Stihl 660 - best bar etc for me?

[ksimolo]

I do 15 or so full cord of hardwood per year and have a 260 Pro and a 361, both with 16" bars (as well as a 024 for cleaning out brush). They are great for going out in the woods and getting firewood. This year, due to time constraints, i needed to get a couple of log loads of wood and thought it would be nice to have a more powerful saw to chunk these and to drop the occasional larger tree. I was thinking of a 660.

I called my local dealer asking if they have any used ones and i can get a 2 week old one for $650 with a new bar and chain. The saw got run over by a truck so he had to replace the handle, covers, etc. but says it runs perfect.

Reading through the forum, i have read that a larger saw will not cut faster with too small of a bar but i also do not want too large of a bar since it will start contacting other logs in the pile more than i would like. I had been thinking i would use the 16" bars i already have and sometimes put the larger bar on it but that has me rethinking that idea. Perhaps something in the 20" - 32" range would be good for the larger bar. Stihl recommends a 25" bar on their site, the dealer thought 20" was good.

I would appreciate any advice people have.

Also, would you recommend the 8-tooth sprocket?

Any thing else i should be doing?

Thanks,

Ken

 

[excess650]

20" in hardwood 8 pin rim for sure! 25" or longer, you might want a 7 pin instead

 

[2000ssm6]

$650 for a run over 660? I'd pass unless he will honor some type of help if problems arise. There is a clean 460 in the classifieds, it will pull a 25" fine and could run a 32" if needed.

 

[madrone]

The 32" on my 660 (w/ 7t) is usually used for felling med-large trees and bucking. When cutting firewood lengths on a log deck its easy to cut multiple logs at a time, but this sometimes leads to odd lengths and is a bit awkward.
When I put the 20" on the saw (8t) it becomes unstoppable but feels a bit redundant to the 361. 16" is just silly.... except for milling.
I'd think the 25" would be just about perfect.

 

[computeruser]

20" and 28", both running full-comp chain and an 8t rim. That'll fill your saw void pretty well for the larger stuff.

 

[ksimolo]

Thanks for all of the advice. The saw has a new saw warranty in addition to his promise. I have bought 4 saws from him over the past 25 years and he has always treated me well. I will talk to him more tomorrow mentioning what people recommended. Right now, i am leaning towards the 25" with an 8 tooth sprocket and add additional bars/sprockets if i am not happy.

Ken

 

[Cletuspsc]

I think you will be pritty happy with the 20 or 25 in bars. I would run the 7 tooth till it wears out then get an 8. A 660 with a 20 inch bar is a lotta fun in my opinion, its about all i run nowa days

 

[Racerboy832]

Can you guys bog your 660 with a 20" 8 pin. Mine would with a new or sharp chain. If you kept the chain spining it would cut like butter. I didn't know if I need to tune it a little better or if it is common.

 

[Farmall Guy]

I'm running a 28" bar full comp RSC on my 066 with an 8 tooth sprocket and it has no problems. I find the 28" bar is about perfect for most everything I'm doing, I can limb with out doing alot of bending over and I have the length to get through bigger trees with out a lot of extra cutting on both sides.

 

[ShoerFast]

MS-660's balance real well with a 28" bar, slightly nose heavy with a 36" bar.

 

[thejdman04]

Id look for a 28" bar.

 

[Cletuspsc]

Can you guys bog your 660 with a 20" 8 pin. Mine would with a new or sharp chain. If you kept the chain spining it would cut like butter. I didn't know if I need to tune it a little better or if it is common.

Yea. . . you can bog one out with a 7 tooth too. push on any saw hard enough and you can bog it out.

 

[M.R.]

Thanks for all of the advice. The saw has a new saw warranty in addition to his promise. I have bought 4 saws from him over the past 25 years and he has always treated me well. I will talk to him more tomorrow mentioning what people recommended. Right now, i am leaning towards the 25" with an 8 tooth sprocket and add additional bars/sprockets if i am not happy.

Ken

Another one for the 28"

Maybe this dealer will let you try/demo a new/used 28" bar out on this saw, if you didn't like it and purchased a 28" loop, you wouldn't be out much to have it trimmed down for the 25" bar. Just a thought. :biggrinbounce2:

 

[teacherman]

Mine came with a 30 inch bar, and it balances perfectly when held by the wrap handle. 28 would be nice, too.

 

[ms310]

correct me if i am wrong but the 20'' bar from his 361 will not fit on the 660 do to the larger studs on the 660 these bars are not interchangable to the saws listed. At least that is what the dealer told me, please correct me if i am wrong i am thinking the same thing he is thinking.

 

[Brushwacker]

v Right now, i am leaning towards the 25" with an 8 tooth sprocket and add additional bars/sprockets if i am not happy.

Ken

That is my main arsenal I use with my 660. Balances good,good reach and reaches through most of my big stuff I cut. Plenty of power with the 8 tooth 3/8. If you decide you want a 20" bar I would put that on the 361.

 

[madrone]

correct me if i am wrong but the 20'' bar from his 361 will not fit on the 660 do to the larger studs on the 660 these bars are not interchangable to the saws listed. At least that is what the dealer told me, please correct me if i am wrong i am thinking the same thing he is thinking.

The bars on a 361 and 660 are inter-changable. Your dealer should know better.

 

[Evanrude]

:agree2:

25" with 8T sprocket. Awesome setup with the DP cover.

 

[66mag]

25 and 28" full comp chain, 8 pin sproket

 

[ksimolo]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I found it very helpful. I saw the saw yesterday and decided the 25" is too large for bucking a pile of logs. But a longer bar would be nice sometimes. So I am going to get a 20# bar and several chains as well as a 28" bar with probably just one chain for now. If I find I like using a saw with a larger bar for limbing, I can always get more chains.

Thanks again!

Ken