ms 360 pro

[woodpecker]

I cut and split roughly 12 to 15 cords of wood a year for heating. this includes my house, my dads house, and my sisters house. thats three house holds. i currently have a very old stihl 032. that i love but I'm looking at a ms360 pro new. my dad has a 032 and my brother-in-law has a 359 husky. first I need to beat the 359 husky. then second amI going to be happy with the 360 pro? I've read some stuff about the mufflers here and about the oilers. which hasn't sounded positiveany help?

 

[glens]

The talk about the mufflers isn't indicative of any shortcoming in the Stihl saw; it's something which affects every new saw currently available.

Also, the talk about the oiler on the 036/MS360 isn't anything at all to be concerned about.&nbsp; <i>Mine</i> functions flawlessly at any rate.

I'm of the opinion you should run to the dealer and get the MS360 while it's still daylight.&nbsp; Oh, I guess they're not open this afternoon.&nbsp; When you do, however, don't leave the shop without a couple of loops of the RS chain.&nbsp; With a 20" laminated bar, the saw is balanced extremely well and is a complete and utter joy to use.

I can't say anything bad about the Husky based on experience with it, but I've never been able to appreciate them in general as well as I can the Stihls (not that I wouldn't like to).

Will that Stihl "beat" that Husky?&nbsp; All things being equal it should.&nbsp; But I wouldn't expect it to be a vicious spanking.

 

[Ryan Willock]

wood, welcome to the site!!! i have had two 036s (MS360) and love them!! they are a great saw and very dependable. i use one almost every day. out of six saws that i own (ms191T, 021, husky 346xp, 036, MS460 and my 066G) i own one husky, now its a good saw but when it wears out i'm going to replace it with a MS260. i have never had any problems out of my Stihls. great saws and long lasting!!!IMHO:angel:

 

[slowtorque1]

036

I own an 036 and don't see how you could go wrong with one. Good luck!

 

[Tony Snyder]

I have heard good reports on the 036 but have not cut with one. The 359 is a good saw. If you beat it, it won't be by much.

See if Ken Dunn chimes in here. He should know. or maybe Dennis

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Seems that from all the recent chat that a Stihl product might be the better way to go. Husky's dealings with the box stores and selling over the internet have not had favorable reviews.

 

[ccicora]

My primary woods saw is a 036 Pro. I've Done the muffler for better flow and run a .325 chain on a 16" bar. I have run it all day against my buddies 372. And at the end of the day. I cut more because I have a lighter saw with almost the same power. I really like the feel of the saw even when I have been cutting all day.

Chris

 

[Fish]

Why do you run a .325 chain on an 036?

 

[ccicora]

Fish,
I have a couple of reasons:
1. It makes my set ups between my 026 pro, 029 super and 036pro interchangeable. (You never know when murphy will visit: Last time I bent my bar on the 036 and Gretchen (my better half) bent her 026 bar on the same day)

2. I have faster cutting times with this set up in the wood when I race it.

But interchangeability is most importaint.

 

[Fish]

You have faster cutting times? Are you using RS chain? What
tooth sprocket? I don't even think Stihl even recommends a
.325 for the 036. I sure it works fine, but it would seem to me
to work even better with a 3/8 chisel. I used to own one,
and with the 33rs chain, it was one cutting saw.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Glad to see someone is having good luck with the 036. The ones that I owned weren't outrageous on power.

 

[ccicora]

It was not hard to transfere the saw to .325 chain. As far as the speed of cutting I tweek the chain for the wood I am cutting. Usally I take 5 to 10 thou. off the back of the racker deepen the gullet and round file at 30-32 degrees. And I do run Stihl full chizel chain.

Chris

 

[glens]

.325

Fish,

My 036 owners manual lists as primary recommended cutting attachments: green label bars in .325 or 3/8 at 16, 18, or 20 inch, with RM2 chain, and sprockets at .325-8t or 3/8-7t

 

[fun_chopper]

I love the 036, its a nice saw, I love my 372XP its a little heavier but I use it for big stuff, the 036 gets heavy after awhile just like the rest of my saws. The only problem I have ever had with the 036 is the decompression valve started leaking so I replaced it and no further problems..

 

[Fish]

Not trying to start trouble, but I have some customers that prefer
a 3/8 chisel on their 026, and the 036 would perform better
with a 3/8. If you run a .325 chain, I would at least use an 8
tooth sprocket.

 

[Ryan Willock]

on my 036 i run 3/8ths with an 8 pin

 

[woodsjunkie]

I would have to agree totally with Fish.
I would think 3/8 would work better on a 036
I have tried 9 pin sprockets on bigger saw running .325 they seem to cut well. but I don't care to file the .325 myself

 

[stihltech]

.325

The 034 and 036 have come from our distributors both ways. We have to ask the customer which chain he has.
I will admit I like the way that 3/8 works on my 034.
But, did I not hear about some guy with a 325 setup on an 066 with a 10 tooth sprocket cleaning up at a competition. Those slightly smaller teeth could have an advantage.

 

[woodpecker]

thanks guys for all the input it"s really helpful!! monday I went out and got my ms360 and got an great deal also. haven't had a chance to use it yet because of the holidays but I feel like a little kid with a new toy. merry chistmas and a happy new year. JEFF

 

[glens]

Congratulations!

Don't race your brother in-law until you've got at least a gallon of pre-mix through it (two would be better), okay?&nbsp; Then go cutting with him and give us a report.&nbsp; Just be completely fair about it and make sure both saws have the chains in prime condition.&nbsp; And trade saws for a few of the cuts to cancel out variations in technique.

You did get some RS chain didn't you?&nbsp; Save the RM2 (if that's what came on the saw) for the nastier (dirtier) stuff if you're gathing dead-falls, where it will hold it's cutting ability a bit longer between sharpenings than will the RS.&nbsp; Sorry if you knew that...