Need advice on a larger chainsaw for an older guy.

[N80]

I'm 58 years old and I'm in decent but not excellent physical condition. Average strength I would say.

I am not a chainsaw guy. In other words, I've been using decent consumer Stihl chainsaws all my life but I don't know anything about cc's, chain types, tuning, modding etc etc. Primary use has been yard and property cleanup as well as cutting firewood. I have the proper safety gear and a solid understanding of basic chainsaw safety.

But now I have ordered a saw mill. It should be here in a few weeks. It can handle up to 26" diameter trees.

My primary saw is a Stihl Farm Boss with a 20" bar. I don't remember which one but it is about 3 years old, bought new and was the larger of the Farm Boss saws. In my mind I'm thinking 350 but it might be a 271. I don't even know if the Farm Boss came in a 350. Anyway, it is a decent saw. I suspect it is a consumer level saw with a "farm" designation for marketing.

This weekend I felled several pines that were around 12 inches in diameter. The Farm Boss was okay but not great. I also recently cut up a much larger oak blow down (probably 25ish diameter) and the Farm Boss struggled a lot.

So I am going to be felling larger trees than 12" pines in the near future. My son-in-law will be there most of the time (we'll own the saw mill together). He has a big tuned pro-level Stihl. He has a good bit of felling experience. But I feel like I need a bigger saw for myself. I'm thinking 25-28" bar.

I'm not really looking for brand recommendations.

What I need to know is what I can get for this job that is: 1) Reasonably light. (Again, I'm 58). 2) Appropriately powered for cutting down large but not huge trees. 3) Reasonably safe for my age and experience and 4) What type of chain for my age and experience from a safety vs efficiency standpoint.

Any basic advice much appreciated.

P.S.: Not too interested in modding or tuning a saw.

 

[Milo]

Well it'll have a 3/8" chain and you'll want it as light as possible yet capable of running a 25"+ bar. Stihl 462 comes to mind, they're light for their size. Echo makes some nice saws and for a little less money (I have 2 Sthils and an Echo Timberwolf) but Echo's tend to be heavier, which isn't a big deal for limited use but in your case probably will be. Personally I'd compare weights and power of Stihl, Husqvarna, and maybe Echo.

 

[Jchonline]

Light weight and power dont really go that well together. The engine is most of the weight on a saw. You can get “light” versions of the bar which I do recommend. I am a stihl guy myself, but husqvarna is a solid choice. For bucking you will still want to stay with 2 cycle engines. For that bar length look at 60cc+. I have a 25 on my 362, its about as long as I would go on that saw. I would also recommend a pro saw, as they have a better power to weight ratio. The 500i is a great choice if you have the $$$.

https://www.stihlusa.com/WebContent/CMSFileLibrary/downloads/Chain-Saw-Comparison-Chart.pdf

 

[Root Cause]

I am a few years older than you and have been clearing an acre of dense woods this past summer with maple, oak, and pine.
I have 20" Husqvarna so I have been doing similar work with similar equipment.
This isn't what you asked for but this may fix part your problem if you haven't used one before.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HY96EW8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I can do it while on the bar, it is fast and accurate.
I keep a small vise mounted on a table to clamp the bar and it takes maybe 5 minutes.
I make about 4 strokes per tooth and it is as good or better than new.
I saw a noticeable difference in how much I could do in a day,

Others can help you pick out a chain saw but I would recommend getting this to help with fatique.
Hope this helps.

 

[4570Man]

I would get at minimum a 50 cc pro grade saw. A Stihl 261 or a Husqvarna 550xp would cut circles around your current saw. But if you really want to pull a 20” or 24” bar and not take forever I’d get a 70 cc saw. I’ve got a 372 XP that’s been a very good saw. I’ve also got a 6900 Makita which is actually a Dolmar. It’s not a bad saw but I’d pay a little bit more for another Husqvarna if I had a do over.

