Nothing wrong with buying another tool.

If you really have no use for a saw, I'd consider renting. If you're fixed on buying with little use I'd consider something in Stihl's farm and ranch series.

Saws get heavy, that's when things can go wrong. Watch your wood, anticipate what it's going to do and you'll be fine. Have fun!

Let the saw do the work; if you're working, your chain needs a touch with a file.

Depends a lot on your physical condition and ability to run machinery and what you will be using it on. I have a very intelligent, in shape cousin about your age who has been around chainsaws all his life who darn near killed himself with one that contacted his leg. A smaller lighter saw is a better pick for a weekend warrior but it may be inadequate or slow on a trunk the size of the one in your picture. I have several saws which solves the problem of the right saw for the job but you probably only want to buy one. Thirteen pounds doesn't sound like a lot of weight and it's not if you are young and tough but if you're not, it will wear you out. Whatever you get, be very careful and consider chaps.

Okay, apologies, but I haven't read all responses. Started to reply earlier, but got waylaid...

We have several saws on the ranch, both Stihl and Husqvarna. Both the employees and I find the Stihl easier to start.

We have saws larger and smaller, but the go-to is either the Stihl 025 (older model), or MS250 (the newer name for basically the same saw. Both wear an 18" bar and have good power. Sure, when cutting up a fallen oak with a four foot or bigger diameter trunk, we'll use a bigger saw, but we keep the 025 or MS250 handy and switch once we start cutting smaller stuff. Your shoulders and elbows will thank you.

I think I saw someone suggest renting. This is an excellent idea. Try it, get your job done, and decide if this is something you could see using a lot more or something you'd really prefer to be done with.

Is you do buy a saw, either feed it 100LL aviation gasoline or be sure to drain all the fuel out of it and run the carb dry. Even with fuel stabilizers, the auto gas that one can buy now has many additives that turn it to crud while sitting in the shed for a few months.

Good luck with your project!

Go big or go home - Stihl MS 880 MAGNUM with a 59" bar BTW, I am not a chainsaw expert.

This is what I love about this forum. Great fantastic support and advice.

A couple of things. I am 60, but I also run 40 - 50 miles a week and just qualified for the Boston Marathon so I am reasonably fit.

Renting here is insane. I can literally buy for just under what the rental would cost. It makes no sense.

I'll process more tomorrow but right now I am leaning towards the 18 inch Farm Boss.

I really appreciate the input. Would love to see the info keep coming.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
Be very careful cutting that tree that's off the ground. Start on the small end and get all the small stuff out of the way first. Cutting from the underside is when you are at greater risk of kickback but you'll need to cut from below or the saw will pinch.

Saws kick back when the tip is up against whatever you are trying to cut. Cutting with the top of the bar sends the chips away from you. Just make sure you are cutting up close to the base of the bar and you'll be fine. Try on a limb 2-3" in diameter where you have good access to practice.

One other consideration: There is often torque on a trunk. It is supported by limbs, but often not evenly. Sometimes when you cut the trunk it will twist and roll in in one direction or another. You want to make sure everything is clear around your feet and you are ready to move at the first bit of motion.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
I cut trees for a living. If you haven't felt the need for a saw until now you really don't need much saw. I suggest getting a low end Stihl with a 16" bar and see how you do. If you are the least bit competent avoid the tool free chain adjuster and any of the silly starting aids. If after a bit you find yourself wanting more saw then you can evaluate.
The best overall smaller saws in the current stihl lineup for overall 'real' use imo are the 261 (I use this when I have to hike into the area where I am cutting and carry two saws), the 362 (the best overall saw they make with an 18" bar) and for real trees (not your issue 661's).
The recommendation for looking at the classifieds is a good one. If you can find the prior generation Stihl saws in good shape it will be cheaper and you will get a better saw. I buy every Stihl 361 I see that's not junk.
In general if all you have is that one tree (ish) getting a neighbor who has a saw or even paying someone is likely the cheapest route.

Follow that^^ advice from a pro. A 261 is the cat's meow. You should also give some thought to the chain type on the saw. There is a big difference between a .325 anti-kick vs a 3/8 chisel cut, and the power required to drive the chain type + bar length.

I use a MS 362 with 25" bar partially because I heat solely with wood so I fell buck and split 6-7 cords per year. The other reason is that with a 25" bar I can stand erect and buck trees all day without back pain.
A occasional user and person looking for a medium saw I'd recommend a farm boss 271 or 291 with a 20".
If you buy from Stihl, get a 6 pk of engine oil, it doubles your warranty.

