Stihl Chainsaws

[Jared]

I would find a used husky 272xp.

 

[bindernut]

I've used my cousin's husky before. It was ok. Not sure of the model, but it didn't seem like it would hang with my 025.
Like i said before, buy something you can get parts/serviced locally

 

[Vinko]

Vinko, For what you want to do, get a good commercial unit.
Stihl trimmers are probably the most widely used in the lawn care industry, but Redmax is pretty popular w/ the golf courses. Redmax got bought out a about a year ago by Husqvarna and have changed distributors at least 2 times since then. Parts have been a joy to get. Echo makes a real nice product. See what dealers you have nearby. I never tell people to get a brand, no matter what it is, if they can't get service & parts locally.

Thanks

 

[mcmaster68]

If it means anything to you, Last year i did all the research you could imagine. I bought a house with the intention to clear about 1 acre of it. I researched Husqvarna vs. Stihl. I researched the 260 vs. the 290 and even the 310 vs. the 361. My brother works at Tractor Supply and they sell Husqvarna. Even w/ his discount I got the Stihl MS 310. Reasons becuase i went to a local shop (like hard wood floors type shop) and the guy worked w/ me. I bough a leaf blower, weed trimmer and the MS 310, and he gave me 20 percent off my entire purchase (that topped my brothers discount). Plus i went w/ Stihl cuz my dad bought a Stihl 041 farmboss back in the 70's. Still runs like a pro. The ms 310 gets you the full 3/8 chain has like 60cc and i run an 18 inch bar. I have cut 65 trees down since last august. The saw runs for 8-10 hours at a time and never had an issue. great power and light enough to limb up with. good luck.

 

[1984GMC]

I've got a old 028AV Super that I've had for a while I love the saw, cuts anything, but I had to put a oil pump on last year and realized I almost could have bought a new saw for the price. and Now its not oiling again, guess I'm gonna have to take it apart and change the hose in the oil tank.

 

[eddyyy302]

I have a Stihl 011AV, MS 170, MS 290, and MS 440. I have rebuilt atleast 50 stihl saws over the years and they are great machines, parts are expensive but very rarely NLA. The 440 is a beast and second in line is the 011AV, which amazes me at the power it has for a little saw.

I shy away from Husky for 2 reasons, they have proprietary tools for certain repairs like chain brake springs and their service centers are sparse here and EXTREMELY RUDE! I have had to deal with the district manager on more than one occasion attempting to get a saw repaired for a customer.

I wish you would have started this thread sooner, 3 weeks ago I sold all of the stihl saws that I did over the winter. One was an MS 290 that had about 4 hours on it and another was an MS 290 that a guy bought on a friday, put a stump through the bar side of the fuel tank on a saturday and took it back to the dealer to trade it in on another. The engine was mint and got put together on a good used case.

Dan

 

[gabeancounter]

Northern tool was running a sale on the poulon pro (20")for like $100 a while back. Was not the refurb one. Buy it, then go to a saw shop or bailey's online and order two good semi or full chisel chains. The saw will do everything the avg home owner will ever need.

 

[nate379]

I take it that is a typo and you mean 650?? trees?? I could cut 65 trees in a morning with a small saw.

. I have cut 65 trees down since last august. The saw runs for 8-10 hours at a time and never had an issue. great power and light enough to limb up with. good luck.

gobeancounter, No Northern Tool stores here and they charge crazy rates to ship here... like 3-4x what actual UPS charges are!

I take it this is the saw you are talking about though... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001H0KB9C/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I cut about 3 cords last summer with this little guy. Other than burning through 2 chains, it worked really well for what it was. Much better than my 38cc McCulloch.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00080MHX0/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[gabeancounter]

That is it. Just a new instead of the refurb. Most of these poulan saws come with the low vib, low kick chains that are only good for paper weights. A good chain makes all the difference. The craftsman version I own and have used it to cut around 4 cords a year and it cuts very good with a semi chisel chain from bailey's. I buy their house version of chains don't remember the brand but they are really good chains. Its not going to turn a poulan saw into a MS361 or anything but great saw for the avg joe.

 

[Red05GT]

When it comes to saws, it's definately hard to beat a Stihl. I've had an 038 Farm Boss
since 1983, and it's still going strong. I've replaced the bar a couple of times, and
tuned up once. The "look how cheap I am saws" are a waste.

 

[RoarkIndustrialSolutions]

All, Stihl does not and will not sell through big box stores. They only sell through their distribution network. The policy is a consumer will not be handed a Stihl product in the box. The power tool is to be fully gassed and the consumer is to be shown how to start the tool. I've been in the North American plant for 10 years and know the quality that goes into their products. Will be in the plant tomorrow morning for a project. And, no, they don't discount for suppliers or have overruns. However, I will always buy Stihl. Have a BG85 blower and chainsaw and bought my dad a BG85 blower as well. Always dependable.

