Yet another saw recommendation inquiry

[brushpile63]

Hello.

I live on 30 acres and for the last 1.5 years I've been using an ms170 to slowly drop mostly small to small-medium alders around my 2400 ft^2 garden.

Im looking at buying something with a bit more power to keep churning through the endless alder onslaught. Even with a sharp chain the ms170 is just too weak. Have had my eye on 261 and 362 and have done plenty of reading on the matter, but wanted to run my thought process by the grizzled seasoned veterans of this fine message board.

I am not a pro and will unlikely to ever be a pro but would like the right tool for the job and money is not necessarily an object either. I do the firewood for fitness and opening up more sky around my garden. I will sell the firewood to a friend and that will pay for the saw soon enough. But I also don't want to end up with too much saw for what is essentially a wannabe homesteader. Yet when I read 261vs 362 discussions elsewhere or here the common thread is that one should just cry once and get the 400.

I figure I can keep the 170 for limbing and a 261 with a 20" bar would be a step up I need to make bucking the slightly bigger diameters(up to 25") more feasible. Alder is fairly soft and the light weight of a 261 supercedes the need for power for a casual user that cuts about 15 hrs/week in the winter.

Or, if I'm going for a 2 saw solution, should I get something bigger? Issue then is I get on a slippery slope of salivating at bigger better more powerful machines.

Thank you for reading.

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

JMO either 261 new ones. Skip the 362 and get the 400 before it's to late.

Thinking I grabbed the right pics of both

 

[irhunter]

Here is the good news, IMO: all of your well-reasoned options will be fine (261, 261M, 362, 362M, 400).

I have a un-rational bias against owning Mtronic saws (I do use them at work). So, I would do the normal-carb 261 or 362.

Considering you have the 170, I would do the 362.

Roy

 

[Mad3400]

You should go with a Standard MS261, it will be an Incomparable upgrade to the MS170.

After running the 261 for a bit and (possibly) feel that you need more power.

Port it or bypass the BS and go Straight to a 70cc class saw.


Mad3400

 

[Czed]

For 400.00 or under a echo cs590 is the best deal out there
I had one for 7 year's excellent saws
Runs right with the 362.

 

[sean donato]

261 with an 18" bar is a great little runner, it will pull a 20" but not my preferred set up for on in hardwoods. Skip the 362 turd, the few extra bucks for a 400 is worth it. I'll never understand the hate for mtronic equipped saws, it's a carb with a fuel seliniod and a few extra wires. I've been running some version of mtronic and auto tune since 2012 with one issue, that was easily fixed.

 

[Evan]

261 will cut like a lazer beam compared to the 170 362 even alittle quicker lazer beam.

Im unsure what the 400 is never seen one in the bush at work so im thinking they are a scarey unpopular machine here in idaho.

Im unsure what the size trees are on your 30 acres but i do know i wouldn't want go go to battle agaisnt it with only a 170 as my weapon.

261 362 462 will make fun tools for your use. Aswell all the other colored comparable saws. No reason to be brand biased.

 

[brushpile63]

I've cut and bucked a few 20" alders with my 16" ms170 and it was slow but doable with a sharp chain. I want to be able to cut maybe up to 24". From my understanding alder is soft as far as hardwoods go. Its pretty much all I will be cutting, maybe some small fir and cedar to thin things out. An occasional cherry maybe.

Since I'm not a pro I don't mind a singular tree taking longer, figure that 50 cc with a sharp chain can do a lot.

So far I'm leaning towards 261 with a 20" bar. I understand that its optimal bar is 18" but I'm not maxing it out on any serious fiber, mostly alder.

Looks like 362 is unnecessary if I want more power than what 261 offers when a 400 exists.

261 is 820 Canadian peso, a 362 is $1120. A 400 would probably be $1400 which is nothing to sneeze at. But also - "buy once, cry once".

My buddy that i cut the firewood for is of the opinion that I should just buy a homeowner saw one size bigger than the 170 and run it into the ground. Although I want a better tool for the job I'm afraid showing up with 400 will make me a target for mockery. Like a new army recruit fresh out of basic picking up a brand new dodge charger on 21% APR.

 

[Evan]

If the 400 is what you want , get it

 

[Jay Hansen]

Four years ago I bought a Husky 550 with a 20" bar and a 562 with a 28" bar. I had both saws outfitted with full skip, full chisel, 3/8 pitch Stihl chain. I cut mostly Doug fir, incense cedar, madrone, black oak, and broadleaf maple. Mostly the diameters range from 10" to just over 30". I find that I very rarely use the 562.
I used to live in SE Alaska, and I've cut quite a bit of alder. The 261 is approximately equal to my 550 and would do a really good job for you in the wood you're describing. It would pull a 20" bar nicely in alder, especially with skip tooth chain. And the 261 WILL pull 3/8 pitch chain just fine, especially in the kind of wood you're cutting. Just don't go bigger than a 7 tooth sprocket.
After the first chain I switched to full skip semi chisel and I like it very much. It MAY be very slightly slower than full chisel immediately after sharpening, but stays sharper longer under my normal cutting conditions.
Good luck. Either saw will work for you, but running a saw that's heavier than you need doesn't really increase your productivity.

 

[sean donato]

Since it sounds like your mostly into softer cutting woods, the 261 would be ticket. You wouldn't be disappointed with the 400 though.

 

[NSEric]

I'd get the 261.
You're cutting sounds kinda similar to mine and a 50cc saw is the best choice.
There will be the odd time you wish you had a bigger saw but 90% of the time the 50cc saw is more than big enough.

 

[hwrdpromac7900]

Echo 590 and a 5yr homeowner warranty.

 

[Chuckshu]

I use firewood to heat my home. Mostly dead ash and dead red oak. I own a ms170, ms261cm mtronic version 1 (3/8 .050 20") and a ms400 (3/8 .050 24"). You will not believe the difference between the 170 and 261. You may never touch the 170 again. I recently got the 400 to replace an 038 only because of weight (fall 2023). The 400 has become my go to saw for almost everything. I still use the 038 for anything over 36". I am sure there are times I could be using the 261, but I usually grab the 400. The 261 still gets use, just not as much.They are both great saws. You would not be disappointed with either one.

 

[ElevatorGuy]

A ported 261 will really open your eyes! A buddy of mine bought a like new ms170 for $100. It’s fine in stuff under 6” but otherwise a turd.

 

[diver64]

Any 50-60cc saw would work.