 

[hosspuller]

Powerful saw = weight and long bar. Both are fatigue factors. I would go towards the lightest and shortest bar that will handle MOST of your work. Let the SIL handle the felling. One doesn't need a 28 inch bar to buck limbs unless you're walking the log. A long bar requires a larger gauge. That then requires a wider kerf, which requires more power, which requires a larger engine...
In other words. Size your saw for 80-90 percent or less, of your wood. Instead of swinging a heavy saw that does 100 percent of the work

If speed of cut is the issue, consider a full chisel tooth and non-reduced kick back chain. The downside is more resharpening and kick-back hazard. There's no free lunch.

 

[4570Man]

Powerful saw = weight and long bar. Both are fatigue factors. I would go towards the lightest and shortest bar that will handle MOST of your work. Let the SIL handle the felling. One doesn't need a 28 inch bar to buck limbs unless you're walking the log. A long bar requires a larger gauge. That then requires a wider kerf, which requires more power, which requires a larger engine...
In other words. Size your saw for 80-90 percent or less, of your wood. Instead of swinging a heavy saw that does 100 percent of the work

If speed of cut is the issue, consider a full chisel tooth and non-reduced kick back chain. The downside is more resharpening and kick-back hazard. There's no free lunch.

That’s not necessarily true. A bigger saw will get the job done faster. Less time working is generally less tiring. I know that if I’m going out to do anything besides cut a few limbs I’m taking my 372 vs my little top handle saw.

 

[N80]

I am a few years older than you and have been clearing an acre of dense woods this past summer with maple, oak, and pine.
I have 20" Husqvarna so I have been doing similar work with similar equipment.
This isn't what you asked for but this may fix part your problem if you haven't used one before.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HY96EW8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

View attachment 720815

I can do it while on the bar, it is fast and accurate.
I keep a small vise mounted on a table to clamp the bar and it takes maybe 5 minutes.
I make about 4 strokes per tooth and it is as good or better than new.
I saw a noticeable difference in how much I could do in a day,

Others can help you pick out a chain saw but I would recommend getting this to help with fatique.
Hope this helps.

I've got one. It is great. I've also got files and an electric on bar sharpener. The one you showed is the one I use the most. Quick and easy and does a good job.

 

[N80]

Thanks guys. Great advice. Agree with the power-to-weight-to-fatigue ratio. That can be a hard call. I guess I'm looking for the perfect combo there.

 

[Doughknob]

I'd have my son-in-law fell the trees while I ran the mill.....

 

[plowhog]

Well it'll have a 3/8" chain and you'll want it as light as possible yet capable of running a 25"+ bar. Stihl 462 comes to mind, they're light for their size.

About 6 months ago I bought a Stihl 462. I am very pleased with it. Yesterday I bucked up a substantial amount of large limbs and tree trunks-- up to 30" plus but most around 20" or so. Spent several hours sawing and the rest of the day splitting.

I have numerous smaller Stihl saws. But I find the 462 so powerful that it seems to be less effort than a smaller saw since the cut is made much faster. btw I am older than you. Probably similar condition as how you described.

And, I have a Dewalt battery operated chain saw for doing limbing. A small lightweight battery chain saw is very effective and efficient for the kind of work you are going to encounter with your sawmill.

 

[Citydude]

In my experience, felling the trees is the easy part so a heavy saw shouldn't be too much of an issue. Limbing trees is the issue with a heavy saw. I fell my trees with a 60cc saw and limb with a 43cc saw.

I'm 69 years old so walking the log with a heavy saw and a long bar is problematic for me.

 

[plowhog]

I'm 69 years old so walking the log with a heavy saw and a long bar is problematic for me.

I agree. A smaller gas saw for that makes a lot of sense.

 

[N80]

I'd have my son-in-law fell the trees while I ran the mill.....

That will be the case most of the time.

 

[N80]

I fell my trees with a 60cc saw and limb with a 43cc saw.

I'll have the Stihl Farm Boss and my ancient but runs-like-new homeowner Stihl 025 which is perfect for limbing.

