In Search Of.... MS 241 C-M

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The Makita 4300 weighs as much as the 261 not the 241. The 241 is 1lbs lighter than the 4300.
I did encourage the OP to man handle the 241, I found it to be be very close to the weight of the 261 when
I tried them side by side, my dodgy arm is very sensitive to weight, I find the Makita much lighter in
hand than a 261, it’s also lighter than the MS251 my father owns, which is why he took my Makita,
People rarely gravitate to a more uncomfortable situation.
 
I’ve seen all 3 on a scale, but ok
Well that settles it, I can’t disagree with scales, I only man handled them.
The manufacturers spec says EA4300 is 4.9 and the MS261 is 5kg and the 241 is 4.5Kg,
I never weighed any of them, but in the shop the 241 felt too close to the 261 on my arms, that’s all,
and it’s only 80 euro cheaper, so not that compelling a buy in my eyes, Two Makita saws for less than
I saw in their nearest match in the Stihl brand is hard to overlook.
 
I did encourage the OP to man handle the 241, I found it to be be very close to the weight of the 261 when
I tried them side by side, my dodgy arm is very sensitive to weight, I find the Makita much lighter in
hand than a 261, it’s also lighter than the MS251 my father owns, which is why he took my Makita,
People rarely gravitate to a more uncomfortable situation.
Stihl did not discontinue the 241 because it could be replaced with a battery. Its because it weighed close to the 261, but was.down 0.9 hp. Hang on, ill weigh my 241 and 261. Both have been ran dry of gas,.and had enough motomix.put in to save things from ethanaol.

Edit:
241 has a Stihl E 16" Picco PS yellow.
261 has a Stihl E 18" .325 RS yellow
I weighed with myself holding the saws since they are home scales.

________White Scale____Silver Scale
Base:____200.8 lbs______200.6 lbs
MS241C:_213.6 lbs_____ 212.8 lbs
MS261C:_215.6 lbs______215.0 lbs


241 - 12.5 lbs
261 - 14.6 lbs

I understand Stihl say they are too close together, but others are too! 170 and a 171, two versions of the 180 and a 181. Not to mention the 211 which is a strong 180. How about the 151 and 194 top handles?
 
As a 241 owner, I too would get the 261 instead. My 241 is ported, and it runs strong, but it gives up 25% displacement nearly to a 261 and is not all that much smaller. 261's run very well stock, and are built to last.
I too got a 261cm saved $$ dealer let me buy PHO. I have .325 bars and chains from my 028s.

Sent from my SM-T377P using Tapatalk
 
Well that settles it, I can’t disagree with scales, I only man handled them.
The manufacturers spec says EA4300 is 4.9 and the MS261 is 5kg and the 241 is 4.5Kg,
I never weighed any of them, but in the shop the 241 felt too close to the 261 on my arms, that’s all,
and it’s only 80 euro cheaper, so not that compelling a buy in my eyes, Two Makita saws for less than
I saw in their nearest match in the Stihl brand is hard to overlook.

I would get a 4300 all day long over a 241.
One of the problems with the 241's is they are more temperamental than their 261 siblings as far as I have read and experienced. In other words - more MTronic issues.
Mine has been a complete cnt off and on. So much so, I have been wondering if it's possible to replace the MTronic carb with a standard carb
Idle problems, stalling, dying, etc etc. Both Brad and Randy have experienced these issues, too.
I think STIHL is abandoning the 241 for several reasons...

Here's what a 4300 can do if you tickle it right



ANd it is reliable as the day is long. Currently, my 241 will idle, then cut, then die at idle after a cut if I do not blip it. It will also occasionally not rev - it will act like it's flooding(complete with smoke). Then it won;t start, then it only starts with full throttle. Etc etc...
 
I would get a 4300 all day long over a 241.
One of the problems with the 241's is they are more temperamental than their 261 siblings as far as I have read and experienced. In other words - more MTronic issues.
Mine has been a complete cnt off and on. So much so, I have been wondering if it's possible to replace the MTronic carb with a standard carb
Idle problems, stalling, dying, etc etc. Both Brad and Randy have experienced these issues, too.
I think STIHL is abandoning the 241 for several reasons...

Here's what a 4300 can do if you tickle it right



ANd it is reliable as the day is long. Currently, my 241 will idle, then cut, then die at idle after a cut if I do not blip it. It will also occasionally not rev - it will act like it's flooding(complete with smoke). Then it won;t start, then it only starts with full throttle. Etc etc...

