The chainsaw thread...

[XXX-er]

^^ this and make sure you go for a pro saw, yes they cost > twice what a homeowner saw costs but I've let my homeownersaw buddies try the 261 and they have instant saw envy

I would also consider the next size up I think its now 362 and you can get those with heated grips, there were some days up on the hill I would have loved that feature

I think I have a 24" on the 261 or whatever the local dealer recommended, all the cutting is softwood around here

edit: its a 20" bar

the saws of whatever brand are all the same color so a cheap homeowner saw is going to look the same as a big pro saw but there is a big difference in quality and use, so don't buy according to the $$$. Find the website and look at the specs, go right past homeowner and look at pro or industrial or forestry, you meet guys that have been running 50cc pro saws for 30 yars and they just keep running cuz they are tough, magnesium blocks instead of plastic ( seriously)

edit: I don't think the 311 is a pro saw ?

[jmedslc]

I can say from personal experience that the ms311 w 20” bar does a great job but is heavy as hell and if I could do it again I would go pro and save the weight.

[couloirman]

Is the 362 a pro saw? I’m leaning towards that at this point after reading the above comments

[old_newguy]

Yes. It is a nice saw. Get a full wrap handlebar for it.

Probably overkill for the average homeowner, but a nice size and power between the 261 and the 440/461 size saws.

[zion zig zag]

Is the 362 a pro saw? I’m leaning towards that at this point after reading the above comments

Yep. I've used the 261 and the 362 a bit and for me: bar of 20" or less = 261. Be realistic about how often you need the bigger saw, like someone else mentioned the weight affects how long you can use it safely.

[XXX-er]

yeah I'm 5'8" and shrinking so the 261 is a good size while my buddy with the 361 is 6'5"

I met a local faller who is my age and height but the looks really strong the way he moves must be all the experiance he's been slaying trees his whole life, has several ported 461's ( more power less weight) sez they are the best saws he has ever used

[couloirman]

Gotcha. Yeah I think an 18-20” bar will take care of 99% of my needs so maybe the 261 is best then. Overall opinions of the 261 vs 261cm? The cm seems to me like it has more electronics that could fail over time, but I dunno if the extra features of it make it worth the chance of failure

[MagnificentUnicorn]

If you’re looking at those saws consider an Echo CS 500p if you have dealer support in your area. I think they’re nicer than the Stihl or Husky.


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[toast2266]

Gotcha. Yeah I think an 18-20” bar will take care of 99% of my needs so maybe the 261 is best then. Overall opinions of the 261 vs 261cm? The cm seems to me like it has more electronics that could fail over time, but I dunno if the extra features of it make it worth the chance of failure

Get the regular version. My experience with saws with extra electronics is that they're just super fussy. They'll run great until something a little weird happens and then it takes forever for the electronics to sort it out, and they run like shit in the meantime.

For whatever it's worth, the local forest service trail crews are mostly running 362's and 462's (and the older versions of those saws). They all seem to avoid the C-M versions. But yeah, for more intermittent use, a 261 is realistically gonna do just fine.

[zion zig zag]

I think the M-tronic is pretty well vetted out at this point. My department has a handful of 362c-m’s that get used to thin WUI all spring by a bunch of young ff’ers with questionable maintenance skills, and as I far as I know they never go back to the dealer.

My 261 is the cm version and I’ve never had an issue. It’s nice to be able to cut at my house at 4000 feet and then go to the Unitas for firewood at 10k and not need to adjust carbs and still get full power.

[zion zig zag]

But yeah, for more intermittent use, a 261 is realistically gonna do just fine.

Not to nitpick, but 261 vs 362 is not about frequency of use, they are both pro saws made to run all day everyday. It’s just about size of materials that you are most often going to cut.

[toast2266]

Not to nitpick, but 261 vs 362 is not about frequency of use, they are both pro saws made to run all day everyday. It’s just about size of materials that you are most often going to cut.

Yeah, by intermittent use I just meant that he wouldn't be cutting big trees all day. If I'm running the saw daily, I want a bigger saw with a longer bar. If I'm using it occasionally, it's not a big deal to do a double cut when I happen across a big tree. But yeah, both are quality pro saws.

[Timberridge]

Not to nitpick, but 261 vs 362 is not about frequency of use, they are both pro saws made to run all day everyday. It’s just about size of materials that you are most often going to cut.

And what you are going to cut. If he's cutting a lot of oak for example, I'd suggest the bigger saw. Softer maple the smaller is fine. Pine you can cut with anything. I ran into this wood in VT the natives called ironwood, and even my ported 372XP would bog up in that. The small saw was useless.

[XXX-er]

nothing but pine/ spruce/ Balsam around here

I think 261 - 361 is the point where the chain gets bigger .325 vs 3/8ths ?

also you can get a heated wrap handle on the 361,

as pro saws either one will run the same all day and not suck IME

A sharp chain makes a big difference I was using this I bought localy but it would flex too much cuz of all the plastic, they look the same but that black part on top is plastic

https://www.amazon.ca/Oregon-23820-M...75190411&psc=1

I got this one which is all metal and its much better way less plastic, it does good chains
https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/laser-p...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

If i was cutting every day for a living I would buy an electric sharpener to prepare chains and just swap em

[zion zig zag]

Yeah, by intermittent use I just meant that he wouldn't be cutting big trees all day. If I'm running the saw daily, I want a bigger saw with a longer bar. If I'm using it occasionally, it's not a big deal to do a double cut when I happen across a big tree. But yeah, both are quality pro saws.

