Bought a Stihl ms261-c

[WoodChuckDad]

Dropped in to Pleasent's hardware in downtown Richmond yesterday to pick up a small forest axe. It turns out that the store is closing and everything is 20% off. I figured that would not include the saws since they can send those to their other stores ( this store has been open for 100 years). When the salesman told me the saws were also 20% off I went back and started looking. Settled on a ms-261-cm Picked it up for just under 500 plus tax. Getting ready to go run it for a couple hours. I hope it matches up to the high ratings I've seen on the net.

 

[gsganzer]

You should be real happy with it. I looked at that saw and a Husky 550XP. I ultimately went with the XP because of my past experience with Husky pro saws, but I have just as many Stihl pro products and no complaints with them either. What length bar and chain pitch did you get?

 

[Will_C]

Great price on a nice saw. My brother has a 261 and I have a 260. There are nice little saws.

Will

 

[motownbrowne]

Congrats!! I was just thinking yesterday that if my 48cc Shindaiwa died that I'd definitely replace it with either a 241cm or 261cm. Hopefully they've been out long enough that the bugs are worked out and the technicians are getting more familiar with them.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

The ground was so wet yesterday that we couldn't use the tractor to pull the trees down the hill after cutting them, so I didn't fell any trees. I had cut down a lot of trees about a month and a half ago so I did cut about 50 -100 5-8 inch pines into sections that my two 16 year old boys and I could take down the hill by hand. This saw cuts like a dream. Runs a little different than the two saws I already have. I have a Dolmar 420 with an 18 inch bar and a Husqvarna 365 special with an 18 inch bar. This saw fits perfectly right in the middle. I have 55 acres of mixed hardwoods and softwoods. Right now I am trying to clear about 4 acres of pine. There are a few big trees that will require the Husky, but this stihl will be my go to saw for most of this work. It really cut well....once I figured out how to start the darn thing. You have to press the throttle to set the choke. And I had left the manual at home. it came with an 18 inch bar and a 3/8 chain. I don't know the other specs on the chain but I can tell you that it cuts amazingly fast.
I can't seem to upload a picture today.

 

[jeff9366]

I have owned my MS-261 for three years.

After you are well familiar with it try an OEM Stihl Swiss-Made 'RS' 67-26 NON-SAFETY CHAIN. It really make the chips fly.

Box carries this warning: "To reduce the risk of kickback injury use only with a properly functioning chain brake. Improper sharpening may increase the risk of kickback. See your authorized Sthl dealer for proper chain maintenance. Stihl recommends its green labeled low kickback saw chains and reduced kickback bar for use on all power heads."

The 'RS' 67-26 is NOT a green-labled low kickback saw chain.

I use my saw a great deal and am used to all its distinctive reactions.

I have my chains sharpened at the Stihl shop @ $4.00. I used to file chains myself be decided the savings in my time was worth more than $4.00. I have maybe fourteen chains in inventory. 'RS' 67-26 will take many Stihl sharpenings. Once a link has been removed to shorten the chain, which my Stihl shop does automatically when it is time, I only dull the chain once again, then discard.

After three years, following the Stihl starting sequence, the saw always starts on the 5th or 6th pull.

Per manual, use 87-octane mid-premium gas. That puppy revs to 17,500 RPM!

MS-261 with 18" bar, 33" LOA, fits in the cargo box of my Kubota RTV500 with 1/4" margin to the tailgate.



RS CHAIN LINK: Stihl RS Chain

 

[motownbrowne]

I'd definitely recommend reading the manual thoroughly!!

 

[s219]

The 261 is likely running 0.325 chain, not 3/8". I had one, and it's a great saw. That is also a great price -- I paid more new back in 2012! If I didn't already have too many saws, I'd take a trip up to Richmond...

What are you doing with the pines you're clearing? I just cleared a section and have about 5 tons of pine stacked up (all 16' sticks). A small quantity like this is hard to sell for pulp, and I'd probably barely cover my costs if I transported them to the mill by myself.

 

[s219]

I have owned my MS-261 for three years.

After you are well familiar with it try an OEM Stihl Swiss-Made 'RS' 67-26 NON-SAFETY CHAIN. It really make the chips fly.

Box carries this warning: "To reduce the risk of kickback injury use only with a properly functioning chain brake. Improper sharpening may increase the risk of kickback. See your authorized Sthl dealer for proper chain maintenance. Stihl recommends its green labeled low kickback saw chains and reduced kickback bar for use on all power heads."

The 'RS' 67-26 is NOT a green-labled low kickback saw chain.

Jeff, the key aspect is the RS, which is a full-chisel chain -- the green/yellow aspect is a red herring for many people (which is unfortunate, as too many people use/recommend yellow chain when they should not). Whether green safety chain or yellow chain, there is no difference in cutting performance along the flat of the bar. The only time you'll notice the difference between green and yellow chain is when doing a plunge cut with the tip. But when cutting along the flat of the bar, green and yellow chains perform identical. This is easy to verify when comparing the chains and seeing how they behave along the flat and along the tip. When rounding the tip, the safety rakers do their thing, but stow the rest of the time.

I use a couple different types of chain. I have some RS chains, and they do have better "ultimate" cutting performance, but the thing to keep in mind is that RS / full-chisel dulls very easily, which will cancel out that benefit. I switched to semi-chisel (RM from Stihl) and immediately saw a benefit in that it required fewer breaks to sharpen the chain (or change the chain for you folks whole don't file). If the wood is dirty at all, semi-chisel will generally be more productive overall. I got the tip about semi-chisel from a logger, and he was right on the money.

