Upgrading milling saw but really just adding another

[Belafonte]

I've been milling some SYP and White Oak here in Oklahoma for about a year now and I have come to the conclusion that I am sick of swapping the powerhead back and forth between the mini mill and Alaskan III. I've been using a Makita 6421 with big bore kit thus far and would like to get something bigger for the Alaskan III and run the Makita on the mini mill. I'm curious if the 395's and 066/660's would be that much more powerful than the Makita. There is a ms660 for sale locally $600(which is rare here) that I could pick up if you think it would have the power i'm after. A Husqvarna would be better since it uses the same bars as my Makita but I can live with buying another bar for the Stihl. If I won't be happy with the power jump then what other alternatives might be better? Parts availability is kinda important and I would like to stay around that price so 3120's are out. Are there any older torqy saws with parts still available? The biggest wood will probably be in the 30 inch range but mostly 20's.

 

[wombler]

My 066 does the job milling 30"+ hardwood (eucalypts), so it should be good for what you're doing. It sounds like it's going to be a dedicated milling saw, so having a different mount shouldn't be too big a deal (you're not going to be swapping bars around all day). That being said, lots of people say nice things about the big husky saws, so if you can find one of those in your price range, I'm sure they'll do the job quite nicely too.

 

[BigOakAdot]

How many cc's is the makita? Around the 70 cc class I'm assuming. If you plan to stick to nothing more than 30 a 660 should do the trick.

600 isn't a bad price at all especially if it's a clean one. What size bar and chain come with that one?

 

[mdavlee]

84cc for the big bore. A 395 is going to be a big step up. I prefer them to a 660

 

[Hoodiegadoo]

I have a 461 that I do a lot of milling with currently. Red oak, hickory, and walnut mostly in the 15-20" widths and I'm buying a 880 here shortly. My thought is the 461 or 661 could get through the bigger slabs 34" ish but the 880 will handle it a lot better. And if it's easier on the saw its easier on me.

 

[BlueRider]

You asked about older torkey saws with parts availability. Ive never had a problem getting parts for my 075. Its been out of production for a long time as a chain saw but it was available until not too long ago in the form of the ts 760 which is a concrete saw. Most of the parts for the ts 760 and 075 are interchangeable with the obvious chain/clutch not applying as well as the oil pump. But things like carb kits air filters compression valves are easy to get. if your not familiar the 075 is 111 cc's and it is a beast. Similar situation with the ts 510 and the 051 with the 051 being 89 cc's