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difference between chain saws

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it really depends on where you get your wood. if you have land and its your choice on what you cut then a 50cc will do and I would recommend a husky 346. if you have to go and scrounge or tree guys drop off wood you will need something in the 70cc range a husky 372 or stihl 440 inevitably that is where this hobby takes you. I have a 90cc class saw too because it helps me scrounge wood others have to pass on...heres an example of what tree guys will drop off and another of what I deal with all the time scrounging005.jpg 005.jpg 001.JPG
 
you have a 180 which will work as a general cutting and limbing saw , i only mentioned a 290 cause it seemed you wanted to stick with sthil , a lot of people are brand particular , myself i am not , if it is reliable i am happy, a 60 or 70 cc saw will open a lot possibilities on larger wood if you are scrounging , my neighbor has a 290 and it dose handle the big stuff pretty good , i like a light weight 50 cc saw for general cutting which is the one i use the most , and a 70cc saw for the big log bucking , i carry those two saw's all the time , i have had problems with my main saw and had to use the bigger saw , so it was not a lost trip which if you cut away from the house is a good thing , right now i am dealing with large blow down oaks and i need a 90+ cc saw , its easier on you to use a large heavy saw when bucking big logs , you just use its power and weight to your advantage and just guide it and let it do the cutting , than it is to use too small of a saw and force it to cut it , but if i could have only one saw and had the cash to throw down on one right now , it would be a 555 husky .
 
I found a deal on the saws that I have, and prefer these models for the light weight and adequate power. I would avoid the 250/290 saws, they let me down. The 271/291 saws would be much better if you do not go for pro saws like the 261 and 362. The 357 makes me smile everytime I start it as do the 361 and 261. I have cut a lot of large oak recently, in the 24"-36" trunk range without any problems, just a bit slow going. I no longer have my old 440 and 372. My chains are always razor sharp, that is the key to good cutting with any saw whether it was free or cost a thousand dollars.
 
what do you see between different chain saws? I have a stihl 180 and want a saw that can cut more firewood is there much diff between a 180 and 250 ? is it rpms ?
All modern saws will run between 12,000 - 14,000 RPM. The difference is in displacement, which means more hp and torque. The bigger saws will hold max rpms (don't bog down), use bigger bars/chains, and once you get up to the bigger saws, are capable of using more aggressive chains and sprockets. That's why they cut faster. It's easy to get talked into a buying a big saw. If a 3 hp saw is good, then a 4 hp saw is better, and a 5 hp saw is awesome. After all, you can't have too much power, right? Well, I personally would not recommend someone jumping from an MS 180, which is just under 2 hp to a Stihl 400 series or Hq (X)70 series with 5+ hp. These are useful, but very dangerous tools, and if you don't have the experience, these things can cause alot of damage to skin and bone. The fact that you're asking this leads me to believe you are somewhat a novice, so I would say stick with a Stihl 025/ms250, or husky 34(X) - 350 . They're all around 3 hp, and will pull a 16" chain through about anything, and will handle a 20" a little slower if you need them to. Then, once you have mastered using the medium power saws, you can move up to the beasts if you think you need to.
 
lts plain obvious that the OP NEEDS to get a ms661 with two bars, a sugi light and a tsumara light and tough. Porting is essential and must follow promptly as Stihl can't make their thousand dollar flagship saw run right so you must send it to someones backyard for them to properly figure it out. You then need to consider a back up saw as your ms180 will become embarrassing in your sig so maybe a pro grade 50cc saw is also required. Even if you cannot carry the 661 fifty feet that does not really matter so long as its kept immaculately clean and ready for AS pics.(we love pics). :surprised3:
 
lts plain obvious that the OP NEEDS to get a ms661 with two bars, a sugi light and a tsumara light and tough. Porting is essential and must follow promptly as Stihl can't make their thousand dollar flagship saw run right so you must send it to someones backyard for them to properly figure it out. You then need to consider a back up saw as your ms180 will become embarrassing in your sig so maybe a pro grade 50cc saw is also required. Even if you cannot carry the 661 fifty feet that does not really matter so long as its kept immaculately clean and ready for AS pics.(we love pics). :surprised3:
You forgot Bel-Ray at 40:1. Or was that Amsoil...
 
All modern saws will run between 12,000 - 14,000 RPM. The difference is in displacement, which means more hp and torque. The bigger saws will hold max rpms (don't bog down), use bigger bars/chains, and once you get up to the bigger saws, are capable of using more aggressive chains and sprockets. That's why they cut faster. It's easy to get talked into a buying a big saw. If a 3 hp saw is good, then a 4 hp saw is better, and a 5 hp saw is awesome. After all, you can't have too much power, right? Well, I personally would not recommend someone jumping from an MS 180, which is just under 2 hp to a Stihl 400 series or Hq (X)70 series with 5+ hp. These are useful, but very dangerous tools, and if you don't have the experience, these things can cause alot of damage to skin and bone. The fact that you're asking this leads me to believe you are somewhat a novice, so I would say stick with a Stihl 025/ms250, or husky 34(X) - 350 . They're all around 3 hp, and will pull a 16" chain through about anything, and will handle a 20" a little slower if you need them to. Then, once you have mastered using the medium power saws, you can move up to the beasts if you think you need to.

