372XP with 32" bar

[Freakingstang]

Steve,

How do you find the performance of the 7900 and 372 compare and how do you use them differently, given you have both?

Ok, since you asked.. I love both saws. The 372 was my favorite all around saw, before the 7900 ever showed up in my stable. The 372 was the most used saw before I got the 7900 also. Now, the 7900 is unreal in power for its weight, which is slightly heavier (1/2 lb or so) than the 372.

When I go to the woodlot, which is all hardwoods, I take these three saws with me.

I use the 7900 as my predominant large saw. I run it with a 24" bar, which most times is enough bar, as 4 foot hardwood trees in this area are few and far between. I have run up to a 32" on it and it cuts great with, full comp chain. I feel it balances best with the 24", and slightly nose heavy with the 28". I don't care for the feel of the 32" on any saw. I'd rather run a 36", and at that point I grab a bigger saw, but I honestly feel this saw has the power to run the 36 incher. This saw is stock other than a muffler mod. The muffler mod added quite a bit of power to it.

The 7900 has a lot of grunt, or torque as I call it. It can be dawged in and still cut really well where the 372 will drop off significantly. I feel this is the best saw for the money for the guy who doesn't have the opertunity to own 10 saws. This is IMO the best big saw for the money and power. It outcuts a 460, runs right beside a 385xp, and comes just under the 660 in terms of performance, but weighs just a tad more than a 372 and at that point the cost value is just an extra....

The 372 gets used as my "mid range" saw with a 20" bar. The saw is modded somewhat, but runs really nice with the 20" bar. Stock, it has great power, but it is nowhere near that of the 7900. The 7900 keeps up with the 385xp... But the mild modded 372 with an 8T rim works best for me with a 20-24" bar, although I only run a 20" on it after getting the 7900. When it was stock, a muffler mod really opened this saw up. It was my big saw for a long time, but the biggest bar I ever ran was a 28", and that was slow at best compared to the 7900 or the 660.

I use the 5100 as the limbing saw with a 16".

If those three won't get it done, I break out the 660 or I head home...lol.

Sorry for the long winded speech, but if you can't tell I love the 7900. I have only used my 660 a couple of times since getting my new 7900. I like the fact that is has crazy amount if power and weighs about the same as a 372, which btw seems to be about an ideal weight for a saw I have to use all day long. Only other guys who run the 7900 know what kind of power it has. if you have the chance to run one, I recommend trying out, unless you don't want another saw....I have not heard anyone complain about the power to weight ratio of the 7900. it is a great saw, at a great price.

 

[Engineeringnerd]

Steve,

Thanks for taking the time to reply, I appreciate the post. You always take the time to do it right, except when you are hassling Andy!

I'd love to try both the 7900 and the 5100 some day, they both sound like great saws. Maybe I'll give the 7900 a whirl when I save up a few beans; hopefully the wife won't leave me for having 4 saws as a hobby. I find that "saw fashion" is an expensive hobby. When I bought the 346XP and 372XP, they were the saws to have. Still love them, but being an engineer, I like to have the best.

I love the fact that the bars for the 372 fit the 7900.

 

[SawTroll]

I love my 372 already, after just 3 tanks of fuel, but that is in my wood, which normally is birch, 20" or less at the stump.
Really, the MS 361 was more than enough saw - I just wanted one of those classics before they all disappeared.......

The 7900 no doubt has more power, but for my applications, I don't need it......

...and the closest Dolmar dealer is 1000 miles away, or so....:bang: :bang:

 

[John Ellison]

John,

Pretty fancy. How do you get the branches to stay in the cut-outs? Are there cleats I can't see?

If you didnt dull your saw making the cut your way was faster. A plastic wedge driven under the board or pole makes it pretty solid.

 

[Engineeringnerd]

Luckily I had 3 chains. I used up one on the rip, really should have changed it halfway through. I was thowing dust by the end of the cut. Used one chain for the wedges and a few of the first rounds, then the last to buck the rest of the tree.

The rip cut was pretty unusual. The tree was fairly dry, having lost its leaves about 8-12 months prior to cutting. About 1/2 way through the rip I hit a really wet spot, the chain was throwing out wet sawdust against my leg and water was running out of the cut. I bet somewhere around a pint of liquid came out.

 

[John Ellison]

Yep, it seems like those crotches always have some kind of surprise in them.