Buying Advice Need Second Stihl Commercial Chainsaw, Larger Than MS261

[ericm979]

I have mixed feelings about the M-tronic on my 362. On one hand it keeps the jetting just right. I used to tune two stroke road race and off road motorcycles and know what a correctly jetted two stroke sounds and runs like (four stroking in the cut is rich but safe). M-tronic keeps the jetting just right. The only drawback is that my saw will sometimes be too rich to start if I make some cuts and shut it down immediately. Then it needs a few pulls with the throttle open before it'll start. If I idle it for 5-10 seconds before shutting it off it won't do it, but sometimes I forget. I've done the ECU reset and it ran ok for a tank or two but then re-learned it's bad habit.

 

[Tompet]

I have a 55cc older chainsaw with a 20" bar and .325 chain. When the chain is just sharpened it may take a minute to go through a certain sized log.
I bought a 60 CC new pro saw with a 20" bar but with a 3/8" chain, able to run a 24" bar. It seems like there shouldn't be much difference but the new saw will chew through the same log in 15 seconds. It may seem it is just a little more time involved, but every second on a cut like that, makes it more unbearable to hang on to, especially if it is an all day cutting.

I was looking at the Stihl 362 with Mtronic carb. The older lifelong Stihl dealer in a forestry area kind of steered me away from them because of the electronic stuff. He said if a man has one and it works good, then great. But if a guy has one and has trouble with it, the troubles seem to never end. He said just because it is the latest, doesn't necessarily mean it is the best for me.

He would have gladly ordered anything I wanted but he confided in me that old style carbs were more reliable and can generally be fixed by tweaking the carb. up or down by anyone. I am assuming the MS 462 would be in the same boat. I was not to concerned about down time but didn't want something a dealer has a rough time fixing after the warranty period is done.

That was a year ago so I listened to him and skipped his 362 and ended up with a competitors model. I don't regret my decision, yet, FWIW.

Check out Arborist.com forum. Anything you want to know about saws, they seem to know.

You can purchase a 362 without the Mtronic carb...surprised an older lifelong Stihl dealer didn't point that out to you. He probably didn't have one in stock to sell at the time.

 

[s219]

s219

I owned a 261 and currently own a 461 (also have three smaller Echo saws 50cc and under, and a Husky 562XP @ 60cc).

Go play with a 461 at the dealer before you decide "on paper" that it's the saw for you. It's a big beefy saw and you mentioned age several times, which tells me you are sensibly aware of your limits and factors like fatigue. While I love my 461 and it goes through the biggest wood like a hot knife through butter, it is not a saw everyone can handle for extended use. It's a beast.

Will trial MS 461 at the Stihl dealer either tomorrow or next week.
I forecast MS 261 75% usage, MS 461 25% usage during 2018.

If you do decide the 461 is right for you, spend a little more and get one of Stihl's ES light bars. They make a huge difference in both weight and balance, and both of those factor into usability, comfort, and fatigue.

New information to me. Thank you.

I normally use a 20" standard bar on my 461. But I also have a 28" ES Light bar, which is roughly the same weight as that standard 20" bar, and doesn't alter the balance of the saw in a negative way. Worst thing you can do to a big saw is put a long bar on it that makes the saw too nose heavy. That makes the saw awkward to use, and will fatigue the user. So ES Light bars are very beneficial on a big saw like the 461.

Two saws, one bar for each saw; that is all the complexity I can stand and all the room I have in my RTV500 Utility Vehicle. I realize, reluctantly, that I will have to shuffle in/out my 1 gallon sprayer, propane torch and fire shovel to accommodate the longer saw.

Here's a pic showing the 28" ES Light bar on my 461. At age 48 the saw doesn't really wear me out, but when I switch to a 50cc or 60cc saw, I am reminded how much more nimble they are and how much more cumbersome the 461 is. Until you have worked with a saw of this size for a while, you won't really understand. The 461 has intoxicating power and capability for big wood, but it's not the saw I want to use all the time or even most of the time.

I forecast MS 261 75% usage, MS 461 25% usage during 2018.

Even on the largest tree trunks I have to deal with, I should not have to make more than six cuts with the new saw, before reaching a reduced trunk diameter where I can use the MS 261.