 

[nate379]

Think I'm just going to pickup a Husky or Poulan at Lowe's. I was looking in the classified ads and I can buy good dry firewood cut, split, delivered and corded for $175-200 a cord.

I will cut a bit, but really not worth my time to get too carried away with it.

 

[Vinko]

If it means anything to you, Last year i did all the research you could imagine. I bought a house with the intention to clear about 1 acre of it. I researched Husqvarna vs. Stihl. I researched the 260 vs. the 290 and even the 310 vs. the 361. My brother works at Tractor Supply and they sell Husqvarna. Even w/ his discount I got the Stihl MS 310. Reasons becuase i went to a local shop (like hard wood floors type shop) and the guy worked w/ me. I bough a leaf blower, weed trimmer and the MS 310, and he gave me 20 percent off my entire purchase (that topped my brothers discount). Plus i went w/ Stihl cuz my dad bought a Stihl 041 farmboss back in the 70's. Still runs like a pro. The ms 310 gets you the full 3/8 chain has like 60cc and i run an 18 inch bar. I have cut 65 trees down since last august. The saw runs for 8-10 hours at a time and never had an issue. great power and light enough to limb up with. good luck.

Which weed trimmer did you get?

 

[mcmaster68]

Which weed trimmer did you get?

I bought the FS90.

 

[nate379]

Husky 445.... yes? no??

Can get for $330 at Lowe's, though it should be $280. They aren't selling it at MSRP for some reason.

 

[nate379]

I picked up a Stihl 290 today. I was going to buy it, but just waiting for the right time I guess.

I think you all will like the story.

I rented a yard roller (seeded my yard) and somewhere in the process I twisted the handle on it. I towed it behind my tractor and wasn't doing anything crazy with it, so I have no idea what happened. I tried to fix it but it was still about 4" out of whack.

Well I was pretty sure I'd have to pay for the thing. I walked in, looked at the saws for a few mins like I was trying to figure something out and just grabbed a 290 off the shelf and said I'll take one of these.
Ended up buying the saw, a spare chain, case, files, oil, etc. He even filled it full of gas and bar oil and fired it up, then made sure I knew how to do it as well.

A little over $450 all said and done. I only had $440 in cash and was just going to put the rest on the debit and he said not to worry about it.

Then... I say... "Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I came to return the yard roller I rented" Showed him what happened... "Ah, don't worry about it sir, I'm sure we can fix that right up!"

 

[ossaguy]

That's a neat story how it all turned out.I'll bet you will love that model.We just sold one this morning.

I bought my 1st Stihl last week......The SE 122 shop vac. I needed a nice one for work that is really quiet,and better quality than the Rigid one I have at home.This thing is great! Only like 62 Db,yet it has lots of suction.It's made in Germany by some other company for Stihl,and the fit & finish reflects that.Stainless steel wand sections,a really top quality floor attachment that has a kick-lever to go between wet/dry modes,and a super-nice clamping system between the motor and bucket.

The hose swivel is a piece of art,it really swivels around nice.I don't have a picture,but it's on the Stihl website if anyone wants to see a nice quality shop vac.It looks right at home in the repair shop next to my toolboxes.

Even the 25 ft cord is heavy-duty looking.

Anyway.I rolled my eyes when I heard they were promoting shop vacs as a new product,but I sure love using it!

Steve

Steve

 

[moronmountain]

I would find a used husky 272xp.

That saw is overkill unless you like to fall a tree now and then. I have a 372xp and it runs way to fast to cut through small clean fire wood logs IMO.

 

[nate379]

I hope it works out well. I got it with an 18" bar and 33RS chain which I believe is a semi-chisel chain? They list it as "dirty wood chain".

I know if I tell my Dad about it he will say it was a waste of money, but oh well. He has been cutting 3-4 cords a wood a year for well over 25 years with a ProMac 610. Used those still bring decent money though.

I had a line on a Husky 359, but after about 2 months I got tired of messing around. The guy is about 6hrs from here and keeps saying he will bring it up, friends coming up, brother, etc, but it never happened.

 

[moronmountain]

Husky 445.... yes? no??

Can get for $330 at Lowe's, though it should be $280. They aren't selling it at MSRP for some reason.

