Stumbled on an Estate sale, which saws should I keep?

[Bigeclipse]

All,
As the title would say I got extremely lucky and purchased 5 chainsaws and a weedwacker for 350$. The Weedwacker was basically brand new and worth $200 alone. The Saws all run but im having a hard time trying to determine which ones I should keep and which ones I should let go (I think I would like to keep one of the bigger ones and one of the smaller ones). I live on 120acres. My wife and I do not plan on doing heavy logging ourselves nor do we cut for fire wood BUT we do need some saws to take care of the property whether it is maintaining trails, or improving the land for hunting purposes ect. I was able to start up each saw fine and watch them run with out any hickups. I will list the model and what I think the overall condition of the saws are below. please help me choose as I really know very little to nothing about chainsaws.

UPDATE!!! BOTH STIHLs work fine...read below!

1. Stihl MS 201 T. Appears to be in good condition. I thought the chain brake was broken but turns out that it was just gunked up. After cleaning this saw runs and functions fine!

2. Stihl MS460. This saw starts on first try. A touch of black smoke comes out but maybe because it was sitting? The plastic chain brake handle works BUT the top portion of it broke off (so it is like half a handle...cosmetically speaking). On this saw I thought the switch for the choke was broken. Turns out you need to hold the trigger/gas lever down in order for it to move. I ordered a new chain brake handle and then this saw will also be fine!

3. Husqvarna 365 special. This saw started fine, cut well and seems to be in good-great overall condition.

4. Husqvarna 450. This saw started up fine, cut well and seems to be in great overall condition.

5. Echo CS 370. This saw started up (took a few pulls). cut fine and appears to be in great overall condition.

I think I want to keep the little Stihl MS 201 T as it is so small it would be usefull doing very small cuts around the house or up in tree stands. I really have no idea about the other saws though so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[sunfish]

Killer deal! I'd keep the 365 special (Danm good saw!) & the ms 201 T.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Keep the 201T and the Husky 365 special, that makes all the saws you will ever need but need means very little on this forum. I see Don beat me to it, faster typer and all....LOL

 

[Definitive Dave]

husky 365 is a great one saw plan
the MS201t and MS460 are both pro saws but should have the brakes repaired before use
the husky 450 is a homeowner model and I believe the echo might be as well, but i pretty much automatically discount all echos as junk so my opinion there is biased
a top handle saw is not intended for use on the ground or by non-professionals (ms201t)

running in nice cosmetic condition I would place the value of each at
365 - @4$00
201t - @$300 with brake repair needed ( not cheap or easy normally on this model, oem only parts)
MS460 - @$525 with brake handle needed (simple cheap fix with aftermarket part available)
Husqvarna 450 - @$175
Echo - @$ as much as any other lightweight doorstop

great score - sell the others and keep the 365 and string trimmer for free with a profit, to purchase a good small saw if the need ever arises
Dave

 

[Bigeclipse]

husky 365 is a great one saw plan
the MS201t and MS460 are both pro saws but should have the brakes repaired before use
the husky 450 is a homeowner model and I believe the echo might be as well, but i pretty much automatically discount all echos as junk so my opinion there is biased
a top handle saw is not intended for use on the ground or by non-professionals (ms201t)

running in nice cosmetic condition I would place the value of each at
365 - @4$00
201t - @$300 with brake repair needed ( not cheap or easy normally on this model, oem only parts)
MS460 - @$525 with brake handle needed (simple cheap fix with aftermarket part available)
Husqvarna 450 - @$175
Echo - @$ as much as any other lightweight doorstop

great score - sell the others and keep the 365 and string trimmer for free with a profit, to purchase a good small saw if the need ever arises
Dave

please enlighten me more about the ms201t not being intended for use by non-professionals? Seems small and user friendly? I should probably state that while I know little to nothing about chainsaws I have been using them a very long time cutting wood and fallen trees so im not new to using chain saws. Just never owned them (always borrowed) and never had to research buying one to learn what ones are good or bad. Also, I understand pricing is difficult but I do not want to get completely ripped off by a shop. What do you think I could expect for cost to fix the ms201t brake? Ballpark from low to high please and thank you

 

[Coldiron]

They are all junk except the Eco and 450 husky. keep those and send me the rest to properly dispose of[emoji3]!!!!!

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

 

[Bigeclipse]

can anyone comment on what to expect for possible cost to fix the chain brake handle to work on the stihl 201t through a reputable dealer?

 

[s sidewall]

Echo is a decent saw, better than the husky450.

Steve Sidwell, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk

 

[Charlie Pendleton]

201t and the 365 would be an awesome duo

 

[Mad Professor]

I always thought a 460 would be a nice upgrade from my 038s, but the 038s will last longer

 

[GlynnC]

I had an Echo CS370, really liked it, decided to sell it a year or so ago, have regretted the decision. Bought it from a pawn shop--almost (if not) new, started easy, ran as it should!

I'm always amazed at how brand preduices affects opinions of saws, string trimmers, etc. I'm not a Stihl string trimmer person, even though I have Stihl MS260 pro that I really like! I do like Echo!

