Good Stihl limbing saw???

[ZeroLife]

I have 441 as my primary saw right now. I'm looking for a lighter saw for smaller diameter work, or looking at picking up a 660 mag or 880 mag for the heavy stuff and using the 441 as a limbing saw/all purpose saw. I don't make my living with a saw, so I don't run all day long usually. How are you set up???

 

[imagineero]

Assuming you want to stay stihl, avoid the 036/360/361/362. A good saw, but too close in weight to be worth it if you've got a 441 (CM?). I'd say go for an older 026/026pro. They can be had for peanuts, and they're a lot lighter than the modern 261 but still have loads of power. With a .325 chain setup or even 1/4" this saw will impress the hell out of you and you may find yourself reaching for it more than the 441.

If you must buy new then get a 241cm. If your 441 isn't mtronic, then sell it and get the mtronic. You can forget about the 660 that way. I've got about a dozen stihls, and run a full time tree business. A few 200t's, 026's, 036, few 044's, 441mtronic and a snellerised 660. The 044 was my alltime favorite saw until I touched the 441 cm. I'm running 28" ES lite and full comp 3/8" 063 chain on it. It still woops ass. I still love picking up those 026's though. They are a great saw for sure, and very little money. I grab them first up if I've got a lot of felling to do and it's all under 10". We get yard clearance jobs like that sometimes.

Shaun

 

[northwoods18]

for a limbing saw its hard to beat the 026 (if it HAS to be a stihl)...if ya want to try a GREAT limbing saw look no further than the husky 346xp:msp_biggrin:

 

[Stihlman441]

As Shaun said
If you need a smaller saw then a 241C or 261.:msp_biggrin:

 

[dancan]

The 361 with a 16'' is my favourite saw limbing saw for the work and cutting conditions that I have to deal with but that may change as time goes by , how and what you're limbing should be the factors in what you decide , if you're cutting in a production environment the felling saw is usually your limbing saw , if you have all kinds of time , try to borrow a couple to play with .

 

[lone wolf]

View attachment 243027

 

[SawTroll]

As Shaun said
If you need a smaller saw then a 241C or 261.:msp_biggrin:

Not really - actually, Zero Stihls are really suited for limbing - while the 346xp is perfect! :msp_biggrin:

 

[dancan]

That 440 sure looks like a nice limbing saws . Them other little saws for the shrubs ?

 

[SawTroll]

The 361 with a 16'' is my favourite saw limbing saw for the work and cutting conditions that I have to deal with but that may change as time goes by , how and what you're limbing should be the factors in what you decide , if you're cutting in a production environment the felling saw is usually your limbing saw , if you have all kinds of time , try to borrow a couple to play with .

Not really well suited because of the inboard clutch, but still the best suited Stihl! :msp_smile:

 

[D&B Mack]

261 if you want to spend the money, otherwise, a 250 is a nice saw on a budget and works well for limbing.

 

[greendohn]

Fire wood cuttin'/home owner HACK!

If you lookin' for a smaller limbing/brush saw, you might want to try a 40cc saw with 16" bar, or shorter.

Winter of 2010 I "graduated" to a 70cc+ saw which is quite a bit bigger than I had been using(I love it). With the increased weight of the saw I found myself grabbing my little 30cc brush saw much more than I used to.
The 30cc had become too small!:msp_scared:,,,,so I found myself in the market for something more. Now this aint "CAD" I'm talking about, honest injun', I really needed a bigger brush/limbing saw,,,and I really needed the 70cc saw as well!! It makes little ones outta big ones much more better than what I had been running.
Any who, I tried a buddy's little "disposable" saw,(the colors remind me of The Grateful Dead) in the 40cc range sporting a 16" bar and decided that it felt about rite.
I came home from the stealership with a 40cc powerhead and put a 12" b/c on it. Works perfect for me, for what I do.
My buddy thinks it looks kinda' funny with the 12" bar,,,"everybody's funny, he's funny too".

 

[MtnHermit]

Not really well suited because of the inboard clutch, but still the best suited Stihl!

I'll bite, why would the clutch position matter? Does it move the connecting rod further away and affect the balance, just a guess?

 

[SawTroll]

I'll bite, why would the clutch position matter? Does it move the connecting rod further away and affect the balance, just a guess?

Sort of, the inboard clutch puts the bar further away (to the side) from the mass centre of the saw, disturbing the handling and precition during fast repeated cuts at different angles.
Sideways balance is more important than many want to believe, and specially for limbing! :msp_wink:

In addition, many Stihl saws has slower trigger responce, which also is very important when limbing.

 

[tallguys]

Not really - actually, Zero Stihls are really suited for limbing - while the 346xp is perfect! :msp_biggrin:

otstir: Too funny... you just can't hold back, eh?

 

[SawTroll]

otstir: Too funny... you just can't hold back, eh?

I'm just telling the truth, no more and no less! :msp_sneaky:

 

[Roll Tide]

I love it.

 

[timmcat]

I'll take the ease of use that comes with an inboard clutch any day over dealing with the foolish outboard clutch and CB assemblies. Simply put, the time saved when swapping chains or rims easily makes up for any gains in productivity by the small difference in angular momentum that the narrower outboard clutch setup provides.

 

[MtnHermit]

I'll take the ease of use that comes with an inboard clutch any day over dealing with the foolish outboard clutch and CB assemblies. Simply put, the time saved when swapping chains or rims easily makes up for any gains in productivity by the small difference in angular momentum that the narrower outboard clutch setup provides.

I've never owned an inboard clutch saw, but everything you say makes sense. No perfect world.

 

[SawTroll]

I'll take the ease of use that comes with an inboard clutch any day over dealing with the foolish outboard clutch and CB assemblies. Simply put, the time saved when swapping chains or rims easily makes up for any gains in productivity by the small difference in angular momentum that the narrower outboard clutch setup provides.

No, that is mostly a question of habits, with a dash of mythology....:rolleyes2:

 

[John C]

I cut for a living and have run many saws...if you are on a budget, grab an 024/026. If you are buying new, personally i like the 261s w/a 16" or 18"...346xp is also a great choice. I dont like the outboard clutch either though. 346 is a little cheaper, at least in my area. Right around $500. Think the 261 is $550ish...dont quote me on that though.