Anything from the Stihl Pro series.

Here is a pretty good video that shows the difference between the Farm/Homeowner saws VS the Professional Saws.

https://youtu.be/gI1lQSk2bQc

I’ll say it again. The average homeowner doesn’t need the features of the pro saws. Since they are nearly twice the cost of a farm and ranch model, it makes little sense to get one.

Don’t get me wrong. I grew up cutting 10-12 cord of firewood a year with a Stihl 041AV (the “AV” was wishful thinking ). However, for general purpose homeowner use, you’ll just have a really expensive saw that will serve you about the same as one half the cost.

If you’re a professional arborist or you heat your home with wood, then get the pro saw.

I have a Stihl MS250 with an 18” bar. Very satisfied. If I need more saw than that, I’m hiring a professional!

I appreciate the op’s mention of buying local.

Silent

Ms 250 or 261.
Use that three times a week for six months,
Then if get all bulked up
You can get much heavier machines.

Nothing squelches a desire to buck wood like getting sore day after day

Thanks guys but so many questions and opinions!

SO... if you really want the full story... long story that I thought would be unnecessary. Should have known my seemingly simple question as to which models to possibly buy or avoid would not be simple to answer!

I may or may not buy a new saw. I have one el-cheap-o Poulan left and a Milwaukee M18 Saws-all with 10 inch pruning blade... I used those now to maintain the trees on my ~4 acres now. Every time the wind blows I have limbs down! Everything else I ever had was worn out or stolen years ago. I used to have a business with a friend removing trees and selling firewood... LOTS of firewood. We even sold wholesale to a reseller 50 miles away in Nashville. 8'x16' truck with 4' sides stacked on full per delivery. Most of the wood came from timber tops after logging operations on area woods and farms along with trees we removed for hire. (we cut 40 ricks one time to land clear for a new grocery store) I used to heat 100% for years with wood but now only have two fireplaces that only get used in emergencies and holidays.

Currently I have started ground work on a 30'x 80' pole barn... next to the barn is a fence row full of trees, some quite large, many not sound and endanger the in progress barn. Neighbor, farmland, has no issue with
me clear cutting the fence row out, head high to avoid any metal fence wire in them. I also have 3 dying 45 year old maples that need to come down, largest is probably over 4 feet through. Also have a few to be topped.

Basically I'm not young any more and would have to rent a lift but I could do it myself if I had time... and could find a high school kid to pay to help... like we used to do.

To get the basic most needed work done I got a quote from a Nephew. He works for a start up tree company. They are Insured, I asked. He does have a 50 foot bucket truck but no chipper and no stump grinder. Like I said a startup. He quoted $5,800... if I rent a chipper and help do the work, he will haul off the logs and chipped brush with his dump trailer. I told him to go ahead but that was over a month ago and they are swamped with work, it has rained a lot and he won't bring his truck in my yard until it dries up for fear of getting stuck or making a mess.

I got 2 quotes for the one largest tree, that endangers the house... $1,400 and $2,000.
For all the work, off the cuff not an actual estimate, one guy said would likely be over 10 grand.

NO, I am not even thinking of doing it all... but at least half the work is easy stuff, trees that will fall without even pulling, many are leaning well my way with nothing in danger of damage. I do still have my 100 foot 3/8 wrecker cable that we used to pull trees down with if needed.

I also have am considering buying a chipper for my tractor, recommended ones ~6" can be had for about three grand. With all our trees it would come in handy. Renting the one (admittedly larger) is $800 a day from the local rental place. I currently pile, get a permit and burn big piles of limbs several times a year. We have about 35 trees in the yard, NOT counting the fence rows on two sides.

So I may or may not tackle any of this, if I only had more time and a shorter to do list...

Budget is not really as much of a concern as buying quality at this point. I can't sling a heavy saw all day anymore so light weight would be a plus if I buy. Probably a 24 inch bar would be good. With out any experienced help I'll leave the huge trees, the ones hanging over the power lines and the ones in range of the house to the pros for sure.

So there you go...

Some photos... Link to Post Image Gallery

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:
Budget is not really as much of a concern as buying quality at this point. I can't sling a heavy saw all day anymore so light weight would be a plus if I buy.

Given these two statements, I’d say just get yourself a MS261.

quote:

Pro saws... not homeowner or farm and ranch the other two categories.

