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70+CC saw recommendations

Lucero
Lucero

Lucero

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Have just purchased our first house (no more renting!) out in regional Victoria, Australia - Kinglake for any Aussie’s who are interested.

The house has a huge Woodfire Coonawarra & open fire for heating. This means I’ll be out cutting some decent logs to keep us warm all winter (approx 300/400mm in diameter)

I’m looking for quality & ease of service (do it all myself). I’ve owned both stihl & husky saws previously. However don’t want any auto tuning saws.

I’m thinking I could use this as an excuse to buy a 372 however I’m a chippy by trade and would also love to setup my own Alaskan Mill to slab some timber for table tops in the future & don’t particularly want to have to buy another saw only for that application. Hoping to kill 2 birds with one chain.

Looking forward to hearing your input,
Cheers!
 
cuinrearview
cuinrearview

cuinrearview

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For milling, the bigger the better. I'd buy the biggest powerhead you can swing pricewise. That said, having a 100+cc powerhead as a one saw plan is not ideal. I guess it depends on how often you think you'll wind up milling. A 390/395 or a carbed 661 would probably be a good setup for large tree bucking and occasional milling.
 
U&A
U&A

U&A

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Because of experience level.....I’ve never been fond of recommending saws to anybody that I don’t personally know but.....

How in shape are you?

If you are truly in good shape you can do a 395 all day and still use it for some milling. “One saw” plan is never the best option but if that’s what you have to do then I probably shoot for 395 or possibly a 390. Or the Stihl equivalents

If you are concerned about weight
AND you want to mill AND fall trees.... your going to want 2 saws. If you’re not used to it the heavy saws will kick your ass.



JMO

I’m no expert


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM
 
Tinman204
Tinman204

Tinman204

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If you're looking for a 70cc class saw then a 372 is about as good as you're going to get. I still dont have one but I do have a 365 and its a great saw.

If you are of the more stihl persuasion then a 044, 440 or 441 would be a good place to be. I just finnished an 044 build and I will say its quickly becoming my go to saw, its so light and has power very close to my 576xp.

If you dont mind a bit more weight then a 372 then a 576 xp is a great saw. Thats my "big saw" and its smooth and has tons of power.

I don't mill but I have a buddy that does. His thoughts echo what others have said here, the biggerthe powerhead the better.

He mills with a 394, 395, 298 and a pair of ms 880s. He said the 395 is his preferred milling saw.

I'm a big guy, 6'3", 265lbs and work construction all day wearing a 40lb tool belt and I wouldnt want to run a 395 all day.

Its not that I couldnt handle a 395 but I find the heavier the saw the more tired I get especially when its hot. Being tired is a bad thing when you have a 100cc beast in your hands.
 
andy at clover
andy at clover

andy at clover

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Milling AU hardwoods?
Unless you’re only looking to mill small diameters, 70cc is goingvto be super marginal.
I use 120cc for PNW softwoods. (3120)
Consider the oiler not just the cubes for milling.
Any saw should be able to oil a 36” bar without any trouble.... you may still need an aux oiler for the tip of the mill (downhill side of bar).
I fall /buck with a 441 and mill with the 3120.... it’s a nice combo... originally a bit rich for m need but now it rocks.


Check out BobL’s posts in the milling section.
He’s out in your continent milling native trees.
 
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cuinrearview
cuinrearview

cuinrearview

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For some reason I got my metric to 'murican mixed up. If your milling will be the same diameter(up to 16") logs I think any of the 70-80cc suggestions would suffice. But then again you mentioned table tops so wood that width would require a much larger bar and powerhead. Really, to perform both of the tasks you've laid out effectively, two different saw sizes are needed.
 
Haironyourchest
Haironyourchest

Haironyourchest

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The Stihl 440 to 660 series and the newer variants 441, 461, 661, all use the same oil pump, which can be upgraded to the high output model. Open to correction, but I think that's right. My 441 with the high output oiler runs out as the petol runs out, or just a bit later. Also the newer stihls have super heavy duty air filters, which apparently are popular in Australia.
 
andy at clover
andy at clover

andy at clover

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Haironyourchest said:
The Stihl 440 to 660 series and the newer variants 441, 461, 661, all use the same oil pump, which can be upgraded to the high output model. Open to correction, but I think that's right. My 441 with the high output oiler runs out as the petol runs out, or just a bit later. Also the newer stihls have super heavy duty air filters, which apparently are popular in Australia.
Click to expand...
I think you're correct.
My 441 is the the "R" version which has the "wrap" handle and HO oiler.
Seems to oil the same as my old 661R (assuming same HO oiler).
 
foeke
F

foeke

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I double the dolkita 7910.
More power, less weight, better av then the 372.
But I don't understand the "no autotune". It's so user friendly.


Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G955F met Tapatalk
 
Andyshine77
Andyshine77

Andyshine77

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Haironyourchest said:
The Stihl 440 to 660 series and the newer variants 441, 461, 661, all use the same oil pump, which can be upgraded to the high output model. Open to correction, but I think that's right. My 441 with the high output oiler runs out as the petol runs out, or just a bit later. Also the newer stihls have super heavy duty air filters, which apparently are popular in Australia.
Click to expand...
The 661 has it's own oil pump. It has a pin that you tap in for HO oiling, no extra parts needed.
 
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