Larger Saw Purchase

[vtrick00]

Recently, I bought a MS261 Stihl to do some clean up after a storm. It done a great job, no complaints. In order to feel better about future storms, I need to take down a dozen or more 20 to 28 inch trees around the house. For the price our local cutter quoted the job, I can buy a larger saw and do the job myself.

Stihl dealers are the only ones around where I live. Was quoted a good price on a MS660 today. Was wondering if a 90 cc saw is too big for the job. Is it possible to have a saw too large for the job?
Thanks,
Rj

 

[Creamer]

I like the lightest saw that will do the job. Your 261 should have adequate power for those trees. A 20 inch bar will do fine on a 30 inch tree - just take little longer in the lower trunks cuts but those are relatively few as compared to all the others.

Can you have too much saw? Absolutely - when you get tired of handling it. I have a friend that almost always uses his MS170, he only pulls out his MS 290 when he needs it.

 

[newbury]

You can size the saw to the job. I've an 021, a John Deer CS62, 2 660's and an 088. The 088 is definitely overkill for most of my trees. The 660's are nice but a little heavy. The JD 62 is just right for most trees under 30" DBH.

 

[Tompet]

I like the lightest saw that will do the job. Your 261 should have adequate power for those trees. A 20 inch bar will do fine on a 30 inch tree - just take little longer in the lower trunks cuts but those are relatively few as compared to all the others.

Can you have too much saw? Absolutely - when you get tired of handling it. I have a friend that almost always uses his MS170, he only pulls out his MS 290 when he needs it.

Good points.

What size bar on your 261?
I looked at 261 and it was really a comfortable feeling saw. However, I went with the 362 and 20" bar and I am pretty pleased. I briefly toyed with the 441, but passed.
Since you have the 261 did you consider a 441 or 461? Those are a good jump from the 261 with plenty of power.

 

[Happy Gilmore]

The 660 is a great saw, but probably more saw then you'll need, unless you plan on doing some serious timber harvesting in the future. I'm far from an expert, but my 3 most used saws are an 026 PRO, 036 PRO and an 046 Magnum. Out of the three my 026 is my go to with the 036 coming in second. I have 7 other Stihl saws. I really enjoy the 046, it's often not required but I have a "chainsaw thing." They're enjoyable to me. Depending on how close to your home the trees are and how much experience you have felling, the cost to having a professional drop them and deal with them may be money well spent.

 

[xring100]

Recently, I bought a MS261 Stihl to do some clean up after a storm. It done a great job, no complaints. In order to feel better about future storms, I need to take down a dozen or more 20 to 28 inch trees around the house. For the price our local cutter quoted the job, I can buy a larger saw and do the job myself.

Stihl dealers are the only ones around where I live. Was quoted a good price on a MS660 today. Was wondering if a 90 cc saw is too big for the job. Is it possible to have a saw too large for the job?
Thanks,
Rj

Welcome to the forum my first question is how are you built and do you have good upper body strength and a good back? I have a 50" chest and can bench 2 sets of 15-20 reps at 250lbs

No the 660 is not to much saw for that kind of wood but it would make cutting fun. Is the saw to much for you the better question. I bought a m361 because my dad has a 026 predecessor to the ms260/261 it just didn't have the power to satisfy me when cutting anything close to 18"
The Ms361 cuts 20" wood descently fast, and alll was fine until all the ash died. My buddy and I had countless 24" plus ash trees the 361 is rated for 24" bar but I found it was painfully slow in the ash.
Maybe I should have tried skip tooth chain to get more power per tooth.

After taking 8 or more of these 80foot trees I said screw it I need more power. Thought about the 460 but it really was not much more saw than the 361 4.4 hp v 6. Didn't seem like a big enough jump. So I bought the ms660 this saw kicks but. I run a 25" bar 70% of the time with full chisel RSC chain and a 36" with RSF or RMF skip tooth the rest of the time.
The saw is perfectly ballanced with the 25" bar while the 361 is noise heavy.

