Help me, help my wild father find a new saw...

[maxfior]

Great site here... Glad I found it... ...so here is my dilemma, well, not really a dilemma I guess but... My father is pretty crazy when it comes to heating his home with wood, two large stoves and a very large supply of hard wood, mostly drop offs from the city or other old growth from around the area that he takes down. By no means is my wild father a pro, but he has been doing his thing for a long time and has grown fond of his collection of old Mac's. I guess when he was a kid he'd run MC101's and such on his go-kart. Any way (trying not to bore the readers of this thread too much) his ProMac 650 is getting a little, shall we say tired. I'd like to surprise him for his birfday and get him something a little more of this century. Being that he is uses his current saw for some big wood (his bar is a 24) I'd like to get him a decent saw for say, under $800 bones.
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I've been doing some reading on this site and have seen plenty of opinions, I guess the only $0.02 I'd like to add is that I have used a few Husky's over the years and have been pretty happy with them and I know that a professional saw would suit my fathers needs and I want to make sure that he gets one since it'll see a pretty large amount of work. I've attached some photos to show just how wild he is, might help in saw selection... Thanks all!
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Again, thanks for any input.

Max

 

[excess650]

If he can deal with the weight of a PM650, I'm sure he would be thrilled with a Husqvarna 372xp or its Jonsered sibling, the 2171. Both are lighter and more powerful than the PM650.

 

[CentaurG2]

Dude… that is some crazy big wood. How did he get that wheel onto that splitter without a lift?? Anyhoo.. in answer to your question, first find your best local chainsaw dealer. If they are stihl dealer, go with a ms460. If they are a husky dealer go with a 372 or 385xp. If you can find a Dolmar dealer, the 7900 has his name on it. All will easily pull a 24” bar in hardwood. Consider getting him a good maul and set of wedges and have him quarter up them big wheels before trying to wrestle them onto the splitter.

 

[FATGUY]

I'd think a guy his age would probably appreciate the anti-vibe of a MS 441

 

[litefoot]

You said you like Husky's, and I was going to say 372XP...until I looked at the pictures more. If you aren't brand partial, then for the $$ mentioned, I'd go with a Dolmar 7900. You'll have money left over for another extra-long bar to go with whatever comes with the saw.

Edit: Looks like a pretty cool Dad to me! And that's coming from a grandpa!

 

[maxfior]

If he can deal with the weight of a PM650, I'm sure he would be thrilled with a Husqvarna 372xp or its Jonsered sibling, the 2171. Both are lighter and more powerful than the PM650.

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, the PM650 is a friggin’ boat anchor, I guess that'll happen with 1980's tech. I don't know what the power out-put of the PM would be, I'd say maybe 3 or so HP? So, I'd love to get him something like what you mentioned, the 372xp has 5.3 so that is a nice step up, I'm just wondering if I should get him something with more power since the weight isn't as bad as the PM. Thanks for all the help!

Max

 

[maxfior]

Dude… that is some crazy big wood. How did he get that wheel onto that splitter without a lift?? Anyhoo.. in answer to your question, first find your best local chainsaw dealer. If they are stihl dealer, go with a ms460. If they are a husky dealer go with a 372 or 385xp. If you can find a Dolmar dealer, the 7900 has his name on it. All will easily pull a 24” bar in hardwood. Consider getting him a good maul and set of wedges and have him quarter up them big wheels before trying to wrestle them onto the splitter.

Damn you guys are awesome with replys! Here are some more pictures. I think I'll take a look around my county and see some local dealers, my father deserves a good saw, I wish I still lived close by to help him with all the wood... He ain't getting any younger... Now if only I could steal his home made ghetto wood splitter for a while...
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Also, he has a pretty good maul, it's just a biotch to swing that thing more then a few times (unless you're drinking Red Bull, the old man isn't in to that..) Is it safe just to cut them into small pieces?

Thanks again everyone!

Max

 

[maxfior]

You said you like Husky's, and I was going to say 372XP...until I looked at the pictures more. If you aren't brand partial, then for the $$ mentioned, I'd go with a Dolmar 7900. You'll have money left over for another extra-long bar to go with whatever comes with the saw.

Edit: Looks like a pretty cool Dad to me! And that's coming from a grandpa!

Thanks for the comment, and wouldn't you know it, old Rog is going to be a grandpa too next summer! I'll have to do some googling on the Dolmar (never heard of them before) Thank you!

Max

 

[DanManofStihl]

I think you got one of the coolest dads. My vote would be the 372xp I personally do not have any experience with the ms 441 so I can't give you a review on that but I have run the 372 and been very impressed. The 372 have plenty of power for most applications and since he has been running alot of the older saws then e will be amazed with the features and weight of the saw.

Ps that is an awsome idea using the engine hoist to lift the log for the splitter.

 

[Tree Sling'r]

Thanks for the comment, and wouldn't you know it, old Rog is going to be a grandpa too next summer! I'll have to do some googling on the Dolmar (never heard of them before) Thank you!

