MS361 vs. 346XP NE - can 50 ccs match 60 ccs?

[hamish]

Lets see the OP has an 066 on a Logosol (two nuts to fee it from the mill), and a 445. Aslo has a bad back and neck. Cutting any type, kind, species of wood is hard on both ones back and neck, and he already has two very capable saws in his stable. The 25% of the time cutting bigger wood, easy solution stop cutting bigger wood and do whats easier on ones body and the equipment used. Keep your existing saws and use them, they are already paid for, an extra 5cc on the low end wont even be noticed for the most part, if you cut wood your doing it for a reason, an extra .002 seconds in a cut means jack, and having your body in tune and health in tune is the most important.

445 and 066...the two saw plan...........and figure the 066 will only be used for milling on the Logosol! (M7????).

 

[Log Hogger]

Thanks everyone, you've given me LOTS of suggestions to chew on.

Sounds like a ported 346 XP will run with a 70 cc saw for cuttin' cookies, but not in the field on 25"+ hardwoods? In that case, it don't matter how light the saw is, waiting for an underpowered saw to struggle through some log is no good. I think I'll check out a used 372XP and 440/441, see how they feel, might be that the weight isn't so much of an issue as is the balance and handle spacing, like justsaws noted. I'd have the 70 cc saw for big timber, and my 445 for smaller stuff.

Dingeryote, I'd go buy a 560 XP today if they were selling for $700. By all accounts that is one badass saw, perfect for my needs. I keep checking on it, but it seems every few months the release date gets pushed back. Now I hear Husqvarna doesn't want to release the saw in a bad economy, LOL, that could be years from now.

 

[albert]

Thanks everyone, you've given me LOTS of suggestions to chew on.

Sounds like a ported 346 XP will run with a 70 cc saw for cuttin' cookies, but not in the field on 25"+ hardwoods? In that case, it don't matter how light the saw is, waiting for an underpowered saw to struggle through some log is no good. I think I'll check out a used 372XP and 440/441, see how they feel, might be that the weight isn't so much of an issue as is the balance and handle spacing, like justsaws noted. I'd have the 70 cc saw for big timber, and my 445 for smaller stuff.

Dingeryote, I'd go buy a 560 XP today if they were selling for $700. By all accounts that is one badass saw, perfect for my needs. I keep checking on it, but it seems every few months the release date gets pushed back. Now I hear Husqvarna doesn't want to release the saw in a bad economy, LOL, that could be years from now.

I think the 560xp wil be under 700

 

[sawinredneck]

Ok, a couple of things have "hit" me on this thread. Weight to power, I'll buy a 440 all day over a 361! I've run both, a can of coke is the difference in weight between them! The power difference is very noticeable!
With my back issues I've become a huge fan Of 50cc saws! Even bigger than before! I've built some mean ones! But my 5100 would be nipping at the heals of a 440 stock. Mod it at all and the 440 beats me!
Put another way, I have my modded 350 and modded 5100, but. my modded 046 isn't going anywhere! I use the smaller saws as much as I can, trying to learn the short bar technuiqs as much as I can! But, at the end of the day, it's sure nice knowing the beast is in the truck to finish off anything my mouth started!
I'm also not a fan of the 346 series saw, they don't like the way I like to cut it seems, they want a light touch, I like to lean on a saw! The 350 and 5100 have been a lot more acceptable (if you will) to my cutting style!
So, I'd look and save up for a 440, muffler mod it and run the piss out of it for what you are talking about! A modded 50cc saw will do little more than piss you off and a 361 will be inthe same field unless it's been well worked over, then what's it's life Span?
Trust me, I'm not being nasty! I've a broken back, I don't want to carry any more than I have to! I was looking at 40cc saws! Modded 50 will work but it won't pull a 24" bar if you need it. It won't buck as fast as you think it should. (I can't wait for it to cool off some, but that 30 seconds in hardwood with a 660 really begs for questioning!
I can't and won't tell you what to buy, but one going through something similar, I wouldn't get a 346, or a 361. I'm a fan of the 361 BTW, but think either of these choices will leave you wanting!

 

[jus2fat]

Thanks everyone, you've given me LOTS of suggestions to chew on.

Sounds like a ported 346 XP will run with a 70 cc saw for cuttin' cookies, but not in the field on 25"+ hardwoods? In that case, it don't matter how light the saw is, waiting for an underpowered saw to struggle through some log is no good. I think I'll check out a used 372XP and 440/441, see how they feel, might be that the weight isn't so much of an issue as is the balance and handle spacing, like justsaws noted. I'd have the 70 cc saw for big timber, and my 445 for smaller stuff.

