Shopping For 20" to 24" Saw

[farmerjim]

This is my first post & I just wanted to say that I've learned alot since I found ArboristSite.com recently!

I have a farm in OH with woods that were selectively timbered this spring. There's enough wood on the ground to last me a few years. I burn wood in the house & in the shop so it helps me justify a new toy.

My 50 hour-rated 2004 18" Craftsman 42cc has done a good job up until now, considering it cost me less than $150. It's on it's second bar & has used up a half a dozen chains. I'd like to retire it to cutting only small stuff & buy a new saw for chewing up the big stuff.

A friend of mine bought a new Husky 575 XP with a 24" bar that he's happy with but it cost him $650 & I noticed it has an outboard clutch. It seems to me that inboard clutches would make it easier to change chains.

I'm pondering what size engine class provides plenty of power with a light weight & good fuel economy but will still handle a 20" to 24" bar with a heavy duty chain. I'd like to stay under $600 if possible but will consider spending more for the right saw.

Comments on brands, bar lengths & the pros & cons of inboard verses outboard clutches would be helpful. I need a saw that will last me until I get all my wood cut, split & stacked or until I wear out, whichever comes first.

Other questions I have are if bar-mounted file-type chain sharpeners are worth buying & if it does any good to mix your gas & oil a little richer than the 50:1 ratio that the manufacturers are recommending for these new saws.

Thank you all for making this such an interesting website! All replies will be most appreciated!

 

[Just Mow]

I would recomend ths Stihl MS361 it will handle both size bars.

You really need to look at what kind of dealer support you have in your area.
STIHL,Dolmar, Shiny, and (gulp) Huskie

 

[bcorradi]

Since you are in ohio instead of the PNW I would recommend a bigger saw than a MS361 if your going to be needing all of the 20" or most of the 24" bar. Good choices to consider would be the MS441, MS460, Dolmar 7900, Husky 372, and Jonsered 2171.

 

[Andyshine77]

I'm thinking a Dolmar 7900 would be the saw for you, it has a ton of power for it's size, and it's in your price range, about $650 with a 24" bar and chain. If you can find a good Dolmar dealer that's the saw you want, trust me.

I think the 361 is a grate saw, It just doesn't have grunt to run a 20" or 24" B&C in hardwood.

My second choice would be the Husky 372xp. many people on this site think it's one of the best saws ever made.

The big stihls are good, durable and strong running saws, however they don't come cheep, about $760 for the 441, and $800+ for a new 460. I you have the cash and the dealer is good pick one up and don't look back.

I guess what I'm trying to say is. The 361 is not strong enough to run 20" or 24" B&C, and the 7900 is the best saw out of the bunch, but if you can't find a good Dolmar dealer you have some fine alternatives to choose from.

 

[clearance]

The 361 is not strong enough to run a 20" bar? Really now, I don't think its the best thing ever, like many here, but it will pull a 20" chain no problem. A husky 372 or a Jonsered 2171 will work just fine.

 

[Lou]

I lean toward Husky or Dolmar myself but the inboard clutch cries Stihl. Any of theses saws and a few others will serve you well. IMO Stihl is slightly more dear than the rest in the USA. It sounds like you are in need of a professional grade saw too. Dolmar 7900 is probably the most saw for the least $ but often the most difficult dealer to find as well. Husky has many saws capable of your task, the 372 (Baileys) maybe your best fit and is available on line. I'm not familiar enough with Stihl to make a recommendation other than not the 290, 310 or 390. I think all manufacturers have a saw selection guide, good place to start.

 

[Andyshine77]

I'm not saying a 361 it can't pull a 20" bar, it just doesn't pull a 20" bar all that well in hardwood. Last spring I bucked up some 18" black cherry rounds with my 361 and I feel anything more then 18" would over work the saw. And yes I always run very sharp full chisel chain.

 

[Andyshine77]

Here is a picture of the Cherry tree I bucked up with my 361.

 

[SawTroll]

Since you are in ohio instead of the PNW I would recommend a bigger saw than a MS361 if your going to be needing all of the 20" or most of the 24" bar. Good choices to consider would be the MS441, MS460, Dolmar 7900, Husky 372, and Jonsered 2171.

I agree, the 361 is a very nice saw, but just too small in this case, at least if the wood is hardwood.....:biggrinbounce2:

 

[SawTroll]

... A friend of mine bought a new Husky 575 XP with a 24" bar that he's happy with but it cost him $650 & I noticed it has an outboard clutch. It seems to me that inboard clutches would make it easier to change chains. ....

:jawdrop: I find it hard to believe the relatively new 575xp has an outboard clutch, but admittedly I have never seen one in real life.

The older 372xp/2171 has an inboard, and they are quite a bit lighter also........

 

[J.Walker]

:jawdrop: I find it hard to believe the relatively new 575xp has an outboard clutch, but admittedly I have never seen one in real life.

A outboard clutch would have the sprocket on the outside next to the chainbrake cover? I'm a little confused on the orientation.

 

[DGG]

FarmJim - Welcome!

There are lots of good saws that will work for your purposes so I'm not rabid about my following suggestion.

I'm a homeowner who lives in the woods and I own and use two Husky 359's with 20" bars. With a sharp chain and fresh gas these $400+/-, 4 hp, medium-sized saws will cut anything I'm capable of cutting. I like their easy start, and they have all the latest features to make them pretty fuel efficient. I can cut for a long time before having to refill them. The clutch location doesn't cause any chain changing problems at all. It is a rim clutch that can be easily replaced when it is worn out. A 20" bar is plenty long for my purposes and easy to manuever for me. If I lived in Seattle I'd probably have to get a 40" bar.