The 660 is a beast and it is heavy. With 7 hp it flat out cuts and makes every one whom ive let run it giddy and giggle like a school girl My buddy runs a husky 372xp 5.3 hp and a very nice saw worth looking at. He agrees the 660 in the big wood is pure happy significantly faster than his. Pretty much now if I'm cutting 12-14" or larger I go for the 660 its just faster. I use the 361 for limbing and sometimes felling smaller trees up 16" - 18" if I have a bunch to drop.
With that said my nextor neighbor has a 290 farmboss it's been a goodsaw but he wanted more. I recommend him to go for the 460 which he bought and loves ive run his saw is significantly lighter but still cuts 20 plus wood pretty darn fast. I would say look at the 461 if you only have a few of these trees youd probably be happy with either.

If I had envisioned owning a 660 or 460 I would have definitely bought a ms260 or 261 instead of the 361. As its usued pretty much only for limbing.

In my book if your looking to pay someone or buy a new tool to get the job done id say go for it. But then again every time we have a project my wife claims I come up with excuses to buy new tools. I say fine pay more for someone else to do it.

 

[xring100]

Good points.

What size bar on your 261?
I looked at 261 and it was really a comfortable feeling saw. However, I went with the 362 and 20" bar and I am pretty pleased. I briefly toyed with the 441, but passed.
Since you have the 261 did you consider a 441 or 461? Those are a good jump from the 261 with plenty of power.

Yes agreed. I was drafting my initial response when yours came in.

although considering 441 and 461 are same weight might as well get the 461 unless you really want the electronic stuff. In the 441 hp range id go for a husky 372xp which is significantly less weight and almost as much power as the 441.

 

[boggen]

tree crew = removing branchs most likely out of the top via a bucket truck or like. and chipping everything into a pile or into a dump truck or like. and moving the stuff off your property. and they most likely have some sort of stump remover, either a stump grinder, or backhoe or like to dig the stump out. and they more likely have larger machine and trailer to deal with the bigger lower trunks. so ya not having to mess around with it. not to mention dealing with bring the tree down, and dealing with nearby homes, sheds, power lines, etc...

 

[s219]

Be careful comparing pricing, as a tree crew will still save you a lot of time, aggravation, and safety risks.

660 is way overkill. I'd say 441 or 461 (I have the latter with 28" titanium bar). Even the 461 is a beast. I use my 261 for anything requiring precision or athletic moves. The 461 is for the big stuff where weight and bulk aren't a problem. I've felled 32" cypress trees with an 18" bar on the 261 just because it was going to be more manageable for the task. Size isn't everything.

 

[square1]

Are they are mostly 20" trees with an odd 1 or 2 at 28"? You can take down 20" trees all day long with a 16~18" bar. You can also take down 28" trees with a 16~18" bar, it's just more work

I think minimum power would be in the 50 cc range for your task. As others have said, a bigger saw takes better conditioning to run for any period of time to do the same work to a point.

The tree below was probably about the biggest I would tackle with with my Husqvarna 445 (46 cc & 16" bar) but it didn't just fall over when I walked up to it. It was work.

 

[oosik]

When I cut trees on the property(30 years ago, for firewood) I had a very large Sthil(like the 660 or bigger) with a 26 or 28 inch bar. The Ponderosa pine on my property are old growth and run 28 to 40 inches on the butt. It was great for felling and cutting to length. For anything else, it was way to heavy and too long. And as you tire with a saw that big - your toes and front of your feet become subject to loss, you get my drift.

What xring100 (Dave) says about upper body strength is a VERY valid point. I could, back then, handle the big Stihl, safely, for about two hours. Now, I would not even consider using a saw that big. Now, I have two smaller Stihls - MS192 with 14" bar and MS280 with 20" bar. If I can't cut it up with either of those two saws - then to He77 with it.

 

[vtrick00]

Thanks for all the input. Your shared experience definitely will help with my decision. I have 16 acres that is completely wooded. Most of the trees are oak and beech. All being in the size class I mentioned. The dozen or so trees that need to come down are either near my house or driveway. After the last storm. Two were blown over blocking my drive. I was stranded until my neighbor help me cut enough of a path to go to the stihl dealer. That got me thinking about the bigger saw and the other trees that needs to be fell. I'm getting a little age on my carcass and probably couldn't handle very big saws for an extended period. If I plan the jobs out, I would eliminate the trees one at a time making sure I would not be over doing it. I would be using the 261 for most of the work after getting the tree fell. I'll narrow my focus down to a 441 or a 460. The dealer had a 441 on the shelf yesterday and it felt good, weight and balance. Since the 460 weighs the same is the balance similar to the 441? Should the Mtronic be a factor in deciding on which saw?
Thanks
Rj

 

[mikehaugen]

If I had envisioned owning a 660 or 460 I would have definitely bought a ms260 or 261 instead of the 361. As its usued pretty much only for limbing.

