2 saw plan for hardwood property

[dirtysock]

May want to rethink your sequence unless you have other uses for the E0. Many good mixes have fuel stabilizers.

Ron

Yes I was thinking that too. I do have trimmers, blowers, etc.

 

[GrizG]

I have an MS261 with an 18" B&C. I also have an MS461 that I run with a 25" B&C. The balance is good on both saws with standard Stihl bars.
I have a 36" for the 461 but have never used it for felling or bucking--the 36" has only been used for milling.
I use the 261 for felling and bucking cuts up to about 12-14" and use the 461 for bigger stuff for better speed. Most of what I cut is hardwoods of 24" or less. However, I've felled ash and mulberry trees up to about 38-40" dbh with the 461 and the 25" bar... For those occasional large trees it's just fine and I've had no compulsion to use the 36" bar.
I follow Game of Logging protocols, i.e., 70° open face notch, plunge cut to set the hinge and leave a trigger, wedge, cut the trigger, pound the wedges as needed.
Both saws run .050 gauge with .325" on the 261 and 3/8" on the 461. I hand file.

 

[SAWMIKAZE]

Sounds good. Any opinion on 3/8", .050 vs .063 chain?

Whatever your dealer stocks.

261/462 is about as good of a 2 saw plan as you're gonna get.

 

[mbrick]

The Echo Powerblend I’ve used for years already has a fuel stabilizer in it. Red Armor has a fuel stabilizer in it as well.

I think the Husky XP oil and Stihl oil does as well?
Most important is ethanol free. Lasts many months. I wouldn't really look to add stabilizer if you are already using ethanol free. I've seen very low evaporation rates and no residue left behind. But it certainly will not hurt, the saws will still burn it.

261/462 seem like a great pair. I would recommended shorter on the 50cc saw. 16" is great on my 550xp. Anything within that bar length and it screams through. Lighter weight, less teeth to sharpen.

Or consider a 261 only with a slightly longer bar and see if that gets you by? The 462 is a beast... may not need that much power?

A sharp chain is very important. I have been very happy hand sharpening with the Pferd/Stihl 2 in 1 style. Others may want to truly freehand sharpen and have other thoughts but this works well and removes a lot of margin for error (for me at least).

 

[501Maico]

Thanks, good to hear. Some of the live oak that has been on the ground almost seems petrified. Tough stuff. The chain that stihl lists for the 25 bar is the RS3 (safety). They don't list a rapid. Wondering if that RS3 will cut good.

The Stihl site lists the safety chain for the MS462 but mine came with a yellow ( non-safety) bar and a yellow full chisel chain which was a pleasant surprise. I found the saw front heavy but a 25" lite bar took care of that.

 

[StihlPotlicker]

Appreciate the advice. A couple of questions that may open up a can of worms: I plan to start with the motomix which is 50:1, extends the warranty. After that I plan to mix my own fuel. I always added stabil 360 to everything, but I plan to find ethanol free fuel at 89 or above octane and use something like red armor that is available to me.

Is it a good idea to still add stabilizer to fuel mix?
I've read that a slightly richer mix is advised. Should I stick with 50:1 or go closer to 40:1?

i put a bit of startron in my E free mix. i mix mine 32:1 for ported saws and 40:1 on non ported saws. i use Schaeffer's erl.
i have both saws, and i like them both, i run 3/8 .05 on both saws. 261 has a 18" and 462 run a 25" light bar. ran a 25" once on my 260 for the heck of it noodling and it was ok, wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Brushwacker]

I find it very advantageous having a beater saw in the plan. Smallish like a ms250 or smaller, short bar like 16inch or smaller, 3/8 picco. Any time the wood is likely to cause dulling to the chain like cutting close to the ground, sometimes you need to cut something it obviously picked up dirt 1 way or another and u can't get it nice and dirt free,etc.. When u cut that crap you don't have to be wrecking a $75 to $100 chain and bar or more costing you more money and it is considerably quicker to put an edge back on or touch up then a saw with well over 30 cutters. That worn looking beater isn't as valuable to thieves and if maintained can cut like a beast. I keep some carbide chains around for mine, but seldom use them. Their not so expensive as the longer bigger ones are and if you are getting paid to cut a fair amount of dirty wood well worth the investment.

 

[jltrent]

Find you a good used MS260 and MS460. Plenty of used parts/new parts and the owner can pretty much maintain. For what you save in the short run and long run buy any bars you want.

 

[Brian72]

I say get the 261 with a 20" bar. Less bending over and it'll probably cut most of what you need it to. I like running .325 50 guage chain on my 50cc saws. It's smoother and less grabbey for limbing. Get yourself a good log peavey/jack too. They make life so much easier. As far as fuel, I run echo red armor in everything and never had any issues.

Sent from my SM-A125U using Tapatalk

 

[Huntaholic]

Theres no way I can possibly address everything posted in this thread, so I will hit the high spots and tell you what works for me.
Chains, 3/8 50ga full chisel. Bars, a 20" bar is about the PERFECT length, regardless of saw size. Any longer than that and you better be really skilled or it will end up in the dirt as much as it does the wood and if you aren't really careful it will end up in MEAT. Im a 3rd gen logger and I cut trees sometimes that are 5 foot across the stump, my LONGEST bar is 28". Generally in average timber I run a 20" bar, the last couple jobs Ive been working though have required a 25" for the stihls, 24" for the husqvarnas, and MAYBE once a week, I need the 28".