Anything buy Husky or Stihl will be good for cutting small firewood IMO. I have a Husky 51 that is not a pro saw that I've used for years, and it is a great saw. I upgraded the chain to a 3/8 (.325 is totally fine though) on a 20 inch Oregon bar, and I love it for small clean wood. I have a Husky 372xp with is a pro saw with a 32" bar for falling or cutting big wood. It SCREAMS! I have a lot of experince with a Stihl 046, and it's a great saw as well. For pro saws most fallers I know agree that Husky's are faster, but Stihl's are torquier. I think Stihl uses 2 rings on their pistons and Husky uses 1, but I'm not 100% sure of this. A Husky feels more balanced in my hands where as a Stihl feels more "industrial" if that makes sense. If I was going to buy a new husky and only put a 16-20" bar on it, I'd probably really want a 357xp. It's one of their smaller pro saws, but I would think the 445 would work fine unless you're gonna be running it 6 hours a day.

 

[moronmountain]

I hope it works out well. I got it with an 18" bar and 33RS chain which I believe is a semi-chisel chain? They list it as "dirty wood chain".

I know if I tell my Dad about it he will say it was a waste of money, but oh well. He has been cutting 3-4 cords a wood a year for well over 25 years with a ProMac 610. Used those still bring decent money though.

I'm assuming they mean round filed chisel chain. Chipper chain is your true "dirty wood" chain. Square file chisel is the fastest cutting, but dulls very fast and many shops won't sharpen it. Round file chisel is what I use. Cuts clean and fast, and any shop can file it. Don't bother sharpening your own chains unless you're REALLY good at it, or you'll make them worse than if you left them dull. The quickest way to dull a chain is to get it in the dirt. You can cut through hard wood for hours and still throw big chips. If you touch the dirt for even a few seconds, you'll be burning your way through the wood. I like to have at least 3 sharp chains at all times.

 

[nate379]

I think they call it that because it's not a full or half skip chain, I'm not sure. It's the "Rapid Super Comfort" chain.

 

[moronmountain]

I think they call it that because it's not a full or half skip chain, I'm not sure. It's the "Rapid Super Comfort" chain.

I dunno. You don't normally see full or half skip chain until you get up and over 32". Anyway, I hope you like your new saw. Chainsaws are pretty much the ultimate man tool IMO.

 

[pl_silverado]

looky what i found on my local craigslist this morning.

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/tls/1730633649.html

 

[nate379]

Nice saw! It sells for $520 here, not sure where he got it for $450 but he got a good deal.

 

[Treeman]

The ms260 is our "meat and potatoes", go-to saw at my workplace 90% of our time. In many cases, testosterone guides many to too large of a saw. The 260 is simple, rugged, and dependable. You can operate it all day long without the fatigue of lugging a large saw around (equates to safer). It will handle the occasional larger tree 16"+, but it will just be a bit slower.

My dealer told me that when Stihl was updating/upgrading their saw line years ago, they kept the 260 because of it's performance and popularity.

That's a great deal.....make sure it runs o.k. and doesn't have stale gas in it.

 

[nate379]

Other than it being a little bit smaller than the 290 and it's got a decompression lever, what else is different on it to make it $200 more?

I know it's a "pro" saw vs "landowner" but I don't see anything else different on it.

Only thing that guided what saw for me to get was my wallet !

 

[pl_silverado]

The ms260 is our "meat and potatoes", go-to saw at my workplace 90% of our time. In many cases, testosterone guides many to too large of a saw. The 260 is simple, rugged, and dependable. You can operate it all day long without the fatigue of lugging a large saw around (equates to safer). It will handle the occasional larger tree 16"+, but it will just be a bit slower.

My dealer told me that when Stihl was updating/upgrading their saw line years ago, they kept the 260 because of it's performance and popularity.

That's a great deal.....make sure it runs o.k. and doesn't have stale gas in it.

I already have one, and i got it even cheaper than that. Cost me a new bar and chain

 

[Treeman]

Other than it being a little bit smaller than the 290 and it's got a decompression lever, what else is different on it to make it $200 more?

I know it's a "pro" saw vs "landowner" but I don't see anything else different on it.

Only thing that guided what saw for me to get was my wallet !

I think that it's what you don't see......the bearings, pistons, and everything else internal is more substantial and intended for a longer lifespan/harder use. If not, then the dealers are lying to us and we are paying more for nothing!

 

[shamrock12]

There are two differences that I know of: 1) the decompression valve and 2) adjustable automatic bar and chain oiler. Their website even says that. Also note that the regular 260 is no longer in production.

http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/MS260Pro.html

 

[nate379]

Used the saw today and holy hell thing chews through wood faster than Large Marge can **** down a Twinkee!

 

[p1mlb03]

I have the Stihl MS440 and it is a cutting machine. I have a local tree guy bring me a load of oak logs on his grapple truck, for free, once a year, and I cut and split for firewood. He will bring me all I want and even lets me use his log splitter. He is happy to get rid of the wood. lol I bought my 440 for about $180 off MSRP via employee discount, I also get my parts @ cost plus 5% via the same discount. I have not needed any parts other then chains and oil, but I can get the 20" chain for the 440 for about $15 or $16 bucks vs $25 or more.