How did the 5105 hold up for them?
WOW! Bureaucracy.Not very well. They never got to run it. They took it with them all excited about having a saw to try out and after a couple weeks they returned it. Safety director had to get involved to verify it passed all safety standards then it went up the food chain to get approval for a trial run. They originally came back with they couldnt run a saw they didnt own. I offered to sell it to them with a receipt for a penny and buy it back when they blew it up. Pay for all repairs in between. Final ruling??? Something about their contract with Stihl prevents them from owning/running anything else. The Foreman still wants to try one out but cant get it approved.
I think it will last just fine. What I have posted is coming from line clearing crews that are hard on saws. Inexperienced, uncaring operators running these saws 8 to 12 hrs a day cutting brush. These guys are using saws in an extreme way that few people will come close to matching.Well all this talk of newer Stihl's and the Mtronic system are making me rethink my most recent saw purchase. Picked up a very low use 261-C a couple of weeks ago for a good price. I have avoided the Husky Autotune because of all the problems that I read about. Had read very little bad about Mtronic, until I buy one!
I do not use ethanol, mix @ 40:1 and very rarely use my saws in an easement type clearing situation, and even if I do it is a pretty short deal, not an all day thing. Most of my saw use is felling, limbing and bucking.
So I ask. Will the 261-C handle my type of use and provide a good long service life, or should I sell it while it still looks like new?
What do you see the 200T coming in with broken?We had the NG and power line clearing crews through last fall. They ran 461's with no trouble except clutches.
361's are still holding up fine for this crew that is killing 261/362 weekly. We are continuing to patch up some pretty rough looking 361's just so they can keep them as long as possible. Same with the 200t. They ran 270/290/310 couple years ago and said they were worse than the 261/362 troubles. Mtronic is causing more headache than the carb versions for what it's worth.
Oddly enough both foreman own Echo for their personal equipment.
361 and 200T even with their age just keep on ticking. they are usually crunched or jsut wore out when i see them. That is what makes me ask so many questions about the 261/362 issues. If it was all on the environment or operator then i should be seeing the same failures on all saws. Strato and overall quality of materials used play a factor in the high failure rates of the 261/362....I THINK. Other local shops are seeing the same problems from these line clearance crews but they just pass it off as operator error. You arent hearing about crank failures from private small trimming crews or firewood hacks which can be explained ...1. less total hours on the saws 2. less operator abuse and misuse but that doesnt explain the 361 being indestructable. trying to learn and figure out a way for these guys to get more hours out of their saws. most are dead before the machine marks are off the pistons. They have recently switched to 40:1 against the advice of Stihl reps and we will see how they hold up like that. He also commented about the mtronic saws seem to run better on 40:1. I like the work and the money that comes with it so i really should jsut keep my mouth shut and fix em.What do you see the 200T coming in with broken?
Storm, I think you will be just fine with your 261 C, I really like my 362 C.
Angelo, I must respectfully disagree. If the same volume of fuel is going through the case, the less surface area will result in more lub per sq inch.
I like 40:1 in my saws. Use the oil you like, but I'm happy with the AMSOIL Saber. No problems so far.
Storm, I think you will be just fine with your 261 C, I really like my 362 C.
Angelo, I must respectfully disagree. If the same volume of fuel is going through the case, the less surface area will result in more lub per sq inch.
I like 40:1 in my saws. Use the oil you like, but I'm happy with the AMSOIL Saber. No problems so far.
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