Need a bigger saw

[LD1]

I am a fan of the Husky 372 and 24 inch bar. We do use skip chains when cutting in conditions that require frequent sharpening.....less teeth to sharpen.

I have heard that claim before, but my experience has been a little different.

Sure, there are less teeth to sharpen when you have to sharpen, BUT......

There are less cutters being used to do the work. So in my experience, harpening is required more often.

Dont get me wrong, whe you NEED skip chain, you need it. Like pulling long bars through big wood. It takes less power to keep the saw cutting and you have more room for chip clearence.

But if you have a saw with a 24" bar and skip, IF the saw is big enough to pull full-comp (non skip) I really dont think you are gaining anything. Less time to sharpen, but sharpening more often.

 

[Nitro-Fish]

I know this thread is a few weeks old & the decision on a saw has been made, that said, I would look at getting rid of the 250, leave the 18" bar on the 290 & look for a decent used Stihl 044, 440, husqvarna 272, 362, 365, 371 or 372 or a Dolmar 7900; it will take some patience, but there are deals out there. The newer used saws (from Stihl, Husqvarna, or Dolmar) will cost you a bit more, but I expect there will be newer used saws being sold off before the holiday's. Folks that bought them just for hurricane clean-up will be looking to get rid of them; some of these people will be ones that bought pro saws because they were all that was available when they needed them. My favorite 2 saw set is the Husqvarna 346xp paired with a 372xp but this is a pricey combo. Stihl similar would be the ms260 & ms440 (or 026 pro & 044), but since you already have the 290, you would just be looking at the big brother. Hope your clean-up is done & everything is getting back to normal.

 

[FredH]

STIHL 041 AV 041AV CHAINSAW 20 INCH BAR CHAIN RUNS GOOD | eBay

Had 2 of the above for a couple of decades . 28" bars would eat up the oak tree's here . One was purchased at local dealer , Used , Second was purchased on Ebay , Used . Heavy , Yes , But Power was to the Extreme .

Sold Both locally and purchased a new 441 Magnum for $100 less than local on sale price from a person on Ebay who had bought it new , but needed money for something else , ( Family issue's , Bought something he was not suppose to buy with-out checking with better half first . ) .

Yes , they are a pain for limbing but being around saws for almost 40 years now , I am used to heavy saws and love having the saw NOT having to work hard in big wood . Sure smaller saws will cut big wood , but it takes a toll .

Fred H.