 

[ericm979]

The problem with saw larger than needed for the job isn't when you're bucking in a nice clean wood lot where it's easy to move around and the saw's in wood most of the time anyhow, it's when you have to hike in or put down and pick up and restart the saw a bunch of times while you're moving stuff out of the way. And it's not like it will keep you from working, it will just tire you out sooner. So how much larger is too large kind of depends on the work you're doing and how long you'll be doing it. And of course your strength and fitness. Keeping in mind that when you're tired is when you make mistakes.

You can get milling chain. It cuts a little faster than regular cross cut chain when cutting on the end grain as done in milling. But that's still going to be the slowest cutting orientation. I've not seen it made in safety versions. Since the end of the bar is always out of the wood (the mill has to clamp on both ends of the bar) there's no need.

 

[Root Cause]

I've got one. It is great. I've also got files and an electric on bar sharpener. The one you showed is the one I use the most. Quick and easy and does a good job.

Great. Carry on then.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I'm 58 years old and I'm in decent but not excellent physical condition. Average strength I would say.

I am not a chainsaw guy. In other words, I've been using decent consumer Stihl chainsaws all my life but I don't know anything about cc's, chain types, tuning, modding etc etc. Primary use has been yard and property cleanup as well as cutting firewood. I have the proper safety gear and a solid understanding of basic chainsaw safety.

But now I have ordered a saw mill. It should be here in a few weeks. It can handle up to 26" diameter trees.

My primary saw is a Stihl Farm Boss with a 20" bar. I don't remember which one but it is about 3 years old, bought new and was the larger of the Farm Boss saws. In my mind I'm thinking 350 but it might be a 271. I don't even know if the Farm Boss came in a 350. Anyway, it is a decent saw. I suspect it is a consumer level saw with a "farm" designation for marketing.

This weekend I felled several pines that were around 12 inches in diameter. The Farm Boss was okay but not great. I also recently cut up a much larger oak blow down (probably 25ish diameter) and the Farm Boss struggled a lot.

So I am going to be felling larger trees than 12" pines in the near future. My son-in-law will be there most of the time (we'll own the saw mill together). He has a big tuned pro-level Stihl. He has a good bit of felling experience. But I feel like I need a bigger saw for myself. I'm thinking 25-28" bar.

I'm not really looking for brand recommendations.

What I need to know is what I can get for this job that is: 1) Reasonably light. (Again, I'm 58). 2) Appropriately powered for cutting down large but not huge trees. 3) Reasonably safe for my age and experience and 4) What type of chain for my age and experience from a safety vs efficiency standpoint.

Any basic advice much appreciated.

P.S.: Not too interested in modding or tuning a saw.

Just buy a longer bar. My brother has a 5' bar on one of his. You can weld bars together. How you think they cut 11' wide slabs on chain saw mills? The world is your oyster, my friend.

 

[CalG]

Buy a few new chains, get some different tooth profiles. Se what works best for you. A SHARP chain makes a BIG difference. It could save buying another saw.

But, One saw is never enough!

 

[N80]

So how much larger is too large kind of depends on the work you're doing and how long you'll be doing it. And of course your strength and fitness. Keeping in mind that when you're tired is when you make mistakes.

For felling trees the work will be fairly brief. Drop the tree. Top it. Knock a few branches off. Cut it up into a few lengths. Probably drop no more than one or two trees at any given time.*

The issue with the Farm Boss is that when the bar was fully into the tree on the back cut and sometimes the notch cut it would start to bog and I'd have to reposition, etc etc. (The chain was sharp). That is when the smaller saw makes more work.

*That could change. I have 250 acres of woodland. Probably over 100 of which is in planted pines. We have pine beetles and sometimes they'll die in clumps of 4-5 trees. Up until now I couldn't do much with them. Now that I'm getting a saw mill those dead/dying trees make great lumber...if you catch them early enough. But they go from dying to unusable in a shockingly short period of time. So it might be that my usage will go up.