How many stump with a 120cc saw?

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My biggest saw is a 395. I mostly run a 28" bar on it (love that combo). I have a 36" and 42" for it too. it's a dog with the 42" though. I think a 3120 wouldn't get used enough to justify its purchase (for me).
 
I bought a 3120 as a spare head for my alpine magnum, I got a great deal on it used. Now that I have it I would never go without it. We have basically put the 660 away. We go straight from the 460 to the 3120. I love the manual oiler and having the ability to pull a big bar, though mostly the 36" stays on it. Sometimes I take that thing out even for small (30") stumps, it plows right through it no wedges needed. Also we use it for bucking anything over about 30". We usually have to cut pieces up small to get them out of backyards or fences. I can't even count the hours that saw has saved us since we got it.

I haven't used it in the tree yet.... and probably never will. A 460 or max a 660 is just fine for me up there. On the ground the extra weight of the saw is totally offset by the amount of time you save in the cut. I would rather buck a big log with the 3120 than a smaller saw any day of the week.

Another thing is that I process all my wood for firewood, including big stumps. That saw is great for ripping big cookies and stumps in half.

....and it probably won't impress all the ladies.... but it might impress a few.


This seems to follow my thinking as well. I rip a lot of rounds and the bigger the powerhead the better, same with blowing through those big stumps like you said. Any amount of time saved at the end of the job is money in your pocket.
 
My biggest saw is a 395. I mostly run a 28" bar on it (love that combo). I have a 36" and 42" for it too. it's a dog with the 42" though. I think a 3120 wouldn't get used enough to justify its purchase (for me).

What if you slapped a 42" on it though MDS, then it would be the 395 without the dog aftertaste, no?
 
Heck, I would port a 90cc saw but I like the thought of the manual oiler. We usually pour some bar oil directly onto the bar in those big cuts, would be nice to have the manual switch.
 
when i run into some old growth i run my 880 with a 47" bar all day long, get kinda hard on the back and forearms but i feel like i get more accomplished at the end of the day. plus you cant feel like anymore of a man wielding that hoss around all day. power junky or ego trip, i havent figured it out yet
 
What if you slapped a 42" on it though MDS, then it would be the 395 without the dog aftertaste, no?

Probably would be pretty sweet. Unfortunately, there hasn't really been the need for anything that big around here lately. I would need a nice big $4500 tree (after a good year) to maybe get me thinking about a big dog. Almost bought one last year, but decided it would sit too much.
 
Probably would be pretty sweet. Unfortunately, there hasn't really been the need for anything that big around here lately. I would need a nice big $4500 tree (after a good year) to maybe get me thinking about a big dog. Almost bought one last year, but decided it would sit too much.

My bro has the 3120 with the 5' bar and it sits for weeks at a time, but when it's needed it is great. I just think I could get one and utilize it much more with a shorter bar, a 36" even.
 
My bro has the 3120 with the 5' bar and it sits for weeks at a time, but when it's needed it is great. I just think I could get one and utilize it much more with a shorter bar, a 36" even.

that's how I roll. I like to run all my ground saws at the shorter end of their recommended bar length. If I am climbing with it I do just the opposite, I run them at the upper end of the spectrum. One of my groundies loves running the 66 with a 25inch. That thing slices through wood with a quickness.

If you are cutting things up small and have lots of cuts to make it is always nice to have a bigger saw. Not to mention when that ridiculous hundred inch stump comes around every now and a again you don't have to sweat it.

I would never keep a saw sitting in the shop with a five foot bar on it.... I would keep the five foot bar sitting in the shop.
 
I think its easier to just dump oil on the bar then keep pushing the oiler

Man, it sounds like you love doing things the hard way. Unless you have to carry that badboy through the woods all day, then I get what you are saying. For me the saw is in my truck until it gets within fifty feet of the tree I'm cutting.... so I will take the manual oiler and extra 30cc
 
Man, it sounds like you love doing things the hard way. Unless you have to carry that badboy through the woods all day, then I get what you are saying. For me the saw is in my truck until it gets within fifty feet of the tree I'm cutting.... so I will take the manual oiler and extra 30cc

The thing is with the crap gas now that the 3120 sits for a year at a time and that screws with the carb .I rarely use it .We do get big stumps but not every day.
 
Another good excuse to bust that badboy out of the garage! ...Or you could just run it dry everytime you use it.

That thing is a gas hog though.... that freaking tank takes like a half gallon.
 
Another good excuse to bust that badboy out of the garage! ...Or you could just run it dry everytime you use it.

That thing is a gas hog though.... that freaking tank takes like a half gallon.

If you used it every day the price of all the gas would add up pretty good considering i am running Stihl HP Ultra oil too.
 
