Firewood saws?

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Thought about the 441, thought about a used 440 from ebay, went to Stihl dealer and bought the 460 with an 18" and 28" bar. I was using a 455 Rancher w/ 20" bar before that and I would get out the 088 for the bigger stuff ( till I blew'er up-winter project ) My dad really likes the 455 Rancher I gave him...:clap: :clap: :clap:
 
+1

I've never understood the idea of a limbing saw. Esp in the bigger wood. I enjoy the extra power of my 7900 for taking those limbs off quick and efficiently, plus the longer bar keeps me standing upright and saves the back a little...just my thoughts.

With me its the weight of the saw. Even the 361 gets heavy after a few hours use, and I tend to switch to my 250 to do limbing with on downed doug and grand firs here. I am actually looking for an even lighter limber, and the new Dolly 350 is probably the thing. At 8-9 pounds, it is far less work to use than a 7900, or a 361, or even a 250. To me limbing with a long bar 60cc+ saw does not make any sence. Climbing around in downed trees with a heavy saw? I want nimble, short, light and quick. Better on my back and arms.

Different methods and preferences I guess. :popcorn:
 
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Thought about the 441, thought about a used 440 from ebay, went to Stihl dealer and bought the 460 with an 18" and 28" bar. I was using a 455 Rancher w/ 20" bar before that and I would get out the 088 for the bigger stuff ( till I blew'er up-winter project ) My dad really likes the 455 Rancher I gave him...:clap: :clap: :clap:

MS460 = :D

Seeeeee I told you the rancher would be history. :laugh:
 
Overkill for firewood saw if you plan on limbing with it! Do you really believe you can ever use all of that power on a 6" limb?

Been there done that this summer use the neighbor ladies little 14" Deere [ don't know the model or size]. thought it would be easier to limb the 44 inch pin oak blow down. I found that I could limb much faster with my 441 [revs higher cuts more aggressively] and due to the reduced time with the saw at shoulder height or higher I found there was less fatigue with the larger saw due to the reduced cutting time. I cut off all limbs 2" and larger with the 441. The 20" bar I have is a bit short for bucking that large of a trunk though.
 
Explain this please

Lakeside53;
If you take the power output somewhere near sea level with a normal amount of humidity and then go to Bonneville, at 4500 ft you get a loss of about 5% per 1000 ft of elevation gain. Then add to that loss a 110 degree temp and air so dry you don't need a towel after a shower and you get power loss equal to about 10000 ft at a normal temp and humidity.

I guess I didn't explain that very well, more used to talking than typing.

Temp is a huge factor when added with humidity and elevation.

Some guys at the Salt Flats guys will use Nitrious to cool air and fuel instead if adding to mixture.

Rob
 
I always took humidity gains as something that would rob your power, not make it better. Cool dry air is dense air, not hot humid air.
 
I always took humidity gains as something that would rob your power, not make it better. Cool dry air is dense air, not hot humid air.

Well, in his case I think the power loss is all about the heat, not the dryness. The more dry the air is, the more ppm of oxygen, and the more power you will make. However, this is a VERY small factor compared to temp. Hot air (100+ degrees F) has far less oxygen than cold air (less than 40 degrees F). This has to do with the density of the atmosphere due to the temperature.
 
Not so guy, dense means something in it, as opposed to human minds. Cool moist air makes engines run sweet. Make sense? Heat and expand that miosture and you get power.

Cool dry air is actually what you're shooting for.

**edit**
You guys do realize that for the most part hot air is humid and cold air is dry right? Of course in a desert situation you get hot/dry air, but it is virtually impossible to have moist cold air as cold air doesn't hold moisture very well at all.
 
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I hate cutting anything under 18" for firewood, simply because it takes so much more work to get a load cutting small stuff. I can make wood twice as fast out of big trees than I can with small ones.
 
[...And to stay on topic I prefer loading bigger logs, 20+ inches, Your truck can be loaded in no time compared to handling all the small stuff. Yes you have to split them latter but I love the way big chunks fill the wood stove and burn compared to small logs.]
Yeah Ray, I went into a 26" dead, really hard oak and I wondered what it would be like with a 440 or 372. But I have to move around a lot and sometimes my 59cc saw is just about max. weight. Plus the money issue. Anyways, I also love the way the big chunks burn. I'm in the Northern tip of VA-not far from western Maryland. In your area, are there tons more of Black & Red Oaks dying lately(last 2-4 years) than the White Oaks & Hickories? That seems to be the case around here.
 
With me its the weight of the saw. Even the 361 gets heavy after a few hours use, and I tend to switch to my 250 to do limbing with on downed doug and grand firs here. I am actually looking for an even lighter limber, and the Dolly 401 is probably the thing. At 8-9 pounds, it is far less work to use than a 7900, or a 361, or even a 250. To me limbing with a long bar 60cc+ saw does not make any sence. Climbing around in downed trees with a heavy saw? I want nimble, short, light and quick. Better on my back and arms.

Different methods and preferences I guess. :popcorn:
That's the same way for me. You're right, with the blowdowns you have to climb around a lot. And the branches are arched up in the air where you have to manuever and raise the saw a lot. I don't see this being very easy with a 20" bar & 14 lb saw. When I switch to my 025 it seems like a relief.
 
Cool dry air is actually what you're shooting for.

**edit**
You guys do realize that for the most part hot air is humid and cold air is dry right? Of course in a desert situation you get hot/dry air, but it is virtually impossible to have moist cold air as cold air doesn't hold moisture very well at all.


Right, but there is a pretty big spike in my neck of the woods, its 'humid' if its 30%. Save for the thunderstorms of the monsoon season in July... then its really bad.

My point is Humidity is a negative.
Temperature is a negative.
 
I was asked to explain power loss at Bonneville. There is a great difference between normal humidity and and the almost total lack of it at there.

Does that explain the humidity statements?

Not really, because as I've understood it... lack of humidity is a plus. Elevation, temperature not withstanding, the more humidity the worse the motor will perform.

But thats my understanding of all the science books I've read.
 
As far as saws go, I laugh at 50cc saws. Sorry, I tried 'em and didnt like em. At low elevations (6,000feet) they run okay, but still I won't pull anything bigger than 16" with em. A high elevations... I really don't use them for anything big knocking limbs off...

This is certainly true for those big Douggies you cut. I cut (and live) at 8500 feet, but I cut basically nothing but 12-16 inch lodgepoles because that's whats in the neighborhood. For this job, my modest 270 does the job perfectly well, despite being only 50cc and working at 1.75 miles high.

That said, I've been thinking about a 372xp lately... :chainsaw:
 
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