First post- looking to get a beater 50cc saw

[Mangoman82]

Hi everyone,

I've been browsing in here for sometime but time to pick some wiser brains. I am a recreational firewooders among many things, a HD mechanic but really j love being out in the woods in any form. And I love machinery I have a couple old Caterpillar D4s, old Honda mowers, all kinds of stuff. I have an MS291 that I bought about 2yrs ago and an MS461 less than a year old. I love my 461 but it is constantly choking on sawdust. I hate how it ingests so much sawdust. You would swear Stihl engineered it to inhale every chip it makes. The 291 is maybe marginally better. An ok saw but I'm not patient enough and am wondering if I could do better. I was thinking about getting a used Husky. Like a 353,357 or 359. The 461 is good in the bigger wood but I'd like a smaller beater saw that I can toss in my Tinner or a back up saw. Something pro grade. Do these Huskies pull a ⅜" chain? I'd like to forego the homeowner .325 chain and get something that performs. Something that isn't too heavy and will be a good match for a 20" bar. Any thoughts?

Much thanks!

 

[cranman1951]

I find a .325 chain performs better on the 50cc saws then the 3/8.......My recommendation would be a 350 Husky with .325 on 18inch bar.

 

[huskihl]

350, which is plastic. Or the magnesium 351 and 353

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

Pro Mac 10-10 , itll basically out live you ,if taken (even remotely) care of.
Reliable all metal and 16" -24" bar with 3/8ths.
028 super Stihl, also a fantastic saw for riding shotgun.
Both of these saws are generally handed down through generations because of their stout design and proven track record.

 

[Kenskip1]

Sir, Your 291 and 461 should not be throwing saw dust but chips. Something is not right. The 461 has a 3/8ths chain and should be throwing chips. I would recommend having your chain sharpened buy someone that is familiar working with saws. I do not mean to insult you but from the wording you presented this is how I see the situation.

 

[Mangoman82]

No offense taken. I use Stihl file guides for each and I am fairly confident in each being sharp. I didn't word things that well but basically I find each plugs with chips. The 461 particularly. The 291 isn't great either. I'd like to try a Husky as I hear they are much better that way, and I'd like to get a pro level saw that gets through the wood a little quicker.

 

[grizz55chev]

No offense taken. I use Stihl file guides for each and I am fairly confident in each being sharp. I didn't word things that well but basically I find each plugs with chips. The 461 particularly. The 291 isn't great either. I'd like to try a Husky as I hear they are much better that way, and I'd like to get a pro level saw that gets through the wood a little quicker.

350 HUSKY, best firewood saw made, easy to work on, light, fairly cheap, parts are plentiful, what's not to like!

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

No more chips , done.

 

[Fatherwheels]

Stihl MS 261 will be light, but it’s Mtronic, Echo 501 has a manual carb
and is light, Efco / 0leo Mac have a light 50 cc offering, they are dependable.

But if you want to run a full blown 3/8 chain, you might need to find a porter
and run a short bar, you can’t have it both ways, you need a certain amount of
grunt to pull a 3/8 chain, and to find that in a light saw is not easy, or cheap.

Have you the HD2 air filter on your 461.
Echo 620 or 621 would be my choice, close in size to your 291 though, but pro build.

 

[sean donato]

I'd go looking for a 353 or 346xp. Yes you can run 3/8 but imo they preform better with .325. Id personally rather have a 359 or 357xp. As they are marginally heavier and have more power. If cheap is the name of the game I agree with the 350. Great little saws, for some reason better then the home owner grade they were given, and a 346xp top end will fit on them with little modification.

 

[huskihl]

5100/05 Dolmar/Makita is one of the better 50cc saws for pulling 3/8. Not as fast as some others, but really good torque

 

[Woodslasher]

350 HUSKY, best firewood saw made, easy to work on, light, fairly cheap, parts are plentiful, what's not to like!

The only one I've worked on was a pita! There's just too many potential air leaks, the piss-poor clamshell/regular cylinder hybrid design, I just hate 'em.
@Mangoman82 I'd suggest putting a wide-discharge cover on the 461, as well as a prefilter. If you want, I've got a 461 hd filter with a prefilter I'd let you have for the cost of shipping. Another thought is you could put a Maxflow kit on your 461, local guys swear by them on their Stihls.

 

[Jasonrkba]

It makes a lot more since to buy the better prefilter for the 291 unless you are just looking for a reason to buy a new saw.

 

[Clyde85]

This could be his start of cad you know.

 

[NorthernMaverick]

My dad bought 2 - 450 x torque huskys. He gave $300 for the pair of them used. They've been decent saws although they fall way short of pro grade, but make great beaters. If you swap the sproket you can run 3/8 vs 325, something we did to one of them. The 550 xp mk ii is one awesome saw, although not what is considered a beater. Some times used beats new, especially for price imo.

 

[grizz55chev]

The only one I've worked on was a pita! There's just too many potential air leaks, the piss-poor clamshell/regular cylinder hybrid design, I just hate 'em.
@Mangoman82 I'd suggest putting a wide-discharge cover on the 461, as well as a prefilter. If you want, I've got a 461 hd filter with a prefilter I'd let you have for the cost of shipping. Another thought is you could put a Maxflow kit on your 461, local guys swear by them on their Stihls.

I've done dozens of them, they get easier once you know what to focus on. Throw a 346 OEM piston and jug on it, you have a firewood beast.

 

[Husky Man]

I Love my 353, Great saw, it has treated me well. I run.325/.050 on mine and see no reason to change it

IMO, the 353 is one of Husqvarna’s Best Kept Secrets

Doug

 

[cuinrearview]

5100/05 Dolmar/Makita is one of the better 50cc saws for pulling 3/8. Not as fast as some others, but really good torque

You read my mind, other than the fast part.

A 550xp with a muffler mod will pull 60 drivers of 3/8 well too.

Other than those two, you're looking at porting a 50 to have it pull 3/8 adequately.

 

[billyboy]

Still 291 owners manual recommends 16,18, 20” bar with .325 chain. Give it a muff mod and some gas, you might like it. I had one for a while, used, with 20, 3/8, chisel, kind of a dog, Got rid of it when I found an 036. I’m with the 50 cc, 18”, .325 crowd. I found a stihl 028s, clean for less than 2 bills, a makita 520i for pocket change. Both 50 cc. Mikita runs 3/8 low pro , picco chain, both 18”. .325 on the 028s. The Mikita is about a pound lighter , both with oil and gas. The Mikita is nearly light stick fast, better air filtration, adjustable oiler, nice. The 028s is legendary near bullet proof. If you have to have a 20 “ bar, put some .325 on it, muf mod and some gas. Don’t much care for full chisel, but I’m just a fire wood cutter.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Farm Boss series saws don't have centrifugal air cleaning. Flip the black baffle to summer which doesn't pull from the engine/debris stream.

The 461 should have centrifugal air cleaning. make sure the baffles are in place in the recoil cover. There are heavy duty filter covers you should be able to use as indicated in other posts that will help but if you are missing baffles it won't work like it should.

Check that the files are sharp on your Stihl sharpening system to make heavier chips. What are your guides set at?