Best saw for 28"-32"

[Hermio]

What should I be looking for to run a 28-32" bar?
what's the minimum cc?
occasional use cleaning up lake property.
maybe put a 20-24" on for other times.

My PP 5020 doesn't run the 20" very well.

I have a Stihl MS500i. I have not run a bar longer than 25". But I have run that buried in hickory and it had plenty of power. I am confident that it would handle a 28 or 32.

 

[Evan]

How big are the trees? If a 28" cuts most of them from one side then thats big enough.

If a 28" has to cut most from both sides a 32" probly will also need to cut from both sides.

You can concur the world with a sharp 28"


Thats a 372 with 28" bar ive had for about 15 years. Also have a 32" but do prefer the 28". On steep hill sides the 32 gets me tangled up in the brush.
I do prefer felling trees with the 32 that couple inches on face cuts helps me.

The 026 is my bike saw with 18"

Theres a few big trees was seeing how horrible it would be to pack the 372. Its very horrible. Ended up using the 026. That little saw can make its way through some 3ft and bigger stuff.

 

[energyrail]

Great post evan..
Two swipes of the 16" on the 355 does great on the trails.
Any bigger and the trail will likely get rerouted.

I'm thinking a 70-75 cc is all I need on the property.

 

[Evan]

I think everyone needs a 70cc saw wit


h a 28" and 20" bar. This makes most other saws pointless.

We had 3 saws running for about 6 hours to get through this log jam

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

While it is true that a 70-76.5cc saws do the bulk of my work with bars from 20"-34" , if I knew I was going to run nothing but 28+ bars on it it would be an 80cc + saw.
I mean look at the fantastic 372xp and AWESOME 044 ,both these saws were usually taken out of commission from bad main bearings failure. A long bar with an aggressive chain is hard on the smaller saws.
The bigger saws crank case is designed for the abuse.

 

[bulletpruf]

I like an 066/MS660/661 for full-time 28" - 32" use. A smaller saw (046/460) can handle it, too, but I prefer to run a 24" bar on my 70cc saws.

 

[computeruser]

Softwood spruce. Hard wood- cotton wood and aspen. technically hardwood but probably not like cutting in oak.
Once a year I'll need the 28-32 bar.

OK, those are all essentially soft/easy-cutting woods. That reduces power demands substantially.

You looking to just drop these size trees, or cut them up every 16" for firewood? The answer to that would influence my recommendations. If you're blocking up big diameter trees, cut after cut after cut, I'd probably just jump straight to MS500 or MS661 territory and skip the smaller stuff.

Ultimately, back when I cut way more trees than I do nowadays, I found that there wasn't much I couldn't cut with a 28" bar hanging off a warmed-over 066 Stihl or a 7900 Dolmar. Full comp chain on both, and an 8t rim on the 066. Never lacked for power set up that way. But you could definitely tell the difference between those two saws in full buried cuts.

For your purposes, a Husqvarna 572/18"+28" sounds about perfect. Buy the two bars and honestly, you won't be using your current saw much.

 

[bulletpruf]

OK, those are all essentially soft/easy-cutting woods. That reduces power demands substantially.

You looking to just drop these size trees, or cut them up every 16" for firewood? The answer to that would influence my recommendations. If you're blocking up big diameter trees, cut after cut after cut, I'd probably just jump straight to MS500 or MS661 territory and skip the smaller stuff.

Ultimately, back when I cut way more trees than I do nowadays, I found that there wasn't much I couldn't cut with a 28" bar hanging off a warmed-over 066 Stihl or a 7900 Dolmar. Full comp chain on both, and an 8t rim on the 066. Never lacked for power set up that way. But you could definitely tell the difference between those two saws in full buried cuts.

For your purposes, a Husqvarna 572/18"+28" sounds about perfect. Buy the two bars and honestly, you won't be using your current saw much.

If you're just doing it once a year, a saw in the 70cc class is fine running a 28" bar, especially in softer wood, IMO. I don't know much about Hooskies, but in a Stihl that would be an 046/460 (preferably) or 044/441.

 

[computeruser]

You definitely get more oomph out of the 80cc class:

 

[Bmorehead]

Id say heck with it all and jump to the 120cc calss. Cant beat an 088 with a 30" and 8t sprocket. Or for giggles run a 20" on it. And you dont need a bike. You could ride your saw and clear trails.

 

[Evan]

Now were talking

 

[Dennisthemenace]

500i or look around for a decent 660 or 394. The last 2 will see you out and handle anything you come across

 

[sean donato]

500i or look around for a decent 660 or 394. The last 2 will see you out and handle anything you come across

394 too ends are real hard to find, they also had a few issues the 395xp took care of...

 

[Dennisthemenace]

394 too ends are real hard to find, they also had a few issues the 395xp took care of...

Yeahhh maybe, I'm talking Australia here, but OEM pistons for 394s are available, I put one in mine when I acquired it. Not sure about cylinders as mine is good so I haven't investigated. I thought the main problem was the solid intake block that can crack, as mine was, but again they are available and Husq parts of heaps cheaper than Stihl here. I had both saws but sold the 395

 

[sean donato]

Yeahhh maybe, I'm talking Australia here, but OEM pistons for 394s are available, I put one in mine when I acquired it. Not sure about cylinders as mine is good so I haven't investigated. I thought the main problem was the solid intake block that can crack, as mine was, but again they are available and Husq parts of heaps cheaper than Stihl here. I had both saws but sold the 395

I got my 394xp with a blown top end years ago and couldn't come up with a good cylinder for it and the intake was broken, so I assumed thay was why it was smoked. 395xp cylinders are readily available and I didn't have to worry about the pesky hard intake breaking anymore. I'm guessing availability could be different from the states to oz.

 

[sawfun]

A ported 372, p51, 5400, 046, and 850 Mac will all run 28" - 32" length bars with power to spare.

 

[bwalker]

The 562 can manage a 24" in hardwood and thats pushing it. 20" is its happy place. The ms400 runs a 24"happily in hardwood but it's at its max imo. I wouldn't run larger then a 28" in hardwood in the 70cc class saws. Jump up to a 90cc if in hardwoods. My 390xp and 394xp work much better with 28"+ bars then any 70cc saw. Soft woods can be a different story,

What this guy said.

A 70cc will cut with a 28" in hardwood, but not that good and its hard on the saw as others have mentioned. I would be looking at a Husky 390,592 or Stihl 661.

 

[link]

Best saw at 28 to 32; Stihl MS661 or whatever Husky you consider will do the same job.

 

[JPCalifornia]

Best saw at 28 to 32; Stihl MS661 or whatever Husky you consider will do the same job.

I agree, and my 661 also has pulled a 36” bar with full comp, no problem cutting large Cali-Coast oak.

 

[woodfarmer]

500i with 25-28-32” bars and your set for life