 

[arrow13]

can anyone comment on what to expect for possible cost to fix the chain brake handle to work on the stihl 201t through a reputable dealer?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-Stihl-M...401992?hash=item283b689708:g:MvUAAOSwTVtZa7Pr
This could help you. There's plenty of folks that could help you make the repair here on AS. That way you can learn a bit about your saw at the same time.
Good luck.

 

[arrow13]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-Stihl-M...401992?hash=item283b689708:g:MvUAAOSwTVtZa7Pr
This could help you. There's plenty of folks that could help you make the repair here on AS. That way you can learn a bit about your saw at the same time.
Good luck.

By the way, keep the 201t and the 365. Happy cutting.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

@Bigeclipse, are you familiar with guns at all? The lighter a gun is, the more it recoils, right? Saws are the same way, the lighter and smaller a saw is, the more easily it's inertia is overcome by a violent kickback. Top handle saws are very lightweight, and their handles are very close together, which means that when they kickback, the saw can move a lot (usually towards your face), and the close handles give the operator less leverage and control over the saw.

Also, they're basically designed for one handed use. The manual, and everything else is clear that THEY SHOULD NOT BE USED ONE HANDED, but many people can not resist the temptation to do so. With only one hand on the saw, the operator has almost no leverage to control the saw, and no hand on the front handle means a much smaller chance of the chain brake engaging in the event of a kickback. So, if you did keep this saw, in my opinion, you'd never want to let anyone else operate it. Personally, I don't own one, and pretty much won't use one. My buddy who is a tree climber uses his one handed in trees and on the ground frequently, and I personally think it's a bad habit, and a very dangerous practice.

 

[Bigeclipse]

EVERYONE....GOOD NEWS!!!

The chain brake on the 201T was simply gunked up. I cleaned it and it now works 100%. The choke lever on the Stihl 460 also works fine. turns out you need to be holding the gas/trigger lever in order to move the switch. So the only thing wrong with the 460 saw is the cracked chain brake handle which I ordered a new one. This means that ALL saws are in good operating order!

 

[Bigeclipse]

@Bigeclipse, are you familiar with guns at all? The lighter a gun is, the more it recoils, right? Saws are the same way, the lighter and smaller a saw is, the more easily it's inertia is overcome by a violent kickback. Top handle saws are very lightweight, and their handles are very close together, which means that when they kickback, the saw can move a lot (usually towards your face), and the close handles give the operator less leverage and control over the saw.

Also, they're basically designed for one handed use. The manual, and everything else is clear that THEY SHOULD NOT BE USED ONE HANDED, but many people can not resist the temptation to do so. With only one hand on the saw, the operator has almost no leverage to control the saw, and no hand on the front handle means a much smaller chance of the chain brake engaging in the event of a kickback. So, if you did keep this saw, in my opinion, you'd never want to let anyone else operate it. Personally, I don't own one, and pretty much won't use one. My buddy who is a tree climber uses his one handed in trees and on the ground frequently, and I personally think it's a bad habit, and a very dangerous practice.

understood but honestly I don't mind taking risks but I stay alert in situations. Literally I can see myself using this saw in trees when hanging treestands and such where a pole such wont get to. I have done this in the past with much larger saws one handed so if im taking that risk already I guess it does not matter. This saw will never be used to cut anything larger in diameter than saw 4-5inches.

 

[KenJax Tree]

A top handle saw is only as dangerous as the person holding it. Like any other tool really. If one can't properly operate a top handle saw, they shouldn't use a rear handle saw either.

The only reason everything says use 2 hands is because of lawsuits and scum lawyers. They are clearly designed for one hand use. If any arborist tells you he only uses it with 2 hands then he's FOS, sometimes its nearly impossible.

A little common sense goes a long ways.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

understood but honestly I don't mind taking risks but I stay alert in situations. Literally I can see myself using this saw in trees when hanging treestands and such where a pole such wont get to. I have done this in the past with much larger saws one handed so if im taking that risk already I guess it does not matter. This saw will never be used to cut anything larger in diameter than saw 4-5inches.

That's cool, and I can't stop you, but it'd be a good idea to fully understand the risk before deciding if you're okay with it. Do your research, is all I'm suggesting. A good thing for anyone who hasn't done it is to take a chainsaw safety course. I swallowed my ego and took one through FISTA a few years ago. Best $100 I ever spent.

 

[Bigeclipse]

That's cool, and I can't stop you, but it'd be a good idea to fully understand the risk before deciding if you're okay with it. Do your research, is all I'm suggesting. A good thing for anyone who hasn't done it is to take a chainsaw safety course. I swallowed my ego and took one through FISTA a few years ago. Best $100 I ever spent.

That's a good idea. I will research local courses. Thanks.

 

[earlthegoat2]

That's cool, and I can't stop you, but it'd be a good idea to fully understand the risk before deciding if you're okay with it. Do your research, is all I'm suggesting. A good thing for anyone who hasn't done it is to take a chainsaw safety course. I swallowed my ego and took one through FISTA a few years ago. Best $100 I ever spent.

I used chainsaws for nearly 15 years before I took a safety course that was required for a job I took for a land clearing company. My eyes were opened and I am glad I was able to be a part of it. Don't handle a saw the same since and I am better for it.