So I’ve owned a chainsaw of some variety since I was probably 12 or 13. Always a good way to get a little side money or help a neighbor etc, I’ve always considered it just an essential thing to own. Grew up on land and we burned firewood for heat, the navy has me living the suburban life now but I still like fixing saws and stuff. I found somebody selling 6 stihls he got from a storage unit auction for $250. Gonna meet him tomorrow and pick them up. Lot consists of an 028wb, 029 super, 034av, ms271, ms280, and he says he can’t find the model on the other one but to me it looks to be an 08s, it’s a metal top handle saw of that style at any rate. I also own a husqvarna 440. I know condition and compression numbers and such are gonna play into my decision, but for a general all around saw what would you guys keep out of those models? My first thought is keep the 028 and 034. Fix and sell the other 4, but I just saw a post about finding pistons for the 034 today so I’m wondering if parts availability might be changing enough I should reconsider. What do you guys think?
What should I keep?
- Thread starter pokedaboss
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I wouldn’t keep any of them, Sell them and buy a nice one.
Such as?
I was thinking the 034 would be close to a 362 and the 028 somewhere between a 241 and 261, but the older saws would be easier to work on. I could be very very wrong though.
Well IDK if you want cheap, good or what size saw you need yet.
huskydave
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I would rather have 1 or 2 good pro models in any size then 7 mid range saws. That said it really depends on what you want to do with the saw, what size trees are you cutting? How often do you cut? You have to be careful with those mid range models, when you start throwing parts at them, you may have more into it then its worth. Those kind of saws are good for the average guy that cuts up to 30 cords of wood per year or to strap to the front of a 4 wheeler to clear trails or general farm use. They are perfect for this role but if you want to start cutting bigger wood or want to run the saw a lot in hard wood or sell firewood I would pass, they are harder to service and work on. They lack a lot of features, things are made much cheaper on them to meet a price-point. You get what you pay for with most things, you will have to decide what is right for you. The old saying is buy once cry once.
Snowchaser
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All of them should be reliable saws and if you take care of your stuff like you should, they will last a long time. The 034 is 57cc. If it is a super, then its 61cc. I have ran a super and it is darn close to my 361 before i modded the muffler and a slew of other things. You won’t be disappointed owning it. Personally, i would clean up and go through every one of them and get a true cost on each saw and go from there. Keep what you like to run. You’ll get every opinion you could dream of here and then some. Sounds like you know what you are doing enough that you’ll know if something is lousy build quality or not. Ebay is a great place for oem or aftermarket parts if you know what you are looking at.
The 034 is a pro saw, i think the 028wb is not but has similar construction, I figured those 2 would be be the easiest to work on /keep. I really cut very little honestly and could probably get by with a homeowner saw, I just like to have good tools. And I’ve never regretted bringing 2 saws to cut, but I have regretted only bringing one. I mostly cut big limbs, storm cleanup pines, and go to my sisters to help her out about twice a year. Less than 20 trees a year total. But when I’m up at her place there’s some bigger hardwood and I’ve found myself burying a 20” bar a number of times, I had a 391 for just past its warranty but it tore the piston up really bad and I’m still not sure why that one did that, I maintained that saw very well and I’ve never scarred one up like that before, I think it may have been a defect. But I got rid of it because it wasn’t exactly cheap to get parts for that one, and it was a pain to split the case and all for that model. So I definitely understand the sun some of those farm/ranch saws can be. The 271 and 280 definitely won’t be staying.
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Okay, lets look at the two you want to keep.
034 as you have read today is getting very hard to find 46mm pistons for if needed- but can be turned into a 48mm Super or 036 fairly easily.
028WB is a Rancher/Farmer model and has a handguard not a chain brake, they are pretty bulletproof- but not idiot proof.
"I had a 391 for just past its warranty but it tore the piston up really bad and I’m still not sure why that one did that, I maintained that saw very well and I’ve never scarred one up like that before, I think it may have been a defect."
Is a bit alarming to read- "not sure why"- but about to dive into some bunch of unknown's for plug and play?