Totally !

We’ve got a couple of MS250s (which replaced the older 025s) which I consider a good small/medium sized saw. With an 18” bar it is great for limbing, smaller oaks, etc. we also have a 361 (don’t remember, but think it has a 28” bar) and a couple of echo pole saws. That lets us handle pretty much whatever we need to on the ranch.

Depending on what you are using the saw for you may want larger or smaller.

ETA: We’ve had huskies as well in the past, but they are less obvious on starting and can be rather frustrating. I’ll take a Stihl all day everyday over a Husky.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:
Budget is not really as much of a concern as buying quality at this point. I can't sling a heavy saw all day anymore so light weight would be a plus if I buy.

Given these two statements, I’d say just get yourself a MS261.

I have 3 Stihl Saws. The MS261 is the one I use most often. It's light and powerful. Great Saw.

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:
Basically I'm not young any more....
NO, I am not even thinking of doing it all... but at least half the work is easy stuff, trees that will fall without even pulling, many are leaning well my way with nothing in danger of damage.

Probably a 24 inch bar would be good.

Ixnay battery saws. You want a gas saw.

If you plan to deal with your larger trees, you should have a saw with some decent horsepower. It also takes some decent power to pull a 24" bar. Now you can slap a long bar a on small saw, but the cutting becomes painfully slow. If you want to bury the full length of a 24" bar into the wood and lean on it, the engine must have enough torque to cut and remove chips.

In the Stihl line, we have older Farm/Ranch models of 310 with a 16" bar and 390 with an 18" bar. The current models of these saws are 311 and 391. Both saws have served us well for about 20 years now. The 310/311 is 59 cc, 4 hp, 13.6# for the power head. the 390/391 is 64cc, 4.4 hp, 13.7# for the power head. We can bog down the engines of both of these saws when the full bar length is buried in solid wood. I wouldn't put longer bars on either saw. We've felled & bucked pine trees with diameters up to twice the bar length of both saws. Last weekend I felled an old dead snag that was 32" diameter with the 16" bar 310.

Last year I bought a Stihl 400, my first pro-level saw. I have both 20" and 24" bars, but have used only the 20" so far. The largest tree felled so far was about 26" in diameter and 80' tall. The saw performed well at 20 degrees F at 9000' altitude. The 400 is 66 cc, 5.4 hp, 12.8# for the power head.

We cut at altitudes of 6500' and 9000', temps of 20-90 degrees F. All ponderosa pine. The wood can be live, old & rotten, or old & hard as iron. Stihl's CM electronics are great for helping the engine to run at different air pressures and temperatures.

If you plan to cut your larger trees, you'll be happier with a pro-level saw. Pro saws produce more horsepower per given engine displacement, are lighter for a given size, and are built to take harder use. If you truly want to use a 24" bar and not want to baby the saw when the bar is fully buried in wood, IMO the minimum Stihl saw is a 400. A step down in power is the 362, which has only 4.7 hp -- but it weighs only 12.3#. Stepping further down in power is the 261, only 4 hp, but the power head weighs only 10.8 pounds. The 261 is a nice limbing saw. If my 310 died today (doubtful -- the service guys state it's probably good for another decade of use), I'd probably replace it with a 261.

Going up from the 400 is the 462 -- 72cc, 6 hp, and 13.2 pounds for the power head. Supposedly this is a common saw for forest fire cleanup crews in western states. I considered the 462 for our use, but felt I could limp better with the 400. I found the 462 a little more weight than I wanted to hold for chest-height and higher cutting. But then again, I use my 13.6" 310 for overhead limbing. But it's not a whole lot of fun.

Stihl's 500 is a truly kick-ass saw, but probably more than you need. Fuel injected, 79cc, 6.7 hp, 13.9# for the power head.

Definitely consider a light-weight bar. At 20" and longer, the standard Stihl bars make the saws nose heavy. For a pro saw, forget Stihl's "green" reduced kickback chains. Use their "yellow" sorta-reduced kickback chains -- they cut faster. The yellow chains have full chisel teeth, the green chains have semi-chisel teeth. The yellow chains are much better for felling using a bore/plunge cut. Given the trees you pictured, I recommend your becoming skilled with a bore/plunge cut.

