# Stihl 056 Magnum II



## grim1pisces (Feb 6, 2011)

I just bought a Stihl 056 Magnum II, can anyone give the good, the bad and the ugly about what to expect from it? I'm told it was quite the saw when it was still in production.
On another subject, what are the best blades and chains for Missouri hardwoods mostly?

grim1pisces:flag:


----------



## sefh3 (Feb 6, 2011)

They are heavier than today's standards. The weak point on these saws are the ignitions. If you have a SEM coil they are costly and hard to find. They pull a 32" bar just fine.


----------



## 8433jeff (Feb 6, 2011)

24" 28" full chisel and go baby go. Like Sefh said, if you have an ignition, you'll find a saw eventually.


----------



## thomas72 (Feb 6, 2011)

I really like mine. They have a lot of power and really hold up well. If you can find the 350 concrete saws with electronic ignition in a bone yard grab it; as you can use the sem module and flywheel off of it. I just got the sem and flywheel last week for $30.00 as a spare. Oh, and the saws really sound good with the dual port muffler.


----------



## 8433jeff (Feb 6, 2011)

Yeah, the dual port is the cats @$$.


----------



## saxman (Feb 6, 2011)

I have a good running 056 Mag, picked it up at a Stihl dealer. I run a 28" bar on it and it cuts almost as fast as my MS660. Does anybody have the year of production on the MagII saws? I have guessed it was in the early 90's.

Steve


----------



## jockeydeuce (Feb 6, 2011)

thomas72 said:


> I really like mine. They have a lot of power and really hold up well. If you can find the 350 concrete saws with electronic ignition in a bone yard grab it; as you can use the sem module and flywheel off of it. I just got the sem and flywheel last week for $30.00 as a spare. Oh, and the saws really sound good with the dual port muffler.



Sorry to be the fact police...LOL:glasses-nerdy:

Only the ignition from the TS350 fits the 045/056.....The flywheel is different.


----------



## NeoTree (Feb 6, 2011)

A good running one will easily pull 36" full comp. I really like them, they pretty much dominated the woods for a while from what I've heard.

Mine with a mild port job, only 140psi..
[video=youtube;6Etgate_AbQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Etgate_AbQ&feature=player_detailpage[/video]


----------



## Evan (Feb 6, 2011)

heavy and hard to work on compared to todays saws. i bought one for cheap thinkn id rebuild it and make it run but decided it was big paper weight and parted it out on ebay


----------



## cbfarmall (Feb 6, 2011)

Quite fond of mine. Sure it's heavy compared to current saws, but so what. You'd be nuts to use one for production. 

The 045/056 are a good looking saw and that muffler pipe over the clutch cover is so much the better. I have 3 045s (Super and non-Supers) and 3 056s (Super and 2 Mags)

Chris B.


----------



## Evan (Feb 6, 2011)

yeah they do look good.


----------



## grim1pisces (Feb 6, 2011)

*Thanks for the input.*

Thanks guy's, but where would I find this comp. chain and the bar? I haven't a clue to chains and bars except standard Stihl stuff? Can y'all point my nose in the right direction? Maybe a decent price as well?

Thanks, grim1pisces .:chainsawguy::rockn::hell_boy::flag::flag::flag::flag:


----------



## Evan (Feb 6, 2011)

3003 bar i think ohh maybe its a big mount cant rember for sure, nah think its 3003 mount just standerd stihl


----------



## grim1pisces (Feb 6, 2011)

*Orange bars*

Hey, what are those big orange bars I see and can you tell me anything about them?


----------



## NeoTree (Feb 6, 2011)

lol, speaking of production every peice of wood behind me in that vid was cut with that 056 :msp_tongue:
ya they're outdated, but fun as hell. Kinda like driving a 69 camaro 45 miles to work everyday.


----------



## cbfarmall (Feb 6, 2011)

grim1pisces said:


> Hey, what are those big orange bars I see and can you tell me anything about them?


 
Orange bars??


----------



## 8433jeff (Feb 6, 2011)

grim1pisces said:


> Hey, what are those big orange bars I see and can you tell me anything about them?


 
I think you're talking about the GB Titanium ones, and they are quality stuff. Standard Stihl mount should be what you need.


----------



## grim1pisces (Feb 6, 2011)

Yes, the orange titanium bars. What can you tell me about them? I've never seen them in person, just pic's and vid's.


----------



## NeoTree (Feb 6, 2011)

grim1pisces said:


> Yes, the orange titanium bars. What can you tell me about them? I've never seen them in person, just pic's and vid's.


 
As stated before, they are quality peices, as long as they are really made in Australia, 2% titanium I think, nothing really special.

Just a standard mount Stihl ES bar would do you just fine, maybe better. Get a matching stihl chisel bit chain and your set, your dealer should be happy to set you up.


