# Husky 3120xp vs Stihl 881?



## Wetcoast (Mar 12, 2021)

Looking for some opinions on these two big power heads. I just started chainsaw milling and bought a Stihl 461 with a granberg 36” mill and have been pushing it pretty hard. I really like the saw but don’t want to melt it. I have more milling to do and am really enjoying it so thinking of upgrading power heads to a proper big kit.

looking for pros and cons list on the two big player mill heads. Any experience any of you have with either unit and milling is greatly appreciated. I have been reading a lot of posts on this site and have found it REALLY helpful! Many thanks to all the great contributors here . 

I am just a weekend warrior on the Pacific Northwest so no huge hardwood on a commercial levels, but lots of medium to big softwood around and on the list.

Let me know what you think!

I’ll throw up some pics of my current setup and some slab shots in the coming days.

Thanks in advance everyone.


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## Husky Man (Mar 12, 2021)

I have a 3120XP, and Love it.

I haven’t run an 880, but you just can’t beat Dave “thechainsawguy” ‘s price on the 3120XP, Dave sells them NIB for $1399 PHO, SHIPPED, if you buy them from him directly, the price is a bit higher, and he charges shipping, if you buy from him through ebay 

I bought my 3120XP from Dave, as have several other AS members.

Dave is a Reliable and Reputable seller, that I would buy from again, or recommend without Hesitation 





Doug


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## Skeans (Mar 12, 2021)

Wetcoast said:


> Looking for some opinions on these two big power heads. I just started chainsaw milling and bought a Stihl 461 with a granberg 36” mill and have been pushing it pretty hard. I really like the saw but don’t want to melt it. I have more milling to do and am really enjoying it so thinking of upgrading power heads to a proper big kit.
> 
> looking for pros and cons list on the two big player mill heads. Any experience any of you have with either unit and milling is greatly appreciated. I have been reading a lot of posts on this site and have found it REALLY helpful! Many thanks to all the great contributors here .
> 
> ...



Remember our “softwood” is harder then some hardwoods out here. That said I’m using a 3120 out here on the wet coast for milling as well.







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## Wetcoast (Mar 12, 2021)

That’s a nice looking setup Husky! Thanks for the tip on Dave, I had a quick look on eBay and I can’t seem to get it to send to my address, I’m just down island . I may reach out to him and not go the eBay route. The dealer I bought my Stihl off of has the 3120 power head on for 1599 CAD but that’s just the head no bar, prices seem to match Dave’s if his are in AM but that part is unclear....

looks like a cedar slab? That’s really nice colouring in that one 

What size big bar is that? The saw runs it fine?


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## Wetcoast (Mar 12, 2021)

Skeans looks like some D fir? Nice clear chunk! The D fir is what made me want a big saw. Helped a friend do up some 30” ish D fir and the 461 tolerated it but it was a bit of a push. The cedar goes a bit easier but does still dull the chain. 

I hear you on the softwood being brutal and dense out here, nice stuff but is a bit of work to get through sometimes....


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## Wetcoast (Mar 12, 2021)

Did some Willow slabs, see what happens. Although it is a hardwood I found it easier than the D fir.


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## Skeans (Mar 12, 2021)

Wetcoast said:


> Skeans looks like some D fir? Nice clear chunk! The D fir is what made me want a big saw. Helped a friend do up some 30” ish D fir and the 461 tolerated it but it was a bit of a push. The cedar goes a bit easier but does still dull the chain.
> 
> I hear you on the softwood being brutal and dense out here, nice stuff but is a bit of work to get through sometimes....



That’s 110/120 age range second growth Doug fir, that setup that @HUSKY MAN has is pretty much exactly what I’m using as well.


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## rarefish383 (Mar 13, 2021)

I went to my Husky dealer and he said it would take two weeks to get one ordered. My Stihl dealer had two 880’s on the shelf. When I got there he had 660’s on sale so I got the 660. I milled some Dawn Redwood and it was so soft I couldn’t walk as fast as the saw cut. It has no problem with Oak and Hickory up to 30”. I also took into consideration that I have a bunch of Stihls and no Husky’s. Stick with one brand. I think they are both good saws.