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=382646"/>

Exactly the boat I'm in. I have a 361 and a really small 015. The 361 is a great all around saw, but find myself wanting a little bit bigger or a little bit smaller saw most times. My next purchase will probably be a 261, but for a bigger saw, a 461 doesn't seem like enough imrovement, and a 660 is probably bigger than needed.

 

[BobG_in_VA]

No matter what you decide, always remember that a chainsaw has NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE OR LIMBS. As previously noted, never use a saw that feels to heavy, or unwieldly...also if you decide to get a new saw...keep your original...worst thing is you stick the new saw in a cut that binds it up...now you need the old saw to cut the new one out. as the food lion would say, "Just my two cents". BobG in VA

 

[Happy Gilmore]

No matter what you decide, always remember that a chainsaw has NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE OR LIMBS. As previously noted, never use a saw that feels to heavy, or unwieldly...also if you decide to get a new saw...keep your original...worst thing is you stick the new saw in a cut that binds it up...now you need the old saw to cut the new one out. as the food lion would say, "Just my two cents". BobG in VA

Very good point! vtrick, not being a wise guy,but how much time under your belt felling and bucking up wood do you have? One worthwhile investment, even if only for your current saw is a good pair of chaps. I can speak firsthand on what a chainsaw does to flesh, not pretty. Chaps are a good investment, a helmet with eye and ear protection doesn't hurt either.

 

[vtrick00]

Great suggestions. I'll invest in a good pair of chaps and put safety first. It's been several years since I did quite a bit of felling. I may contract the local company to fell the couple of trees that are closest to the house.

 

[94BULLITT]

Thanks for all the input. Your shared experience definitely will help with my decision. I have 16 acres that is completely wooded. Most of the trees are oak and beech. All being in the size class I mentioned. The dozen or so trees that need to come down are either near my house or driveway. After the last storm. Two were blown over blocking my drive. I was stranded until my neighbor help me cut enough of a path to go to the stihl dealer. That got me thinking about the bigger saw and the other trees that needs to be fell. I'm getting a little age on my carcass and probably couldn't handle very big saws for an extended period. If I plan the jobs out, I would eliminate the trees one at a time making sure I would not be over doing it. I would be using the 261 for most of the work after getting the tree fell. I'll narrow my focus down to a 441 or a 460. The dealer had a 441 on the shelf yesterday and it felt good, weight and balance. Since the 460 weighs the same is the balance similar to the 441? Should the Mtronic be a factor in deciding on which saw?
Thanks
Rj

I have a MS441CM and a MS660. I really don't need anything bigger than the 441. If I was going to buy a 441 it would defiantly be a Mtronic, it makes for a awesome running saw. The 441 has a better antivibe than the 461 or 660. It a smooth/ comfortable saw to run. The 441cm is the Rolls Royce of chainsaws. If were you I would look at the 441CM or the 660. Once you get up the a 461 you are almost up to the price of a 660. If you are not used to running a big saw either saw will give you a work out.

 

[94BULLITT]

I also forgot to saw the 441 likes to turn high rpms and the 660 had a lot of torque.

 

[motownbrowne]

A good combo is a 50cc saw, which you have and a 70cc saw like the 440 series. I have a 50 and 60. Bought the 60 (ms361) first. It was a good compromise. I lived in WA then and there was some big firs to cut, so the 24" bar was handy. Doing it over, I would get a 50 and 70.

90 is overkill for your task. A ms660 is not fun to lug around. Saws that big are for cutting a lot of firewood fast or felling real big timber. The arborist I worked with regularly dropped 40"+ firs with a 460 and 36" bar. It was plenty of power.

 

[newbury]

<snip>A ms660 is not fun to lug around. Saws that big are for cutting a lot of firewood fast or felling real big timber. The arborist I worked with regularly dropped 40"+ firs with a 460 and 36" bar. It was plenty of power.

But if you ever want to CSM they are very handy.