----------



## grim1pisces (Feb 6, 2011)

That's what I've always used, but I hear and see alot of different bar and chains out there and in here. Don't know what I'm missing on this subj..


----------



## NeoTree (Feb 6, 2011)

grim1pisces said:


> That's what I've always used, but I hear and see alot of different bar and chains out there and in here. Don't know what I'm missing on this subj..


 
Ya it's nice to try diff things. I got a 28" orange GB becauase I wanted to try it too.
Anyway some of the different bars you are seeing are probably reduced weight bars. Oregon makes some well precieved R/W bars, as does Stihl, but get ready to pay about double the price of a new regular bar.


----------



## grim1pisces (Feb 6, 2011)

Sooooo, what your saying is stick with Stihl stuff huh?


----------



## 8433jeff (Feb 6, 2011)

Stihl bars are better than some, the better ones better than most, but the coin involved scares me. Not so much with chain, hard to beat the quality there. Now there are fewer players in the bar market, and its hard to tell whats what. My opinion: Oregon is making most of them, and Stihl and the others are buying them from them. But at the same time the cheaper Oregon bars are substandard and getting worse. So if you find a used one locally, snap it up. Chances are you're not making a living from this saw, and just bucking the big stuff, impressing the girls, and GTG hours won't amount to a lot of use, wouldn't for me anyway. And as with any saw, the longer the bar, the less you'll use it; at the same time, if all it wears is a 18", why use that saw rather than a 026, 036?
My $.02, yours may differ.


----------



## thomas72 (Feb 7, 2011)

jockeydeuce said:


> Sorry to be the fact police...LOL:glasses-nerdy:
> 
> Only the ignition from the TS350 fits the 045/056.....The flywheel is different.


 
Nothing to be sorry about. I knew of the ignition, but went ahead and grabbed the flywheel while I was at it. Whats different about the flywheel?


----------



## sefh3 (Feb 7, 2011)

If I remember right, the start pawls are different on the TS350 verse the 056. Doesn't hurt to have them if you need them.


----------



## maico490 (Feb 7, 2011)

The keyway is timed differently on the chopsaws. The thread below exlplains it all. SEM flywheels for the 056 are like hens teeth to find but not a problem with the Mag 11 as they all have them to start with. If buying a Ts350 for the ignition make sure it is a late one as they had points then Bosch electronic then SEM on the very latest ones.

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/62401.htm


----------



## Saw Dr. (Feb 7, 2011)

I don't see why a guy couldn't just leave the key out and use the chop saw F/W anyway. Problem would be finding the correct timing, and I suspect someone here can do that. Within one or two degrees would certainly be close enough. Too far advanced could be _painful_, though. :msp_unsure: I have a couple MAG's here with SEM flywheels on them. Next time a TS-350 comes through here, I'll compare them. I think it was only the 350 Super that came with the SEM.


----------



## ZeroJunk (Feb 7, 2011)

My latest Mag II has a Selettra on it. Looks exactly like the SEM and works with the SEM flywheel.

I wasn't sure about it because it was loose in a box with Mag II and Super parts that I bought off of eBay.

I installed it and was having trouble getting the spark plug boot on so I just crimped the holder in the end of the wire and put it on the plug to test. Well, the saw started and the wire came off the plug and was arcing about an inch to the top handle, not the plug, and the saw was still running.

It was a little astonishing to me, I still don't know how that worked.


----------



## huskydave (Feb 7, 2011)

bought one cheap a few years back mag2 with cracked ignition. I thought it would be easy to find a module. I think it was a sem type. I tried for 3 months and somebody sent me one from this website. It sure was a fun saw after I got it running right. It was heavy but had a lot of power, gobs of torque probably pull a 40" bar easily. It vibrated real bad, I even lost a few muffler bolts, I recomend loctite on this one. I gave it to a friend who needed a good saw. It still runs good.


----------



## betterbuilt (Feb 10, 2011)

I asked My dealer if he had a TS350 and he said he'd look. Well I got a call and he said he did. I guess I'm asking how can I be sure Its the sem coil. Is there a sure fire way to tell. I've got the bosch and I know what it looks like. 

He want $90 for the coil If I want it. That sounds pretty high. He tries to get half of the new value for his parts. I asked him about the whole saw saw and he said he'd think about it.


----------



## ZeroJunk (Feb 10, 2011)

Think I would go this route.

http://cgi.ebay.com/STIHL-SPARE-TS350-TS360-08S-STATOR-IGNITION-UNIT-/330524795989?pt=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item4cf4d02455


----------



## maico490 (Feb 10, 2011)

That's where I got mine. They are good people to deal with and ship quickly.
Also it is the newer type with the spade terminal connection.


----------