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## Husky Man (Mar 13, 2021)

Wetcoast said:


> That’s a nice looking setup Husky! Thanks for the tip on Dave, I had a quick look on eBay and I can’t seem to get it to send to my address, I’m just down island . I may reach out to him and not go the eBay route. The dealer I bought my Stihl off of has the 3120 power head on for 1599 CAD but that’s just the head no bar, prices seem to match Dave’s if his are in AM but that part is unclear....
> 
> looks like a cedar slab? That’s really nice colouring in that one
> 
> What size big bar is that? The saw runs it fine?


Yes that is a Cedar that we had taken down from our yard.

Dave’s prices are US Dollars, with the higher ebay price, and shipping, if you aren’t too far from Dave, it could be worth the drive, from what I know (which isn’t much) it could be a Very Scenic and Enjoyable drive 

I haven’t needed my biggest bars yet, but it pulled and oiled the 44” B&C just fine, and from what I have heard and read the 3120 has an Excellent reputation as a Generous oiler

My Big Bars are Husqvarna “Branded “ bars produced by GB in Australia, I have been very Happy with the 44”, and expect I will be with the 60” (in the picture) and the 72” bars

The mill picture is of my 48” mill, using the 44” bar, a very good illustration of why you need about 6” more bar, than the “Listed Size “ of the mill. Unfortunately, I learned that lesson the hard way, thinking that a 44” bar would be close enough for a 48” mill. The 50” bar that GB offers wouldn’t have quite maxed out the mill’s capacity, but would have come close. The Husqvarna branded GB bars became NLA right before I tried to order one, now I would have to order one from GB in Australia. At least the 44” should be a good fit for the 36” mill, and the 36” bars will be used for firewood, and work well if I end up adding a 30” mill to the collection, one of the 395X’s with a 36” B&C would be a Great combination when a 30” mill would suffice.

Something else to keep in mind when buying a mill, is that just as you need about 6” more bar than the mill’s listed size, your Mill needs to be a bit longer than the largest log you expect to mill.
My 36” Granberg measures 33.5” between the bar clamps inside faces, so if you are trying to mill a 33” log you would have to keep that mill very square to the center line of your cut, or you will bind up the mill, and any protruding knots or bumps in the log will be too large for the mill. I would recommend a mill at least 4” larger than the “Listed Size “ of the mill, and 6” would be better 

Doug


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## Husky Man (Mar 13, 2021)

Rarefish383, I agree completely, I have always said that Stihl and Husqvarna Both build Excellent saws.

Growing up, my Dad had a Mac SP60, a Helluva saw, for it’s time, so naturally when I bought my first home and it had a Fireplace, I went shopping for a Yellow saw, well by 1991, Mac was owned by IIRC, Black and Decker, and they just weren’t the saw that I grew up with.

I knew people that had Stihls, and people that had Huskies, talked to both, ran some of both, and spent a lot of time at dealers looking at and comparing saws, in the end, I decided that both built Excellent saws, but that I simply got more saw for my money with Husqvarna, and that the 266XP with a 24” B&C best fit my needs then. A decision that I have Never regretted. A year or two later I added a Husky “23 Compact” Top Handle, because sometimes 67cc with 24” of bar is a bit much for limbing, for about a Quarter of a Century, that duo was my “2 Saw Plan”, before I knew what a 2 saw plan was, or that I even had one. Then I needed a larger saw, a 395XP was looking very interesting, until I found Dave “thechainsawguy “ and his price on the 3120XP was just too good to pass up. Some questions about it, lead me to AS, and y’all Corrupted me, and infected me with CAD, which mutated into CSMAD as well, my Sig Line describes that progression pretty well 

Sticking with One brand makes sense to me as well, the 543XP, 346XP, 353, 550XP, and the Wife’s 445 all use K095 mount bars, in .325/.050 which I have 13”,16,”18” and 20” bars and chains that I can use on any of them 

The 266XP(Ol’ Reliable) 562XP and the 372 XP and 372XPW use D009 mount 3/8 .050 which I have 20”, 24” and 28” bars and chains that I can use on any of those 

