028 AVS and a 046 would be my pick.
Upper Michigan (UP) two saw plan
- Thread starter johnsayen
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
johnsayen
ArboristSite Operative
Oh I wasn’t referring to the site, they had mentioned that my region was mostly huskys in a different post.
I have a 288xp I bought at the old Wenberg repair in dollar bay. Still run it. That country turned orange in the 80s.
A little bird told me Stihl US is releasing the 400 in January 2021.
A single 60cc saw would be fine for the wood sizes you will cut. But a 2 saw plan is better for when the saws get older, and you can pinch a brand new saw as easily as any other. Unless I am just going fishing, I always take 2 saws with me in the woods.
So I would go with a 16” 50cc saw and a 20”’60 or 70cc model. For me on the Svedish saws that’s a 550XP & a 562XP.
If you only need 5 cords a year I wouldn’t fool with trying to move 30” rounds around if you have access to enough tops anyway, particularly if that is 5 face cords for a part time heating application. For 5 full cords to heat a home 24/7 maybe I would tackle some of the bigger blocks. Overall I prefer to haul home a load of poles as thick and long as I can move in the woods and then cut them up on a sawbuck as close as I can get a vehicle to where they will be burned.
There is a great combo shop in Wakefield that I hope keeps going. Pickford has a good combination shop too. The Stihl outfit in Ishpeming has impressed me with the parts supply they keep on hand (far better than yr average Ace Hardware) but that’s all I have ever stopped in for.
So I would go with a 16” 50cc saw and a 20”’60 or 70cc model. For me on the Svedish saws that’s a 550XP & a 562XP.
If you only need 5 cords a year I wouldn’t fool with trying to move 30” rounds around if you have access to enough tops anyway, particularly if that is 5 face cords for a part time heating application. For 5 full cords to heat a home 24/7 maybe I would tackle some of the bigger blocks. Overall I prefer to haul home a load of poles as thick and long as I can move in the woods and then cut them up on a sawbuck as close as I can get a vehicle to where they will be burned.
There is a great combo shop in Wakefield that I hope keeps going. Pickford has a good combination shop too. The Stihl outfit in Ishpeming has impressed me with the parts supply they keep on hand (far better than yr average Ace Hardware) but that’s all I have ever stopped in for.
johnsayen
ArboristSite Operative
Thank you - I should have specified it's 5 full cords - I still don't think I'll mess with 30 inchers as it just doesn't seem worth it. Since I have the 261 I am eyeing both the 400c and the 462c.
I’m curious about the 400c. First thing I’ve noticed is the international site lists it as more powerful than a ms362 yet lists the bars as 16,18 or 20. I wonder why that is because you can run the 25 on the 362. That isn’t ideal in hardwood but it works. I looked at the 462 last weekend, sure looks sweet wearing the 28” light bar. For me the 462 with a 28 would do anything I would touch and will scream with the 20.
I was surprised to see a 462 setting on the bottom shelf at our local Ace hardware. I picked it up and played with it for a couple minutes. Now cheap, but it's certainly light for it's size and seems well designed.
Ace hears only sells echo. I’d hit my dealer where my jd tractor and my other stihl saw came from. Good old place, been around a long time.
A 241 c and an 044 .
johnsayen
ArboristSite Operative
Could that be just because they typically use shorter bars over there?
I’m not sure. Could be a nice fill the gap saw between the 362 and 462 though. I don’t think we will see it in the states for a while. If we do get it before I pull the trigger and it’s priced closer to the 362 I’d think about it. If it’s $950+ I would just skip it.
The Ace we have has been here around 6 months. They don't do any repairs in house, and I bet they'd struggle to get you a chain let alone parts. No clue why they have a $1,200 saw on the shelf, but they do.
Yeah, I love our local ace. It’s where I bought my echo stuff but yeah they’re not working on anything. That’s funny they have a 462, When I look online on the ace site I haven’t seen a pro saw at all. Just the homeowner and farm and ranch lines.
I had to buy a $700 pro saw at an Ace hardware once upon a time in a really remote area (not the U.P.) where parts needs were a multi-day experience.
The saw service counter guy helped me complete all the details at the register; the saw as it had been sitting on the shelf didn’t have a plastic scabbard on it, so I asked him for one. There was a little stack of them for sale for two bucks but none of those matched the bar length I was buying. So he pulled one off another saw on the shelf and handed it to me. As he did, his manager came over and said “you can’t do that!” with a raised voice. Since my credit card had been run and I had the receipt in hand I looked her right in the eye, said nothing, and walked out the door.
Conversely my nearest local Stihl dealer is actually a tractor dealer; when my first M-Tronic saw had to be hooked up to the ‘pewter for something they had to go out and install the software on a laptop for the first time - after they had been carrying Stihl for 2 years already. They refuse to carry Stihl’s synthetic mix oil in the 5 gallon mix bottles at all; luckily my local Ace brought in Stihl and now carries about 4x the amount of Stihl stuff than my former “dealer.”
The saw service counter guy helped me complete all the details at the register; the saw as it had been sitting on the shelf didn’t have a plastic scabbard on it, so I asked him for one. There was a little stack of them for sale for two bucks but none of those matched the bar length I was buying. So he pulled one off another saw on the shelf and handed it to me. As he did, his manager came over and said “you can’t do that!” with a raised voice. Since my credit card had been run and I had the receipt in hand I looked her right in the eye, said nothing, and walked out the door.
Conversely my nearest local Stihl dealer is actually a tractor dealer; when my first M-Tronic saw had to be hooked up to the ‘pewter for something they had to go out and install the software on a laptop for the first time - after they had been carrying Stihl for 2 years already. They refuse to carry Stihl’s synthetic mix oil in the 5 gallon mix bottles at all; luckily my local Ace brought in Stihl and now carries about 4x the amount of Stihl stuff than my former “dealer.”
I'd go with the 462 and a 25" bar. The 20" from the 261 will fit that too. The 462 with a 25" bar will allow you to chew some pretty big wood but the powerhead is not too big to use for stuff over rounds the 261 struggles with.
As far as big rounds. If they are too big for me to hand load I'll 1/2 or 1/4 them in the woods, or split them to firewood size in the woods. I take two mauls, a 8-lb sledge and 3-4 steel wedges with me, I don't noodle stuff.
As far as big rounds. If they are too big for me to hand load I'll 1/2 or 1/4 them in the woods, or split them to firewood size in the woods. I take two mauls, a 8-lb sledge and 3-4 steel wedges with me, I don't noodle stuff.
Because I'm good at splitting big rounds and have tools to do so. Read each round for knots before you start.
If I have to, I break out the 20-lb sledge. Most big stuff, if the maul gets stuck I use it as a wedge and drive with the 8-lb sledge, and/or add a steel wedge. Not much that won't split with 2 mauls and 3-4 steel wedges.
I've never owned a splitter either. Been chopping/burning cordwood since the 1970s.
Door on my stove is 16 X 20". Seldom can't I split knotty crap down that far. Those are the all nighters.
