Helping a Friend Decide - New Chainsaw

[HumBurner]

I think he would on the odd occasion see something in the 30 inch diameter max but most of his cutting will be under 20 inches Maple, Douglas Fir, Fir Balsam & Western Red Cedar.

Local dealers are Stihl and Husqvarna.

Thanks for the replies so far!

562 with a 20 and 28" bar (28" is fine in soft wood and softer hardwood, just not all the time) or a 372 with a 20 and 28"


Or a stihl 462. Though I haven't run one.



I also heard tale of a 450 or 455 Rancher that can run a 20' bar and slice/dice potatoes at the same time. Might want to look into that.

 

[Big_Eddy]

My recommendation would be a Husky 545 mk2. Exact same auto-tune 50cc saw as the 550mk2, but without a couple of the XP goodies and their price tag, with the bonus of a Smart-Start recoil that reduces effort significantly. I prefer shorter bars at 16”, but they are available stock with 16,18 and 20.

Of course it depends on what trees are on his land, but IMO for general purpose property maintenance and a small amount of firewood, 50cc is more than enough saw. That is the saw I recommended to my son for his new 40 acre property with wood heated house. So far he loves it.

 

[Hermio]

Hi all! I have an friend who is now about 70 years old. He has several older unreliable gas powered chainsaws (Stihl & Husqvarna) that he is tired of working on. He has a 10 acre property with plenty of firewood trees and cuts about 3/4 cords per year. He would like to get a brand new saw and is only interested in Husqvarna or Stihl. I think he should get a pro model with about a 20 inch or bigger bar. I haven't looked and new saws in many years as my older equipment is running excellent (026 & 356 special).

I'm wondering if I can get some recommendations from you experts on what brand/model would best suit his needs. Money is not a issue. Power to weight, balance, vibration and reliability are his biggest considerations. I have no idea what to recommend anymore with respect to purchasing new.

Thanks!

For my 2 cents worth, if money is no object, Stihl MS500i. I am nearly 70 myself, and it is the least fatiguing saw I have ever used. It is lighter than many of the 60cc class saws, but it gets the work done quickly so I don't have to spend as much time cutting. I use a 20" bar, and rarely, a 25". If they won't cut it, I can't lift it. I cut typically 6 cords of firewood per year. I also stay in shape by exercising regularly.

 

[Franny K]

I'm wondering if I can get some recommendations from you xxxxxxxxx on what brand/model would best suit his needs. Money is not a issue. Power to weight, balance, vibration and reliability are his biggest considerations. I have no idea what to recommend anymore with respect to purchasing new.

50cc class, the newer versions that have the cylinder angled back seem to score lower on the vibration numbers. Husqvarna is outboard clutch, Stihl is inboard, easier to remove the bar if stuck and in general this might be the choice between hq 545, 550 and Stilhl 261.

 

[quantico]

Glad the 70 year old is in great shape. I assumed someone using serious outdoor chainsaws 55 years would have some limitations and injuries. Most 70 plus year olds do.

 

[gdrew888]

Glad the 70 year old is in great shape. I assumed someone using serious outdoor chainsaws 55 years would have some limitations and injuries. Most 70 plus year olds do.

Yes, great for a 71 year old but not without issues like many at his age. He's always been the type of guy that tinkers and finds cleaver ways to reuse old stuff that would be considered junk by most people. He lives off grid in his little home made paradise, small cabin big workshop and no one else to tell him what to do...got his priorities right!

He worked hard all his working life but not in the woods with chainsaws. His profession was in the automotive industry, more specifically bodywork. His need for chainsaw is strictly to feed his off grid lifestyle.

 

[gdrew888]

FOLLOWUP:
So after heading to a few saw shops and kicking a few sprockets on various models of Husky's & Stihl's he made his purchase and gave it a trial run yesterday. He test ran it on a tapered 31 inch to 28 inch log of Maple that had been down and seasoning for a year or so. I believe it was dead standing too but forgot to ask. He was very pleased with with all aspects of his purchase (power/weight/vibration & balance).
He went with the MS261 with a 20 inch bar. He chose that saw because it's a light weight pro model that he felt was a good all round fit for his needs.

