# How good is a stihl 056??



## ryanparks

I have come across an old stihl 056 and was wondering how good the saw is. I do not know much about saws and was looking for a bargain. It seems to be really old, maybe to old? Any info about it would be appreciated. (size, horsepower, overall opinion on the saw) Is there a way to tell what year the saw was made? Can you still get parts? How much is it worth?

Thanks


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## rbtree

Great saw, not too old, lots of guys on this forum will know about parts availability. If it is the Magnum, it is a screamer, and about 5.5 cubes, probably close to 7 horsepower. i used to run the even older 045 Super, another great saw of 5 cubes. All the old Stihls were built beefier than today's plastic saws.


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## rbtree

Appx mfr'd from 76-88, give or take a bit, I think.


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## rupedoggy

The 056 is another saw that is special to me. I like em! The 056av is 4.97 cubic inches. The 056 super is 5.3 cubic inches and the magII is 5.7. The super and magII don't seem to be very far apart in horsepower when you use them. I have lots of parts for those saws and even some 056s for sale. They are a powerful wood cutting saw but a little heavy for lugging around all day. The weak point that I have seen are the ignitions going out and the mufflers cracking and breaking. Mike


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## chainsawworld

ryan,
i like my 056 but like rupedoggy says, a little heavy in the woods. no muffler cracking yet. marty


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## tinman

if your 056 is similiar to my 045 you can take off the muffler and look up in the left casing and there should be some #'s in there.the large # is the year produced and it is enclosed in a circle of other #'s(either months or #'s of days in the month)


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## ryanparks

rupedoggy,

You say you have some 056's for sale, how much do you want for them?


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## homelite360

boy does that homelite fight with that stihl when you are not looking.


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## manofstihl

1. they are heavy.
2. an o46 will kick their butt.
3. an 066 will kick their butt in long bar applications.
4. parts are being phased out for older saws. BEWARE of old saws with electronic ignition- they are hard to find parts for and expensive when you do.


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## joe wood

*56*

you must not have been around a 56 magnum 2 to think the 46 will beat it 66 might be close but i doubt it. i still have one and i pull it out on occasion to remind myself how a saws should run. my 46 and 66 suk in comparison


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## rbtree

I have an 056 Mag 2, that I might be convinced to sell for the right price. Only one thing wrong with it, really.. The mount area by the lower dog is hogged out and won't hold the rubber mount. My bud Lakeside said he could fix it, but it's a fair bit of work.


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## Saw Dr.

joe wood said:


> you must not have been around a 56 magnum 2 to think the 46 will beat it 66 might be close but i doubt it. i still have one and i pull it out on occasion to remind myself how a saws should run. my 46 and 66 suk in comparison



:agree2:


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## Anthony_Va.

joe wood said:


> you must not have been around a 56 magnum 2 to think the 46 will beat it 66 might be close but i doubt it. i still have one and i pull it out on occasion to remind myself how a saws should run. my 46 and 66 suk in comparison



No way will a 460 hang with an 056. Maybe in 12" cookie cutting but I even doubt that. A 660 -vs- would be close. I think they would be closer in smaller wood but a 660 may leave it behind a little in bigger stuff. The couple I have ran were the AV and the MagII. I could feel a little difference in the two but not alot.

They are good saws. A little heavy but not unhandleable. Make a good felling/bucking saw. Parts are around pretty plentiful. If the deal is right, go for it.


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## Scooterbum

joe wood said:


> you must not have been around a 56 magnum 2 to think the 46 will beat it 66 might be close but i doubt it. i still have one and i pull it out on occasion to remind myself how a saws should run. my 46 and 66 suk in comparison


:agree2:


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## blsnelling

The 045/056 were some of the best of their day, if not the best. They are super strong and not slow either. However, I see no way one can keep up with a 460 in small wood. It's all about chain speed, and the 460 has a lot more of that. In anything bigger though, the 045/056 will leave it behind, as they are much stronger. 

Here's my 045 Super.


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## JustinM

blsnelling said:


> I see no way one can keep up with a 460 in small wood. It's all about chain speed, and the 460 has a lot more of that. In anything bigger though, the 045/056 will leave it behind, as they are much stronger.



Agree on all points.


Great looking saw, Brad.


