redhawk23
ArboristSite Operative
Is there a reason a professional 37cc saw shouldn’t be used for felling trees, say, up to 12” dbh? If a pro 40cc saw doesn’t exist why not go smaller?
Thanks
Thanks
Small saws for small trees
- Thread starter redhawk23
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You are quite concerned about pro. Stihl makes a believe a ms241, imported it here for a while maybe even assembled it in Va for a while but no longer offers it through their dealer network in this country. Husky has the 543. What is the 37cc professional model you have in mind?
Even small saw owner's manuals show pictures and descriptions of felling. I will fell say a 20 inch at the hinge tree with a 35cc saw and then deal with getting all the "brush" cleaned up and transported somewhere else. If harvesting the trunk and larger branches for firewood later on sure come with somethig like your Husqvarna 555.
Even small saw owner's manuals show pictures and descriptions of felling. I will fell say a 20 inch at the hinge tree with a 35cc saw and then deal with getting all the "brush" cleaned up and transported somewhere else. If harvesting the trunk and larger branches for firewood later on sure come with somethig like your Husqvarna 555.
You can cut down 12 inch trees no problem with a 35 or 37cc saw.
They are not that popular as 50cc saws are only 2 pounds heavier and can cut much larger wood if need be.
They are not that popular as 50cc saws are only 2 pounds heavier and can cut much larger wood if need be.
It's just like a big saw, only smaller.
You could conceivably cut any size of anything you want with a small saw.
only slower...
You could conceivably cut any size of anything you want with a small saw.
only slower...
No problem at all with that.
Small saws get a bad rap with a lot of folks because they put too much bar on them and then they perform like crap. 12-14” bar, sharp chain, and treat the saw like a scalpel in the way you approach your felling and cutting.
543xp + 13” bar does 90% of my cutting anymore, even bigger stuff. Cleaned up storm damaged 20” sugar maple with it a week or two back and it got the job done just fine.
Small saws get a bad rap with a lot of folks because they put too much bar on them and then they perform like crap. 12-14” bar, sharp chain, and treat the saw like a scalpel in the way you approach your felling and cutting.
543xp + 13” bar does 90% of my cutting anymore, even bigger stuff. Cleaned up storm damaged 20” sugar maple with it a week or two back and it got the job done just fine.
I’ve got an old husky 140S with a 16” bar and 23RS chain, believe it to be a 73 model year which would make it 50 years old. Don’t think it was classified as a pro saw but it sure is built like one. 40cc closed transfer port everything on it is metal other than the top cover. It’s a strong running saw, was actually kinda shocked first time I ran it. I can drop 12 to 14 inch trees with it no problem. Could take trees twice that size. Not the easiest thing to do but can be done.
littletimber
ArboristSite Member
I have cut many a small trees down with my MS170 (30.1cc, 8.6lbs, 14in bar). It works well. My choice for it has been mainly due to the position of the tree against say another tree and needing a smaller saw or it has been in such a position that a lighter saw made for a safer felling experience.
Of course once the tree is down I start to buck it up then realize what the heck am I doing when it takes 45 seconds to make one cut...and I switch to my "big" saw.
I really enjoy my little ms170 for this reason!
Of course once the tree is down I start to buck it up then realize what the heck am I doing when it takes 45 seconds to make one cut...and I switch to my "big" saw.
I really enjoy my little ms170 for this reason!
echomeister
ArboristSite Operative
cs-3510. it's a beast
A Echo cs3510 or a cs400 are greats saws, built a lot better than a Stihl MS170 or 180 and WAY more power with a muff modd and good tuning. As they come with a clogged up muff and tuned lean they will be just average. They gain a lot with a muff modd and good tuning around 30% in cutting speed. Steve
redhawk23
ArboristSite Operative
I was confused, I didn’t realize husky made a 43cc pro saw, the 543 xp. Not sure where I got 37.
I am concerned about pro because I am a pro and can cut all day 5 days a week at times, often on steep bluffs of western Wisconsin and crawling through thickets on hot days. Light and powerful is important.
