Looking for a 2nd saw

[Rio_Grande]

I bought a 49 Husquivarna many moons ago. It has been a great saw and while still usable is a bit quirky now days. Dosent start right off anymore and a trip to the saw shop only helped for a short time. While I am not gonna give it up I am looking at new saws.

I have used the huskys and Sthil saws over the years and both were good well built units. I am not looking for a pro saw but something with more reach than my 18 inch bar and better power to bar ratio would be great.

I am looking for recomendations for a saw with a 22 inch bar. I am pretty much set on husky or Sthil because i have personal experience with them that was good.

 

[jdonovan]

I am looking for recomendations for a saw with a 22 inch bar. I am pretty much set on husky or Sthil because i have personal experience with them that was good.

They are both good brands, and have solid reputations

I am not looking for a pro saw but something with more reach than my 18 inch bar and better power to bar ratio would be great.

With the 'mid range' or home/ranch saws you are going to top out in the 4-4.5 HP range, which is on the low side for a 22" bar.

Also the pro saws will give you a MUCH better HP/weight ratio.

Take the Sthil 391 vs 441
391 14.1lbs 4.4 hp
441 14.6lbs 5.5 hp

5% more weight 25% more power.

Sure the saw costs more, but whats the real cost over the 10-20 years you will use it?

I've found the perfect setup for my use/needs is a light 3hp saw with an 18" bar for the light duty work, and a 5-6 hp saw with a 28" bar for the heavy work. Also the big saw will run a 36" skip tooth chain if I needed to get REALLY big. Also the smaller saw the wife is more willing to run than the big one, so we get more cutting done with both of us running saws.

Sthil ms250 + a Husky 372 are my two saws.

 

[trailbuilder]

We run all Huskys and are very happy with them, make sure it is a pro level saw. We run the 372 with 24 inch bars. The 372 has been around a while. We prefer this to the Husky 590 series.

 

[LD1]

I'll throw out dolmar.

So if you have any Dolmar dealers in your area, you may want to check them out. They make saws as good as husky/stihl but they are usually a tad cheaper. And they are just a good (Made in germany as well).

 

[arrow]

I bought a 49 Husquivarna many moons ago. It has been a great saw and while still usable is a bit quirky now days. Dosent start right off anymore and a trip to the saw shop only helped for a short time. While I am not gonna give it up I am looking at new saws.

I have used the huskys and Sthil saws over the years and both were good well built units. I am not looking for a pro saw but something with more reach than my 18 inch bar and better power to bar ratio would be great.

I am looking for recomendations for a saw with a 22 inch bar. I am pretty much set on husky or Sthil because i have personal experience with them that was good.

To run the length bar you mention with efficiency, you'll need at least 5 hp or more if you are using 3/8 chain. Usually that size chainsaw is not a homeowner option type saw. Poulin advertises a 46 cc saw with a 20 inch bar. This is ridiculous as to get any production, this saw should not go beyond a 16" bar but the average homeowner buys the saw because he's fed incongruent info leading the uninformed into thinking it must be a better saw because it has a longer bar. Chainsaws get larger for 2 reasons only, they are pulling a longer and longer bar or they are cutting faster with a shorter bar for production purposes. If chainsaws are staying small for weight advantage, then the chain gets smaller. If you are used to the 49, the 372 is going to be a different animal altogether and without knowing your chainsaw experience, I would be hard pressed to recommend such a saw.
If you do not want a pro saw but still want a longer bar, go to your local box store and buy the largest saw they sell with .325 chain (the closer to 60cc the better). Get a 20"-24" bar designed to run .325 chain.
Both Husky and Stihl make junk as well as good saws but it seems you are not a heavy user. I am not sure of your desire for longer bar or how you would use a longer bar chainsaw so I cannot be cock sure of my current recommendation. I do know a person going from and used to a Husky 49 to a Husky 372 would be like going from a 4 cylinder car to a street hemi Cuda.

 

[jdonovan]

If you are used to the 49, the 372 is going to be a different animal altogether and without knowing your chainsaw experience, I would be hard pressed to recommend such a saw.

I do know a person going from and used to a Husky 49 to a Husky 372 would be like going from a 4 cylinder car to a street hemi Cuda.

+100

There are exceptions to the rule, but generally, it holds:
Most of the .325 chains are low kickback, occasional user safety chains.
Most of the 3/8 chains are experienced user/professional and generally do not have the safety features of the .325 chain.

So one thing I think we've forgotten to ask, is do you want this longer bar so you don't have to bend over as much, or because you are trying to cut large trees?

If its the latter, then I concur wholly with arrow's recommendation of :

If you do not want a pro saw but still want a longer bar, go to your local box store and buy the largest saw they sell with .325 chain (the closer to 60cc the better). Get a 20"-24" bar designed to run .325 chain.

Also you can goto oregon's web site, and see if they make a bar/chain combo for the saws that you are considering in a length that you want.

 

[RollingsFarms]

I personally will never have anything BUT a pro saw. not because it sounds better, or I like to look cool but for the simple fact of weight. I have a Stihl ms260 pro and my buddy has a Stihl 290 farm boss. his saw is about 3 pounds heavier then mine and mine has more horsepower....albeit not very much. the farm boss and other homeowner models are just unnecisarily heavy for their power. lug one around all day and you will quickly see how much an extra pound or 3 makes. if i wanted to run a 22" bar I wouldn't have anything less then a 460 pro from Stihl. I would also look at other brands in close comparison to this saw. heck, my little 260 pro saw is rated to run a 20" bar but I won't run anything but a 16" bar on it. it's my only saw for now but if i ever decide to go bigger it will be a 460, 440 magnum(if i can find a good used one) or a 660.

 

[xyz123]

You dont have to buy MS440 used. They are back on the dealers shelves right now on the west coast. Real proud of them though price wise. You can get 660's for the price their asking out there for 440, here in the midwest.

22" and hardwoods I would be looking at 365 $500 and up - 372 $700 and up or 440 $900+

 

[RollingsFarms]

i read that about them bringing them back on an arborist site i read from time to time. dealers i've asked around here though look at me like i'm crazy when i ask them about it. maybe its just availible on the west coast? normally the largest saw Stihl dealers stock around here are 460's.

 

[Car Doc]

359 is a good mid sized saw would run 20"+ or a 372 if you want to really get some work done they weigh about the same but the 372 has more power to weight than most Husky saws except the NE346 so you get more bang for the buck per pound with the true pro saws. my .02