Stihl saws, are they all like this?

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Pioneer

Pioneer

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Just had the displeasure of taking apart a Stihl ms250. What an obnoxious little turd.

IMG_20191211_193513.jpg
Are all Stihls of this generation similar in design? Are the pro saws any better? I don't remember my uncle's 024 av super being this bad. This saw reminds me of my BMW e38, I call it "the over engineered kraut sh*tbox". Before you slam me I'm German decent, and I believe in the KISS principal of engineering.
The Husqvarna 50 I just finished was an absolute dream to work on, are the newer saws like the 3 series ok, or have they also become needlessly complicated?
 
Yeah, the newer stihl saws are known for their over-engineering. Everything is compartmentalized, harder to get at.
The old saws are great to work on though.
The 3 series huskies are pretty okay too but the 5 series is going the same way as stihl in terms of complexity.
 
There is like two divisions of current Stihl saws, the ones like the 025 are referred to as clamshell saws made more for occasional use and then there are the PRO class saws that have split magnesium crankcases with upright easily removable cylinders, much easier to work on for the uninitiated.
 
The modern homeowner ranch saws are almost always a bit harder "in some ways" to work on, than most of the pro models. Really the 250 isn't that bad to wrench on, especially when you've gotten used to the design. One good thing about the clamshell design is the engine is one assembly, so replacing the crank, bearings, and seals is much easier without having to splitting the case.

No not my favorite saws, but they work just fine, and really they're not that hard to work on. The modern Husqvarna homeowner saws are no better, actually worse IMHO.

Most modern Stihl saws are extremely easy to work on, the 441 was a bit of a mess, but that has been removed from the market.
 
Pioneer said:
Just had the displeasure of taking apart a Stihl ms250. What an obnoxious little turd.

View attachment 779400
Are all Stihls of this generation similar in design? Are the pro saws any better? I don't remember my uncle's 024 av super being this bad. This saw reminds me of my BMW e38, I call it "the over engineered kraut sh*tbox". Before you slam me I'm German decent, and I believe in the KISS principal of engineering.
The Husqvarna 50 I just finished was an absolute dream to work on, are the newer saws like the 3 series ok, or have they also become needlessly complicated?
Click to expand...

Those are 2 different classes of saw.
The 250 is a “clam shell”. The 024 is a pro saw, so a magnesium split case. Generally the pros are easier but im used to the 250. It’s only difficult to figure it out the first time. I can take one apart and put it back together now in 90m minus the gasket curing time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
TheDarkLordChinChin said:
Yeah, the newer stihl saws are known for their over-engineering. Everything is compartmentalized, harder to get at.
The old saws are great to work on though.
The 3 series huskies are pretty okay too but the 5 series is going the same way as stihl in terms of complexity.
Click to expand...
I'm going to disagree with you here.

The Stihl pro saws are extremely simple in design. The only real added completely would be the added intake plumbing, and extra carb linkage, and strato port butterflies, which Stihl actually simplified/ eliminated by using a single intake boot with divider in it. Besides the 372 Xtorque, Husqvarna uses separate intake runners for the strato ports and intake, which adds some bulk and completely.

Now we can talk about the electric components, but that's just the way things are in our world. Mechanically however, saws really haven't changed all that much in the last 40 years.[emoji111]
 
...McCulloch chainsaws were very similar in design - some even a little more awkward.

I sort of like this series. Easy to work on, no special tools required (except for a T27), and when done well they actually last. The design requires some special attention to details like the bushings in the plastic housing, proper sealing, not too much force on bolts and chain tension, etc. I have resurrected quite a few of them (021 to 025) and only one has come back so far as a trade in - sold that one today and don't expect it back soon.
 

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