At age 70, retired, when I get tired, I stop.
I avoid over-doing it.

Sounds like a good plan. If the 461 is a good fit for you, I think you'll love the saw. One time I let a neighbor try mine while bucking some logs at his place. The smile on his face was priceless. He had been using a MS-250 that was struggling on 18" oak, and the 461 sailed right through it with constant RPMs in the cut and not a hint of bogging down.

BTW, if you have any desirable wood and want a new hobby, the 461 is a very capable milling saw. For a couple hundred bucks you can get an Alaskan sawmill jig and cut some very nice wood. I have done both beams and slabs with my setup and it is nice to be able to make my own high quality lumber. Right now I have a nice stack of oak, poplar, and walnut boards waiting for a future project.

 

[/pine]

Not trying to be negative...would just like to understand the rationale...Other than the "Tool Man syndrome"...
Why buy a commercial duty saw (meant to be used all day every day) to do a limited amount of work?

 

[two_bit_score]

Nobody is going to rent a saw for a limited amount of work either. Buy a saw or suffer through using your current one. My 50cc saw rarely leaves the garage since I got my bigger saw. I don稚 know where you壇 rent a chainsaw even if you wanted to.

Lowe痴 and HD for starters. Lots of places.


.

 

[motownbrowne]

Not trying to be negative...would just like to understand the rationale...Other than the "Tool Man syndrome"...
Why buy a commercial duty saw (meant to be used all day every day) to do a limited amount of work?

Yeah, they're designed to be used in a production setting, but they don't last long doing so. It seems like generally loggers get 2-3 years out of a felling saw unless they're rotating several. For a more occasional user, that equates to many many years for reliable service. Seems pretty good to me.

Also, for running a 25" bar, your only non-pro option is a ms390. They're alright, but only 64cc. It's only a couple hundred bucks give or take to go with the 461, which will make the job faster and more enjoyable. If you can spare the cash, it's a no brainier. Plus, they all hold their value very well, so in ten years, that 461 will be an easy sell, probably for 65-75% of it's new cost, assuming it's not trashed.

 

[/pine]

Yeah, they're designed to be used in a production setting, but they don't last long doing so. It seems like generally loggers get 2-3 years out of a felling saw unless they're rotating several. For a more occasional user, that equates to many many years for reliable service. Seems pretty good to me.

Also, for running a 25" bar, your only non-pro option is a ms390. They're alright, but only 64cc. It's only a couple hundred bucks give or take to go with the 461, which will make the job faster and more enjoyable. If you can spare the cash, it's a no brainier. Plus, they all hold their value very well, so in ten years, that 461 will be an easy sell, probably for 65-75% of it's new cost, assuming it's not trashed.

FWIW I have an old (pre comp rel.) MS390...it's been worked hard for many years and is still strong and starts easy...I run a 20" bar but it will handle up to a 30"...
Logging is a big local business here...since ox teams were the norm...A lot of guys treat their saws like they were offspring...local repair shop is a master re-builder and very reasonably priced ...BTW...Our home sits on the very spot that was once a CCC saw mill...

 

[RyeThomas]

Having had a 362MSC, 461, ported 461r, ported 241c, 660 and 2 661s I will recommend waiting for the next saw from Stihl in the 70cc class. Either the 462 or some dealers are saying its going to be an M500 variant. I hope it is the 462!

461 is probably my favorite all around felling saw, issue it the R model weighs as much as a 661! It a pretty heavy bulky saw but she is a torque monster.
The 362 will not gain you much over the 261 you have. I loved mine with an 18-20 bar but hated it with a 24! I like a 24 bar on my felling saw.

You have been doing it this long with the 261, wait a bit longer and see what Stihl releases to the US market next. I think the 462 will be a perfect saw for a lot of us, problem is you never know what Stihl is going to do.

 

[goeduck]

Having had a 362MSC, 461, ported 461r, ported 241c, 660 and 2 661s

How do you like the little 241c? I have been thinking of replacing my top handle with that for limbing.

 

[RyeThomas]

It’s ported now, in all honesty it is my favorite saw to run. Big ported saws are what they are, but a little saw that runs like a biggin, it is insanity. It turns so fast and eats everything