About to buy a new saw.... how important is a local shop?

[mtadams]

Hi all. I wanted to thank all of you for good info I've been able to find by reading previous threads. However I still have a few remaining questions...

I'm looking to purchase a good saw for firewood cutting and property upkeep. I live in the Sierra Nevadas in northern California and am cutting a majority of larger diameter pines for firewood. Up until recently I've been using smaller consumer grade saws (Poulan, etc), so this is my first "good" saw... Expecting to do a majority of cutting with 20-24" bar.

A friend recently let me borrow his Stihl 034AV, and it seemed to handle a 24" bar and the softwood I was cutting just fine... certainly much better than my Poulan, which sat out after the first round.

After reading a ton of threads on this forum, I'm still completely stuck as to which direction to lean... I really like the Dolmar saws, I'd expect the 6400 would suffice and although the bigger bored versions are the same weight, I don't know that I can justify the extra money. My concern however, is that my nearest Dolmar dealer is 50+ miles away (and I have no idea if they actually carry/repair saws...). So my question is how often does a saw of this caliber need service other than routine standard maintenance? I have some experience with small engines, however not chainsaws, so I'm not afraid to have to do much the work myself -- parts availability also a concern?

Other saws I believe in the size range I should be considering are the
MS-361 or 570/575XP. Both Stihl and Husky have plenty of local reps.

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Saws are very simple machines to work on, and with routine maintenance they'll last a long time and be worry free, so if you can turn a wrench, you're good to go. They'll last forever.......but that's where a dealer comes in-in the even that your saw's (especially when new) clutch grenades, case cracks, you need parts, hard to find carb kit, whatever. There's times often when a dealer is priceless even for those that work on their own saws. I've not "needed" my dealer yet, but it's nice to know he's there should I have an, "oh crap, I can't fix/find/get/repair that," situation.

Welcome to AS!

Jeff

 

[Andyshine77]

For the wood your cutting, I would say you need a saw around 70cc. Stihl MS440, MS441, or a Husky 372xp "if you can find one". Stay away from the 570/575XP. The 361 is a good saw, I just think it's a bit to small for your needs.

I would recommend the Dolmar 7900, but 50+ miles is a long way to drive for service or parts.

 

[SawTroll]

I hate to admit it, but I also got a feeling that the 361 will be on the small side in this case...

I suggest a real 70 cc+ saw, not one of the "down-motorized" versions (Husky 365 and 570, Dolmar 6400).

 

[WRW]

First things first. Find out if they sell and repair Dolmars. If that is what you want, it is worth the trip and the odds are you will only make the the trip once.
I'm not familiar with the trees in your location but, if they are hard pines, I would tend to recommend the 70cc class of saw as well.

 

[computeruser]

Saws are very simple machines to work on, and with routine maintenance they'll last a long time and be worry free, so if you can turn a wrench, you're good to go. They'll last forever.......but that's where a dealer comes in-in the even that your saw's (especially when new) clutch grenades, case cracks, you need parts, hard to find carb kit, whatever. There's times often when a dealer is priceless even for those that work on their own saws. I've not "needed" my dealer yet, but it's nice to know he's there should I have an, "oh crap, I can't fix/find/get/repair that," situation.

Welcome to AS!

Jeff

Well said, as always.

A local shop is helpful. It isn't essential, of course, but it certainly isn't valueless, either. As silly as it may sound, only you know how important it is TO YOU. If this is your only saw, then it might matter more than if you've got a couple that you could use if your main saw goes down.

If you do settle on a 6400, make sure you modify the muffler. It really wakes that saw up, and it should then cut stronger than a stock 7300. You can read up on the how-to and the post-modification carb adjustment requirements in other posts.

 

[Gologit]

Welcome to AS. A good saw shop and dealer support are key no matter what you buy. Most people in your neck of the woods run Husky or Stihl and thats mainly because the local saw shops are set up to work on them,sell parts, answer questions etc. A lot of places sell saws and thats all they want to do but a real honest-to-goodness saw shop will take care of you after the sale. Check with some of the loggers in your area and they can suggest one or two. Follow their advice.

 

[JUDGE1162]

First off 50 miles not that far for the few times you would really need to go to the dealer once your warrenty is over (a year or so) the dealer is less important, you can always order parts via the web (check our sponsors) and many saw shops will work on other companies saws (once they are no longer under warrenty) so the local dealer is not that important.