Dingeryote, I'd go buy a 560 XP today if they were selling for $700. By all accounts that is one badass saw, perfect for my needs. I keep checking on it, but it seems every few months the release date gets pushed back. Now I hear Husqvarna doesn't want to release the saw in a bad economy, LOL, that could be years from now.

Super reply statement...you know exactly what you're doing!!
A good 372xp or 044 to 441 and your porting / modding capabilities sounds great to me.
Ya just got to get what feels good and comfortable to you for a heavier saw than 346 / 361.
Patience is the key...got to find a good used one!! Better than buy new and then kill warranty.
Bes2ya!

J2F

 

[MacLaren]

Ok, a couple of things have "hit" me on this thread. Weight to power, I'll buy a 440 all day over a 361! I've run both, a can of coke is the difference in weight between them! The power difference is very noticeable!
With my back issues I've become a huge fan Of 50cc saws! Even bigger than before! I've built some mean ones! But my 5100 would be nipping at the heals of a 440 stock. Mod it at all and the 440 beats me!
Put another way, I have my modded 350 and modded 5100, but. my modded 046 isn't going anywhere! I use the smaller saws as much as I can, trying to learn the short bar technuiqs as much as I can! But, at the end of the day, it's sure nice knowing the beast is in the truck to finish off anything my mouth started!
I'm also not a fan of the 346 series saw, they don't like the way I like to cut it seems, they want a light touch, I like to lean on a saw! The 350 and 5100 have been a lot more acceptable (if you will) to my cutting style!
So, I'd look and save up for a 440, muffler mod it and run the piss out of it for what you are talking about! A modded 50cc saw will do little more than piss you off and a 361 will be inthe same field unless it's been well worked over, then what's it's life Span?
Trust me, I'm not being nasty! I've a broken back, I don't want to carry any more than I have to! I was looking at 40cc saws! Modded 50 will work but it won't pull a 24" bar if you need it. It won't buck as fast as you think it should. (I can't wait for it to cool off some, but that 30 seconds in hardwood with a 660 really begs for questioning!
I can't and won't tell you what to buy, but one going through something similar, I wouldn't get a 346, or a 361. I'm a fan of the 361 BTW, but think either of these choices will leave you wanting!

I dont get ya with the 30 second 660 question? Did you see the ported 660 run thru it? It was maybee 1 and a half second fatser. The stock 660 was maybee a hair fatser than the highly ported 2171. The 660 was a good 5 seconds faster than the stock 681. That was as I said VERY HARD WOOD. No joke. I can run a 50 cc saw thru that wood if youd like.....

 

[blsnelling]

You can have my 346 when you pry it from my cold dead fingers, lol. However, it would take the same to get my 440/460. Here's a vid of the MS261 I had with a 20" B&C in Walnut, nearly buried. My 346 is at least as strong, but I don't have a vid of it with a 20" B&C. If you're interested in a MS361. I have a low hour one I'll be selling shortly.

<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kyh-CU13Woc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Officer's Match]

Scott, the 346 is over 1.25lbs lighter than a 361, PHO, which is the only meaningful way to weigh.

A MM 346 is pretty even with a stock 361. Ported by the right person it is close to a 70cc saw.

I agree. I just got back from the woods with my Snellerized Jred 2153 (same as 346 NE) and that thing is a little beast! I was in some 16" dead locust and was amazed at how hard I could lean on it. When allowing it to bite at it's pace, that thing was really tearing some chips. I think I'm ruined now, ported saws from now on.

 

[STIHLTHEDEERE]

Gonna buck the trend and my own loyalties here.

The new 560/562 is supposed to weigh in about the same as a 346, has an extra 10cc, and a bunch more snot than the 361.
The guys that ran the sneaky peek pre-production model at Spikes shindig, all had nothing but glowing reports.

The only snag is the cost, untill you compare the cost of 346 plus having one of the better guys grind on it.
Then it should be about equal, and a no brainer.....IF Husqvarna ever gets off thier dead ass and actually puts the 560/562 on the dealers shelves.

I dearly love the snotty little 346, and as amazing as the little snots are, they are NOT made for a day of bucking larger stuff with a 20" bar. They will do it, just like us old farts are good for one or two amazing sprints when needed, but it ain't an all day every day sort of thing.
Better to have a few more cubes and let the thing loaf a bit, instead of wringing it's neck all day while working to keep it on port.

Just my .02
Good ta have ya back!

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

i agree that a 50cc saw wasn't built to buck all day long. but i would bet with the build quality, and performance of the newer 50cc saws,if well maintained, they would take it for many years.

 

[sawinredneck]

I dont get ya with the 30 second 660 question? Did you see the ported 660 run thru it? It was maybee 1 and a half second fatser. The stock 660 was maybee a hair fatser than the highly ported 2171. The 660 was a good 5 seconds faster than the stock 681. That was as I said VERY HARD WOOD. No joke. I can run a 50 cc saw thru that wood if youd like.....

