Did I get a good deal? (Stihl MS362) ;)

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SalahHH83

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So I wasn't really in the market for a new saw, but I came across a guy selling a brand spankin new MS362 with a 20" bar. The saw literally had barely been broken in (about 2 hours of use on it) but he had it for about a year. The chain looks like it barely even has that on it. He was moving and asking $500 but said he would not turn down an offer he could not refuse. After a little negotiating, I ended up getting the saw for $375. To be quite honest, the 362 would not have been my first choice, mainly because I would want a saw capable of pulling a 28" bar to replace my trusty old 65cc Poulan Countervibe 4000. That being said, I didn't want to pass up what seemed to be a great deal on a saw that costs literally double that new. The saw has M-Tronic which makes me a little bit nervous, especially with no warranty but it runs great so far. I really haven't been able to put it to any serious use yet, but look forward to. I'd also like to try a 24" bar on it just to see how it pulls it. Any advice would be welcome. He also had an equally nice MS 193 TC he was asking $200 for but I didn't have any use for it and didn't want to spend anymore.
 

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If y'all want to have a laugh, I took it over to a local Stihl dealer (not the one I typically go to, but I was in the area...) I asked if they could run the serial number to see when it was purchased and whether it was M-Tronic or not. This is my first M-Tronic saw so I want sure and wanted to confirm it (I haven't opened up the saw's case yet but I'm sure I can ID it that was as well) The guy behind the counter seemed very confused and did not know what M-Tronic was. He took down the serial numbers and said he would give me a call. I didn't think much of it. I took it over to the fewer I typically deal with. They confirmed it was purchased by the guy I bought it from in January of 2015 and confirmed it is an M-tronic. About an hour later I get s cal from the other dealer. He said he wasn't able to get me any info oh and by the way, nobody at the store, including the mechanic, knows what an M-Tronic is. I explained what it is but I might as well have been talking to a pastry chef. The guy had no idea what I was taking about! Needless to say, not all dealers are created equal
 
Question for those who run 362s: I've read where some people say a 24" bar is pushing it on this saw. Has anybody run a 28" bar on it? For most everything I'll be using a 20" but I wouldn't mind having a 28" with a skip tooth chain available to put on if needed. I'm sure it will put additional strain on the clutch and the oiler probably won't keep up as much as would be ideal. I've also read where the oiler from a 441 will fit on the 362. Is that accurate? Anyone done it?

Thanks in advance!
 
If you go to my local Stihl dealer to buy a 362 off the shelf it will have a wrap handle, a 28" bar and a skip tooth chain. That's how the local loggers and tree service people buy them so that's what they stock. The tree service guys run into 60% fir and about 40% various hardwoods. Now with that said most of our local hardwoods are Western Big Leaf Maple, alders and cottonwood (if you want to call that hardwood). Our forests are very different from yours...
 
If you go to my local Stihl dealer to buy a 362 off the shelf it will have a wrap handle, a 28" bar and a skip tooth chain. That's how the local loggers and tree service people buy them so that's what they stock. The tree service guys run into 60% fir and about 40% various hardwoods. Now with that said most of our local hardwoods are Western Big Leaf Maple, alders and cottonwood (if you want to call that hardwood). Our forests are very different from yours...

I want to find out if a strong 361 will pull a 24" with sharp full skip.
 
Piltz puts a 28" cannon bar on a MS201. He holds it in one hand pointing it like a saw warrior with a spear. If I put a 28"b/c on any 60cc saw and went to our woods, I'd hear all the trees having a little chuckle to themselves.
 
I mostly run my 362 with a 25" bar and a full skip chain with no issues. Now I'm just a firewood hack and don't spend hours and hours and hours at it and I only use alder and maple for firewood. Can I bog it down? Yep. I believe I can bog down just about any stock saw if I put my mind to it. Does it struggle with a big maple? Nope. If I do my job it does it's job.
 

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