70cc Saw

[TheJol]

Happy Friday all! I have a few 50cc saws and I’m looking for something in the 70cc range to complement my current lineup. I’ve been doing a lot of research, but still have a few questions and want to see what your thoughts are.

Appears new saws today in the US are of strato design due to our friends at the EPA and many are going to electronically controlled carburetors.

How are the strato saws holding up, I’ve seen some complain they run to lean?

How are the electronic carburetors holding up?

I’ve found Dolmar now branded Makita EA7900 appears to still be a non-strato design with non-electronic carburetor, and fairly priced at Bailey’s. Looks like they did put a cat carb on it to comply with EPA. Only negatives I’ve seen is the chain break appears to be weak and can easily break, also they can run hot.

Any opinion on the chain break?

Is a different muffler available to remove the cat and restrictions? Assume this would significantly reduce heat and provide more power.

I’m fairly handy, but I don’t have any Makita dealers in the area, should that be a concern?

Any other saws I should consider?

Thank you all in advance for any feedback, greatly appreciated!

 

[EngineNoO9]

Husky 372.

I'm slightly biased though.

 

[Marshy]

I would not let lack of dealer influence my buying. Any time I need a part for my Husky they dont have it on hand and they only order parts once they reach their minimum threshold. Sometimes that's 2 weeks. I can go online, buy it for the same price or only a couple of extra dollars and get the part withing 5 days.

The Dolmars are good saws. I haven't used one in the woods or in the firewood pile but have heard many good things about them. (My 7900 is a play toy with pipe.)
Also, the 7900 is 79cc and will have no issue out working a 372 or Stihl. Then 7900 will have a higher weight penalty though. If you want a saw comfortable using a 28" day in and out with occasional use of a 32" then the 7900 is your saw. Get the HD filter too.

That being said, the 372 x-torque is a good saw and many guys are still using them for production. If all your doing it firewood it will last you a long time.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

372 if you want an adjustable carb, 462 for light saw, 572 for torque saw. Auto-tune has come a long ways. I disagree with dealer support, a good high volume dealer in my area stocks an unbelievable amount of parts and orders daily. Own a 572 and it's easy to start, restart, smooth, low vibration and best air filtration out there (period). This is coming from a very biased Husqvarna owner that right now only has a 550,562,572, but has owned, ran and repaired many of them. It's your money, handle them all, run them if you can and purchase what you like the best. Stop by, I will drop a tree and you can run all of my saws, just cut it all up and clean up the brush (just kidding you can run them all and I will help). All major bands make nice saws and will hold up for years with good maintenance and cleaning.

 

[computeruser]

My 2004 Dolmar 7900 has been a flawless performer. Starts and runs every time. No issues with the chain brake, not sure where that concern came from. Super grunty saw, lots of torque!

If I were buying 70cc, the size and weight aspect of the 462 would definitely intrigue me. My preference for heat would likely lead me back to the 572xpg, though. But if someone had a 272 with heat in NOS or like-new condition, I’d go with that over the new saws in a heartbeat!

 

[hseII]

Happy Friday all! I have a few 50cc saws and I’m looking for something in the 70cc range to complement my current lineup. I’ve been doing a lot of research, but still have a few questions and want to see what your thoughts are.

Appears new saws today in the US are of strato design due to our friends at the EPA and many are going to electronically controlled carburetors.

How are the strato saws holding up, I’ve seen some complain they run to lean?

How are the electronic carburetors holding up?

I’ve found Dolmar now branded Makita EA7900 appears to still be a non-strato design with non-electronic carburetor, and fairly priced at Bailey’s. Looks like they did put a cat carb on it to comply with EPA. Only negatives I’ve seen is the chain break appears to be weak and can easily break, also they can run hot.

Any opinion on the chain break?

Is a different muffler available to remove the cat and restrictions? Assume this would significantly reduce heat and provide more power.

I’m fairly handy, but I don’t have any Makita dealers in the area, should that be a concern?

