Buying Advice Need Second Stihl Commercial Chainsaw, Larger Than MS261

[Garandman]

Fun? Unsubscribing from the thread if this is normal between members.

韮randing is the process by which companies establish an emotional connection with their products: so you will be willing to pay more. We used to say buyers use facts to justify their emotional choice.....

There are many strong consumer brands, and their owners respond emotionally, not rationally. There are many strong consumer brands where this is the case: Apple, Harley Davidson, John Deere, several light truck brands - and apparently, Stihl and Husquavarna. You will see many é›»iscussions here that have their basis in this brand identification, and this is one of them, so yes, typical.

Personally, I致e never seen a Dolmar and my dealer sells Husquavarna and Stihl. I believe the Stihl chains are more rugged than the Oregons, but the chain does not know what brand of Saw is making it go around....The Dolmar PS510 seems to be about $10 less than the MS271 we have.

I saw this kind of branding when buying a walk behind snow thrower, between Ariens and Honda owners, and it irritated me. So I bought both. I would consider buying a Dolmar as well. Went to the dealer listed and - none there. They had Jonsered, which is a rebadged Husquavarna.....

 

[two_bit_score]

It seems to me from my observation that Stihl has the widest and deepest local dealer network of any brand. Some dealers are better stocked and provide better service than others of course. But other brands can't hold a candle to Stihl dealer network.

Yes any saw shop can work on them but most new buyers don't have any idea where a good local independent saw shop is. After they get connected with the Stihl dealer they usually don't look further.

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[jeff9366]

I wouldn't bother with the 362, its too close in power to what you have. Moving up, I believe the 441 and 461 are the same weight, so I'd go with the slightly larger displacement on the 461 for cutting through big hardwoods.

I haven't used too many saws in my lifetime, but didn't notice much difference starting them.

Working long hours with a heavier saw has a much bigger impact on your body!

I took delivery of Stihl MS 461 yesterday, with Stihl recommended #3624 (33 RS3 84) OILOMATIC saw chain and 25" 3003 000 4030 Ematic guide bar combination.

At age 70 I can start it OK. My Stihl professional MS 261 saw, purchased new in 2013, became easier to start after wearing in. I expect the MS 461 will be the same.

Bar and chain combination is a little front heavy. It is fine for cutting the 36" to 48" diameter, grounded Water Oak tree trunks I need to section, so I can move them with the tractor FEL.

I will not be using the MS 461 unless most of the bar is in a tree.
Too cumbersome and potentially hazardous for trim work, with my strength.
I have been using chainsaws for 30 years without injury, a record I wish to maintain.

January 2018 price: $1,119.95 plus $78.40 sales tax = $1,198.35

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE ADVICE.​

 

[Garandman]

Nice!

 

[LD1]

OUCH on the price of them these days.

 

[newbury]

Without pics of you and the saw it's just an internet rumor.

 

[ericm979]

A lightweight bar will make it less nose heavy. Stihl and Oregon make ones with aluminium inserts. Sugihara and Tsumura make ones with plastic inserts. They're supposed to be nice. I'll get one if I end up using the long bar a lot. The various light bars cut about 25% of the weight of the bar, which in 2' sizes is over 3 lbs.

 

[s219]

I think I mentioned it, but if you get a Stihl ES Light bar, it makes a big difference. My 28" ES Light bar has the same balance as the standard 20" bar. This has benefits for handling/balance as well as user fatigue. Not too expensive either. You want to look for every advantage.

 

[goeduck]

Congratulations! That is a quality saw.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Do any of you know when this MS462 is going to be here in the states and for sale? I am interested in a hot rod lightweight saw to have along side my 026.

 

[newbury]

Do any of you know when this MS462 is going to be here in the states and for sale? I am interested in a hot rod lightweight saw to have along side my 026.

Don't know but from Arboristsite:

I was told at a dealer that they were told the saw won't be available until mid 2018. Not sure if that's old news to everyone already.

 

[Jstpssng]

No one armed with just your age can say what you can do safely. I have a 32 inch Husqvarna and will be 75 on my birthday. It is a handful to start but not that tough so as to avoid using it. I do find I don't last very long working with the saw up over my head.

Some vendors of chain saws, especially if they repair saws, will have a "test" log on which they will probably let you make some test cuts if you convince them you are a serious buyer and just need to "size" yourself to the right saw.