That sucks. Must be a euro zone thing. :surprised3: Sawed a crap load of wood with mine with no issues.
 
That sucks. Must be a euro zone thing. :surprised3: Sawed a crap load of wood with mine with no issues.

Like I said, Randy(MAstermind) and Snelling have both had similar issues.
Anyone want a parts saw?
In another thread, I recently took this 241 and cut HALF of the flywheel key off, advancing the timing something like 12* or so. ANd she cut like a banshee until she died and started to smell like burnt clutch.
I set the timing back, and she started up and was back to her old unreliable self. Can't kill the damn thang.
 
Like I said, Randy(MAstermind) and Snelling have both had similar issues.
Anyone want a parts saw?
In another thread, I recently took this 241 and cut HALF of the flywheel key off, advancing the timing something like 12* or so. ANd she cut like a banshee until she died and started to smell like burnt clutch.
I set the timing back, and she started up and was back to her old unreliable self. Can't kill the damn thang.
Like I said, Randy(MAstermind) and Snelling have both had similar issues.
Anyone want a parts saw?
In another thread, I recently took this 241 and cut HALF of the flywheel key off, advancing the timing something like 12* or so. ANd she cut like a banshee until she died and started to smell like burnt clutch.
I set the timing back, and she started up and was back to her old unreliable self. Can't kill the damn thang.
Yes I want to buy it.
 
Like I said, Randy(MAstermind) and Snelling have both had similar issues.
Anyone want a parts saw?
In another thread, I recently took this 241 and cut HALF of the flywheel key off, advancing the timing something like 12* or so. ANd she cut like a banshee until she died and started to smell like burnt clutch.
I set the timing back, and she started up and was back to her old unreliable self. Can't kill the damn thang.
Dam annoying, especially when you need them to run, and who doesn’t,
I would have given one a go only for these issues already mentioned.
I don’t suppose it would be easy to put a manual carb and coil on one, or it would have been mentioned.
My father has a MS251, it’s a clam shell, and the thing has great power, easy to start too, and it’s just
a home owner saw, but I would rather have it than a MS241.
 
Dam annoying, especially when you need them to run, and who doesn’t,
I would have given one a go only for these issues already mentioned.
I don’t suppose it would be easy to put a manual carb and coil on one, or it would have been mentioned.
My father has a MS251, it’s a clam shell, and the thing has great power, easy to start too, and it’s just
a home owner saw, but I would rather have it than a MS241.

I was on a ranch that had an MS250. I ran that thing often, only replacing one of the AV mounts the whole while. It has this thing beat hands down.
I am gonna try a new solenoid, even though this carb is less than a year old, and see if that does it. But solenoids are much more expensive here than the US.
My first quote was €60. We'll see if the other guy gets back to me tomorrow as promised.
 
Stihl did not discontinue the 241 because it could be replaced with a battery. Its because it weighed close to the 261, but was.down 0.9 hp. Hang on, ill weigh my 241 and 261. Both have been ran dry of gas,.and had enough motomix.put in to save things from ethanaol.

Edit:
241 has a Stihl E 16" Picco PS yellow.
261 has a Stihl E 18" .325 RS yellow
I weighed with myself holding the saws since they are home scales.

________White Scale____Silver Scale
Base:____200.8 lbs______200.6 lbs
MS241C:_213.6 lbs_____ 212.8 lbs
MS261C:_215.6 lbs______215.0 lbs


241 - 12.5 lbs
261 - 14.6 lbs

I understand Stihl say they are too close together, but others are too! 170 and a 171, two versions of the 180 and a 181. Not to mention the 211 which is a strong 180. How about the 151 and 194 top handles?
I don’t t know why Stihl discontinued the 241, I would imagine the issues people were having with it had
something to with it, but in my view, anyone buying a saw that size will soon be able to find a battery
powered saw that comes close, a 241 wouldn’t really be used as an only saw, most will use it for light duties
and have a bigger saw for the real work, my EA4300 is as close to a 241 as you will get in most respects,
a better two saw plan for me would be 36 volt Makita with a 13 inch bar, and an EA5000, which I would have
bought only I got two EA4300 saws New for 600.00 euro.
 
My 241 ran a 18" .325, 7 pin. As well as the 18" Picco, with a PS chain and a 7 pin rim. Just a muffler mod and nothing else. I cut an 18" Maple with it, and bucked it up too. I like the battery stuff as much as anyone, but I can't see a battery standing up to that. But I also won't bet against.
 

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