Any other saws I should consider?

Thank you all in advance for any feedback, greatly appreciated!

Makita EA7900 or MS461R


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[FlyingDutchman]

Before I came across a 575XP, I was looking hard for an Echo CS8000/800p. Its in the 80 cc class, but is a good hybrid between the 70 and 90cc class saws, especially if you don't intend to have a 70 AND a 90, and just need one big saw to do work occasionally. Plus, supposedly these are reliable as an anvil, start easy.

Also not as popular as all the "cool bro" saws so can be had reasonable.

 

[Andyshine77]

The 7900 is an excellent saw and a good value, I have highly recommend the saw since I bought my first one in 2004 I believe. The muffler does not have a cat, it has a bleed off system, the 6400 version has a cat. I have never heard of the chain break being weak.

Not the biggest fan of the 372 Xtorque. The new 572 has been well excepted so far, although it is an AutoTune saw. The Stihl 462 has awesome power to weight, but is expensive, and like the 572 the verdict is still out on long-term durability.

The 390xp is always an option with a standard carb, but it's not the lightest saw.

Pretty much all 70+cc saws are excellent, it just comes down to preferences and price.

 

[computeruser]

Not a lot of true duds out there at that displacement and price point!

 

[Ketchup]

Buy used. The modern stuff hits the wallet hard and then again when it breaks. Original Edition 372, 460, 385/390 are all common as dirt, parts are plentiful and they’re easy to work on.

Nothing wrong with 7900, but it’s a little heavy, harder to source parts, and has some annoying design elements. 572, 462, 461 are all stellar too, just spendy.

372xt, 575/576 are also perfectly good saws. Though not quite at the same standard.

 

[TheJol]

Thank you all for your reply’s, great community here.

Are 372xp and 576xp still in production?
Still made in Sweden?

 

[regulate34]

I got a Ms460 I’ve had for 8 years. I get about 20cord a year with it and do some milling with it. Been a awesome saw.
I also have a 50cc saw. That I use to limb mostly now.

I find my self looking for a 60cc saw now. To fill a gap.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

Thank you all for your reply’s, great community here.

Are 372xp and 576xp still in production?
Still made in Sweden?

They are still available for sale and when production ends, you can find parts easily for a 372oe or xt.

 

[Lionsfan]

Why no interest in a strato design? I spent a couple months looking for an older 70cc saw this year too, but finally compromised and bought a 365 x-torq because the price was too good to pass up. Might not get the attention that the 70cc XP saws have received, but after bucking up 30-40 face cord of wood this summer I'm convinced that it's every bit as good a saw as my 371xp was, and the fuel savings is VERY noticeable.

 

[Ketchup]

372xt is a good saw. It overheats a little easier than an OE and doesn’t port as easily. OE is also a little easier to source cheap parts. But I run two x-torqs all the time and they both have thousands of hours of tree destruction.

FWIW, That 365xt is one minor mod away from being a 372xt. Just take the transfer covers off the cylinder and grind away the dividers. Reassemble for a saw identical to a 372xt in every way but the stickers. Makes the price that much better!

 

[catbuster]

They’re all pretty good right now.

Stratified charge systems have proven themselves out in all sorts of applications for over a decade now, and in other small engines well before that. Same goes for self-adjusting carburetors.

I take dealer service/parts availability pretty seriously, but that’s up to you.

 

[TheJol]

Have many of you seen issues with the AV springs breaking, or the chip management system plugging on the 7900?

 

[Tinman204]

Lots of good info here.

Wether new or old any modern designed 70cc saw will make quick work of almost any cutting needs you may have.

I have a husky 365, 576 and a stihl 044 that are all in that 70cc ish class. The 044 is an early 90s and the 576 is a 2012 and honestly there aint much difference in speed or power when they're in the wood.

If I was going to buy a new 70cc saw it would either be a dolmar or a 572xp.

 

[Matt Hogden]

Makita 7900 or Shindaiwa 757

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