have had multiple m-tronic updates.

Think I had the thing for 4 years or so. Used it at work, brushing road at times and then it lived on my grader or the truck. It did its job but it always pissed me off.

Final straw was last spring. Cutting open road trying to get into a place. Get way back in there and it goes full kunt. Not goona start again until its cooled down. Made record time getting back to town and had a shiny 462 with a carb on it that afternoon. Only regret is not dumping that saw sooner.


I will say the one lil rockstar of a saw that we never woulda guessed, is an echo cs400. Bought it for a disposable dirtbike saw. opened up the muffler a tad, pulled the carb stops and got it adjusted right. Been the most abused of them all, and it just keeps working and works well! That lil pos was money well spent

I'll say it again though. I do not understand the purpose of the 50-60cc class of saw.

 

[wind gypsy]

I will say the one lil rockstar of a saw that we never woulda guessed, is an echo cs400. Bought it for a disposable dirtbike saw. opened up the muffler a tad, pulled the carb stops and got it adjusted right. Been the most abused of them all, and it just keeps working and works well! That lil pos was money well spent

I'll say it again though. I do not understand the purpose of the 50-60cc class of saw.

Why do you have a saw of the echo CS400's size? Its about the same weight as a MS261 or echo 501p (50cc) but it's not going to cut as well.

What I find myself doing in the midwest is a lot of 2-10" wood cutting which admittedly would be a good job for a hot 35-40 CC saw which is why i got that 355 echo. But when you get into something 12"+ its nice to have a nice light 50 cc saw. Best would probably be a 35-40CC saw and a 60+ nearby but if a guy is just carrying around 1, i like the 261.