Don't know which size Stihl to buy

[Zale]

For the amount of wood you cut, I would step up to the 70cc range. The other thing to consider is how close are the dealers to you and can they make repairs for you.

 

[RYNOMAGNUM]

I say go for the 441. It will do all you want to do with plenty of speed and and good fuel economy. I love my 441 !
Next one for me is a 661 when they come out ,for stump cuts with a 36"....

 

[squad143]

Hate to admit it but I'm getting to an age where wood cutting and carrying can wear me out,so anti-vibration and weight is something I'm also considering.

Welcome to AS. Not too familiar with the 029, but if you're cutting a lot, get the pro models.

Can't beat the 261 for light weight. Added plus over previous models is the new air filter which seems to stay clean for days. For anti-vibration, my money is on the 441. Heavier saw, but has the power for the bigger stuff and man is it smooth.

FWIW: I have 200's , 026, 260, 261, 361, 044 (modded), 441, 046 (modded) and an 088.
16" bars on the 200's. 20" bars with 3/8 chain on the 26 & 36's, 24" bars on the 44's and anywhere from 36"-42" bars on the 088 with 404 chain.

While cutting any wood, a sharp chain gets the job done, but when it comes to cutting big wood, there is no replacement for displacement.

 

[JasonRucker]

Cutting Locust

Thanks to all. From what I'm hearing I think I'm going to go into the pro models. It's sounds like I should go with the ms261 or the ms362. I looked at the specs for both. Stihl recommends a16 bar on the ms261. Does that tell me it will bog down on me with a 20" bar? I ask that because when my buddy and I are cutting together I run thru the logs quicker than him and I blame that on 20" bar on his ms290. He bogs down a couple of times thru a log where I go straight thru with my 029 with a 16" bar.

I would like a saw that's going to do everything. My favorite wood is locust. I would like to have a saw that when I lay it on a locust it just falls down thru like it was a piece of maple. Correct me if I'm wrong , it's sounds like I'm looking at 362 or bigger.

Yes I am set on the stihl brand. I do hear people saying good things about husqvarna but do they have a track record that shows the test of time?

In my experience (less than 2 years of tree work) with locust the size of the bar or the saw does not matter all that much( I am not saying lets use a limbing saw for this) Locust is a tough wood. If your buddys Chain is not sharp enough it will smoke and bogg out. I have been clearing levys out in stockton and been cutting nothing but black locust. I have been using a stihl 441 with 24'' bar and every 5-6 trees I have to sharpen my chain again. Locust is a tough tree to cut down but it burns great.

 

[bigbluram]

My ground saw at work is a 362 with a 25" on it for reach limbing but id get the 441 for firewood , you will love the power of a 70 cc saw bucking 20" rounds of firewood !

 

[Spillway]

Thanks for all the feed back guys. Your opinions are greatly appreciated and respected. Your replies have helped form my decision as what Stihl to buy.

Seeing that I can only buy one saw now I'm choosing to buy the biggest saw I think I will need. The ms441/20" bar with another bar and chain of longer length( I haven't decided that yet, but probably the longest bar the saw will handle).

 

[Sagetown]

Hi Spillway: I'm up in age, and I can tell you the saw weight pulls me down fast. Sometimes I need a 20"bar, but most my trees can be taken with a 16"bar. 11 cords is a lot of wood, and a lot of limbs. My MS270 does have a 20". It does okay, and it should be able to handle 11 cords, but I'd feel better with a MS261 in my hands in that case.
But what really helps me out when I have a lot of limbs to trim, is a lightweight saw with a 16"bar. My choices were the MS270 and MS211. I love the long bar for bucking the logs. Less stooping, which makes it easier on my ole back.

 

[AndrewGeib]

where in pa are you

Your more than welcome to try my 441M-Tronic if your close to me:msp_thumbup:

 

[Sagetown]

Your more than welcome to try my 441M-Tronic if your close to me:msp_thumbup:

Now; that's not fair, Andrew . That's like holding a banana just out of reach from a monkey.:hmm3grin2orange:
If he had the money to spend I would have said get that MS461, and don't even look back.:chainsawguy::rockn::rockn:

 

[Spillway]

A.G. I live in Lewistown. Roughly an hour and half away. Sagetown nailed it, just out of reach. Though I will keep it in mind because the first Mondays of the month I'm in Harrisburg for union meetings. I'm in no rush to go out and buy a saw. My wood is cut for next year so I have months before I go into cutting mode. Although I'm chomping at the bit for a new saw.

 

[AndrewGeib]

Ok just let me know, I should tell you it's not stock had some work done on her from mastermind and it is a monster of a fire wood saw

 

[rarefish383]

Darn, so much good advice. I would never tell someone not to go up to the pro level. That being said, I have saws over 100cc. My favorite bucking saw was a Homelite Super 1050 100cc with a 24 inch bar. Yes, it's an oldie, so am I. It has enough power and torque that you can't bog it out even on wood the bar won't go all the way through. A few years back it started to get heavier and heavier, so I bought a Farm Boss 290. I needed a smaller saw to use up in a big takedown. Something bigger than my little Echo 305, but smaller than the saws with 30 and 36 inch bars. That little Farm Boss has turned into my go to saw for most of my bucking now, never regretted buying it. Oh, and I am retired from commercial work and only cut 6 to 8 cord of mostly White Oak and Chestnut Oak per year ,Joe.