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## maico490

My 056 with an 18" bar cutting small stuff up to about 8" is no faster than the 029 at work due to the slower chain speed. However it will pull a 36" bar with no trouble and the exhaust note is music when it is really working. For short bars you need to go up to a 8 tooth sprocket really.
Ignitions are the main problem. I ended up changing to the SEM but you have to have the matching flywheel as well which isn't cheap. Before you buy insist on getting the saw really warm as a lot of the Bosch modules will run for quite a while then die when hot. Mine however failed like the kill switch had been flipped and never sparked again.


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## WidowMaker

Me thinks the 056 is not the saw of choice for the beginner...

but they are great saws, we have 1 of ea, AV, Super, MagII


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## k5alive

ditto, i see one in orlando for 3 beads, ill just buy it to have it


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## JustinM

As many others have said, its a classic -one of the best built saws in its day. By today's standards its definitely getting on in age though. Its power to weight leaves something to be desired and AV is certainly not comparable to today's machines.

The way Id look at it is this: if you already have a good 1-2 combo (ie a 50 and 70cc saw) and you're looking for a big saw than can handle a long bar and you will only need to use on occasion, then this could be a good option. Its also a well-sought after saw by some collectors. 

I wouldnt recommend it as a day to day workhorse though. 25-30 years ago, yes, but things have improved a lot in the saw world since the 80s.


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## jockeydeuce

I tend to stick with "semi modern" saws for my wood cutting, but I just built an 056 Mag II and I have to say, that it would give any stock 066 that I've ran so far, a run for it's money in 24"-30" wood. 

The 056 definitely has some parts that are hard to come by and expensive, but there really are tons of these out there for parts donors.


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## Stellarex

This thread was started in 02.... Whats the reason for digging this up? :bang:


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## 00 steve

:ghost: Someone is working on their dead thread resurrection skills.


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## nmurph

k5alive said:


> ditto, i see one in orlando for 3 beads, ill just buy it to have it



He has listed that saw a couple of different times. I think most recently he was asking $350 or $375.


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## Guido Salvage

Stellarex said:


> This thread was started in 02.... Whats the reason for digging this up? :bang:



Because they used the search option and thought it better to continue to expand the existing thread rather than start a new one. Personally I wish more people would do this which would result in fewer threads and better consolidation of information.

I picked up a couple earlier this year.


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## k5alive

nmurph said:


> He has listed that saw a couple of different times. I think most recently he was asking $350 or $375.






ha I picked it up for 2 bills running, not to shabby


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## Wow

k5alive said:


> ha I picked it up for 2 bills running, not to shabby



I've located an old Sthil 056 which starts and runs. Is 200 dollars about a standard asking price?
Maybe someone will Google Sthil 056 like I've done and have some info.


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## trappermike

How many of you have seen an 056 Magnum,not a Mag 11? For about a year before the Mag 11 came out Stihl(In Canada at least) provided an upgrade kit for the 056 Super,the "Magnum kit" which us dealers installed on new 056 Supers. The kit included a modified air filter for a little better air flow,the carb cover with the two lower air notches opened up from factory,instructions on how to advance the timing,and a brand new nameplate for the top of the saw that said 056 Magnum. No ready made magnums were ever sold to us by Stihl,just the conversion kits. The timing mod helped the most.


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## Wow

trappermike said:


> How many of you have seen an 056 Magnum,not a Mag 11? For about a year before the Mag 11 came out Stihl(In Canada at least) provided an upgrade kit for the 056 Super,the "Magnum kit" which us dealers installed on new 056 Supers. The kit included a modified air filter for a little better air flow,the carb cover with the two lower air notches opened up from factory,instructions on how to advance the timing,and a brand new nameplate for the top of the saw that said 056 Magnum. No ready made magnums were ever sold to us by Stihl,just the conversion kits. The timing mod helped the most.



I had an opportunity to buy one still had old fuel in tank. I'm tied and slow so I passed. My 029 Sthil and 590 Echo are getting heavy. Now days heavy has me looking for LESS heavy. Big saws are like Jumper Cables. Great when I need them but I'm trying to need them less.
Thinking about an Echo 450 OR 490. Most time I use an 026 Sthil that keeps asking for a divorce or retirement. Thanks.


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## Mad Professor

I've got 2 056 M IIs, they will run with my 066. They are torque monsters.

As far as smaller saws being quicker in small stuff, file down the rakers and put on a 9 pin rim and see what happens! Just be careful if it grabs cause it won't stall out.


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