STIHL MS 260 Pro or Husky 346xp

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All this talk of 16-18" bars makes me wonder if you guys have ever run a decent big saw. I have worked as a bucker (all you do all day is limb and cut logs to certain lengths), have cut many cords of firewood, probably hundreds, for myself and at work. My own saw for firewood is a 371 XP Husky with a 28" bar. I can't stand to use anything under 24", 28" is perfect for me, at 5'11'. Do you like to bend over or work on your knees?, sounds like something that those who play for the wrong team do. Stand up men. Don't pull the "its too heavy" BS. Back in the 60s and 70s weekend warriors used saws that are heavy by todays standards, way heavier than 260s, probably wieghed more than a 371XP. Am I wrong on that fact Thall and Andy? Those old saws are heavy aren't they?
 
clearance said:
All this talk of 16-18" bars makes me wonder if you guys have ever run a decent big saw. I have worked as a bucker (all you do all day is limb and cut logs to certain lengths), have cut many cords of firewood, probably hundreds, for myself and at work. My own saw for firewood is a 371 XP Husky with a 28" bar. I can't stand to use anything under 24", 28" is perfect for me, at 5'11'. Do you like to bend over or work on your knees?, sounds like something that those who play for the wrong team do. Stand up men. Don't pull the "its too heavy" BS. Back in the 60s and 70s weekend warriors used saws that are heavy by todays standards, way heavier than 260s, probably wieghed more than a 371XP. Am I wrong on that fact Thall and Andy? Those old saws are heavy aren't they?

You be very correct there Clearance, the old saws were heavy indeed. I recall usings a big yellow Mac one time that weighed over 40 lbs and used it all day long. Course I was much younger then and weight wasn't that big a issue, you used whatever you could get your hands on. I, like you Clearance, like a long bar and good size saw for the base of the tree, kill it and be done with it. However once I'm up in the limbs the big boy gets put down and out comes something like the 026 to do the limbs with. I've always felt have a saw big enough for the base and one small enough to handle fast and easy in the limbs.........
 
JPP said:
Just curious...what went wrong with your Poulan. I have a 12 year old 38cc Poulan that I have cut 7-10 face cords of firewood with every year and the thing still runs GREAT!!! It is now reduced to limbing and pruning after I bought the 260.

If you are an occasional user, Poulans are a great deal for the money, IMO.

Has it ever occured to you that a Poulan made 12 years ago just might be a different beast than a Poulan made last year? Do companies ever lower their quality? Do things change?


Nah. Couldn't happen.
 
I am a whimp

clearance said:
Stand up men. Don't pull the "its too heavy" BS. Back in the 60s and 70s weekend warriors used saws that are heavy by todays standards, way heavier than 260s, probably wieghed more than a 371XP. Am I wrong on that fact Thall and Andy? Those old saws are heavy aren't they?

Yep. Just about once a year I slosh a little juice into a 30# Remmington Logmaster just to remind myself why I LOVE a 046. This does not change the fact that it does not require 5 horsepower to cut twigs. Large saws have their place. Smaller ones as well.

I have not been exactly thrilled with the performance of my 260P. It could have been better. It will cut wood, but the average Husky in the same size range will perform better, for awhile.

-Pat
 
clearance said:
All this talk of 16-18" bars makes me wonder if you guys have ever run a decent big saw. I have worked as a bucker (all you do all day is limb and cut logs to certain lengths), have cut many cords of firewood, probably hundreds, for myself and at work. My own saw for firewood is a 371 XP Husky with a 28" bar. I can't stand to use anything under 24", 28" is perfect for me, at 5'11'. Do you like to bend over or work on your knees?, sounds like something that those who play for the wrong team do. Stand up men. Don't pull the "its too heavy" BS. Back in the 60s and 70s weekend warriors used saws that are heavy by todays standards, way heavier than 260s, probably wieghed more than a 371XP. Am I wrong on that fact Thall and Andy? Those old saws are heavy aren't they?


No, those old saws weren't heavy :cheers: unless you're talking about my 775G! My 088 with a long bar weights a ton! :)


I'm with you on no-bend limbing, and it's not uncommon to see an 026 with a 24 or even a 28 bar just for that purpose - I'm talking about limbing doug fir or hemlock etc where the branches are 2-4 inches and the trunks 100-175 feet, not hardwoods with branches as big as the damn trunks.

For bucking, I like the shortest bar for the job with decent horsepower to suit the length, like a 361 or 440 /660 etc. I go down flat in the last part of the cut anyhow to save the chain so bending is part of it. Knees? what knees...

Luckly I don't have to do it for a living, but do now and then....
 
Lakeside53 said:
Roger is saying there is more "potential" in the saw. The displacement was increased to overcome the loss of power by the EPA stuff. Mod the saw and you now have a saw that will perform better than the original. I've done a couple of mufflers on the new version and they really come to life. .....
I don't find that hard to believe! :)

Another note related to more ccs; As I understand it, Ed Heard have now found a way to mod the Husky 353, so that it outperforms the modded Dolmar 5100S and Husky 346XPs.
I don't know if he has worked on any of the 50.2 cc MS260s.

Edit; I asked him - he hasn't so far.
 
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SawTroll said:
Also good advice imo, but even though I like it, I would rule out the MS260 because of air filter and anti-vibe issues.

