Help choosing a new saw

[Nick Kent]

I'm looking at Stihl saws. I currently have a 260 Pro that is my only saw. I'm running a 20" bar on it. I find that it is a great saw for limbing but when I get into cutting big blow downs or dropping larger trees the 20" bar is too short and the saw just doesn't have enough power. I was considering the 441 as a larger saw for dealing with bigger stuff. Does anyone have any advice as to what kind of a jump it is from my 260 Pro to a 441? Would a 362 be a big enough jump? How does a 441 compare to a 460? Stihl dealer did say that they see more 441's in for repair work than 460's. I'd say I only run my saw about one month out of the year though. I pretty much break out the saw for firewood. I cut up blow downs and drop live trees. I hate to leave part of a tree just because I don't have a big enough saw to cut it up. I appreciate the advice. Thanks, Nick.

 

[JamesJems]

My first question would be how often will you need a bigger saw? You posted in Homeowner Helper section: will you be using a larger bore saw enough to justify the cost? Saying that around here is anathema, I know, but it just seems to make sense. I too have a small-ish 260 pro...and it's fine for most of my cutting. If I need a larger saw, I know several people I can borrow from. Do you?

 

[dingeryote]

Nick,

Keep an eye on the trading post.

Wait for a solid 044/440 or Husky 372 to get posted for sale.

The jump to a 362 wont be that dramatic.

When your 260 starts running out of Bar and grunt, is where the 440 or 372 starts to be preferable, but both are still light enough and handle well enough to be used for smaller stuff here and there.

You'll find yourself splitting time bewtween the two more than ya might think.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[indiansprings]

If you are running into ALOT of wood over 20 inches getting up in the 24" and over category get you a 441 with a 25" bar and never look back, use the 260 for the smaller stuff and limbing.
If you rarely or seldom cut big wood and are mainly a guy cutting his own firewood that is consistently 22" and under the 362 would do all you need it to do.
Big saws really don't shine until you stick them in big wood and keep them there.

 

[Nick Kent]

I'm not a professional by any means. I'd say advanced intermediate. All my cutting is primarily firewood. Forget about justifying the cost of a larger saw. I can't. But I want one. I'm going to run the largest recommended bar the saw will swing. 32" I want to be able to tackle bigger trees and take all of them. I don't want to leave half the tree because my saw can't cut it. I guess a better question is if I'm going to run a 32" bar will a 441 swing that size chain comfortably? Or would a 460 be better?

 

[Nick Kent]

Now that this is in the right section, does anyone have any other thoughts?

 

[Arrowhead]

044/440 or 046/460 Thats it man......

 

[Cam501]

Interesting what you said about seeing more 441's in the shop. I have the opposite experience of that. Over the last 3 years we've put a lot more 441's out there than 460's (about a 3:1 ratio) and yet i still see more 460's coming in for repair. I think the 441 is smoother anways and not that much power difference, plus the better anti vibe

 

[TommySaw]

I ran a nicely ported 441 recently and must say that while it pulls a 32" bar full skip pretty good idk if a stock one would do it very well consistently. I would think a 28" would be fine, just my 2 cents.

The 50/70cc combo makes for a pretty nice 1-2 punch

 

[jd548esco72]

Nick,

Keep an eye on the trading post.

Wait for a solid 044/440 or Husky 372 to get posted for sale.

The jump to a 362 wont be that dramatic.

When your 260 starts running out of Bar and grunt, is where the 440 or 372 starts to be preferable, but both are still light enough and handle well enough to be used for smaller stuff here and there.

You'll find yourself splitting time bewtween the two more than ya might think.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

:agree2: yea if you got a 50cc saw ya just as well jump straight to a 70cc+

even if your just cutting the 20"-22" inch wood you will enjoy the extra power.