TomSeller
Super Member
The Stihl 044 is a legend. Good saws.
Chain saws
- Thread starter dacoonz
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The Stihl 044 is a legend. Good saws.
They looked, but didn't have one, so they ordered me the correct one for free, and I had it a few days later
Cool:thumbsup:
The 026 and the 034 are both good saws.
Mattc8832
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my 034 sit for 5 years with gas in it before I got it, 026 sit for 7 years with gas it it. The 034 was very powerful. Both of mine was missing parts so I sold them both and bought the new ms 291. I do not burn wood so I only use a saw for debris cleanup.
TomSeller
Super Member
Okay, thanks. Sounds like they were rode hard and put away fueled.
Renze
Elite Member
bought a Husky 455 Rancher last week, bought full chisel chain and ground the depth guides a wee bit down. It slices oak logs like butter, without pushing it in, just dropping it slowly. In heavy trees you NEVER have enough power, you'll allways be tempted to increase the cutting depth by grinding the depth gauges untill you run out of power. Power is NOT the deciding factor in buying a saw: The biggest drawback is weight. Husky sells the 140 (newly designed replacement of the 141 and 142 saws i used to have) as a basic saw, full plastic construction, will throw a chain when it gets hot and the plastic chain tensioner cover gets soft. Then you have the 240, slightly better, slightly more expensive. Then you have the 400 series which has better vibration isolators, better ergonomy, better longer lasting engines, and aluminium chain tensioner. And at last you have the 500 XP series which is the pro series.
Stihl, Husky are two main competing brands, just like Deere and Case. Stihl compares to Deere in terms of brand image, it has the strongest following and more agressive marketing, and as you can read in this thread, Stihl guys are louder in praising their saws than Husky guys (thats why i dont want a Stihl )
Stihl semi-pro saws offer clip-on covers (to get to the air filter and spark plug) where Husky only offers it on the pro series. Personally its no issue for me, because the spark plug socket has a screwdriver on the other end to tighten the chain and undo the top cover screws, you need that too with you anyways. I'm happy to trade those fast mount clips for some cash that stays in my pocket...
About your situation, 30 hours is enough to justify a semi-pro. If you do a lot of trimming and limbing, you're better off with a lighter saw. the 545 is of the pro series but isnt that much more expensive than the semipro series, and offers better power to weight ratio. the 445 is a good saw too, just a little cheaper but for similar performance you'd need to put a 450 against a 545. I would only go bigger to 50-55cc if you regularly cut trees whose diameter exceeds the length of a standard cutting bar, as only in those situations you can make use of the power, and the saw is on the wood instead of hanging on your arms most of the time.
Stihl off course has various hobby, semipro and pro models too, Jonsered is the same as Husky, and Dolmar seems to make good saws too (though ive never used one)
Stihl, Husky are two main competing brands, just like Deere and Case. Stihl compares to Deere in terms of brand image, it has the strongest following and more agressive marketing, and as you can read in this thread, Stihl guys are louder in praising their saws than Husky guys (thats why i dont want a Stihl
)Stihl semi-pro saws offer clip-on covers (to get to the air filter and spark plug) where Husky only offers it on the pro series. Personally its no issue for me, because the spark plug socket has a screwdriver on the other end to tighten the chain and undo the top cover screws, you need that too with you anyways. I'm happy to trade those fast mount clips for some cash that stays in my pocket...
About your situation, 30 hours is enough to justify a semi-pro. If you do a lot of trimming and limbing, you're better off with a lighter saw. the 545 is of the pro series but isnt that much more expensive than the semipro series, and offers better power to weight ratio. the 445 is a good saw too, just a little cheaper but for similar performance you'd need to put a 450 against a 545. I would only go bigger to 50-55cc if you regularly cut trees whose diameter exceeds the length of a standard cutting bar, as only in those situations you can make use of the power, and the saw is on the wood instead of hanging on your arms most of the time.
Stihl off course has various hobby, semipro and pro models too, Jonsered is the same as Husky, and Dolmar seems to make good saws too (though ive never used one)
Mattc8832
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LOL - That was true about my old saws they lived a tuff life before I got them. I priced 2 new carbs , 2 new bars and chains , and all the plastic pieces I needed for them and it was going to be more than I wanted to spend on older saws that was probably in need of a near future rebuilt. I sold both of them for $400 dollars.
s219
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I have changed opinions on the power/weight issue a few times over the years. Right now I use two saws the most -- Stihl 461 (biggest, heaviest) and Echo CS-330 top handle (smallest, lightest) -- while my middle saws (Stihl MS-261, Echo CS-400) have been sitting clean on the shelf. The power of the 461 is intoxicating once you become accustomed to it, which offsets the weight issue quite a bit. There's no doubt I get done quicker with that saw, so I can do a day's work in less time.
I normally buck logs into 4 foot sections and then carry them to my wood area with the tractor, or skid them in as 8-12 footers and buck into 4 foot sections there. At that point, I stack as many 4 foot sections as will fit into my sawbuck, and do a mass-bucking operation with the 461 and a 20" or 28" bar to get my firewood rounds. Sometimes I can saw through as many as 4-5 logs in one cut. Not something I would try with a smaller saw.
I normally buck logs into 4 foot sections and then carry them to my wood area with the tractor, or skid them in as 8-12 footers and buck into 4 foot sections there. At that point, I stack as many 4 foot sections as will fit into my sawbuck, and do a mass-bucking operation with the 461 and a 20" or 28" bar to get my firewood rounds. Sometimes I can saw through as many as 4-5 logs in one cut. Not something I would try with a smaller saw.
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Isn't that Echo-330 top handle saw a gem?
Never let me down and has come through many times in a pinch... it lives in my truck and always ready to work.
Never let me down and has come through many times in a pinch... it lives in my truck and always ready to work.
KenB2920
Veteran Member
[QUOTE="
. it lives in my truck and always ready to work.[/QUOTE]
This got me thinking. Obviously not all saws are equal, but neither is all work. Do you really keep a saw in your truck all the time? Do some of you guys use your saws at work? What kind of work do you guys do that requires some of these "HEFTY" saws? Just curious. Between this quote and seeing Those monster logs in the previous photo got me thinking.
. it lives in my truck and always ready to work.[/QUOTE]
This got me thinking. Obviously not all saws are equal, but neither is all work. Do you really keep a saw in your truck all the time? Do some of you guys use your saws at work? What kind of work do you guys do that requires some of these "HEFTY" saws? Just curious. Between this quote and seeing Those monster logs in the previous photo got me thinking.
Loadstar
Platinum Member
KenB2920 said:
This got me thinking. Obviously not all saws are equal, but neither is all work. Do you really keep a saw in your truck all the time? Do some of you guys use your saws at work? What kind of work do you guys do that requires some of these "HEFTY" saws? Just curious. Between this quote and seeing Those monster logs in the previous photo got me thinking.[/QUOTE]
I do industrial HVAC. A lot of times my saw finds it's way on the truck. Especially if I know I will be working through bad weather. A saw on my truck has got me home a few times.
