arborworks1
ArboristSite Operative
i have the choice of the 460 or the 660 both with anysize bar i need. we cut alot of pine i'm worried that the 660 might be an anchor at the end of the day. some input would be appreciated.
which stihl
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sedanman
Just cut the piano!!
I've got an 064 (almost the same as an 066/ms660) I am a big guy and think the 064 would be heavy after a solid day. How big are the pines? I think a 460 would be less taxing on the sawyer in the long run.
Cutting pine isnt very taxing on a saw. How about a 440?
arborworks1
ArboristSite Operative
The price difference was small between the 460 and 440 plus they are all out of 440, seems they all made it down to florida. we cut some very large oaks also ( 40- 46in dbh) so i want something that will be able to lug up in the tree if needed, just trying to get a handle on the power difference between the 2 the 460 and 660
The power differance between the 460 and 660 is substantial. I know because I have run both at one time or another. The power differance between the 440 and 460 is not as substantial and the 440 is quit a bit lighter. If your where going to cut 40"+ oak all day the 66 would be great, but the 440 will do well also and not weigh neerly as much.
I guess it all comes down to what your willing to pack around weight wise. I like the lighter saws from a productivity standpoint, but thats just me.
I guess it all comes down to what your willing to pack around weight wise. I like the lighter saws from a productivity standpoint, but thats just me.
jokers
Addicted to ArboristSite
If you want the best of both worlds in this scenario, buy the 460 and have Ed Heard(ehp) port it for you. His price is very reasonable and the power he`ll get out if it will blow you away.
Russ
Russ
Ryan Willock
Addicted to ArboristSite
I've got all three and I find that I run my 440 more than anything now. The guy that runs my skidder and does some bucking on the landing likes running the 460 but I just don't notice that much differance except with long bars in hardwood.
wiley_p
ArboristSite Guru
I run all three in the woods and any day I can run a 440 I'm that much happier, though nothing is more pleasing than a 660 thats screaming like a striped ass ape with a real hungry chain. Sometimes its so nice the weight is more than worth it.
Gotta say im a big 44 fan, Ive run 46's and have a couple 66's. We cut ALOT of pine and macrocarpa, 44 hits it no prob, I run 22 bars and find they work well in the bigger stuff and takes the stress off the back if your limbing near the ground. 66 is great if your doing big trunks for days on end but they are hungier on fuel and back pain at the end.
Crofter
Addicted to ArboristSite
Jokers suggestion about having a smaller saw ported and tuned by a good performance saw builder is something to think about. I have a 372 husky that EHP ported and have timed many cuts against a 066 Stihl with same chain and bar length and they are neck and neck. The 372 is a whole lot lighter to use for any limbing and just general toting around than the 066. There probably wouldnt be a big difference in the price of the two options either.
wiley_p
ArboristSite Guru
There is no way regardless of timed cuts that a 372 cuts with a 066, there is something loaded in that comparison. A 066 will kill a 372 in large wood, this must be another one of those 10" poplar cut tests. I suppose a you have a 346 that will cut with a 70cc saw too. whatever.
jokers
Addicted to ArboristSite
wiley,
Maybe you haven`t had the pleasure of running a properly modified saw. I`ve got a Ken Dunn modified 372 that did outcut, by a small margin, a stock 066 in some big maple. Side by side bar buried cuts, both running 24" bars.
I suppose that it is hard to believe until you`ve experienced it firsthand.
Russ
Maybe you haven`t had the pleasure of running a properly modified saw. I`ve got a Ken Dunn modified 372 that did outcut, by a small margin, a stock 066 in some big maple. Side by side bar buried cuts, both running 24" bars.
I suppose that it is hard to believe until you`ve experienced it firsthand.
Russ
Crofter
Addicted to ArboristSite
Wiley, you really shouldnt be so positive about that. If you want to dig up the results of the comparison i did , I think you will find that the wood included dry pine up to 14 inch. I felt the 066 could have handled a larger than the 8 tooths we were running and would have pulled ahead with longer bars on big wood. We were running 16 inch so we could swap and use the same chain. In over 50 cuts with switching operators and timers on the watch, we could not find one consistently faster than the other. Ed has timed other 372's he has ported against stock muffler modded 066's in 24 inch maple and they were still pretty close, but I didnt see that test. My 372 is a working saw not a race saw so for sure there are faster ones out there. Dont make too big a wager. I might not take your money but it could be had!