 

[jeff9366]

Thanks for descanting. I will buy a Stihl 'RM' chain to try for myself. Always like new experiences. Swapping sharp for dull chains is not my favorite thing.

I have not found the RS chain to dull sooner, but I am careful to keep the bar away from dirt and sand. With only an 18" bar on my saw, the whole bar is working in >20" stumps as I cut them.

STIHL RM CHAIN LINK: Stihl RM Chain

 

[WoodChuckDad]

The 261 is likely running 0.325 chain, not 3/8". I had one, and it's a great saw. That is also a great price -- I paid more new back in 2012! If I didn't already have too many saws, I'd take a trip up to Richmond...

What are you doing with the pines you're clearing? I just cleared a section and have about 5 tons of pine stacked up (all 16' sticks). A small quantity like this is hard to sell for pulp, and I'd probably barely cover my costs if I transported them to the mill by myself.

I stand corrected. I just went out to the shop and it is .325 74 link .063 18 inch. 30 degree angle.

I had to google "descanting".

As for the pine, I am putting in an orchard. I have an offer on 15 acres of my timber right now...so my forester tells me..I'm waiting for the contract to show up. The area I am cu
tting right now is a hill that will get me to a slope on my land near my build site, where I would like to put in my first 3 acres of trees...the clock is ticking and everything is going slowly.....because of all the rain, and the softened ground, I don't want to have them skid the trees across my pond dam, which seems to be the only way to get those trees out of there right now....So, if it doesn't dry out soon I will probably push those pines down and burn most of them. 5 tons of pine would only get me 40 bucks... I am pretty sure I will have more than that, but realistically I don't expect to generate more than $500 per acre with the pines that I would be removing on that slope....the damage to the dam would far exceed that if I let them skid the trees across.

Darn! I think I just descanted again.

 

[s219]

Thanks for descanting. I will buy a Stihl 'RM' chain to try for myself. Always like new experiences. Swapping sharp for dull chains is not my favorite thing.

I have not found the RS chain to dull sooner, but I am careful to keep the bar away from dirt and sand. With only an 18" bar on my saw, the whole bar is working in >20" stumps as I cut them.

STIHL RM CHAIN LINK: Stihl RM Chain

I think you'll really only notice the improvement with semi-chisel if cutting dirty wood or doing production sawing where you don't have a choice. If you're careful to only saw clean wood, full-chisel will do OK.

My Husky 562 came with full-chisel, and I have been using that until the chain wears out. Was doing a lot of felling a couple weeks ago, and the chain held up fine. Once I started bucking the logs, which had been cabled out, the full-chisel started getting dull real quick, and took a lot of filing.

 

[newbury]

OP -
How's the oiler on that? Can you get it to sling oil off the chain? That has always been my problem with my "newer" Stihls and I've been thinking of getting a 261 size for my son (so I can reclaim use of my 021).

 

[motownbrowne]

OP -
How's the oiler on that? Can you get it to sling oil off the chain? That has always been my problem with my "newer" Stihls and I've been thinking of getting a 261 size for my son (so I can reclaim use of my 021).

They don't squirt oil like the old saws, that's for sure. I use their bio-oil in my saws, it's thinner and seems to flow better, plus I feel better about spreading it over my property.

If I were you, I'd make sure to run them side by side before giving him the 261. It should be quite a bit faster than an 021. I'd let him keep it and keep the 261 for myself, but that's me.

 

[jeff9366]

There is a screw adjustment on the MS-261 to change bar oil flow.

 

[s219]

Even at the max setting, the new Stihl saws are stingy with oil. That includes the 261 I owned, and the 461 I still own. However, neither saw has even given me oiling issues, and they do go through oil at about the right rate. When I mill lumber with the 461, I have to refill oil about 1/2 as much as fuel, and that means every 2-3 boards it gets refilled. So anyhow, even though the oil doesn't sling off the bar like it used to in the old days, the saws are oiling OK. You can sort of see a mist of oil from the tip, but it's not very obvious.

 

[gsganzer]

Even at the max setting, the new Stihl saws are stingy with oil.

I find the same thing with my Husky 550XP. I have it dialed to max and you hardly see any oil . It's working like it should, because it uses about 3/4 tank of oil to a tank of gas but it's not like my old 266XP that used to throw the oil big time. It must be a new environmental thing.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Took down another 30 or so trees yesterday. I really like the way this saw performs.

 

[slaveToHorses]

I have my chains sharpened at the Stihl shop @ $4.00. I used to file chains myself be decided the savings in my time was worth more than $4.00. I have maybe fourteen chains in inventory. 'RS' 67-26 will take many Stihl sharpenings. Once a link has been removed to shorten the chain, which my Stihl shop does automatically when it is time, I only dull the chain once again, then discard.

I can't imagine taking my saws in to be sharpened. Good price though. I sharpen the chains every day, sometimes on all 5 saws, if my minion and I are in full cut mode. But then I don't have the luxury of cutting clean wood too often.
What I did get is a battery powered Dremel tool and the stones they make for sharpening saw chains. Really handy combo. Stihl (pun intended) use the files for finesse work though. I also have one of those bench mount power goodies for sharpening chains off the saw. But generally I only take the chains off for deep cleaning or dropping a link or if the top edge needs an angle clean up.

 

[TomSeller]

I really like my Stihl 261. Best all around of my bunch. I don't get too hung up on the speed of the cut, I more like the overall weight, balance and relative power. I don't like the safety chains but don't need the super fast ones either. Plus it starts real well, sometimes on the first pull.