chainsaw

[jb1390]

I also bought a Stihl MS270 Farm Boss a few years ago. I was very disappointed. The saw didn't have enough top end IMO. My MS170 cut better. I bought a Husky 550 XP pro saw and it is a great saw...light weight and cranks out some rpms.

I love my 550xp. It's my favorite saw. If I was just cutting firewood it might not be worth the price increase over the homeowner saws, but I use it frequently, and often in a lift, so the improved ergonomics and power are wonderful.

For large trees, I have a 372xp (20&28 inch bars) and a 395xp (28, 36, and 42 inch bars). If I were to only have 2 saws, they would be my 550xp or similar with a 16" bar, and a 372xp (or equivalent 70cc class), with a 24-28" bar.

So to answer the original post, something around 70cc in a pro model saw for trees around 2 feet.

 

[2458n]

Any thing less than 2ft. is just brush.

 

[5030]

I also bought a Stihl MS270 Farm Boss a few years ago. I was very disappointed. The saw didn't have enough top end IMO. My MS170 cut better. I bought a Husky 550 XP pro saw and it is a great saw...light weight and cranks out some rpms.

Stihl's especially have succumbed to the noise police. Easy fix for more power, quicker spool up and better RPM.... Take the muffler off and open it up a bit with a Dremel and a grinding bit. I opened up my MS 290 and it made a big difference.

 

[bigtiller]

I wouldn't mind having more power. When you opened up the muffler on your ms290, how much is a "bit"? And how much louder was it?

 

[dfkrug]

I wouldn't mind having more power. When you opened up the muffler on
your ms290, how much is a "bit"? And how much louder was it?

I have modded several mufflers on larger saws. What I do is cut a 2nd outlet port and
weld (not braze!) in a short piece of 3/4" conduit. Louder? Yes. More power? Sure feels
like it, but I have not measured speed or loaded RPM to prove it. The photo is of
a Husky 266 I did recently. The original muffler has a pretty small outlet, which
is true of most saws built in the past 30y.

Another path to more power is a cylinder gasket-delete. Replace your gasket
with fuel-resistant sealant for more compression. This is an easier
project on a pro saw than on a consumer-grade unit like the MS290.