I have never had a 346 in my hands but I do have a 260 Stihl also ported by Ed Heard that has beat 70 cc saws but not with the same chain and operator.
Ya gotta try it once
wiley_p
ArboristSite Guru
I'm not being unreasonable, I just feel that too much is put on times in small peices of wood, my ported 346 will smoke a dual exhaust, lightly stomped 440 in small wood throw both saws into 24" and up and the 346 will be on the losing end, same with the 066 a modded 066 will slam thru big cuts where the smaller saw will lose ground if this is work saws we are speaking of.
Crofter
Addicted to ArboristSite
Wiley a 346 cutting 24 inch wood is going to need a different chain set up than for small wood or it will fall on its face. It is going to need a lot lighter touch also.
I think a bigger stock saw is more forgiving of less than perfect filing or a bit heavy handed operator. I know for me it is more fun to use my ported 372 than my sons 066. If you had to put 36 inch bars on them both though, the 066 would be the better choice, (but not as good as a ported 066). You are taking more horsepower out of a ported saw so you have more heat to dissipate. If you lug it down, you are slowing the fan that cools it. Dont lend your ported saw to someone that is going to lay on a dull chain.
I think a bigger stock saw is more forgiving of less than perfect filing or a bit heavy handed operator. I know for me it is more fun to use my ported 372 than my sons 066. If you had to put 36 inch bars on them both though, the 066 would be the better choice, (but not as good as a ported 066). You are taking more horsepower out of a ported saw so you have more heat to dissipate. If you lug it down, you are slowing the fan that cools it. Dont lend your ported saw to someone that is going to lay on a dull chain.
ehp
Addicted to ArboristSite
One thing you have to remeber is the difference in the wood, not so much the size but the hardness of it , i lived out west in Vancouver for just over 3 years and ran a mill in PC, we cut hemlock , pine, spruce and the odd time they would ship in oak,
now you cannot compare the wood from there to here because of the growth season is so much longer out there, a 60 year old pine out there will be close to double the diameter that they are here so the rings are alot farther apart and it is alot softer so you can run a longer bar on the saws and cut bigger trees, the softest wood here is white pine but because it was cut so hard 30 years ago there is not much good white pine left,
the 066 is a great saw , it was what i cut with in the bush for 7 years, but when i got in to white pine i could run my 046 .
so if a guy is cutting 20 inch rock maple it will stress the motor fair harder than 40 inch white pine, so i stick ever motor i build into a firewood pile , this is what i feel is the hardest cutting a saw can do because it is 99% rock maple and the saw only gets 3 to 5 seconds between cuts, if it lives there it will live just about anywhere as long as the person trys to keep it at least a little sharp
now you cannot compare the wood from there to here because of the growth season is so much longer out there, a 60 year old pine out there will be close to double the diameter that they are here so the rings are alot farther apart and it is alot softer so you can run a longer bar on the saws and cut bigger trees, the softest wood here is white pine but because it was cut so hard 30 years ago there is not much good white pine left,
the 066 is a great saw , it was what i cut with in the bush for 7 years, but when i got in to white pine i could run my 046 .
so if a guy is cutting 20 inch rock maple it will stress the motor fair harder than 40 inch white pine, so i stick ever motor i build into a firewood pile , this is what i feel is the hardest cutting a saw can do because it is 99% rock maple and the saw only gets 3 to 5 seconds between cuts, if it lives there it will live just about anywhere as long as the person trys to keep it at least a little sharp
Why not just get the dolmar 7900 ? its somewhere slightly about the 046 for power and just slightly heavier then a husky 372.. Might be just the saw you are looking for if you can locate a dealer in your area. Ive had mine now for a few months and Wow has that thing come to life after breaking in a bit.. takes a bit to get used to the feel of it after running huskys and stihls but once you get the feel you wont want to put it down. . Good luck with what ever choice you make.