A similar situation turned me into a chainsaw owner. I bought a Stihl MS251 with a 16 inch bar. This saw has been great. It starts easy, isn't too heavy and has plenty of power. Heck, if I lived close to you, I would drive over there and enjoy cutting that one up!
YouTube has a lot of videos on chainsaw safety, watch a few to begin with. Then watch several tree cutting fails videos to see how not to do it. Be safe! These things are unforgiving.

Late to this but I will give you my input.

I'm 70 next week and having been using a chainsaw since I was twelve. I have two saws in the barn now, a small 14 inch Poulan Shark that I use for limbing and such and a Husky Farm Boss in 20 inch. My Farm Boss would be just fine for that tree.

As far as brand goes, it's silly to think that a Stihl starts better than a Husquvarna. They are both excellent saws and I have owned Sthils in the past. It is all about HOW you start it, not who made it. There is a procedure that works the same for each and if you follow it you will love your saw. If not, you won't. PM me and I will be glad to go over it with you.

Not sure how much $$$ they go for nowadays but I think I gave around three bills for the Husky.

Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:
If this is the only time you are going to use it I'd either buy a used saw, rent one or borrow one.

I own two saws (Stihl MS260, and an MS460), both are in their pro lineup and will be significant overkill for your needs. I'm using both the small and big saw quite regularly, though.

For extremely occasional use, I agree with the above quoted post. Saws don't like to sit unused for long periods of time, gas degrades, the chain links can get rusty, etc.

My recommendation is to rent or borrow a saw, or even borrow an experienced operator along with a saw. Perhaps you can bribe said experienced operator with offers of currency or beverages.

Saws are entertaining to play with but can severely injure or kill you in just a tiny fraction of a second if you do something wrong.

I am not an expert, but have used one far more than I had ever intended, usually during emergent situations.

Another vote here for an entry level Stihl with about a 20" bar. I have been through several generations of saws and got damn sick and tired of saws that won't start when you need them. Until I bought a Stihl. Following Hurricane Ivan we had more than 400 trees down on the ranch, anywhere from 4" to 46" in diameter. We ran chain saws every day for 4 months. We wore out more than two dozen chains and a couple of bars but the Stihls started every time. Hurricane Dennis came through the following year and the Stihls sitting the barn started right up. We now have 4 Stihl saws in the barn and the other brand saws we had have since gone to the recycler.

With hurricane season approaching I am reminded to go to the barn and make sure they are sharpened and ready for the season.

Please get instruction on how to safely use the saw, and wear protective gear.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
....Stihl with a 16" bar and see how you do. If you are the least bit competent avoid the tool free chain adjuster and any of the silly starting aids....the 362 (the best overall saw they make with an 18" bar) and for real trees (not your issue 661's)....if all you have is that one tree (ish) getting a neighbor who has a saw or even paying someone is likely the cheapest route.

What he said. I have a 201, a 362 and a 661. If you're set on buying your own saw, the 362 is an excellent choice, get a second chain and 2 or 3 short plastic wedges to hammer into the cut. They keep the log from closing on the bar.

quote:

Originally posted by Chance:
I can literally buy for just under what the rental would cost. It makes no sense.

Then you are probably not considering a quality saw. Maybe you don't need one that will last, many people don't.

quote:

Originally posted by Bassamatic:
As far as brand goes, it's silly to think that a Stihl starts better than a Husquvarna.

Correct. If a saw is infrequently used it might not start easily, regardless of the brand.

I would agree with those that say rent if it's needed only about twice a year. I own an MS250 and an MS290. The 250 will handle quite a bit of what you've got, but the biggest trunk piece, a 20" saw with a proper motor is what you want. Stihl or Husky imo.

quote:

Originally posted by MRBTX:
I would agree with those that say rent if it's needed only about twice a year.

Unfortunately, when a storm goes through all the renters need one at the same time. I would not be without a chainsaw (or two) unless I lived in a place with no trees bigger than 3" diameter. It's not a huge investment and will last a lifetime if you take care of it.

20" works well for me most of the time. Of all the saws I've owned over the past 40 years Echo has been the most reliable. I have an old ( Mid 80's or so) Echo 12" trim saw that used to be my Dads and it has tons of hours on it and runs like a champ...never broken, never failed to start, ever. I like Husky and Stihl as well but my latest saw is an Echo CS550P 20" really like it. I had an old Husky 61 that was an absolutely great saw. I don't do cordwood anymore so the new Echo does not see extreme use.

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:
We have several saws on the ranch, both Stihl and Husqvarna. Both the employees and I find the Stihl easier to start.

We have saws larger and smaller, but the go-to is either the Stihl 025 (older model), or MS250 (the newer name for basically the same saw. Both wear an 18" bar and have good power.