My Big Saws, Team 404, my 390XP, 395XP’s and my 3120XP all use D009 mount.404/.063 which I have 36”, 44”, 60” and 72” bars and chains, that I can use on any of those 

My two oddballs, are my 23 Compact, which uses a K/A041 mount and 3/8 LP, and my 460 Rancher, which uses a K095 3/8 .050

The 23 compact was my second saw, so at the time, it wasn’t too hard keeping the B&C’s separate. If Husky offered the T540XP or similar with a K095 mount.325/.050, I would buy it in a Heartbeat and retire, but keep the 23 Compact, but the 543XP is light and nimble enough for my light work, but I would like to have a Nice Top Handle that would interchange B&C’S with my K095 .325/.050 saws

The 460 was my mistake, I just Assumed that it was a D009 mount 3/8 .050, turns out it is a K095 3/8 .050, I should have researched it better, before I bought a used one for my “Truck Saw”

To me, it just made sense to stick with one brand, Husqvarna was my original saw, they make a saw for any need that I have, and the interchangeability is nice.

Husqvarna’s Big Weakness, is their Dealer Support, there were more around when I bought my first saw, but now they are few and far between. My original dealer, is now a convenience store, Sandy Chainsaw WAS a Husqvarna Dealer, and now is a Stihl Dealer, I give them as much non powerhead/bar business as I can, but the lack of dealer support is Husqvarna’s main problem. Fortunately, in 30 years, I can only think of 2 trips to the shop, that my saws have needed, one of those, Sandy Chainsaw was able to do, and frankly Both were something that many/most here could/would do themselves, but I am better at running them than working on them

Doug


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## Wetcoast (Mar 14, 2021)

Ya Rarefish that is a good point. The dealer I bought the 461 off of sells both husky and Stihl. I have a couple bars for the 461 and a decent stock of chain for the bars now so I guess it does make sense to stick with one brand. Even at that I could probably get the husky and a good size bar for cheaper than just the Stihl power head....

Wow! Tons of info Doug! Thanks for this. I have found out the hard way on the mill size/bar size sim I too. I had a setup that I planned on using with a smaller bar for smaller stuff but got pinched with the extra bar needed to attach the mill, ended up tightening down too hard on the nose sprocket and slowing the chain down. I luckily caught it really early on before I burned the saw out . 

I do like the idea of the husky being a good oiling saw, the Stihl seems a bit stingy but manages with the 36” bar ok. Anything bigger and I will likely have to get an aux oiler, or just fab up a system myself, I don’t think it would be that hard, just have to find a decent flow rate and the right size tube....

Heading out tomorrow to get some of the bigger cedar that’s waiting, I’ll throw up some pics .

Thanks for all the tips!


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## Wetcoast (Mar 15, 2021)

Well cut the small end off and was hoping to get to the bigger end but it rolled down the slope and stopped on a big tree. Ended up pretty precarious, I’ll have to go back with some help and a peavy.

I still got a small chunk milled up off the small end, pretty happy with it, nice stuff. Not clear but some wild coloured tight not.

Not a bad one for the stihl 461 but a bit slow going through the centre of the log.


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## Wetcoast (Mar 15, 2021)

A couple quick shots of my setup as well.

I’ve been taking Bobs advice and setting up on a bit of a slope, even just a mild one really helps ease a bit of the effort. Also nice to get the stuff off the ground if at all possible.


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## Skeena2 (Mar 15, 2021)

Wetcoast said:


> A couple quick shots of my setup as well.
> 
> I’ve been taking Bobs advice and setting up on a bit of a slope, even just a mild one really helps ease a bit of the effort. Also nice to get the stuff off the ground if at all possible.
> 
> ...


Where are you? It looks like you’re in my area from the vegetation. Skeena area?


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## Wetcoast (Mar 15, 2021)

I’m on Vancouver Island, Victoria. I’m don’t know my US geography that well, but is Skeena region in Washington state?


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## U&A (Mar 17, 2021)

Both great saws. The 3120 can be had for a great price on here. 


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## psuiewalsh (Mar 17, 2021)

Just a thought also, will the 881 use the same 14mm bar studs as the 880? With the 3120 you can use husky d009 bars or stihl 12mm (660) style bars with a simple adapter.