All three of those saws weigh close enough to the same that I doubt you could discern a difference. I'm going by what they actually weigh, not the published figures (hint: Stihls do weigh what the claim is).
Sticking with the Stihl choice as originally expressed, I don't have an opinion. I don't have an 046 to compare to my 066 for normal average use. I've got a 20" bar on an 044 and a 24" bar on the 066.
Glen
Sticking with the Stihl choice as originally expressed, I don't have an opinion. I don't have an 046 to compare to my 066 for normal average use. I've got a 20" bar on an 044 and a 24" bar on the 066.
Glen
ehp
Addicted to ArboristSite
Jerod did a test this week in 42 inch oak , his 7900 with a 36 inch bar 8 tooth gear skip tooth square filed chain against there 066 with a 8 tooth gear 32 inch bar skip tooth square filed chain, Jerod ground both chains on his silvey, now the 7900 was ported and the 066 was not but the 7900 was ahead ever cut and not just by abit
it is quite simple , if you have a saw that cuts at 9300 to 9600 rpm's in the wood which is were most pro saws cut at ,non pro are lower. And i raise that rpm up to 12000 to 12300 rpm's in the wood with as much torque and in most cases i have more torque , it is going to cut alot faster in any wood, you can gear and file to meet what the saw wants,
when i tested Russ's 460 in big wood for here, 22 inch hard wood , i had a 8 pin gear on it with a normal new round filed chain , and my 066 with a dual port muffler , used the same bar and chain on both saws, the 066 had a 8 tooth gear as well .
first couple runs it was real close but i have to give the win to the 066 so dropped the 460 down to a 7 tooth , 460 won ever cut after by .6 to .7 per cut , 24 inch bar .
it is quite simple , if you have a saw that cuts at 9300 to 9600 rpm's in the wood which is were most pro saws cut at ,non pro are lower. And i raise that rpm up to 12000 to 12300 rpm's in the wood with as much torque and in most cases i have more torque , it is going to cut alot faster in any wood, you can gear and file to meet what the saw wants,
when i tested Russ's 460 in big wood for here, 22 inch hard wood , i had a 8 pin gear on it with a normal new round filed chain , and my 066 with a dual port muffler , used the same bar and chain on both saws, the 066 had a 8 tooth gear as well .
first couple runs it was real close but i have to give the win to the 066 so dropped the 460 down to a 7 tooth , 460 won ever cut after by .6 to .7 per cut , 24 inch bar .
Busy Beaver
ArboristSite Lurker
Hello guys,
This is my first time here
So I hope you can help me with my saw.
Our family owns a Huskyvarna 55 and I cut mostly firewood, but do some tree removal as well.
BTW, I have fully enjoyed what I have read about the saws and how fast they cut. I never believed a saw could cut the wood like that.
I have 5 brothers and we live on a ranch in Libby Montana, so I'm not all that girlie girlie, just sorta like one of the boys I guess.
Getting back to my saw, it smokes in the wood,
I mean the blade smokes and gets hot and I have to push hard
I got a new chain but it does the same after awhile.
My brothers use it too but never sharpen it and I get mad
at them for touching it as it's always dull after they use it
And they just say I'm cutting dirt and rocks. I want my own saw so I can look after it all by myself
I want a 346 and hope I dont have the same problems as I like cutting wood and being in the forest.
Thanks for listening to me.
Roxanne
This is my first time here
So I hope you can help me with my saw.
Our family owns a Huskyvarna 55 and I cut mostly firewood, but do some tree removal as well.
BTW, I have fully enjoyed what I have read about the saws and how fast they cut. I never believed a saw could cut the wood like that.
I have 5 brothers and we live on a ranch in Libby Montana, so I'm not all that girlie girlie, just sorta like one of the boys I guess.
Getting back to my saw, it smokes in the wood,
I mean the blade smokes and gets hot and I have to push hard
I got a new chain but it does the same after awhile.
My brothers use it too but never sharpen it and I get mad
at them for touching it as it's always dull after they use it
And they just say I'm cutting dirt and rocks. I want my own saw so I can look after it all by myself
I want a 346 and hope I dont have the same problems as I like cutting wood and being in the forest.
Thanks for listening to me.
Roxanne
