Whats the general consensus on the Stihl MS311? Local shop has one, and I am looking for a saw to run an 18-20" bar (that's not quite as heavy as a 575XP). I'm still kicking myself for selling my Husqvarna 359 and Stihl 026, as they were perfect for 18" bars. Any reason to pass on the 311? Would it be worth $150-175 in good condition? Thanks!
Stihl 311?
- Thread starter Jason280
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Heavy for the power
It's 2 steps up from the MS290, and I just sold my 290 for $350 with a new bar and 2 new chains.
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Just used my 310 a little while ago cutting up my last load of locust and black maple. Was thinking when I was walking back to the house how great it was for that purpose. Little heavy for the woods for the power but use it a lot in the wood pile!
MM is a must!!
fearofpavement
Trying them all
The 311 and the 290 and 310 are very different saws. The 311 shares very few parts with the 1127 series.
jughead500
Sasquatch
To me the 311 just plain sucks.
blumtn969
ArboristSite Member
150 to 175 is a good price for one that is in good shape. Those go on cl for 250 ish all day long where i live. No its not a sought after performance saw, but if you keep the chain sharp and do a little maint now and then it will feed your stove for a long time.
Yes they are, but the comparison on sizes is still relevant.
DALE PEPKE
New Member
I have a good reason not to buy the 311 and it is sitting on my bench outside and is the hardest starting piece of junk I ever bought. Yes, I bought the 311 and from day 1 it was difficult to start. I had it back to the dealer 10 times, they tore it apart numerous times. Running when I pick it up and the next day it is back to the same old..hard to start or no start at all. They will not replace the saw, just keeping on trying to fix it. I have never ever had such a hard starting tool in my 63 year life and I am an auto mechanics teacher for over 30 years. I will go out and fight with mine now, as yes, the warranty is up... sorry, but never again..STIHL.
Usually, with a hard starting saw, the first thing I do is to richen up the L screw. I know for a fact that Stihl is shipping out 271's with the L screw too lean. They are having idle and starting issues from day one. I simply turn the L screw out to the limit of the limiter and the problem goes away.
SawTroll
Information Collector
One of the chainsaw models I wouldn't want, even for free! A plastic cased clamshell design saw, that is extremely bulky and heavy for the power.
jughead500
Sasquatch
They get a little lighter when the bearing cages evaporate and turn into smoke.One of the chainsaw models I wouldn't want, even for free! A plastic cased clamshell design saw, that is extremely bulky and heavy for the power.
big t double
Addicted to ArboristSite
ive found that with several 271's also akdoug
DALE PEPKE
New Member
Well, after many hundreds of pulls on my almost new MS 311 I checked for spark and guess what?? NO SPARK NOW. I took it apart to check spark and all the wiring and grounds were good and still no spark...I bought a 'new' Stihl coil and guess what..NO SPARK. I took it to the dealer and within an hour he called and said it was running. His diagnosis was that the crankcase had fuel in it and would not allow the saw to turn over fast enough to generate a spark. He said it needs at least 300 rpm's to do this. I never choke the saw to start, so I question how did all this fuel get there anyway. Secondly, I have never had a machine of any sort that required that much speed to generate the spark. If this is true, I will try it tomorrow morning when cold. If it is the case 300 rpm minimum, this may be the culprit of why so many of these M11's are hard starting I read about on many blogs... We will see what happens tomorrow ?????????? I will try the mixture also, thanks.
Full Chisel
Slingin' Stihls and runnin' Huskies
I would not own any of the homeowner or mid-grade ranch/farm Stihls...period. Overweight hunks of overpriced plastic topped off by underwhelming performance.
SawTroll
Information Collector
Then there is of course the other sort of "Stihl 311", that turns up now and then, causing confusion.....
DALE PEPKE
New Member
I am not disputing that someone out there has a 311 that actually works well, but mine ain't it. Is there a saw out there that has impeccable performance, reliability and dependability day after day start after start???? I can just picture a guy that cuts trees for a living up in the tree trying to start my saw...ha ha. he would throw it out.
How did you check for spark? The only reliable way to see it while pull starting a saw is an inline spark indicator. Your dealer is full of hooey, you can get a saw to spark on a spark indicator with a half hearted pull. No wonder your saw is hard to start. You need to use the choke. Choke it, pull until it pops (usually only 3 or 4 pulls), move the selector switch one notch up (high idle), pull until saw lights (3 or 4 pulls at the most). You can yank until blue in the face on just about every saw out there, and they won't start without choke.
No chokie no startie. I don't care what saw your running.
Full Chisel
Slingin' Stihls and runnin' Huskies
If it's not starting easy when warm that's a different story but otherwise you definitely need to choke it to start it cold. Don't blame the saw for your bad starting procedure, lol.
