I think a ms194t or ms194ce would be right up your alley or spend 100 bucks to rebuild your poulan . I'd lean towards the 194ce unless you climb, it will be much easier on your arms, hands and wrists with the added leverage the rear handle provides.
I bought a Husqvarna T435 for limbing and I love it. It was on sale at chainsaw direct for 349.00 with a 3/8x.50x12" bar.Hello, I need a light weight saw that will be used for limbing the trees I fall for my sawmill. I currently own all Husky's and have been happy with them. I am curious about the Echo 4910 50cc saw for this task as it seems to be a great saw for the 380 dollar money with a great power to weight ratio at only 10.5 pounds.
Not sure I need a 580 dollar 543XP for this task. Is the 543XP that much better of a saw?
Most the limbs are only 6" or less.
After more research I am thinking about buying a small cheap $100 top handle saw to live in the Ranger, and carry on the tractor. This would let me try out a top handle saw and have a cheap small saw for random trail clearing and random unexpected chores.Top handle saws... be aware they can be more dangerous. Rear handle versions of the same saw are, generally, considered more appropriate for most of us. But I do have a super light Echo top handle that I bought for building trails because it is so incredibly light. Trailwork being on foot!
After watching some video's I am intrigued by top handle saws. They look so compact and handy for hauling around on the quad/tractor for random trail maintenance. I wonder how something like a Echo 355 T would work for limbing branches 6" and under?
DolmarYou want the lightest of lightweight, the Echo 2511! For bigger, Echo 4910 looks really good.
My Makita ea4300 is a fantastic saw, I forget the equivalent in Dolmar brand. Probably about the same as a Stihl 241. Really cool saw.
Dolmar PS421 is the equivalent. I have one. Cut the cat out of the muffler, converted to a rim sprocket, went to a 0.325 narrow kerf chain running on an Oregon bar. It’s a gem for falling and bucking small stuff, and limbing.You want the lightest of lightweight, the Echo 2511! For bigger, Echo 4910 looks really good.
My Makita ea4300 is a fantastic saw, I forget the equivalent in Dolmar brand. Probably about the same as a Stihl 241. Really cool saw.
Lone wolf has them every now and then.As you will find out from the thread recommended by @SimonHS, some of us are somewhat "enthusiastic" about the "perfect limbing saw".
Based on the description of the trees that you are dealing with, and your need for lightweight, and what I sense is some experience with saws (so you have an expectation for some performance), the MS241 is power for pound, almost impossible to beat, has very good balance, and it runs a narrow-kerf blade/chain so it has to cut less wood-width which means it cuts faster than a similar powered saw with a normal blade/chain. They tend to be hard to come by as they are no longer sold in the US. Here is a recent thread from a guy who just imported one from the UK who should be able to help you out - https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/help-me-find-nos-ms-241cm.363560/
As an aging non-professional, yet experienced wood gatherer, many years ago I settled on a rear handled MS200 with a light weight 16" bar (also narrow-kerf) to do just what I expect you used to do with your WildThing, and I am dealing with much the same size trees as you described.
I still think the MS200 rear-handle has the best combination of balance, control, power and reach for limbing of any saw I have used for my sawing needs. (and IMO that combination is a good recipe for safe sawing for aging saw users who may not have the same strength and stamina as they used to have)
Today's version of the MS200 is the MS201, which is available in a rear-handle, and you might want to add it to your list of saws to consider. Be prepared to spend some money, as these are prof-saws and not cheap.
I suggest you further define/explain "your sawing needs" and your "experience and expectations" to this group of saw fanatics, and they will jump to help you find the right solution.
FYI, my MS200, 012AV and MSE200 all share the same bar and chain configuration so I can sharpen/swap chains at my leasure.
"Bushy" hickory's and oaks is where I get a workout with the 262 and 372, the tall pines are easy. Also for land clearing trees a little to big for the clearing saw, mostly oaks and winged elms 4" and up.“Limbing” can be quite relative. Are you talking straight pole tree or more of a big bush? Huge difference, imo. Eastern Oak vs West coast oak is a good example. Straight pole…use your felling saw. Bush…16” is much easier to maneuver when disassembling a big bushy tree like a valley Oak Where you are trying to untangle a zillion scraggly branches With nothing more than 20” is straight.
my choice is my Dozer Dan 346xp
I already ordered a Echo 4910 with a 16" bar to replace my Wild thing. I am picking out a cheap $100 top handle saw to keep in my ranger and try out for some limbing and trimming. If the top handle works out well I will probably get a better one in the future.For me, limbing ( 6 inches or less), is always done with the Echo 355T ( top handle). I've got three of them... Well, actually 2 and a parts one ( it "fell" 80 ft. out of a tree.), it wasn't worth fixing, so parts donner it became for the other two. Sure ... the manual says that you always have to have two hands on the saw at all times.. Ummm yeah... right. The top handle makes it sssooooo easy to grab a branch with one hand, and cut it with the saw, due to the difference in balance of a top handle design. As I'm older than dirt, I really appreciate having the limb in my hand to toss where I want it, and not having to bend over and pick it up, as the ground seems to get further and further away every year. And, at the end of the day, the light weight and balance causes so much less user fatigue, that even if it takes a second or two more for a larger cut, it's more than worth it. Taking down a Birch, or other softwood that is less than a foot across? I don't even bother with any of the ****** saws in my collection, I just let the 355T eat. It'll go bar deep, and spit chunks.
Small saw? 35 CCs is a fairly large engine for something that small. Only thing wrong with it ( other than needing a muffler mod, just like everything else), is the factory chain set up. I swapped out to a Stihl chain, and they both chew wood like a rabid beaver on crack. They've both had the living snot beaten out of them, and they just won't die. Well one died, I thought it had seized, as I couldn't pull the starter cord out, turned out that the coil bolts had backed out... I tossed some thread sealer on it, gapped it with a business card, and it's been fine ever since.
Register it a a consumer purchase, and you get a five year warranty.
Best saw in the world? Ahhhh... no, but IMHO, an amazing bang for the buck. Everyone who has ever had it in their hand has had the same reaction.. "Damn, this is amazing!"
For even more fun, check out the X series, 2511T.
I think you may be disappointed in the 4910 stock. Seems that it takes a muffler mod to really shine. If you’re a Husky guy I would say stick with what you know, heard lots of good things about the new 550xp.If I was going to spend much over 400, I would buy either the 543XP, or the 550 XP. I had just read a lot of good things about the Echo 4910, and a good 50cc saw that weighs 10.5# for under 400 sounded like a deal.
But the Husky XP equipment has treated me really well.
The 550XP is a really nice saw, but almost twice as much at $670. The muffler mod and carb mods on the 4910 are not a problem as a lifelong mechanic/hot rodder. Probably take me about an hour in the shop.I think you may be disappointed in the 4910 stock. Seems that it takes a muffler mod to really shine. If you’re a Husky guy I would say stick with what you know, heard lots of good things about the new 550xp.
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