I like the black cherry pictures that Andyshine posted. I just felled and bucked a top-damaged 24-30" black cherry a couple weekends ago. It was about 60-80' tall that the top had broken off and was leaning on a sugar maple. It only took a couple of hours to do it. My woods also has Poplar, maple, walnut, beech, locust, some white pine, oak, and small dogwoods. A good mixture. The yellow (tulip) poplar are the toughest for me because of their very large size. That's where I wish I had a saw with a 40" bar!!!
Here is a link to Baileys that gives some specs.

http://store.baileys-online.com/cgi-bin/baileys/991

The 359 has a close cousin, the 357 XP, if you want to step up a few more dollars. It looks great, and if time were money, I'd probably have purchased this one instead of the 359. But the 359 makes chips plenty fast for me.

Here's the 357 XP info from Baileys.

http://store.baileys-online.com/cgi-bin/baileys/5341

P.S If you don't already have them, I'd strongly suggest that you buy some safety equipment if you are getting into chain-sawing; chaps, helmet, eye/ear protection, gloves, steel toed boots, etc. These are very cheap compared to a trip to the emergency room, heheh!

I use a bar mounted file system. Slow but accurate. I mix premium 2-cycle chainsaw oil at only at 50-1 ratio per the Husqvarna instructions. I have not had any problems with starting or running for many years. I drain the tank if the saw will sit for time and run out the gas. If I know the gas will sit in the can for a couple weeks, I add a little "Sta-bil" to it. Anything sitting for a month or more goes into the Dragon Ladys car's gas tank.

 

[fullchisel]

2165 or 2171:greenchainsaw:

 

[Wood Hick]

Sounds like you are doing your homework, thats a good sign. I think if you want to stretch that budget a little you will be happier. For $700-$800 you can buy a saw you will use the rest of your life if well maintained. Any of the previous suggestions will do you just fine. I guess if you are only going to cut until you clean up your property, then hang up the saw, something less expensive will do. Also, if you are cutting hardwood tops, you will almost never have a need for a 24" bar, but its good to have the capability if needed.

 

[DGG]

Here is a picture of the Cherry tree I bucked up with my 361.

How long did that take? Great picture. What do you do with it?

 

[computeruser]

I'm pondering what size engine class provides plenty of power with a light weight & good fuel economy but will still handle a 20" to 24" bar with a heavy duty chain. I'd like to stay under $600 if possible but will consider spending more for the right saw.

...

Other questions I have are if bar-mounted file-type chain sharpeners are worth buying & if it does any good to mix your gas & oil a little richer than the 50:1 ratio that the manufacturers are recommending for these new saws.

If you sincerely intend to use all of your 24" bar in hardwood, then I'd skip the 361/357xp saws. The 60cc class is a great all-around saw for 16" to 20" bars in hardwood, but I'd want a bit more engine to be running 20"+ in hardwood on a regular basis. This isn't to say the 60cc saws can't do it, because they absolutely can. They just won't be the fastest at getting it done, though ANY saw favorably reviewed on this site will blow your mind after running your 42cc Craftsman with an 18" bar!

Dollar for dollar, you will not do much better than a Dolmar 7900, which can be had for around $600-650 for the powerhead. With a 20" and 28" bar combination (or 18" and 24" bar combination) you will be able to make fast work of pretty much anything you encounter. The added weight over a 60cc machine will be offset by the markedly reduced cutting time and the ability to honestly handle a 28" bar in hardwood when the need arises, which is probably a trade-off worth making.


As for 2-stroke oil choices, you should be a-OK staying in the 43:1-50:1 range with a good synthetic oil - great lubrication, minimal carbon deposits, and precious little smoke. A search of old posts on this issue will cover the topic pretty thoroughly.

 

[Dadatwins]

I vote for the ms 441 on this application, which will now continue this thread into the 441 vs 440 vs the 460 vs the dolmar vs the husky vs the blah blah blah. All of the choices are probably good but it really comes down to dealer support. You need to buy something from a dealer you are comfortable with that can service the equipment.
On a serious note the 361 is a great saw but for continuous use in 20-24" hardwood I would grab the bigger 441. Welcome to the site.

 

[Log Splitter]

Pick a dealer you like and buy whatever brand saw he sells.

As for 60 or 70 cc, how much large hardwood will you really be bucking up? I would think if you are bucking tops from your logging operation that most of what you'll be cutting will not be more than 14-18 inches.

I bought a 361 this spring and run a 20 inch bar with RS chain. It breezes through the hardwood tops on my place. It pulls the 20 inch bar just fine even when buried. I don't think for my application that a 70 cc saw with a longer bar is needed. I cut a lot of hickory, and some of it is 24 DBH, but most of my time is spent on smaller wood. Those big rounds are hard to put on the splitter.

 

[daemon2525]

Cherry !!!! EEEEEEEK!!!

Andyshine, That sure would have made a nice cherry desk!!!

Now it gets to burn up, no better than my crappy water oak. LOL!!!

:jester:

 

[Cut4fun]

Farmerjim, what part of Ohio? If you are in my area. I can point you to 2 good Dolmar dealers, 2 good Stihl dealers (and 1 to stay away from) and a good Husky dealer close by in my North central parts a hour half north of Columbus. If you are in the South Central part (down by the river) I can get you a list of 1 each where my bro shops.