That would be my recommendation. (The MS250 is the newer version of the venerable old 025 I have.)

An 18" bar is pretty much an ideal length for a general utility chain saw, IMO. The professionals to whom I've spoken have tended to agree.

You have to be careful to buy neither too much or too little saw. Too much saw and it's unwieldy. Trust me: A chain saw can get real tiring, real fast. Rarely are you holding it in an "ideal" position. E.g.: When you're bucking, which is what you'll be doing with that fallen tree, you'll be bending over, lifting, lowering, holding that thing.

Too little saw creates another problem: Insufficient power and poor (read: dangerous) technique. In addition to the 025, last year I bought a top-handle Tanaka with a 12" bar. It's great for limbing and other kinds of trim work--even felling smaller trees, but, its much lower power and smaller bar makes it a lot easier to stall, pinch or get into trouble. I've caught myself a couple times being dangerously careless with that little saw, just because it's so easy to use.

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:
Is you do buy a saw, either feed it 100LL aviation gasoline or be sure to drain all the fuel out of it and run the carb dry. Even with fuel stabilizers, the auto gas that one can buy now has many additives that turn it to crud while sitting in the shed for a few months.

Or pure gas. Treat either with a stabilizer such as Sta-Bil. And still: When you're going to put it up for more than a couple months: Start it up, warm it up, shut it down, drain it, start it back up and run it dry. Chain saws and snow throwers are the two bits of outdoor power equipment I've found to be overly picky about this kind of thing.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
I use mine quite a bit and have 16 & 18" Stihl's.
if I was buying another it would be smaller, not bigger. Most of the cutting could be done with a very small saw and the weight gets to you after a while.

Yup. That's been precisely my experience. I love my Stihl 025 and no mistake, but, the little Tanaka gets far more use.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
Be very careful cutting that tree that's off the ground.

Hell, be very careful regardless. My chainsaws I regard as being one of my two most dangerous power tools: The other being my table saw.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
Start on the small end and get all the small stuff out of the way first.

It always pays to do this. Even when you're taking something down: Get as much of the small stuff out of the way as you safely can, early on.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
Cutting from the underside is when you are at greater risk of kickback but you'll need to cut from below or the saw will pinch.

You have to stay out of the 9-12 o'clock area--the very tip of the bar to the top just behind the curve always! That is the kick-back danger zone. (There is an advanced felling technique that employs the tip of the bar, but, that's a whole different thing.)

You can get-away without undercutting if you can somehow put upward pressure on the "downstream" end of the log so the kerf wants to open, rather than close. Otherwise: Yes: You have to undercut. And, even then, you may run into trouble.

I would also recommend chaps and a helmet with face guard. I bought both, last year, after, the year before, when doing some bucking, I once allowed the end of the 025's bar to get closer to my shins than was wise. And, another time, doing some limbing, a limb did not do what I expected it would, and it came down on my head. (It was a small limb, so it was an embarrassment, rather than an injury.)

quote:

Originally posted by Neel:
I use a MS 362 with 25" bar partially because I heat solely with wood so I fell buck and split 6-7 cords per year. The other reason is that with a 25" bar I can stand erect and buck trees all day without back pain.
A occasional user and person looking for a medium saw I'd recommend a farm boss 271 or 291 with a 20".
If you buy from Stihl, get a 6 pk of engine oil, it doubles your warranty.

Lots of good advice in this thread. One thing I'd second is try to use pure-gas, no ethanol.
http://www.pure-gas.org/

I used to have an MS290 with an 18" bar... until I started using it a lot and my brother bought an MS250 for smaller stuff. The MS290 took a licking and kept on ticking. It was great.
So I sold the MS290 and stepped up to the MS 362 with 20" bar. A landscaping guy I know gets big discounts and so he replaces them every year. I was lucky to find a deal on a slightly used 362. The 362 is the "pro" line, it's a little more power but unless you can get one for nearly the same price as a 291....

I'd also recommend a farm boss MS291 (which replaces the MS290) with an 18" or a 20" bar for around $400.
Actually, for most things the 18" bar is probably more comfortable to use.

quote:

Originally posted by Neel:
I use a MS 362 with 25" bar partially because I heat solely with wood so I fell buck and split 6-7 cords per year. The other reason is that with a 25" bar I can stand erect and buck trees all day without back pain.
A occasional user and person looking for a medium saw I'd recommend a farm boss 271 or 291 with a 20".
If you buy from Stihl, get a 6 pk of engine oil, it doubles your warranty.

I came to say what he said. I find a bigger saw easier to use because I dont have to bend over.I also heat with wood and buck about 10 cord every winter. If all you need is in your pictures you'll be fine with a smaller saw.