Ah copy, I imagine that the average tree in your area is larger than mine.

[old_newguy]

I’m going to double down on my 261 love.

I’ve run everything from a 261 up to a 660, but mostly the 400 series (440,441,461 etc).

For everyday homeowner grade lot work like brushing, firewood cutting and small thinning and bucking the 261 is just a great weight to power combo that you can run all day without issue. If you aren’t running a saw all day routinely the weight can really catch up to you and running a saw tired isn’t smart.

I absolute hated thinning all day with a 440, but I’m relatively small and short so the 261 with a 20” bar was plenty for me. When you are cutting big wood with a big saw you actually aren’t moving the saw around that much because the saw is in the cut and the dogs or bar are bearing the weight. When you are thinning or clearing that thing is in your hand all day.

I personally own a mid 80-90’s era 034 with a 18 inch bar. It’s fallen lots of trees and bucked lots of firewood. I bet it has the same power as a modern 261.

[bodywhomper]

I have a ms241cm and ms361. I got the ms361 first because I had some big soft wood logs to deal with (I still do, it never stops!) and got the smaller saw (instead of a ms261) for more differentiation in size and because I wanted something light that my smaller wife could use.

Adding to what old_new guy is saying, I’m 5’10”, 150 lb, so pretty skinny. The ms241 feels nimble to me. I’ve spent back to back 8-10hr days thinning - cutting down small trees (up to ~10” dbh) and processing slash and the logs - without fatigue from using the smaller saw. I get worn out relatively quickly using the ms361 in the same way.

[XXX-er]

anybody got the Husky love?

The 550xp is pretty much the 261 equivalent in a 50cc pro saw, Angle parking only and I got our saws at the same time to cut ski run, he got the husky & I went sthil and we have done a fair amount of run cutting togetehr, the husky seems just as good

I actualy went to buy the husky 353 but the dealer didnt have them cuz the models had changed to the 550XP, went to the Sthil dealer they were throing in an extra chain/ carrying case/ hat for the same money so I became a sthil guy but i think either ok

[toast2266]

anybody got the Husky love?

The 550xp is pretty much the 261 equivalent in a 50cc pro saw, Angle parking only and I got our saws at the same time to cut ski run, he got the husky & I went sthil and we have done a fair amount of run cutting togetehr, the husky seems prettjust as OK

I actualy went to buy the husky 353 but the dealer didnt have them cuz the models had changed to the 550XP, went to the Sthil dealer they were throing in an extra chain/ carrying case/ hat for the same money so I became a sthil guy but i think either one is OK

Our trail crew has a 550xp and I've used it a bunch. It's always been a temperamental saw. When it runs well, it cuts strong. But it always seems to need some attention to keep it running well. I've always chocked that up to the computer controlled carb, but I guess it could be something else. Trail crew almost never takes the 550 anymore - they pretty much only run 362's. I also have a 455 Rancher. Doesn't make as much power as the 550 and it weighs more, but I've had zero issues with it. It just plugs along without complaint. Also, the 550 runs a .325 chain, which I find to not hold up nearly as well as 3/8 when cutting dirty wood.

[couloirman]

And what you are going to cut. If he's cutting a lot of oak for example, I'd suggest the bigger saw. Softer maple the smaller is fine. Pine you can cut with anything. I ran into this wood in VT the natives called ironwood, and even my ported 372XP would bog up in that. The small saw was useless.

I’m in old growth forests in the deep woods of Weatern Pennsylvania. We have a pretty good split between oak and maple here as the main trees that fall across my trails, with the very occasional giant tulip tree and some pine mixed in

[Timberridge]

Then the 261 with an 18 or 20 should be fine--see which bar balances in your hand the best and take your time thru the oak so you don't burn the chain.

[BCMtnHound]

Regarding bar length, there was a time in the far distant past when it was said that if the torque of hitting the throttle full out didn't cause the tip of the bar to jump, either the saw was too small or the bar was too long. No one was using less than a 70cc saw for professional bushwork at the time however. Taking my old 38magnum out these days, and after 6hrs of swinging those 17lbs or so, my shoulders are not happy.

[dunfree]

If it’s actual “old growth” oak, meaning a couple ft+ in diameter a couple hundred years or more old, the 362 might be nicer.

[bodywhomper]

Or bigger

[couloirman]

If it’s actual “old growth” oak, meaning a couple ft+ in diameter a couple hundred years or more old, the 362 might be nicer.

I do mean legit old growth, but we only use our saws to clear trails, never to fell anything like that, and of course those trees fall down rarely enough that I'm heading to the dealer right now to pick up the 261 with 18" bar. Thanks for the tips dudes