Need a small saw with a long bar.

[TimberPig]

Yep I just talked to Madsen's on the phone and they say it will mount up.

If you read farther up this thread you will see that the 24" is for reach not for big timber. It will never be buried.

So is $470 a good deal or do I need to do a little dealing?

Edit: Just found another dealer in town and they want $449..... Guess $470 was high

I already had read that. Hence why I said it would be slow going if you buried the 24" bar. I'd also hesitate to say it will never be buried, cause I'm sure once you get it on there you'll feel the need to go find a 24" log just to see how slow it is with that bar on it and buried

 

[Crumm]

It would be a long drive to find a 24" log. People think of Alaska they think big but here in the interior we have little poles, no big trees to speak of. Here is a load of big Alaska timber back when I was hauling out of Delta.

 

[TimberPig]

Looks similar to a lot of wood in the BC interior, but even in places where 10" wood is the average size, I have found much bigger in a few pockets. I was in a stand a couple years back, with 10-12" pine mostly, and found a pocket of half a dozen 30-48" spruce near a creek. If you looked, I'm sure you could find something similar.

 

[Crumm]

Well I guess I will save the 20" bar just in case I ever find the need but the 24" bar is what I need for my current project opcorn:

 

[rb_in_va]

Well I guess I will save the 20" bar just in case I ever find the need but the 24" bar is what I need for my current project opcorn:

For $470 you may be able to get a used modded Stihl 026/260. That would a handle a 24" bar better. You could post a wanted ad in the Trading Post section. Later, Roger.

 

[Crumm]

I am chainsaw illiterate so just what is done to a modded 026/260? I have modded my 96' PSD but I am pretty sure that it would be hard to put 4" exhaust and a chip in a chainsaw. Also what is a 026/260, I see that Stihl lists a 260 and that is what I plan on getting but what is a 026? Is that the old 260 model?

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Yeah, the MS 260 is the 026. In 2001 Stihl went from 0XX numbering to MS XX0 numbering. The 044 became the 440, the 046 the 460 and so on.

A modded saw is one that's been "built" to perfom better than stock. You send it to a saw builder, many to choose from, and they'll do a variety of things to it. Deck the cylinder, work the ports and so on. There's a new forum, a spin off of AS, it's hotsaws.com. There's alot of talk in there about the topic in general. I don't own any modded saws of my own, beyond muffler mods, which is just opening the muffler via a factory dual port cover, Dremeling out the factory exhaust port, etc. Many swear by modded saws, and use only modded saws. Myself, I'll admit, I've never ran one. I've always just picked up a bigger saw when I needed more power. Were I to run one, I'd probably become part of the modded saw crowd.

Jeff

 

[Crumm]

ahh yes more power just what we all want.

I have pretty much decided on the Stihl 260 but I was also wondering about shindaiwa. The local Husky dealer sells shindaiwa and says that they are a professional saw for the serious user. They seem to think they are the best there is but I have never even heard of them before. Any input on the shindaiwa before I go pick-up my new Stihl?

 

[ShoerFast]

Crumm

Couldent help you at all about the shindaiwa, and as I had said, I never ran an MS 260, but will swear by Stihl's support,,,,, and the saw is well built, with a huge fallowing! (just look at the resale value on ebay)

If you were ever stuck for a part, say a broken chain brake handle,,,, oiler that wont,,, or any problin (as anything could happen) I would be willing to bet that the Stihl parts are a week closer in any event?

Do ask about the MS 260 "pro" and the features, as it may be something your intrested in?

Kevin

 

[Crumm]

Yeah I will probably go with the 260 pro. I don't know much about the adjustable pump but I am sure the decompression valve would be nice.

I have done some more checking and it appears that the shindaiwa is built in Japan as where the Stihl although it was designed overseas is built in the USA. Stihl it is... Thanks for the help.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I can't badmouth Shindaiwa, but I can say that you can't go wrong with Stihl. Stihl is either made in Germany or USA, depending on model, and there ain't nothing wrong with being built in either.

Jeff

 

[Crumm]

Well after lots of thought I decided to pass on the $449 MS260 and went with a $169 Stihl MS 170. I just finished up a bunch of other expensive projects and decided I just could not justify the extra $280 for a saw that will probably only be started once or twice a year. With the little lightweight saw I should be able to reach out with my arm and cut branches rather than reaching out with a long bar. I still have the MS260 on my list but not this season. I just tried out the 170 on a log in the back yard and it cut right through a 12" log surprisingly well for a little low power saw. Should do the job for now. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

That should work fine for what you're doing with it. My buddy uses an old Homelite XL2 I think. Not much saw at all, but it works. As you know, you aren't clearing a shipping lane down the Wood, you just need to get your boat (or raft in my case) through it without getting sucked under.

How's the spring up there this year? When did the ice break up at Nenana, and how many winners were there?

Jeff

 

[sawn_penn]

... went with a $169 Stihl MS 170....

I'm happy with my little 180. Small saw for small jobs. If I'd bought a 170 I probably would have been happier - the quick chain tensioner on the 180works but is a gimmick as you need a tool to do other stuff on the saw anyway. The 170 is 20% cheaper than the 180 around here.

 

[Crumm]

My buddy uses an old Homelite XL2 I think.

How's the spring up there this year? When did the ice break up at Nenana, and how many winners were there?

Jeff

I have a Homelite XL2 but it leaks oil and the chain wont stay tight. It is about 100 years old so I wanted something a little more dependable.

Spring was slow coming but it has been nice since it got here. Most of the rivers are starting to clear up.

The Tanana River officially went out on May 2, 2006 at 5:29 pm Alaska Standard Time. There were 8 winning tickets. Each had the exact month,day,hour and minute that the ice moved out.

The clock actually tripped a day before the ice went out. There was a little open water across from it and the ice moved enough to trip the clock but it the tri-pod didn't actually fall for another day.

 

[Crumm]

I'm happy with my little 180. Small saw for small jobs. If I'd bought a 170 I probably would have been happier - the quick chain tensioner on the 180works but is a gimmick as you need a tool to do other stuff on the saw anyway. The 170 is 20% cheaper than the 180 around here.

The MS-170 was $169 and the 180 was $199. I liked the looks of a little more power with the 180 but I didn't know how dependable that quick chain tensioner would be? I don't suppose .25 bhp is much but it is more. As I looked at the 180 I found myself moving on down the line to the MS-260 and decided to just go back to the cheapest one.

I see you have a 16" bar on yours. I am going to wear out the chain that came with it then replace the 14" bar with a 16" or possibly a 18" if I can find one that will fit..

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

...but I didn't know how dependable that quick chain tensioner would be?

You're better off to have skipped it.

 

[sawn_penn]

...but I didn't know how dependable that quick chain tensioner would be...

No real problems with dependability so far, it just doesn't do anything I can't do with a scrench. You need a screwdriver to roll the bar over anyway, so a scrench goes out with the saw anyway.

People have also pointed out that "easy2start" is really "easy2flood,hard2getgoingafterwards". I never really noticed, as I know to reset the choke after the saw pops. I tried intentionally flooding the saw and it was next to impossible to start. That said, I've never had the problem except when I went out of my way to cause it.