If you like the Dolmar saws get one. While everyone tends to poo-poo the 575XP, I like mine, good power, very nice motor, yes do NOTplan on modiflying the saw it just is not going to happen, yes it is heavier than a 372 (if you can find a 372 buy it!!!!) I do not disagree a 372 is better than a 575 but the 575 is a nice saw. My fav if you can find one is a 365 (great power to weight ratio) with some slight mods you can get 70cc power out of it. Plus in pine even hard pine the 65cc is good enough for a firewood saw.

 

[SinglerM]

A REAL saw.

I hate to admit it, but I also got a feeling that the 361 will be on the small side in this case...

I suggest a real 70 cc+ saw, not one of the "down-motorized" versions (Husky 365 and 570, Dolmar 6400).

A REAL 70cc saw!!! Like a Stihl MS440, 441:hmm3grin2orange:
Well said SawTroll.

Mitch

 

[SinglerM]

Good dealer.

It's probably not that critical overall, to have a good dealer. But it's definately nice to have one around. It was a factor in my decision on buying saws.
I don't know how often I'll really 'need' the support. But it's nice to know it's there.

Regards,
Mitch

 

[Justsaws]

mtadams, welcome and good luck. I will tell you that a good dealer is worth the drive. 50 miles is not to far if they provide the service and expertise that you are looking for. If you are not in the mood for the drive and need parts ask them if they will ship phone orders to you. Some do, some do not. A few questions I would ask:

If the saw is down for warranty work how important is the drive?

Where will you get your chain from?

Do you sharpen your own?

What other brands of saw/parts can you get closer?

Other than those questions I would suggest going with as large of a saw that you feel comfortable with and can justify/afford. Good luck.

 

[mtadams]

Thanks for the suggestions. So as a basic consensus, it seems like I won't be happy with a MS 361/Dolmar 6400 and I should really step up to the bigger saw? Just seems that the 440, etc are just really big saws -- maybe more than I need to be lugging around for what I'm cutting?

-Matt

mtadams, welcome and good luck. I will tell you that a good dealer is worth the drive. 50 miles is not to far if they provide the service and expertise that you are looking for. If you are not in the mood for the drive and need parts ask them if they will ship phone orders to you. Some do, some do not. A few questions I would ask:

If the saw is down for warranty work how important is the drive?
The drive isn't really too big of a deal, pending those shops carry/repair saws (still pending my investigation)

Where will you get your chain from?
Planning on purchasing several chains w/ saw, future chains ordered from a similar location.

Do you sharpen your own?
I hand sharpen the Poulan I have now and figure I would continue with the larger saws.

What other brands of saw/parts can you get closer?
Multiple Husky and Stihl dealers within 10miles.

Other than those questions I would suggest going with as large of a saw that you feel comfortable with and can justify/afford. Good luck.

 

[TimberPig]

My fav if you can find one is a 365 (great power to weight ratio) with some slight mods you can get 70cc power out of it. Plus in pine even hard pine the 65cc is good enough for a firewood saw.

Why bother modding a 65 cc saw to get 70cc power, when you could simply buy the 70 cc saw? A 372 is the same saw as a 365 with a different top end and minor intake differences. Weight is virtually the same (a couple ounces isn't enough to worry about) but the 372 already has more power. It also has similar gains on top of its stock output as well.

Not knocking the 365, as it is a good saw and would be adequate for the use, just why bother trying to get more power out of fewer cubes, for the same weight, when you could have simply bought more power to begin with?

 

[WRW]

Thanks for the suggestions. So as a basic consensus, it seems like I won't be happy with a MS 361/Dolmar 6400 and I should really step up to the bigger saw? Just seems that the 440, etc are just really big saws -- maybe more than I need to be lugging around for what I'm cutting?

-Matt

Just re-read your first post and you did say soft wood. My recommendation of 70cc was based on hard pines...some hard pines rival the white oaks. If you were happy with the performance of the 034, then a 361/6400 will make you ecstatic.

 

[mtadams]

Just re-read your first post and you did say soft wood. My recommendation of 70cc was based on hard pines...some hard pines rival the white oaks. If you were happy with the performance of the 034, then a 361/6400 will make you ecstatic.

Yeah, I cut in the a National Forest so I'm primarily cutting storm-downed trees. Obviously I try to find the recent downed trees, and of the trees that have been downed longer, its the larger diameter trees that I'm cutting as they resist rot better (or at least seem to).

We have a mix of ponderosa + sugar pines, douglas fir, and cedars. Occasionally stumble across a nice downed deciduous tree... but not as often as I'd like.

The 034 seemed to cut the material I ran through last reasonably well, although the 24" bar was a bit short for some of the rounds to cut in 1 pass. Was a bit hesistant on that largest material but all-in-all did an ok job. Much more than I can say for my Poulan 16"...

Thanks again,
Matt