Any Stihl is not cheap to get parts for- well for good parts anyhow.
Need to get them in hand and go through each, decide what us viable and what is not.
034 is the pick of the bunch for what you are likely to be cutting, with the 440 for smaller stuff- but it is likely to need refreshed in all the expendables from main oil seals up- pass pressure and vacuum testing and have good compression and you will have a reliable old saw.
034 as you have read today is getting very hard to find 46mm pistons for if needed- but can be turned into a 48mm Super or 036 fairly easily.
028WB is a Rancher/Farmer model and has a handguard not a chain brake, they are pretty bulletproof- but not idiot proof.
"I had a 391 for just past its warranty but it tore the piston up really bad and I’m still not sure why that one did that, I maintained that saw very well and I’ve never scarred one up like that before, I think it may have been a defect."
Is a bit alarming to read- "not sure why"- but about to dive into some bunch of unknown's for plug and play?
Any Stihl is not cheap to get parts for- well for good parts anyhow.
Need to get them in hand and go through each, decide what us viable and what is not.
034 is the pick of the bunch for what you are likely to be cutting, with the 440 for smaller stuff- but it is likely to need refreshed in all the expendables from main oil seals up- pass pressure and vacuum testing and have good compression and you will have a reliable old saw.
I concur fix them up sell them. money range could be anywhere between $100 to $300 go get a used 044 440 046-460-461 462 XP 372
Bout' time you figred it out. Throw away all that trash and buy a 562XP.
The 028 and 034 are solid saws. Whether they make sense for your needs is another matter, but they are definitely good machines. A couple or more generations old, and for the 028 many parts are now NLA, but they are well built reliable saws.
The rest I would pass along ASAP. The 029, 270 and 280 are very good homeowner/firewood saws and should sell well. The 08 is useless and irrelevant anymore, and you may struggle to find a buyer for it.
The rest I would pass along ASAP. The 029, 270 and 280 are very good homeowner/firewood saws and should sell well. The 08 is useless and irrelevant anymore, and you may struggle to find a buyer for it.
huskydave
Addicted to ArboristSite
My bad on the 034, its been 20 years since I ran one of those. The super 034 had decent power to weight from what I recall but the 266 husky would run with or beat 036. When they get that old things like crank seals fuel/impulse lines air filters carb soft parts may need to be replaced. It should pull a 20 inch bar no problem if it has good compression.
Yeah I figured the 08 would be a tough sale. Think I’ll clean it up maybe poke around a dealer or someone who may want to display it type of thing. But by buying as a lot they’re coming out less than $50 each so seems hard to lose on that. With the 028 having some nla parts and as I saw earlier the 034 as well it may be in my best interest to get them running(or at least whatever can be made to easily enough) and sell them all to get a newer saw with better parts availability going forward. I’d like a good one I can keep for a long time, and I’m 30 so if parts are dwindling now might be better to go to a little newer commercial saw.
Sounds like if the 034 checks out good it’ll be the one to hang on to of the lot, I’ll sell the other stuff and see what I can get out of them toward a newer saw. And let go of the 034 as well if I need to to make the funds balance.
Lmao, Totally nothing like I was thinking. All old, underwhelming options, including his current husky. You couldn’t give me a new 562…
Oh the current husky wasn’t exactly a choice. Saw it on trash day on my way home one night. Picked it up, chainbrake band had popped out the cover, popped it back in with some pliers, saw fired right up and cut ok so it stuck around. Free is a good price.
No disrespect, but none of those saws are particularly desirable. Prices hold up better for larger and professional Stihls. Your 440 is a small and light homeowner saw, and don't get me wrong I like lighter saws too, but these saws are not built to last forever, so worth having a spare if you like that kind of thing. Id make a decision purely on condition (compression/spark) and least cost to repair and you may be able to cannibalise parts from the others, then sell the rest and the top handle.
What do you mean the 440 is a homeowner saw it's a professional saw man one of the best Stihl ever put out
