Stihl MS441

[Butch(OH)]

For those who await Stihl's newest offerings I was at my dealer today just as they were unpacking the newest literature and guess what? The 441 makes it appearance in the new catalog. According to his rep they shall have the saws "pretty quick" They dont look to offer anything different in the power department but feature new anti vibe and filtration as has been discussed here a month or two ago. They have a look more like the 270 280 saws than a 440.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

They also have a couple of extra pounds if memory serves...

 

[bwalker]

By 440's while you can...
I have a fleet of 372's right now, but I will probaly buy a 440 because I have always liked that saw. I regret ever selling mine to Xander.
incidently, has anyone heard about when the 260 will be replaced?

 

[Mack]

I ran one a couple of weeks ago. Best antivibe I've seen. Seemed to have the same punch as my 440, at least, may be a bit more. Looked good and balanced well. Toss up as to weight, didn't feel any heavier than the 440, I don't put much stock in ad literature. Seemed quieter too, but then I've been running saws for near 40 years and the ears may not be up to snuff. I ordered up a couple extra 440s just in case, but I think I may take a 441 home to "demo" for a while. (I did this with a MS280, and now I can't give it up, it's a real sleeper in the Stihl line-up))

 

[Lakeside53]

It's also going to be advertised as having " a 30% longer engine life"... not sure exactly what they did or how the extra life is calculated, but a beefier bottom end sure won't hurt, and probably accounts for the minor increase in weight. Also, 60% less vibration than a 440, higher torque, and 10% better fuel economy

Right now it's delayed for air box modifications... Don't expect it for a few months...

Ben - as far as I know they aren't replacing or dropping the MS260 this year - It's still a top seller..

 

[SawTroll]

The catalog here say "due for release in spring 2006".

The air filtration system look very much like the Air Injection/Turbo of Husky and Jred, and there is no space between the top cover and filter cover.

The stated weight is higher than for the 460.

The whole ting reminds me of the Husky 575xp.......

 

[Lakeside53]

The catalog here say "due for release in spring 2006".

The air filtration system look very much like the Air Injection/Turbo of Husky and Jred, and there is no space between the top cover and filter cover.

The stated weight is higher than for the 460.

The whole ting reminds me of the Husky 575xp.......

It's going to be a really late spring

I did some more checking... The increase in weight was deliberate - the engine is reinforced all over to increase life and durability. Nice... they really do get the crap beat out of them by the pro loggers. Guess you can't have it both ways... Want to bet the 461 (if and when it comes out) is based on the same engine?

 

[toolmaker]

My dealer told me a while back that the MS461 is in the works and will be coming out, but he didn't know when.
Does anyone have a pic of the 441?

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

My dealer told me a while back that the MS461 is in the works and will be coming out, but he didn't know when.
Does anyone have a pic of the 441?

Try a search, there was a thread when they first came around. One of those threads has a pic in it.

Jeff

 

[asb151]

The whole thing reminds me of the Husky 575xp.......

It will be interesting to start hearing opinions on the 441's actual performance.

Anyone know when the 440 will be discontinued. Sometime in early 2007 I would imagine. Then it will be "get'em while they last". Just like the 372XP.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

It's funny how everyone seemed to embrace the 361 when it came out, but everybody is afraid of the 441. It's basically the same series of changes.
I like the way Stihl is inching up the advertised weight of the 440 in literature and on websites, so the weight of the 441 won't seem so high, when it comes out.
It's getting so pretty soon the 440 will weigh more the the 460. What are they going to do next, increase the advertised weight of the 460 so it's not lighter than the 441?

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

It's funny how everyone seemed to embrace the 361 when it came out, but everybody is afraid of the 441. It's basically the same series of changes.

True, but the 361 doesn't weigh two pounds more than the 360, and the 441 can't even claim any hp improvements. The new AV is nice, but not nice enough for me to tote the extra weight around with no more power.

Jeff

 

[Lakeside53]

True, but the 361 doesn't weigh two pounds more than the 360, and the 441 can't even claim any hp improvements. The new AV is nice, but not nice enough for me to tote the extra weight around with no more power.

Jeff

loose 2lb of love handles and you'll be back to zero!

Actually, the Hp is slightly more, the torque is significantly more, and the engine life is much longer... Sounds like a plus to me. They beefed up the saw based on the increase torque and realities of use in the pro markets.. seems to have a LOT of untaped potential inside, but it has a 361 style muffer so we'll need to figure out a nice way to open them up! Might even get one myself...

 

[Lakeside53]

It's funny how everyone seemed to embrace the 361 when it came out, but everybody is afraid of the 441. It's basically the same series of changes.
I like the way Stihl is inching up the advertised weight of the 440 in literature and on websites, so the weight of the 441 won't seem so high, when it comes out.
It's getting so pretty soon the 440 will weigh more the the 460. What are they going to do next, increase the advertised weight of the 460 so it's not lighter than the 441?

maybe someone on AS will actually weight their 440?

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

loose 2lb of love handles and you'll be back to zero!

Actually, the Hp is slightly more, the torque is significantly more, and the engine life is much longer...

Cool. The numbers I saw when Stihl USA had it up on their saw comparison chart had it at the same hp as the 440. They must have adjusted that.

Jeff

 

[bwalker]

It's funny how everyone seemed to embrace the 361 when it came out, but everybody is afraid of the 441. It's basically the same series of changes.
I like the way Stihl is inching up the advertised weight of the 440 in literature and on websites, so the weight of the 441 won't seem so high, when it comes out.

The 441 and 361 are night and day differant from a design standpoint.

 

[SawTroll]

It's funny how everyone seemed to embrace the 361 when it came out, but everybody is afraid of the 441. It's basically the same series of changes.
I like the way Stihl is inching up the advertised weight of the 440 in literature and on websites, so the weight of the 441 won't seem so high, when it comes out.
It's getting so pretty soon the 440 will weigh more the the 460. What are they going to do next, increase the advertised weight of the 460 so it's not lighter than the 441?

I have also noticed that the 440 has "gained" .2 kg in the US listing for 2006, and I suspect you are right about the reason for it.:censored:

The reason for the different "reception" of the 441 vs. the 361 seem obvious to me, as there was no weight issue when the 361 replaced the 360 - in fact the new saw was .1 kg lighter.
I would also say that the changes in the 441 vs. 440 is going at least one step furter than 361 vs 360 in a couple of important areas - engine design and air filtration.

Just let us hope that the 461 will be the 441, just with a bigger bore and more power. If that happens they will be about bon track again regarding power to weight......:deadhorse:

maybe someone on AS will actually weight their 440?

According to the test reports from KWF and DLG it weights 6.2 kg, midmay between the "old" and "new" listings by Stihl......

 

[SawTroll]

Cool. The numbers I saw when Stihl USA had it up on their saw comparison chart had it at the same hp as the 440. They must have adjusted that.

I remember that chart popping up prematurely.
Sorry Jeff, your memory is wrong this time - it did say 4.1 kW. I have a printout of it.

Does anyone have a pic of the 441?

Pictures have been posted in earlier treads - just enter "441" in the search window, and do a search.
There is also pictures in Stihls online US catalog.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I remember that chart popping up prematurely.
Sorry Jeff, your memory is wrong this time - it did say 4.1 kW. I have a printout of it.

So what does that equate to in hp? The jump could not have been much.

Jeff

 

[SawTroll]

It is rated at 5.6 hp here.
4.1 kW usually equals 5.6 hp/5.5 bhp - so it adds up.