Don't skimp on fuel. Ixnay gas with ethanol. Better yet, use Stihl's remixed fuel, which is based on alkylate gas.

Keep your chains sharp. With dry & dirty wood, I usually sharpen/change chains after every tank of fuel. With clean & wet wood, I might go 2 or 3 tanks of fuel before sharpening/changing chains. Adjust your bar oiler to pump out the maximum amount of oil, especially if you use longer bars -- your bars will last longer.

My fav saw, by far, is my MS361..
I keep an 18" bar on it 95% of the time.

Stay in the "Pro" grade saws and step down to a MS261, if weight is a concern.

Thanks guys, the MS261 at 10 pounds for the power head and in the pro class looks pretty good.

I'll check with the local guy to see if he has a 261 to fondle... I see a 262 but no 261 on the web site, perhaps it was upgraded?

As a side note.
The sales rep for Husqvarna had a trick 266 that clocked in at 22,000 rpm! Double the factory speed. Not me, would not want to be around that when running... and especially not with a chain on it!

quote:

Originally posted by American Pit Bull:
My fav saw, by far, is my MS361..
I keep an 18" bar on it 95% of the time.

Stay in the "Pro" grade saws and step down to a MS261, if weight is a concern.

Little off topic ... but is your muffler stock or modified ? My small local Stihl shop suggested I should mod the muffler on my MS 361 but after doing so he would not be authorized to work on it.

i have used chainsaws for almost 40 years. Started out with a blue homelite. That should tell you something.

I have stihl and one husky. Stihl's are not what they once were. But neither are loggers

Get the best saw you can afford. The more expensive, the better obviously.

I have six large trees down right now. Was going to see if I could get a portable saw mill to mill them. No luck so far. I am now considering milling them free hand with my 460 Stihl. No Alaska saw mill Just free hand. There are videos on people doing it. I am not talking 4' or 8' long lumber. More like 16-20'. You are not going to do that with a cheap saw. They would not survive one board.

Get what you can afford. Don't go cheap

Ah, what the heck. Go for broke and git yourself a Stihl 880 Magnum sporting a six foot bar. Even a chick can run the saw so no worries about it being too big.

Now that Still has gone almost entirely to computerized control of fuel/air mixture, it is much more difficult to adjust than older carbonated models. I guess all manufacturers do the same though. I like my 30 year old 036 with a 16 or 20 inch bar.

Have an MS250 and a farm boss 291. The 250 with an 18” will handle most anything I need it for. Power to weight in the 250 is very good.

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:
Thanks guys, the MS261 at 10 pounds for the power head and in the pro class looks pretty good.

I'll check with the local guy to see if he has a 261 to fondle... I see a 262 but no 261 on the web site, perhaps it was upgraded?

You will just have to see what your local dealer has or can get. My local Stihl/Echo dealer in Oregon has been in short supply of Stihl PRO chainsaws and blowers for about 1 1/2 years. It took him 9 months to get my Stihl BR800 blower in.

Btw, i am looking for an 044 if someone knows of one please email me. Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:
Thanks guys, the MS261 at 10 pounds for the power head and in the pro class looks pretty good.

I'll check with the local guy to see if he has a 261 to fondle... I see a 262 but no 261 on the web site, perhaps it was upgraded?

I'm not aware of a Stihl 262 model. There is a 362 model.

The 261 with regular carb was introduced in 2010, and is still being made. The 261 CM was introduced in 2014, and is still being made. If the 261 is your choice, I highly recommend the CM version -- the electronic carb controls work really well.

With the emphasis on battery powered saws, I suspect the 261 won't be "refreshed" to a 262 (or whatever) model anytime soon. They have a new fairly burly battery saw about to hit the market -- the MSA 300. Looks like the MSA 300 will be just a touch smaller than the MS 261.

The 261 uses a little smaller chain than many Stihls. It uses a .325 inch instead of a 3/8 inch. This produces a slightly smaller cut, which should improve the saw's cutting capabilities a bit over a similar hp saw with a 3/8 chain. Stihl -- and most dealers -- list the saw with 16", 18", and 20" bars. IMO it will run better a 16" or 18" bar -- it just doesn't have the hp to efficiently cut and remove chips for the bar buried the full 20" in wood. No way for a 24" bar, even with a skip chain. One challenge with smaller engine saws is that they don't have oiling systems designed for really long bars.