Max

There is one in the trading post section of this web-site.

 

[grandpatractor]

Thanks for the comment, and wouldn't you know it, old Rog is going to be a grandpa too next summer! I'll have to do some googling on the Dolmar (never heard of them before) Thank you!

Max

Yup 7900 would put a BIG smile on his face for sure!!!!
I run a 28" on mine all the time. You should be able to get one out the door for under 800 bucks.
Just find their web site and do a dealer search.
There is alot of aaaaaaaah "inexperienced" dolmar dealers, so you may have to call around a little bit, but the 7900 is worth it.
Quite a few guys have them on here and one may be able to send you a pm with a good recommendation.. Welcome to the site too!!!

 

[CentaurG2]

Engine hoist. I never thought of that. You can use a saw to quarter big wheels but it wastes a lot of wood, makes a whole lot of shavings and contaminates the work area with bar oil. An 8 pound maul and a couple of good steel wedges work better and faster in clear wood. Cool pics.!

 

[treeslayer]

nothing less than a stihl 660 or Husky 395

 

[maxfior]

Yup 7900 would put a BIG smile on his face for sure!!!!
I run a 28" on mine all the time. You should be able to get one out the door for under 800 bucks.
Just find their web site and do a dealer search.
There is alot of aaaaaaaah "inexperienced" dolmar dealers, so you may have to call around a little bit, but the 7900 is worth it.
Quite a few guys have them on here and one may be able to send you a pm with a good recommendation.. Welcome to the site too!!!

Thank you VERY much for all the reply's guys! I'm going to have to do some more research... Good thing for this site! I know my father is a buy USA sort of guy, and that is why he loved the old Mac's, I'll have to be careful with what I purchase for him... I know the Husky's are made over the pond, is Stihl made over here? or Dolmar? Thanks again, I'll have to do some more research, maybe even see if there are some good youtube videos of these mentioned saws in action... I guess anything has to be better them his old PM... But I'll tell ya what, that thing was a f'ing beast back in the day... Still sort of scares me to hear it idle... Gotta love it though! Thanks again!

Max

 

[M.R.]

If all his saws and getting tired, from the pictures it's looking like a two saw plan, one for each of you.

A extra ripping chain for the larger saw will also save time & backs.

Spend a little time using the search button above.

 

[maxfior]

nothing less than a stihl 660 or Husky 395

I've checked the prices of the 660 and I'm sure I could get together some more coin... ($1000 + or -) I don't mind, he's been a good father to me!

Max

 

[maxfior]

Ps that is an awsome idea using the engine hoist to lift the log for the splitter.

It takes a little bit more time to lift it, but now he has air assist, so he just hooks up his air compressor to the ram and up it goes... Pretty smart for an old hill billy I'd have to say!

Max

 

[maxfior]

Engine hoist. I never thought of that. You can use a saw to quarter big wheels but it wastes a lot of wood, makes a whole lot of shavings and contaminates the work area with bar oil. An 8 pound maul and a couple of good steel wedges work better and faster in clear wood. Cool pics.!

Thanks for that info, I'll have to pass it along... I was lucky enough (aka, unlucky) to receive my dads old maul, even beefed up it still looks wild and is sort of bent... Oh well... I need to out fit my set up better now that I think about it. I too run a wood stove that heats part of my home (good thing for the Magic Heat) and with the ever rising cost of LP and Electricity I need to re-think my attack plan on getting wood... Maybe I'll have to get a bigger saw too, my little Husky and Homelite aren't really good for the bigger junk and it seems dangerous to me when I have to cut through 1/2 the log then move over to the other side...

Max

 

[spankrz]

Thank you VERY much for all the reply's guys! I'm going to have to do some more research... Good thing for this site! I know my father is a buy USA sort of guy, and that is why he loved the old Mac's, I'll have to be careful with what I purchase for him... I know the Husky's are made over the pond, is Stihl made over here? or Dolmar? Thanks again, I'll have to do some more research, maybe even see if there are some good youtube videos of these mentioned saws in action... I guess anything has to be better them his old PM... But I'll tell ya what, that thing was a f'ing beast back in the day... Still sort of scares me to hear it idle... Gotta love it though! Thanks again!

Max

i dont know about the rest of the brands, but
stihl saws are made in virginia beach except for the pro saws, the ones with a "magnum" sticker, are made in germany because there is more magnesium in germany.

i think a 441 would be a good saw because of the anti-vibe. if he needs more power, go with a 650 or 660. all of them will be more comfortable to run and lighter than that old mac :]

 

[maxfior]

i dont know about the rest of the brands, but
stihl saws are made in virginia beach except for the pro saws, the ones with a "magnum" sticker, are made in germany because there is more magnesium in germany.

i think a 441 would be a good saw because of the anti-vibe. if he needs more power, go with a 650 or 660. all of them will be more comfortable to run and lighter than that old mac :]

Good to know, thank you.

Max