Need a bigger saw

[Grant1994]

Alright so I need some opinions/advice here.... I live in southeast mass and Irene just tore apart my town. I am currently stuck on my street do to three trees down across the road with wires untangled in all of them. My other problem is the storm uprooted 4 oak trees in my yard with the smallest having a diameter of 18" and the biggest with a diameter of 3 feet! I currently have a stihl ms250 with a 16" bar... But it just won't cut through these big solid oaks. I looked at the stihl farm boss with a 20 inch bar... My question is will that be enough saw and is that the best bar to use with that saw? Thanks!!!

John

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Alright so I need some opinions/advice here.... I live in southeast mass and Irene just tore apart my town. I am currently stuck on my street do to three trees down across the road with wires untangled in all of them. My other problem is the storm uprooted 4 oak trees in my yard with the smallest having a diameter of 18" and the biggest with a diameter of 3 feet! I currently have a stihl ms250 with a 16" bar... But it just won't cut through these big solid oaks. I looked at the stihl farm boss with a 20 inch bar... My question is will that be enough saw and is that the best bar to use with that saw? Thanks!!!

John

John,

I'm fairly new to chainsaws, but I bought a Stihl 290 Farmboss with a 20" blade back in April. I had about 1/2 a log truck load of assorted sizes of trees the loggers had left behind. One was a 18" or more thick oak trunk. In one tank of gas I cut so much wood that I filled the back of my F-150 as high as the roof, and some of the longer bucked pieces were 8' or so and hanging off the back. I also cut that oak into 6 "chairs" (18" tall rounds) around my firepit, and almost as big of a load of firewood with the 2nd tank of gas.

This chainsaw is a beast.

I hear there is a NEW 291 that is maybe even better... I love my 20" Farmboss. My only complaint is it is a bit big for limbing and that slows me down.

I've read the FarmBoss is the best selling chainsaw in the world. I believe them.

Be well,
David

 

[jbooth]

Big trees may be a good reason for a new toy, but you might also be OK to just get a longer bar and a "skip" tooth chain. Having fewer teeth in the log will allow your present saw to hanle a longer bar. The smaller saw will cut slower than a bigger displacement saw with a "full" complement of teeth.

Sounds like you may have enough wood to warrant a new bigger saw. I'll bet there will be a big demand for saws in your area. Sorry to hear about your tree loss. One of those deals where when you have lemons, it's time to make lemonade.

 

[sharpanther]

I`ve always liked huskies best and if you can find a used saw, huskie brand in about the 360 range, it will retain it`s resale value and I`ve cut a lot of wood that size with a 360. If you use a small saw to cut the trees, even with a larger bar and a skiptooth chain it is taxing on the saw, and I`ve seen the small saws seize up. The right size saw is worth it especially if you can get it used in good shape. Most power shops sell good used equipment.

 

[dntfxr]

I like the big Husqys. I own both, but I like the smaller Stihls, the trim saws are great!

 

[creekbend]

I agree with the chance that chainsaws will be hard to find now due to IRENE, If you can't find what you are looking for now or want, perhaps you can use a neighbor's or a friend's chainsaw that has downed trees. Maybe you can reach an agreement to cut their trees or branches in return for the use of their equipment for cutting your trees. Maybe you both can do as a joint effort. This way you will have time to decide later on your choice--the chainsaw that you fill the happiest with and the one that you truly want. 4-four million people are presently without power in the entire Eastern Seaboard, thus insuring that chainsaws will be at a preminum and difficult to find or purchase.I experienced this firsthand while I lived and worked on the west coast of Florida, the same thing with generators. Just a thought. I hope this helps. Happy Tractoring.:tractor::tractor:

 

[Rio_Grande]

I just bought a Stihl 391 it comes with a 25 inch bar and is a flat out beast. Now when you are using the whole lenght of the bar it gets dicy mostly because it is cutting so hard and aggresive you really have to have a hold on it.

 

[Mark Page]

IMHO I wouldn't try it with less than a 26" bar. You'll have to make 2 passes
so pick up a couple felling wedges to keep your saw from binding.
You might want to wait until things settle down and have the pros come in with a 36" saw and cut it up. That tree should be worth a few bucks from your insurance company. Even at a buck a foot your looking at thousands. Find a local cabinet maker they would to to have that tree.

 

[DwightD123]

Having just lived through a similar experience at my farm I will tell you get a bigger saw. Get a new chain for your small one and and extra for the big one...you'll need both saws and you don't want to waste time trying to sharpen a chain unless you are well versed in that capacity.
You definitley will not want to tote around the big saw for limbing. It'll wear you out too fast.
The other advice I can give you is to buck the logs 6-8' whatever you can handle with the FEL and stack them for later cutting. It's too much work to log cut or even cut and split that much at once. You can create a nice bucked log pile that will be easy to work over in the upcoming months.
This helps clear the area faster making everything seem a little better.
Good luck, be patient and take your time...lot of chances for accidents with big trees.

 

[Grant1994]

Thanks guys... And yes generators are in very short supply around here we have a 17 year old one that kicked out on us earlier in the day but luckily after a trip to home depot, and pep boys I was able to get it going again. As to availability of the saw one of my friends owns a local dealership and has a few in stock and is going to set one aside in case I want it in the morning. I wish that I could borrow a saw but most of my neighbors are elderly or don't have a saw so I will be helping with cleanup throught most of my neighborhood. I've been contemplating getting a bigger saw for a while and now I finally have a real reason also this will allow me to cut my own wood for the wood stove. My plan Is to go to the dealership in the morning and get a feel for the saw(that is if I can get there) to get out earlier I had to walk down my street an have my friend pick me up at the end.