stihl ms 362

[blue924.9]

hey guys what is everyones opinion on this saw, just looking for some feedback as i have put it on my Christmas list.

here is what we do around here for firewood operations
we currently cut with a 290 or a 291 and a 20 inch bar, for most of what we do this is plenty as instead of cutting down trees we usually have my uncle come and dig the roots out and push them over with his back hoe, from there we cut the tree up, but there are times when we have had to notch a trunk out so we had enough clearance to cut all the way through as we could not cut all the way by going around the truck 360 degrees, i am thinking about picking up a 362 with a 25 inch bar as this seems to be the most balanced bar combo, i held on at the Stihl dealer i work at and without bar and fuel in it the saw seemed to be a little nose heavy but i believe that when its full of fuel and oil it will be balanced out nicely.

even though i work at a stihl dealer i havent much experience with 362's and was wondering what everyone thought of them, dont tell me i should buy a husky as i get stihls for dealer price.


thanks.

P.S. i am 18 and will be getting PPE pants and helmet if i get the saw for christmas

 

[porsche965]

25" is 441c territory. Great saw. 20" and a 25 or even 28".

The 362c runs better with the muffler opened up a bit.

Very very few guys complain of having too much HP in any application. Go for it!

 

[1Alpha1]

Haven't you heard, Stihl's really suck.

Buy a Poulan and be done with it.

 

[Big_Al]

Been running a 25" on my 362 for several years, cuts just fine. I'll usually grab it instead of the 441 with same bar, seems to have less vibe, better balance & its lighter. We don't have any of the hardwood trees out here either, all tamarack, red fir etc. That might make a difference for you.

 

[rwoods]

With a sharp chain a 362 will handle a 25" bar with no problem. 20" is better though. Ron

 

[SawTroll]

Been running a 25" on my 362 for several years, cuts just fine. I'll usually grab it instead of the 441 with same bar, seems to have less vibe, better balance & its lighter. We don't have any of the hardwood trees out here either, all tamarack, red fir etc. That might make a difference for you.

What is "just fine" to one user may not be to others, it is a matter of expectations.

Also, there are better 60cc saws than the MS362 out there, all made by Husky - but there are lots of worse ones out there as well.

 

[banjobart]

I like running my 362 and the 441 with a 20" bar. I would use the 441 when running a 25" bar. The 362 is a good saw but no better than my old 361, just a little different.

 

[Chainsaw Jim]

The 362 will pull a 25" bar with no problems.

 

[CoreyB]

If you are getting it at dealer cost I would say nothing less than a 441 .
All joking aside be very careful young buck. Even a 362 can turn deadly in a hart beat.
Ppe is great stuff to get in a good habit of wearing.

 

[blue924.9]

thanks for all the responses, where we cut is mostly oak, cedar, ash, maple, and the occasional birch and box elder. so there is some harder and some easier cutting wood

that being said i will defiantly do some comparison on the 362 vs the 441, i have a ms 211 with a 16 inch bar and a 290 with a 20 so i only expect to the 362 to cut as fast as them, the ms 211 is new and all stock, i am waiting for the warranty to expire in two years before i muffler mod it, the same will go for whichever saw i buy next so if i dont like it i cant immediately cut into it.

i am young and for the most part inexperienced but i have a fair share of cutting experience for my age, i ran a ragged ms 170 with a 14 inch bar since i was 15, just this year it gave up the ghost which prompted me to get the ms 211. so i have cut before and my family had me cut a in a bunch of situations to learn the ropes, but that was without PPE and quite frankly i am sick of playing STIHL roulette with a chainsaw lol

 

[BlueLude2001]

I own one and it's a good saw for what you describe. I run a 25" on mine 10% of the time. Works fine when I need it. Other 90% it sports a 20". Check into getting the "r" version so you can get the full wrap handle, bigger clutch cover and dual dogs. If you don't like it you can always sell the parts and still come out ahead.

 

[mcobb2]

I used to run a 362 standard carb with a muffler mod with a 20" as a primarily with a 25" with a half skip chain when needed. The 25" is alright but your a little short for power and I didn't like the balance. 3 years later, I still have a 362C-M and run primarily a 18" on it. It seems to be perfect balance wise and can handle being loaded into better. Like I try to tell everyone else; you can pull a 5th wheel camper with a S-10 pickup just not very well... If you think you want to run 25" I would look at a 441 when they come back or if you don't want to wait the 461 is pretty much on sale all across the USA right now. Just my .02. Where are you located?

 

[AKDoug]

In 16" birch a 362 will make three cuts to the 290's two. It's easily 50% faster. You will wonder why you even bothered with the 211 and 290.

 

[blue924.9]

I'm a corn fed iowa boy

 

[mcobb2]

You should be able to find a dealer or two with a good promo on a 461 then or if you find a slower dealer (or one that was prepared) they may still have a 441. I know I haven't had a 441 in what seems like forever.

 

[CoreyB]

I'm a corn fed iowa boy

What part of iowa? I used to live near Marshalltown

 

[Locust Cutter]

A 362 will do a 25" bar in hardwood. A 441 or 461 would be a much better choice already having a saw with 20" bar.

 

[blue924.9]

What part of iowa? I used to live near Marshalltown

NW corner, in between spirit lake and Sioux Falls south Dakota

 

[Locust Cutter]

You could stup with a 25" bar but you'd be better of with skip chain. I you want to pull full comp (well) or a longer bar the 441 and 461 would be much better. Otherwise I'd have to suggest a Husky 562xp or Dolmar 6400 for the $$$ especially with it's ability to become a 7900 later for about $200 or less.

 

[hseII]

hey guys what is everyones opinion on this saw, just looking for some feedback as i have put it on my Christmas list.

here is what we do around here for firewood operations
we currently cut with a 290 or a 291 and a 20 inch bar, for most of what we do this is plenty as instead of cutting down trees we usually have my uncle come and dig the roots out and push them over with his back hoe, from there we cut the tree up, but there are times when we have had to notch a trunk out so we had enough clearance to cut all the way through as we could not cut all the way by going around the truck 360 degrees, i am thinking about picking up a 362 with a 25 inch bar as this seems to be the most balanced bar combo, i held on at the Stihl dealer i work at and without bar and fuel in it the saw seemed to be a little nose heavy but i believe that when its full of fuel and oil it will be balanced out nicely.

even though i work at a stihl dealer i havent much experience with 362's and was wondering what everyone thought of them, dont tell me i should buy a husky as i get stihls for dealer price.


thanks.

P.S. i am 18 and will be getting PPE pants and helmet if i get the saw for christmas

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