You all must have mostly small trees in your area:msp_smile:. I keep a 4' bar on my 090 av (150 cc I believe) and have a 5 and 6' for it as well. I use it all the time with the 4' bar on a weekly basis for bucking and stumping. It stumps better than the 880 (40" bar) as it has much more torque. My 660 (36" bar) like Timber said is a toy compared to these. I was lucky enough to just get in Fri. some upper AV mounts (090) I ordered and as they break periodically I ordered half a dozen of em. I bought the saw in 79. Who says Stihl makes all saw parts obsolete eventually? Hard to believe many of you run treeco's with such small saws. I could hang a 395 on the key ring to my pickup lol.
 
Well they are between 2 and 3 feet on average at the very base so a 20 inch bar works most the time or a 28 when needed.It sure is easy to sharpen a 20 inch chain by hand and fast too.So what do you do when you keep hitting dirt in a stump resharpen the big gun every 5 minutes?I can sharpen a 20 inch chain in maybe 5 minutes or less depending on how hard its rocked.
 
You all must have mostly small trees in your area:msp_smile:. I keep a 4' bar on my 090 av (150 cc I believe) and have a 5 and 6' for it as well. I use it all the time with the 4' bar on a weekly basis for bucking and stumping. It stumps better than the 880 (40" bar) as it has much more torque. My 660 (36" bar) like Timber said is a toy compared to these. I was lucky enough to just get in Fri. some upper AV mounts (090) I ordered and as they break periodically I ordered half a dozen of em. I bought the saw in 79. Who says Stihl makes all saw parts obsolete eventually? Hard to believe many of you run treeco's with such small saws. I could hang a 395 on the key ring to my pickup lol.


Yeah... unfortunately most trees I deal with are small, 30" or less. I definitely do the biggest trees in the area but I probably only do one a week that has a stump over 50". Usually a cottonwood, siberian elm, or maybe a silver maple. We don't have to many giants here in CO. luckily people here still plant cottonwoods.... I don't get it. I would love to get my hands on an 090 someday though... not that I need it.... I just want it
 
Well they are between 2 and 3 feet on average at the very base so a 20 inch bar works most the time or a 28 when needed.It sure is easy to sharpen a 20 inch chain by hand and fast too.So what do you do when you keep hitting dirt in a stump resharpen the big gun every 5 minutes?I can sharpen a 20 inch chain in maybe 5 minutes or less depending on how hard its rocked.

I don't cut stumps low enough to hit the dirt. We are almost always grinding the stump anyways so I let the grinder do the extra work. And with this guy even the dumbest groundie can put a sick edge on a chain in no time. Bailey's - Pferd CS-X Chain Sharp Filing Guide - 7/32"
 
Well they are between 2 and 3 feet on average at the very base so a 20 inch bar works most the time or a 28 when needed.It sure is easy to sharpen a 20 inch chain by hand and fast too.So what do you do when you keep hitting dirt in a stump resharpen the big gun every 5 minutes?I can sharpen a 20 inch chain in maybe 5 minutes or less depending on how hard its rocked.

wasn't just referring to you lone wolf. Anyway....if you are very fussy about cleaning around the stump for dirt and rocks and stuff at grade prior to making the stump cut (I sometimes rake or blow) and then make a very accurate cut with a very sharp and straight cutting saw....no chain damage should occur. If you don't do that stuff you waste mass time and who cares how fast you can sharpen a chain by hand.

Occassionally I have to sharpen my big saws and I have a Stihl chainsaw grinder for decades. This is a pro/experienced forum here...you gotta do stuff right and have the right tools.
 
wasn't just referring to you lone wolf. Anyway....if you are very fussy about cleaning around the stump for dirt and rocks and stuff at grade prior to making the stump cut (I sometimes rake or blow) and then make a very accurate cut with a very sharp and straight cutting saw....no chain damage should occur. If you don't do that stuff you waste mass time and who cares how fast you can sharpen a chain by hand.

Occassionally I have to sharpen my big saws and I have a Stihl chainsaw grinder for decades. This is a pro/experienced forum here...you gotta do stuff right and have the right tools.

We seem to find dirt in the middle of stumps that are bad a lot around here.Are you cutting near towns or in the woods?We find a lot of metal and concrete too inside.
 
We seem to find dirt in the middle of stumps that are bad a lot around here.Are you cutting near towns or in the woods?We find a lot of metal and concrete too inside.

doesn't seem likely you would find dirt in the middle of stumps, not likely the boss would buy that one either lol.

usually you can see signs if there is concrete or metal in a stump, you just gotta look for em.

beyond that if you hit something you need to have the smarts to get off the saw immediately to minimize damage.
 

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