Gonna' buy a 660 stihl.....

[MOLDY]

Hey guys..... I'm gonna buy a new ms660. I've run a couple of 026's with 16 and 18 inch bars for the last year or so - I do a touch of 'domestic' small tree work over here in the UK. Have had no problems with these so far. But quite often now I find myself tackling slightly larger jobs than I used to, due to getting a bit more experienced. Anyhow I have looking for a 460 at the right price with something like a 25'' bar, but I have seen a lovely shiny new 660 for sale in my local stihl dealer on offer for 690 sterling quids with a 30'' bar. So this is it - I'm finally gonna get a proper saw......
What I did notice on the US and UK stihl sites, is that the USA one quotes a 660 M (magnum?) and the UK just a 660. Whats the difference between the M and 'non-M' ??
Yours, excitedly.... Moldy

 

[tony marks]

well bud,if u been getting by with a 26
and u work,, is just getting a bit bigger.
my advice is to go with the 36.
to me a 66 is a loggers saw. nothin wrong with it,, but the 36 is real strong ... or mabe 372 husq...these,just seem to fit u situation ,,as described... now over here we know how to take advice,,it being free an all. good luck ,what ever u get.

 

[MOLDY]

ps - I've been browsing this site for the last eighteen months or so..... seen how some of you knowledgable guys kick newfies' behinds.... go easy on me..... just askin'.....

Some (nearly all) of you really know your stuff... I've learnt alot from this place - but dunt mean much 'til you get the chance to put it into practice - experience count's for almost everything. Being prepared (by looking into this site) certainly has helped me.

 

[MOLDY]

yep - see wot your saying.... maybe I should just stick to my first idea, a 460 might be more suited...

 

[Sylvatica]

Welcome, MOLDY

Your town has got to have a great pub with a name like that!

The Stihl UK site shows the 660 at 7.1hp, and Stihl USA site rates the MS660M at 7hp, so I would assume there are little or no differences. You will pick up at least 1/2hp by merely doing a muffler mod or dual-porting the exhaust.

About the choice of saw - the 066/660 is a great saw, period. But you may be amazed at what you can do with the 460 alone. But if your back is better than mine, and you've got big flush cuts or blocking to do, a 660 will be productive. You are not going to make a mistake buying that saw, you just might not use it as much as you anticipate. But when you need a 32" bar on the job, you'll have the way to pull it.

The biggest thing I want to reach for anymore is the 372XP. It kicks @ss and still feels very handy.

 

[MOLDY]

Thanks for advice... yep Market Drayton's got some great pubs... one is about 1/2 mile from my house - within staggrin' distance....

I'm really not expecting to use the big saw that often - as you say just for cleaning up stumps and blocking up to fit the bits into my trailer - but still, just these few replies has made me think twice.

you know the feelin - sometimes you see a beautiful thing and just want it......

- and if the price is right, so much the better

 

[SilverBlue]

Oh I love my 066 but have to agree that it’s a bit too big step up for you Mouldy. Try out a 360 or a 440 or even 460 if you feel ambitious.See if you can borrow or rent a saw for a day. Can you readily get parts for the saw you want to purchase? That’s the important question.

 

[Sylvatica]

Oh yeah, MOLDY, I do know that feelin'

Just ask my wife -

"Don't you already HAVE one of those???"

 

[MOLDY]

Tee Hee.

Spares ain't a problem - got more chainsaw/machinery dealers close to me than I can shake a stick at.... the british equivalent to sherrills is close - (you may like to look at the website out of interest - http://www.buxtons.net/)

Hhmmm - now you've got me thinking about a husky - just dragged the 2002 husqvarna catalogue out of the cupboard - sez the 372 is a little smaller than the 460 - between the two 460 and 360?

When I did my compulsary chainsaw training, we used huskys - sure did rev a lot more sweetly than the stihls...


thanks.

 

[jokers]

Hey Moldy
Welcome to AS!

I`ll second what everyone else has said about making a saw like the 660 your primary saw. I`d lean toward the Husky 372 or a Stihl 440. I don`t think that the marginal performance improvement between the 372/440 and the 460 warrants the extra weight or cost. It`s also my opinion that the 372 will in the right hands slightly outcut the 440 but it is still very close. Either one is a fine saw, saws that can be used all day if you want.