Hopefully the bars are durable or can be found with replaceable noses, I occasionally plunge cut. What was available for my Dolkita 421/4300 were junk.
I am concerned about pro because I am a pro and can cut all day 5 days a week at times, often on steep bluffs of western Wisconsin and crawling through thickets on hot days. Light and powerful is important.
Hopefully the bars are durable or can be found with replaceable noses, I occasionally plunge cut. What was available for my Dolkita 421/4300 were junk.
redhawk23
ArboristSite Operative
Is the 543xp revamped or replaced anytime soon, it appears to have an older styling, colors?
Tomos770
ArboristSite Guru
Its discontinued....changed with 545/550xp
Now you have also 540xp mk3....with Both options....as top handheld version or as regular saw with rear Handle...
Now you have also 540xp mk3....with Both options....as top handheld version or as regular saw with rear Handle...
redhawk23
ArboristSite Operative
The 540 is 39.1cc, 9lbs and has a choice of chains. Will it feel less powerful than a 42cc Makita?
The 543 is still on Husqvarna’s website.
The 543 is still on Husqvarna’s website.
benz66
Used to sell firewood for $5 a face cord, deliverd
Agreed! I cut almost everything with O15 Stihl. I don't use it every day, but I use it frequently. I will drop a tree up to 26" with it. Yes, it is slower than a "big saw" but I can carry it around everywhere, almost all the time. I may go years between times I haul out the big saws. I dropped a big (24-26) storm damaged cherry with it recently using a complicated notch and back cut to get it to fall 90º from its lean angle. Production cutting is different, but if you can take a little more time, the little saw will do a lot. (assuming the chain is kept sharp) I like it because it is top handle and can be used to prune one handed.
Stealer wanted me to replace it with $600 MS170, and I said "No Way!"
Somewhere there’s a vid of Randy Mac dropping a 36” doug Fir with a 16” cs400…quite something.
Uh, the 170s are $199.
Doorfx
ArboristSite Operative
$600 ms170 ?? Even up here in Canada they are only $249
littletimber
ArboristSite Member
I second, that lower price. I believe ours was on sale for $179 when we purchased it. I remember joking the number on the saw should be the price.
Use an 009 from 1981 and an 034 Super for the bigger stuff.
Secret to using any saw-keep it sharp.
I love it when a customer complains there 60cc saw is not running right. Take it to the wood pile. Dull. The next saw I happen to run will be a sharp MS170 or 180 and it will out cut it. Then sharpen the customers saw and show them how it should cut. Do it in front of them. Then they start to understand what a sharp chain can do. Well, some of them anyway.
Secret to using any saw-keep it sharp.
I love it when a customer complains there 60cc saw is not running right. Take it to the wood pile. Dull. The next saw I happen to run will be a sharp MS170 or 180 and it will out cut it. Then sharpen the customers saw and show them how it should cut. Do it in front of them. Then they start to understand what a sharp chain can do. Well, some of them anyway.
I have a little Echo climbing saw I bought on sale. I don't know the model offhand, but it's the most powerful one. It is a real cutter! I really do like my little Stihl 024, which I outfitted with a rim sprocket and picco chain. I have ten of those rims, ten PS3 full chisel chains, and three old West German 16" picco bars. I found the saw NOS on ebay for about $400 five years ago, and now that it is broken in, it really cuts nicely. Not super fast like the 036 I found recently from a guy in Maryland, but a solid reliable performer that feels really good while using. I think the lighter smaller chain with full chisel teeth makes a difference, and the thinner kerf is fine for what I do with it. Also, if I have a top handle saw, I naturally use it one handed, which isn't really optimal from a safety standpoint, but the balance kind of makes that automatic for me. The 024 is a really nice limbing saw that's light enough to take up in a tree if needed. I wish they stihl made the 0 series saws. They are my favorite saws of all, except the 084, which is just too heavy for my skinny little carcass to swing around for very long. I hope you find the saw that you like best.