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## psuiewalsh (Mar 17, 2021)

3120 /395


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## Wetcoast (Mar 18, 2021)

psuiewalsh said:


> 3120 /395


Nice looking stuff psuiewalsh, what is it? As for the bar adapter, that’s an interesting thought. I looked into the 881 bar and chain spec and it wants to run .404 chain and bar. Those current specs don’t line up with my 461 gear. Any chance you know if the 3120 can run the 461 bar and 3/8” chain?


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## BobL (Mar 18, 2021)

psuiewalsh said:


> Just a thought also, will the 881 use the same 14mm bar studs as the 880? With the 3120 you can use husky d009 bars or stihl 12mm (660) style bars with a simple adapter.


Should be the same size.

A segment of 14mm ID hardened spring acts as a usable adapter so a Stihl bar with a 14mm slot can be used on a 660. 
But going the other way is not so easy.

I've done it by using custom made bar bolts. 

The set below shows one original 12mm stihl (660) bar bolt and a pair of home shop made bar bolts that fit the 660 body but fit the 14mm bars. 
I've also made an opposite pair for the 880 body but have never used them.
The bar bolts are pretty relatively to remove from the power head body using a pair of locked nuts.
I loctite mine into the body with Medium Strength (242) so they can be removed but I have only ever swapped them twice.


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## sean donato (Mar 18, 2021)

Just my opinion, I bypass the 881 and get the 3120. Better oiling for one, cheaper (last time I looked and way) price tag on the power head, and extremely reliable. Last time I had to the chance to run an 880 it was a bear to start as well, but could have been the exception and not the rule. It was also very stingy on oil output imo as well. We were running a 36" on it.


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## BobL (Mar 18, 2021)

Manufacturers spec B&C oil outputs for the 3120 is between 30-54 mL/min while for the 880 its between 17-38 mL min. 

However, what really matters is that any oil that is output actually reaches the bar on the other side. When I did some measurements a few years back I found that most of the extra oil output by the 3120 is lost at the nose because of the centrifugal forces involve. This is useful for plunge cutting but for milling It makes more sense to use an Aux oiler to add the extra oil after the chain had gone around the nose. These measurements were trigged by (before I did those measurements) the time when I spent couple of days milling with a 3120 in seriously hard Aussie hardwood and although the saw was consuming a lot of oil I could not understand why the chain was still dry so I then added an aux oiler and this solved the problem. 

Both saws suffer from the same flaw of a forward facing exhaust so that when milling the top half of a log the exhaust reflects off the log back up towards the operator.. This may not worry folks in cold climates so much but here when its 100+F in the shade that hot exhaust just adds to general fatigue. This was my solution to this and while I was at it I opened up the exhaust outlet.

What I did not realise at the time that this means the sawdust then falls into the exhaust stream and blows it a away from the operators feet. This means minimal sawdust buildup so the operators level along side the log stay the same throughout the milling operation.


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## Wetcoast (Mar 19, 2021)

BobL said:


> Manufacturers spec B&C oil outputs for the 3120 is between 30-54 mL/min while for the 880 its between 17-38 mL min.
> 
> However, what really matters is that any oil that is output actually reaches the bar on the other side. When I did some measurements a few years back I found that most of the extra oil output by the 3120 is lost at the nose because of the centrifugal forces involve. This is useful for plunge cutting but for milling It makes more sense to use an Aux oiler to add the extra oil after the chain had gone around the nose. These measurements were trigged by (before I did those measurements) the time when I spent couple of days milling with a 3120 in seriously hard Aussie hardwood and although the saw was consuming a lot of oil I could not understand why the chain was still dry so I then added an aux oiler and this solved the problem.
> 
> ...


I like that attachment Bob! I have been wanting to divert the exhaust as I find on long millling days the exhaust can get a bit much. Is that a bolt on flange that attaches to some part of the muffler housing?


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## Wetcoast (Mar 19, 2021)

I have been leaning towards the husky at this point. I need to talk to the local dealer and see if he has good support for those saws. I was originally thinking the stihl would be better as I already have one and could possibly share bars and chains between the saws but the 881 runs a different chain and bar to the ones I have. If I need to get some bars and chains regardless I may go the route that requires less cash ...