I am considering the ms260 pro, husky 346 and 353. What are the vibe and filter issues on the stihl? Are there major differences between the husky saws?
 
I don't find the 260 have a vibe issue. Same system is used on the 024, 034 036 044 046 066 088 and the MS versions. If anything, the mounts are too soft...

Is is the latest wiz bang spring system used on the MS361 or MS441? - nope, but no one really complains...

Filters? guys don't like the 026 filter's integrated choke or accumulation of dust, but it's been with us for 18 years on that saw alone, and works just fine.
 
wildnorthern said:
I am considering the ms260 pro, husky 346 and 353. What are the vibe and filter issues on the stihl? Are there major differences between the husky saws?
The 353 has about the same power as the 346, but develops it at a lower rpm, as it has a wider power band. Modded, they both become amazingly fast for such small saws. I prefer the 346 to the 026.. never run the new 260. IMO, Dolmar/Husky/Shindaiwa all make better 3 cube saws than the 026/260....too soft anti-vib, poor mastercontrol lever, funky filter........ but they last a long time as do most Stihl's. Only 346 feature that lags is the outboard clutch. Oh, and its listed weight may not be accurate...Haven't done an exact side by side test, but I think it is heavier than the 026, tho they're both shown as 10.6 lb, I think. Which is where my 10.1 lb Shinny 488 shines....
 
wildnorthern said:
I am considering the ms260 pro, husky 346 and 353. What are the vibe and filter issues on the stihl? Are there major differences between the husky saws?
Rbtree has already covered most of what I had in mind after first seeing your question.
The 346xp and 353 are the same saws except for the engine, and the lack of a decomp valve on the 346xp.
The 346xp has a smaller engine, but it is more effectively ported. It also weights a few ounces less.
 
mr brushcutter!! can you explain: "it´s much better than the 260"!! my experience say´s: the 260 has a better thottle response,better durability overall! better chainbrake! the 346 has better power(rpm) until you put it in a log! well, if you wanna stand there and "throttle in the air" go for the 346! want some work done? go for the ms260! but that´s my opinion!! these day´s i only work with 361 and 660 and 880 comming for milling! i use to be a husky guy!but no more! ex:234,238,262,371,242 and 346! the best husky i ever had,was the 238 and the 262! that´s all for me!:cheers:
 
346's are peaky, it's up to the user to figure out how to use it correctly. If it were me, I would make the choices between a Dolmar 5100 and the 353 if stock, if ported then 346 or 5100. I really like my 5100. I run a 16" bar on it with 3/8" chain and it is very impressive for a 50cc saw. It has a wide powerband that anyone can use, has awesome antivibe, and you don't have to clean the air filter every 5 seconds like the stihl.

-Steve
 
Freakingstang said:
... and you don't have to clean the air filter every 5 seconds like the stihl.

-Steve

5 seconds? I clean my air filters maybe once a day if using heavily, and once a week or two if not... Just because it has dust on it doesn't mean it's not breathing. Heck, half the "pro" saws from "pro" users I get to service have air filters so heavily crusted it's hard to believe they work at all, but they do.

I'm no Husky expert here, but I find most of the problem with air filters is NOT cleaning out the spit-back from the carb. Over time the mix-oil forms a resin that really blocks up the filters.
 
Hey Lakeside , I Blow out my airfilter or try to every time I use my saws.what signs do you look for or how often would you replace a filter.
They seem to always look good to me.
 
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Oh Yea, I also spray the filters down with carb cleaner when I see an oil residue, Then blow them out with low air pressure
 
Air filters

I put my airfilters in the dishwasher ,,,, when the wifes not at home that is ,,hmm (macho,macho man ,,,)
 
manual said:
Hey Lakeside , I Blow out my air filter or try to every time I use my saws.what signs do you look for or how often would you replace a filter.
They seem to always look good to me.


For me, I almost never have to replace an airfilter... no scrubbing and just I use air, and now and then a cleaner like Purple cleaner or whatever. Then wash and blow gently and they will last (almost) a lifetime.

In the store fro customer repairs, if after cleaning they have multiple holes in them that can't be fixed with a dab of nail polish, then out they go... usually this is due to a the prior scrubbing and scraping with screw drivers or sticks or... if they are blocked with oil that has set up to a resin, and a solvent won't move it, it's junk.

Older "flock" filters eventually give up as the wire mesh corrodes and the flocking falls off.

The HD filters found on 044->088, (the fleece type) are supposed to be thrown when the outer layer is substantially blocked. The crap gets trapped between the outer stainless steel mesh and the inner fleece. I've found these can be cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner of diluted purple cleaner almost every time. Changing the cheap prefilter often is a good idea. Just carry a few spares and change them as required. Wash the prefilter with your clothes.

Hold the filters up to the light - you can easily see the extent of blockage. Run them in a saw - if it pulls decent power in the wood, the filter is o.k. Don't chase a dirty filter by leaning out the H screw... You'll forget to turn it back when you clean the filter and toast the cylinder.
 
SWE#Kipp said:
I put my airfilters in the dishwasher ,,,, when the wifes not at home that is ,,hmm (macho,macho man ,,,)
So do I, but I don't overdo it.

It doesn't matter if the wife is at home in my case!
 
Plastic covers

SawTroll said:
So do I, but I don't overdo it.

It doesn't matter if the wife is at home in my case!

I put the plastic covers there too the look like new when they get out :)
 
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