 

[Hermio]

Hey all,

Been reading and learning a lot here recently. I have some heavily wooded acreage that I like to thin out when I can and need advice on a 2 saw plan. Mostly cedar elm, live oak, pecan and mesquite. Burned up a ms 250 (my mistake) that I had for 17 years. I plan to fall 6-12" trees, occasionally up to 24". Most of the work would be limbing and bucking heavy stuff. I like the idea so far of ms 261 cm and possibly ms 462 cm. Dealer close by I think handles both stihl and husqvarna. I want to run as short of bars as possible. I am 5'10", 170 lbs. I think the 16" on the 261 would be good, no idea on the 462. I am open to suggestions on other brands. Reliability is key followed by performance. Thanks in advance.

So far I have had some old Remington saw, a small Echo, and Stihl models 038 Super, MS441C and MS500i. By far my favorite is the 500i. It is less fatiguing than the others because it cuts much faster, so I don't haver to hold onto it as long per cut. I have only had it for a year, so I cannot comment on reliability. I use it for firewood, so I just use a 20" bar, though I have a 25" also and it can handle a 36". But for firewood, 20" is plenty.

 

[link]

Ah, a 500i with a 20" bar would be on my wish list if I had a money tree, but I would be happy with the 462 as well, a 400 too.
I wouldn't be without my 241 though. A 261 with a 20" is like eating your food from a tincan.
I've grown potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, salad and I planted a plum tree a couple years ago. How stupid not to get a money tree, I never thought of that

 

[arro222]

You do not need much of a saw for tree felling. Any 50 cc saw dragging an 18" bar/chain would meet all of your needs.
The real power comes in the bucking part. Here you want at least a 60 cc saw with a 16" bar. You can get an extra 20" bar for the 60cc and be done.

 

[CUCV]

I've run lots of different sized saws with various bar lengths over the years. I've found I really like 20" on a 550XP and 372XP especially with trees up to 24" in diameter. I have a 372XP setup with a 24" bar but would likely still use the 372XP with 20" bar because I already have it out. I really like running the different size saws with similar reach. But it's definitely worth having a longer bar on the shelf for the 462 for the day you might need it.

 

[link]

With a 241 and a 14" it does not hurt to bend your back.

 

[jacrider]

Great problem to have.

I have settled into using 2 saws primarily: 261C with a 16" Light 04 bar and the .325 chain. Light and fast cutting. I also have a 362C with both 20 and 25" 3/8 0.050 bars/chains. For bigger stuff, it cuts nicely and isn't that heavy. A 462 is a great saw, but I rarely get trees over 30" on our property, so with 261 and 362 we are all good.

 

[esean]

Great problem to have.

I have settled into using 2 saws primarily: 261C with a 16" Light 04 bar and the .325 chain. Light and fast cutting. I also have a 362C with both 20 and 25" 3/8 0.050 bars/chains. For bigger stuff, it cuts nicely and isn't that heavy. A 462 is a great saw, but I rarely get trees over 30" on our property, so with 261 and 362 we are all good.

Do you find a significant difference between the 261 and 362 in ease of use (handling,weight,etc) vs. power? I have a 362 and its bigger than I need 99% of the time, so have been considering a light 50cc saw. I rarely cut anything over 12" hardwoods.

 

[bulletpruf]

Great problem to have.

I have settled into using 2 saws primarily: 261C with a 16" Light 04 bar and the .325 chain. Light and fast cutting. I also have a 362C with both 20 and 25" 3/8 0.050 bars/chains. For bigger stuff, it cuts nicely and isn't that heavy. A 462 is a great saw, but I rarely get trees over 30" on our property, so with 261 and 362 we are all good.

That's not a bad plan if you're just cutting smaller stuff - 50cc and 60cc - but I like the 50cc and 70cc plan better myself. I just don't think there's that much that a 60cc can do that a 50cc can't do.

For the OP, as already mentioned, your 2 saw plan is a good one. Really can't go wrong with those two. As for bar and chain, before I had an 036 (60cc), I ran a 20" bar with 3/8" .050 on my 026 (50cc), but it's a fresh rebuild with a muffler mod and base gasket delete, so it's a tad stouter than stock. But once I picked up an 036 Pro, it made more sense to run the 20" bar with 3/8 .050 on the 036, and then run a 16" bar with .325 .050 on the 026. My 70cc class saw is an 044 that normally runs a 25" bar, but I also have a 28" bar for it as well; both with 3/8 .050.

 

[mbrick]

I agree 50/60cc doesn't seem to have a lot of advantages unless you maybe want to have two different bar lengths ready.

OP could also consider a 60cc only instead of a 50/70cc? I really like a pro 50cc saw though. It's light and cuts very fast and is capable of doing almost all of the work I need.

 

[bulletpruf]

I agree 50/60cc doesn't seem to have a lot of advantages unless you maybe want to have two different bar lengths ready.

OP could also consider a 60cc only instead of a 50/70cc? I really like a pro 50cc saw though. It's light and cuts very fast and is capable of doing almost all of the work I need.

If he was looking for one saw, a 362 or 400 with two bars would work fine, but isn't a one saw plan sacrilegious here?