Sorry! I didn't mean to fire anything up! My modded 046 beat a 660 (new) by just a tick in 26" Elm, and I mean a tick, less than a second! Those saws are mean factory!
That number just struck me as being on the low side of where I think it should be! BUT it's not me, it's not my wood and I wasn't there!

 

[mdavlee]

It is real hard oak that's been down a while. It was my saw that was running with the 28" bar. That log has been the test bed for a few saws here lately. I would have thought it would be more but the bars won't reach all the way across so you can't get a good comparison that way. If all of them had 32" or 36" bars then you could really see a better comparison. Personally I like 70cc saws for stuff under 20" and 90cc saws for stuff bigger than that. If I could run up on a 100+cc saw I would use it for a 36" bar or bigger.

 

[MacLaren]

Sorry! I didn't mean to fire anything up! My modded 046 beat a 660 (new) by just a tick in 26" Elm, and I mean a tick, less than a second! Those saws are mean factory!
That number just struck me as being on the low side of where I think it should be! BUT it's not me, it's not my wood and I wasn't there!

No problem. It prolly wasnt the best exmple in the world either. That is prolly some of the hardest wood you will find around where Im at. I think its altleast 2 year seasoned oak. It realy is hard as a rock. But your right, if that was soft wood that big it should/would be faster. Nothin fired up here brother.

 

[MacLaren]

It is real hard oak that's been down a while. It was my saw that was running with the 28" bar. That log has been the test bed for a few saws here lately. I would have thought it would be more but the bars won't reach all the way across so you can't get a good comparison that way. If all of them had 32" or 36" bars then you could really see a better comparison. Personally I like 70cc saws for stuff under 20" and 90cc saws for stuff bigger than that. If I could run up on a 100+cc saw I would use it for a 36" bar or bigger.

When ya get back we need to put some 36" bars on and go a round with one of those hickory logs. They are bigger than the oak I was cuttin on. That would be a test.

 

[mdavlee]

Well save some for me. If nothing else you can get my saw and take it and run it with yours and see.

 

[spike60]

I think the 560xp wil be under 700

They will.

And the latest word is that they are "on the water". As long as Irene doesn't send them all to Davey Jones' locker, it shouldn't be too much longer. :wink2:

 

[sawinredneck]

No roblem. It prolly wasnt the best exmple in the world either. That is prolly some of the hardest wood you will find around where Im at. I think its altleast 2 year seasoned oak. It realy is hard as a rock. But your right, if that was soft wood that big it should/would be faster. Nothin fired up here brother.

No worries! I laid into a standing dead Pine tree a couple of years ago, been dead two years or so, as I learned later! Had sparks flying off of everything in the dusk as I cut it! Only time I've ever seen that on anything besides a Hedge tree! (Osage Orange) Like to took forever to cut that stupid tree up! I've "been there, done that" if you will!
Regardless of that,, I think a 50cc saw could work in this instance but I don't think the OP will be happy with that choice! This from the man that sells 50cc saws to everyone he meets!

 

[Log Hogger]

They will.

And the latest word is that they are "on the water". As long as Irene doesn't send them all to Davey Jones' locker, it shouldn't be too much longer. :wink2:

Cool. I'll wait through September until I pull the trigger on anything else. Under $700? It's almost like Husqvarna is serious about selling these!

 

[dingeryote]

They will.

And the latest word is that they are "on the water". As long as Irene doesn't send them all to Davey Jones' locker, it shouldn't be too much longer. :wink2:

"On the water" eh? At least I can't hold them to a certain date this time.LOL!!

Gonna be too late in about two weeks for me. Almost done with Harvest, and no way to sneak another saw past the accounting dept. without an internal audit of my brain housing group with a skillet.

Them Boats, will they make 30 knots and handle 60' swells?

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[joeclimbing]

I

-Most of the timber I'll be cutting is dead ash up to 28", with 70% of it being under 18".
-The saw must be lightweight.

I just bought used MS361 which was worked on by Jasha (sp?) and I must say it is very powerful, and is becoming my "go to saw" I'm sure the MS361 would do the job for you if you have it modded.

I have a 372xp as well but it is still completely stock, and to tell the truth like using the MS361 better at present.

Joe

 

[SawTroll]

"On the water" eh? At least I can't hold them to a certain date this time.LOL!!

Gonna be too late in about two weeks for me. Almost done with Harvest, and no way to sneak another saw past the accounting dept. without an internal audit of my brain housing group with a skillet.

Them Boats, will they make 30 knots and handle 60' swells?

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

It depends more on how many turns around the globe the ship has to go, before it hits the US.....