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## psuiewalsh (Mar 20, 2021)

Wetcoast said:


> Nice looking stuff psuiewalsh, what is it? As for the bar adapter, that’s an interesting thought. I looked into the 881 bar and chain spec and it wants to run .404 chain and bar. Those current specs don’t line up with my 461 gear. Any chance you know if the 3120 can run the 461 bar and 3/8” chain?


Black walnut. You can run the 461 bar and 3/8 chain. You need an adapter or stud spacers to mount the bar.


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## Wetcoast (Mar 20, 2021)

Good to know, black walnut should make for some nice projects! 
I pulled the trigger on a 3120 today! Found a new one set up at a local dealer for a guy that backed out of the deal. Came with a 42” Oregon bar and 3/8” chain conversion. Got an ok deal on it. Any pros and cons to the 3/8” vs .404 stock setup???
The guy at the shop said he figured the 3/8 chain swap was a smart one, easier to get chains, mind you he did want to sell the saw so can’t say I totally believe it.
At what size bar do you want to upgrade to a .404 bar?
Any thoughts?


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## Wetcoast (Mar 20, 2021)

Also one more thought, break in for the big beast? I was hoping to just put it on the mill and do some small quick stuff, give it lots of breaks and go for it that way. What are your thoughts on that guys?


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## Skeans (Mar 20, 2021)

Wetcoast said:


> Good to know, black walnut should make for some nice projects!
> I pulled the trigger on a 3120 today! Found a new one set up at a local dealer for a guy that backed out of the deal. Came with a 42” Oregon bar and 3/8” chain conversion. Got an ok deal on it. Any pros and cons to the 3/8” vs .404 stock setup???
> The guy at the shop said he figured the 3/8 chain swap was a smart one, easier to get chains, mind you he did want to sell the saw so can’t say I totally believe it.
> At what size bar do you want to upgrade to a .404 bar?
> Any thoughts?



All my stuff is 3/8 all the way up to my 72” bar.


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## BobL (Mar 21, 2021)

Wetcoast said:


> I like that attachment Bob! I have been wanting to divert the exhaust as I find on long millling days the exhaust can get a bit much. Is that a bolt on flange that attaches to some part of the muffler housing?


Here's a few pics.
The rectangular exit on the original exhaust (NB this includes the spark arrester) was replaced by the modified exhaust extension 
The rings were inserts used to determined the constricted size of the exhaust hole.
Their sizes ranged from that of the original exhaust opening (smallest ring opening) to full flow thru as determined by the size of the Al pipe (smallest ring)
Its tricky to see but the rings had radiused IDs for smooth flow.


Here you can see the recess in the connecting plate where the rings sit and are held in place by socket screws either side of the ring. 



Below is schematic cross section of the whole thing - note slightly radiused ID edge of ring


Bolted in place


Can still use original clutch cover. - can also remove clutch cover without removing exhaust extension.



I ended up using the ring with the largest opening as I could still tune it without having to replace the main jet.
It does use noticeably more fuel that the stock saw muffler.
Performance pick up is marginal but it does run cooler.
One of the best mods I made on this saw - the other was the remote throttle using a motorcycle throttle.


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## Wetcoast (Mar 21, 2021)

Thanks Bob! Nice bit of machine work you have done . When you talk about the tune I assume you are just referring to carburetor screws?


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## Wetcoast (Mar 21, 2021)

Thanks Skeans, good to know, I likely won’t be going bigger than a 72” .


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## BobL (Mar 21, 2021)

Wetcoast said:


> Thanks Bob! Nice bit of machine work you have done . When you talk about the tune I assume you are just referring to carburetor screws?


yep


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## Walkdog (Mar 21, 2021)

One problem you may run into with modding the exhaust on the 3120xp is that it has a fixed high jet.

Some guys have managed to replace the jet, others have reamed it out a tiny bit. I wasn’t comfortable doing either, so have yet to open the exhaust up as much as I would like to.

Randy (Mastermind) has started offering OEM carbs modified to feature an adjustable high circuit. Still eagerly awaiting the arrival of the one I ordered - with his track record of attention to detail, I’m hopeful it’ll be the ticket.


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