Yes and no. Unloaded rpm means nothing, and is used as a kludge for carb mixture adjustment for those that don't understand how diaphragm carbs work. (Properly, go for max rpm UNDER LOAD, just like auto-tune/m-tronic do.) There are lots of informative posts/videos on how to get there with 2-stroking under load & 4-stroking when you lift.) So these 12-14K rpm figures are misleading to useless. They are way beyond any normal working speed.

In fact, modern "pro" saws develop their peak power at 9.6-10K rpm, with some stihls lower. Usable power speeds are important, unless you just like a saw for "piss-revving". The other large point of interest is the shape of the torque and power curves, not just a point-reading somewhere. Meaning, a flat or nearly flat torque curve is a really GOOD THING. Peaky engines require serious attention to keep them running anywhere near their peaks, or they fall on their faces. As opposed to engines with relatively flat torque curves.

From experience, the homeowner stihls are a joke, when you look at what it costs for a 40/50/60 cc Dolmar or Echo. Not to mention the crazy difficulty to perform a variety of repairs to those stihls. Plastic (flexible) chassis connecting bar to engine case? Really? Pass on that. To top it off, stihl's power ratings are often fiction. Like, 3 hp for a 250. C'mon.
 
Yes and no. Unloaded rpm means nothing, and is used as a kludge for carb mixture adjustment for those that don't understand how diaphragm carbs work. (Properly, go for max rpm UNDER LOAD, just like auto-tune/m-tronic do. There are lots of informative posts/videos on how to get there with 2-stroking under load & 4-stroking when you lift.) So these 12-14K rpm figures are misleading to useless. They are way beyond any normal working speed.

In fact, modern "pro" saws develop their peak power at 9.6-10K rpm, with some stihls lower. Usable power speeds are important, unless you just like a saw for "piss-revving". The other large point of interest is the shape of the torque and power curves, not just a point-reading somewhere. Meaning, a flat or nearly flat torque curve is a really GOOD THING. Peaky engines require serious attention to keep them running anywhere near their peaks, or they fall on their faces. As opposed to engines with relatively flat torque curves.

From experience, the homeowner stihls are a joke, when you look at what it costs for a 40/50/60 cc Dolmar or Echo. Not to mention the crazy difficulty to perform a variety of repairs to those stihls. Plastic (flexible) chassis connecting bar to engine case? Really? Pass on that. To top it off, stihl's power ratings are often fiction. Like, 3 hp for a 250. C'mon.
:dumb:

It's been a while since we've heard this type of logic and reasoning from you. Good to see you back in fine form.
 
I think the best general purpose firewood saw is something that can pull an 18" lo pro bar, which would cut the vast majority of my wood. I like lo pro chain because the narrower kerf means that I can do the same job with a smaller saw. In your case since you already have a small saw maybe something light with a 20" bar would be good. I'd like to try 0.325" NK chain but have not yet - I assume it would work similar to 3/8 lo pro in that respect, which would be nice on a 20" bar.
 
But you should always have a backup saw, and a backup for your backup. 3 saws minimum. Maybe four. But don't go for an expensive saw right away - you need to build up to it. Are you married? That's probably the big difficulty in all this - convincing the wife that you need yet another saw. :rock:
My plan on this backfired ,the ms440 for her backfired ,it was about as smart as getting the vacuum cleaner for mothers day that time .
 
My little obsession started as a Stihl 025.. then turned into a ms192+ ms660 to what you see in the sig plus a few more that I just don't want to add. My favorite two for shocking people with bigger 029's is a ported 025, that little sucker runs its butt off for what it is. Also a small ms170 that has been ported and has a full adjustable carb on it, lil guy rips with the best of the smaller class saws. If I was to start right out of the gate again, I'd go middle of the road with a ms362 or 361. Good solid 60cc class saw that'll run forever with proper maintenance and do whatever you ask of it. With all the saws that I own now I look more for versatility in one rig vs dragging them all out for one day of cutting.... 056 mag 2's as old as they are I swear by them, i'll pick it up before the 660.
 
Look on your local craigslist also, around here you can find anything from stihl 029, 290 to husky 455, 460 usually around 200-275 range. Don't be afraid to buy used locally, you can always go start it, inspect it, run it before you buy it. A good way to save some clams:barbecue:
 
What he means to say is if you are going to get a backup saw for your backup saw, it might also be prudent to line up a backup wife. And perhaps a backup for her, as they can be kind of easy to go through once you start following our advice.
No kidding there, my wife gets so pissed off because of my saw addiction. I told her is was a matter of want rather than need!
 
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