Thanks everyone who contributed as this information really helped him on his journey in making a decision he was comfortable with!

 

[ElevatorGuy]

Excellent choice!

 

[Phecda]

FOLLOWUP:
So after heading to a few saw shops and kicking a few sprockets on various models of Husky's & Stihl's he made his purchase and gave it a trial run yesterday. He test ran it on a tapered 31 inch to 28 inch log of Maple that had been down and seasoning for a year or so. I believe it was dead standing too but forgot to ask. He was very pleased with with all aspects of his purchase (power/weight/vibration & balance).
He went with the MS261 with a 20 inch bar. He chose that saw because it's a light weight pro model that he felt was a good all round fit for his needs.

Thanks everyone who contributed as this information really helped him on his journey in making a decision he was comfortable with!

Congrats on the MS261

 

[user 122190]

I really enjoy using my 261. I don't use it as much as I would like, as mostly what I cut is a bit larger and for the 400 and above. For the older man the 261 will serve him well for a long long time.

 

[Phecda]

I really enjoy using my 261. I don't use it as much as I would like, as mostly what I cut is a bit larger and for the 400 and above. For the older man the 261 will serve him well for a long long time.

I wish I didn’t have anything bigger than the 261 could handle. I’d sell the 461 and replace it with another 261.

There’s nothing fun about toting around and toiling over a saw heavier than it needs to be.

 

[user 122190]

I wish I didn’t have anything bigger than the 261 could handle. I’d sell the 461 and replace it with another 261.

There’s nothing fun about toting around and toiling over a saw heavier than it needs to be.

My back agrees with you. I was out this morning, scrounging the wilderness roads, picking up plenty of scraps cut by the forestry service to clear the roads. Too many had to be cut and loaded, and I am feeling it now.

 

[Phecda]

My back agrees with you. I was out this morning, scrounging the wilderness roads, picking up plenty of scraps cut by the forestry service to clear the roads. Too many had to be cut and loaded, and I am feeling it now.

**** I picked one of the kids the other day and turned wrong, I thought I had been shot in the back.

And the next morning it felt like I had loaded 5 tons of trees.

 

[bryannewton]

562 with a 20 and 28" bar (28" is fine in soft wood and softer hardwood, just not all the time) or a 372 with a 20 and 28"


Or a stihl 462. Though I haven't run one.



I also heard tale of a 450 or 455 Rancher that can run a 20' bar and slice/dice potatoes at the same time. Might want to look into that.

I think my 450 rancher bogs down to easy in hard wood with a 20in bar thats why I am looking at putting an 18 in on it and getting a bigger saw and running a 24 in on bigger one

 

[ElevatorGuy]

A 50cc shouldn’t have a 20 on it. Good luck in your search.

 

[bryannewton]

A 50cc shouldn’t have a 20 on it. Good luck in your search.

It does decent just can't push it and it came with a 20 inch on it

 

[ElevatorGuy]

Decent is up for debate, I run an 8 pin, 16” on my ported 50cc.

 

[bryannewton]

Decent is up for debate, I run an 8 pin, 16” on my ported 50cc.

I am going switch it to an 18in bar when I get the money planning on buy a bigger saw to run a 24 inch bar

 

[fields_mj]

Why does he need a 20" bar? For "firewood" logs, 16"-18" will cut through 90% of the rounds in a single pass. While its WAY out of my price range, I'd say the 400 looks VERY promising and would be an ideal match for this application. Maybe back it up with a smaller saw like a 180 for limbs.

 

[Cedar Row]

I'm 76, and still cut, load, split oak firewood to heat a house and a 20 x 40 woodworking shop. I have had quite a few chainsaws over the years, all good saws when they are running. Got a MS 261 recently, it is my favorite. Am getting a MS 180 for the small stuff; have read good things about it. Want to get my MS361 running again as well as the 041; the 021 still runs and it is a good small saw. I have an Echo 352, it starts easily and cuts fairly well, and is light weight. I use it if I want to cut something quickly, and don't want to have to do a lot of pulling on the cord. The Echo 355T I have is a top handle in tree saw, not good for cutting firewood. None of the saws are too heavy for me, but loading wood on the truck by hand is hardest part now. I have a log splitter, so that part is relatively easy.