Got any reputable Dolmar dealers nearby? The 7900 is a great machine with all of the power of the 460(maybe more), better air filtration and antivibe, and less weight. Should price out about the same as the 460, maybe even less.

Russ

 

[MOLDY]

Yes - sort of.... No dolmar dealers about, but a couple of Makita dealers.... Aren't they the same? - from what I've seen about the the pictures of dolmar saws look the same as the makita ones, but the plastic mouldings are a differnt colour.

I got the impression dolmar weren't up there with husky and stihl? - I don't depend on tree work for my trade - I'm a biochemist at my local general hospital (incidentally thats were I am now - I'm on-call, and should be xmatching blood for an RTA - but thats incubating at the moment, so I've got a few more minutes yet...!) but the tree work that I do, seems to be taking off - so I would like saws I can depend on.

- might even consider giving this game up and try to make a living at tree butchery (only joking - have done a fair bit of training) - Being a dogsbody bloodbanker/chemist/haematologist doesn't do it for me anymore - I can get more money on one tree job than I get paid in a week here.

 

[Sylvatica]

A vampire! Pretty interesting job there MOLDY!

The advice by Brian and Russ leading you toward a high-perf saw around 70cc makes the best sense.

Now you have the ponies, and you are drooling over a new heavy draught horse. But that leaves the entire middle ground open, which will reduce your versatility greatly. So, you need a thoroughbred like the 372XP to round out the stable.

 

[MOLDY]

Hmmm - intrestin' for the first 21 months maybe - I've been doin it for 21 years now...

Yep - good description - wot I need is a thoroughbred...

(edited - whoops can't spell tthoro' bredd)

 

[SilverBlue]

Ok the saw recommendations are on the table.

Now should we persuade Mouldy to modify his choice by one of the resident saw builders?

And how did the Nickname come to be? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[MOLDY]

Sorry to be boring - but the nickname isn't very intrestin really....

My wife read some books as a child which included the character of a mole called 'moldy warp' - she called our house that when we got married and moved in. It seemed appropriate for me too -I like potholing - going underground, and I'm shortsighted - just like a mole

See... boring really.....

THink I've decided - I'm gonna try a 440 and 460 for feel... maybe even nip to the husky dealer and get him to demo a 372

anything bigger is gonna be overkill for what I what it for... my head was turned by a pretty face... I'll never learn...

rolleyes:

tar lads.:

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Keep an eye on this thread, see if this helps your decision.


http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11772

 

[Lumberjack]

I have been thinking of getting a new (or close to it) 066 or 660. What is the price of one new?

Thanks

Carl

 

[Bill G]

Originally posted by MOLDY
I can get more money on one tree job than I get paid in a week here.

I guess biochemists must not be paid well across the pond. Here in the midwest where the cost of living is rather low compared to the coasts a biochemist should make close to $100,000 or just under $2000 per week. I would think after the cost of equipment, employees, and liability insurance $2000 profit per job would be a little steep. That is assuming they are rather small jobs 1-2 days and not massive removals.

Just my random thoughts

Bill

 

[Landman]

We just purchased a 660 last week we had it set up with a 42" bar for stumping and larger work and also a 28" bar so that we could use it on smaller jobs to, this way its a bit more versitile for us.

 

[MOLDY]

Originally posted by Bill G
I guess biochemists must not be paid well across the pond. Here in the midwest where the cost of living is rather low compared to the coasts a biochemist should make close to $100,000 or just under $2000 per week. I would think after the cost of equipment, employees, and liability insurance $2000 profit per job would be a little steep. That is assuming they are rather small jobs 1-2 days and not massive removals.

Just my random thoughts

Bill

Sorry chaps... just got back from a training course up in Scotland... not been keeping up with this thread...

Hundred Thousand dollars...... not quite - I've been working here in our national heath system (non private insurance) since 1983 - 20 odd years. I now make just over 20 thousand pounds - work that out in dollars....(!)

I assure you that I can easily make more than that in the tree work I have been doing in my spare time generated by the 24hr shift work I have to participate in. The only reason I haven't jacked it all in for full time tree work is that my hospital job is a guaranteed income - the tree work so far isn't.

guess I'm too scared to take the plunge - things might change though - I'm almost at the end of my tether, what with all the hassle I get here at the hospital..

Thanks for the advice ...