Stihl 041AV farmboss quickstop, worth the effort?

[Oldtoolsnewproblems]

so a while back I picked up a few banged up saws for a decent price, i wanted 1 for parts and the others for the long bars on them. I am trying to only hold onto Husqvarnas to keep parts ueful, and not have a million saws. BUT this old Stihl caught my eye. I was gonna list it for parts to get some toy money, but on a whim i sprayed some ether in there and it started second pull... looking in the exhaust the piston looks pretty dang good. BUT she clearly took a dive, since I could check the piston without removing the mufffler. It got dropped and the muffler cracked (maybe I could braze it) and it lost an ear here or there but I can probably weld and braze it alll back together. but after all that work its no bigger than my two 266s or 61, and I really want to get some money together for a mill saw.

what does the internet think? its a cool saw in its weirdness of AV design and spark plug just jutting out there, but it means accepting the poison pill of supporting multiple brands, a thing i swore i wouldn't do. I only need my saws for firewood (2-3 cords a year) and clearing up after storms. I don't need them for anything really, although i kept the big ones so i can eventually alaskan mill a few tens of feed of wood for fun and then never use it again.

thoughts?

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

If it has AV- it is not a Farmboss version- so not totally evil.
It is not nor never will be a 266.
Not totally useless- but make nice door stops or boat anchors.
With a bar & chain fitted, as it sits with busted muffler and bits- might fetch $50 towards a milling saw.

 

[rarefish383]

No input on your saw. Just me and not a lecture. I bought a Homelite XL700 on eBay. The guy had been starting it using ether. He did it so much it melted the rings into the piston. Now I get a 3 pack of plastic syringes at Ace Hardware for $1.99 and use them to shoot a little fuel mix in the carb or plug hole. Good luck on your project. I love milling with my Homelite Super 1050 or my Stihl 660. Have you checked out our milling forum? Lots of good info there.

 

[Oldtoolsnewproblems]

Well then your as confused as I am as to what it is, because Google also insits this saw doesn't exist. I assume it must be made from 2 different saws, because my searches say it shouldn't have a chain brake either unless it's a late saw and should be a super or something like that.

 

[rarefish383]

Wow, it might be a Frankensaw. The chain brake looks like the one on an 045, a piece of flat stock, like yours. The chain brake on Acres picture is a piece of round stock, on an 041 AV. The 041 Farm Boss has a picture of a farmer on the clutch cover and Bar.

 

[Goinwheelin]

Parts are still readily available for the 041 and they are well built in my opinion. Crank seals, carb kit and fuel lines/filter and it will be ready for another 50 years

 

[sled_22]

Wow, it might be a Frankensaw. The chain brake looks like the one on an 045, a piece of flat stock, like yours. The chain brake on Acres picture is a piece of round stock, on an 041 AV. The 041 Farm Boss has a picture of a farmer on the clutch cover and Bar.

I have an 041 AV and my chain brake bar is flat stock like that as well. Mine is all original as I got it from the original owner. Purchased in 1982. Maybe some of these pictures will help?
I just rebuilt this one with Piston and rings, carb kit fuel lines and i'm about $60 into it. They are listed for sale in my area, not really selling that i've seen for $150 - $200.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

It is exactly what the label tag says it is 041AV Quickstop.
So it came from the factory with AV mounts and the chain brake (Quickstop) as a late model 041- not a Farmboss- for which you can be a little grateful.

 

[Oldtoolsnewproblems]

So the fact the label says "041av quick stop farmboss" still doesn't make it a farm boss? Is that a different special model? I know nothing about stihl so just trying to find out. If it's a rare oddity that's fun, if it's a frankenstein that still fun but less so haha

 

[sled_22]

I didn't think they existed either but here is one that sold on this site...https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/nice-stihl-041-av-farm-boss-quickstop-150.307332/

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

So the fact the label says "041av quick stop farmboss" still doesn't make it a farm boss? Is that a different special model? I know nothing about stihl so just trying to find out. If it's a rare oddity that's fun, if it's a frankenstein that still fun but less so haha

The originals you had a choice of 041AV that has a few more refinements- or the 041 Farmboss that did not have any refinements- they were two different saws, shared some bits- but the AV had AV mounts, different top cover.
Late in the production run and lifetime of these saws, the truer Farmboss model was dropped- Quickstop was added to the AV and the Farmboss label was added to the tag and some of the guide bars as the 041AV was being fazed out in favour of newer front line models.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

These things are the true 041 Farmboss model- no AV much simpler top cover.

 

[Oldtoolsnewproblems]

Well since it would only net me $50, looks like I'll vacuum test it and see if the muffler is all it really needs, and call it my backup backup saw. Unless anyone has some 272 intake parts they want to trade for my 266 to 272 upgrade project

 

[rmihalek]

I was just given an 041AV by a friend who was also given it from a client he did some tree work for. I figured I'd check the port timing to see what was going on; both intake and exhaust have 145 degree duration. I was watching a video from Buckin' Billy Ray Smith where he had Donny Walker on there checking the port timing on a McCullough. Donny said 155 degrees duration is a good number for a work saw, so I'm thinking of bumping this 041 up to 155 and seeing what happens. 1mm off the piston skirt would be sufficient and if it runs like crap I can just replace the piston.

 

[Joel D'Angelo]

I have run several 041's and for a 60cc saw they will pull your arm off. Also, I routinely get $150 for them running and nothing broke.

 

[Oldtoolsnewproblems]

I just got my 266se running again, so the embargo on working on other basket case saws has been lifted! I'll do a compression test tonight and see where I want to go from here. there are two other saws in line to get autopsy, but this one is the most exciting.

 

[Bret4207]

I was true blue Husky man fro many years. I learned that other brands have good points too. The 041 in any variation is a good old saw. They aren't hard to fix or fins parts for. I'd clean her up and try her out. You might find you like it a lot more than you think you will.

 

[Oldtoolsnewproblems]

If it has compression I'll bring it back to life

 

[Kenskip1]

This saw is a classic. It has it's own special sound. I stihl use mine on occasion.

 

[Oldtoolsnewproblems]

I heard that the stacked intake and exh makes for a different sound, NGL that's part of what motivated me to keep it.

...sigh, another project