Patrick

Too true. The owner of the hotel I once stayed in down in Vermont was 78 years old. He would clean the rooms every morning, because he couldn't find someone who could do them to his standards. He then would go out and fell a load of wood for his skidder operator to bring to the yard for delimbing.

 

[jeff9366]

Without pics of you and the saw it's just an internet rumor.

Picture

 

[Rock Crawler]

Stihl MS261 CM for $522. Good deal, good saw? Any reason to say no? Going from a Stihl 026. I'd like more power, yet not get overly heavy. I don't much over 18" diameter here, and a lot in the 14"-16" range with just a few in the 28"-32" range that I will not touch unless they are sick.

 

[s219]

Stihl MS261 CM for $522. Good deal, good saw? Any reason to say no? Going from a Stihl 026. I'd like more power, yet not get overly heavy. I don't much over 18" diameter here, and a lot in the 14"-16" range with just a few in the 28"-32" range that I will not touch unless they are sick.

That's a good price if with bar/chain (I thought 18" was perfect). I had a 261 for several years and it was a very good strong saw. However, both Husky (550XP) and Echo (CS-501P) make better 50cc saws now, so they are worth a look.

I wouldn't expect the 261 to be notably stronger than your 026, unless that old guy has lost some guts with age. 60cc is where you'll notice a big increase in power over the 50cc saws, although with slight weight penalty. For the size wood you mention, I like a 60cc saw myself.

 

[Garandman]

Just purchased a Granberg Alaska Mill and ripping chain for an MS271 Farm Boss. Mostly slicing Eastern Hemlock 15-18 inch diameter . Will that be painfully slow, and should I plan to upgrade?

 

[ericm979]

Probably. Without an adjustable oiler the chain may not get enough oil.

My experience with ripping large eucalyptus rounds to get them small enough to go in the loader is that even with ripping chain it's at best half the cut speed of cross cutting. I was using my 362CM with an 18" bar and Bailey's ripping chain. It was really slow and hard on the saw. Making lumber you'll be taking much longer cuts, which is even harder on the saw. I had the oiler turned up all the way and it could have used more. It didn't roach the bar but the chain got a lot of gunk accumulated on it. Since then I got a used 460 for that kind of stuff and have a high output oil pump coming.

 

[deserteagle71]

I don't know why the manufacturers went away from having a manual oiler. Back in 1980 I bought a Homelite 450 Pro saw with 24" bar. Since then I've cut untold cords of wood with it, and I still use it when I have bigger trees to cut. In addition to the automatic oiler it has a manual one that can be pumped while cutting. I use that manual oiler a lot when cutting up an old, dead, hard juniper or mahogany snag. Sure goes though the oil that way but it's well worth it in keeping the bar cool and clean.

 

[newbury]

Just purchased a Granberg Alaska Mill and ripping chain for an MS271 Farm Boss. Mostly slicing Eastern Hemlock 15-18 inch diameter . Will that be painfully slow, and should I plan to upgrade?

Yup.

I started with a JD CS62 (62CC) milling 18" maple. Worked barely. Get a 90CC saw.

And that's a good point on the oiler. I upgraded both my 660's to HD oilers.

 

[s219]

Just purchased a Granberg Alaska Mill and ripping chain for an MS271 Farm Boss. Mostly slicing Eastern Hemlock 15-18 inch diameter . Will that be painfully slow, and should I plan to upgrade?

A 271 isn't even close to being a good saw for milling -- for one thing, not enough cooling or oiling, but it will definitely be down on power from where you want to be. I consider the Stihl 461 the smallest feasible saw for milling.

That said, be aware that slabbing up smaller trees will be a challenge because you're trying to perch the mill on the log. By the time you square up that size tree, you are probably talking about a 10-11" square. It will be unwieldy to run a 75-90cc saw with an Alaskan rig on such small wood. I have done it, but it's kind of like sawing on a toothpick.

For smaller wood, I like using my beam jig. I have a 2x12 LVL beam with the aluminum guide track on it, which I screw down to the top of the log, then run the saw down the sides. It works well. Makes nice beams, or does a good job squaring up the log before you cut boards with the slabbing jig.

Hemlock is some pretty wood and makes nice looking wood for interior paneling or trim, or posts/beams.

Here's a smaller oak log in the process of being squared into a beam: