361 Vs 026 power wise

[nitro]

great two saw plan . theyre both EXCELLENT saws . i have an older 036 pro and just rebuilt it after 11 years of abuse . the 361 looks and feels great and i would grab one in a heartbeat but my wife would cut my ding ding off for spending the money (need the secret CAD account).. just go get the sucker and every tank refill youll feel it come to live

just dont fall in love with it ....its only a saw ,but a sexy saw it is

 

[SawTroll]

I have both. One thing I have noticed is that the 361's antivibe is much better. After running the 026 for a couple of hours, the vibration fatigues you, but the thing is so small and light it's not a big deal. The 361 is a couple pounds heavier and physically larger, but is but cuts smooth as silk, so the fatigue comes from slinging a couple extra pounds of weight. I've used both on all day trail cutting stints and didn't feel one wore me out worse than the other. ....

Sounds like you need a 346xp, even smoother than the 361.......

 

[SawTroll]

The only problem with a bigger saw than the 361 will be the weight. It sounds like he doesn't like the 038 Mag for that very reason, and that's a 72cc saw. Since you already have a 72cc saw, run your longer B/C on that when you need it, get the 361 and put a 16" or 18" B/C on it. Heck, put what ever your 026 has on it and keep your chains comon to reduce your overhead costs a little. I really like the 18" bar on my 036, but if/when I ever get a bigger saw (CAD), I'll probably back it down to an 16" bar. I like to start cutting with the saw on top of the tree, and cutting on the back side, and then pull the saw over to me, so a 16" B/C will cut almost any firewood I run across all day long. When it's all said and done, you'll probably have no need for either your 026 or your 028.

Just my 2 bits,
Mark

Very good post!

 

[whitedogone]

put all the saws,026,028,038,and the homelite on ebay, collect all the money, go and buy yourself a new ms260 and ms361 with all the money you just made from your used saws!!!!

great idea!!

 

[davefr]

great idea!!

Except that he still couldn't do his 24" hardwood stumping very well. 361 might cure cancer but I wouldn't want anything less then 70cc for slicing off these large stumps.

 

[woodyman]

Why would he want a heavily leaned on 359? Outcut a 372 for how long til it seizes or needs a rebuild?Why mess with voiding the warranty on a new saw,just get a 372xp and be done with it.Run it stock or muffler modded,and enjoy the reliability of it.My dad has an old 041AV,and my husky 460 outcuts it,not by much ,but it does,and its quite a bit lighter too. Id say you d be happy with the 357xp,or 372.I havent used any new Stihls,but id buy one of those too,in second if the price was right.

It appears your knowledge of saws is limited especially modifed ones.Why would a Husky 359 that had a pro woods port job done on it not last as long or seize up if properly maintained?I would think it would last longer.

 

[Stihl here]

Are most of you running a 3/8 18 on your 361?
20 would be a little unbalanced I'd think and too long for most of my cutting...
What yal think?

I like the 18'' bar IMO...

 

[kielbasa]

I have used my 026 for the past 10 years, so I'm quite used to it, my neighbor picked up a couple of new 361's last year, first thing I immediately noticed was how much SMOOTHER (vibration wise) and quick revving the 361 was compared to my 026 pro....power was substantially more, but honestly I expected a bigger difference....but after using the 361, I've told myself SEVERAL times that if I would need ONE saw (for MY needs, seems we have similar needs), it would be the 361. I usually cut between 2~5 cords a year, this past year I've cut close to 25 cords though.

 

[Country1]

Well guys, I did it! New 361 sitt'n in the garage right now! I bought it yesterday.

On my way to work I stopped by the "big city dealer" and he had 3 of them on the shelf. All lined up with, a 16, 18 and 20. So I got to compare each. The 18 was just right. His deal was 361 with 18" bar, 2nd loop of chain and a case for $600 plus tax. I was very tempted to go for it, but I have a smaller more local deal I use and wanted to buy from him if possible. I didn't tell big city that. Just told him I'd think on it. I had already told him I was "just looking" in the beginning.

I went on to work (office job now) with the plan to stop by my dealer on the way home that evening. Well, I couldn't stop thinking about how great the 361 felt in my hands. How light and well balanced it was and how I'd love to sink that 18" bar into some hardwood. Of course I couldn't stop reading all the posts on this site about the saw. I wasn't getting any work done anyway, so I left and headed straight to my dealer. Well, long story short, he's a much smaller dealer and as I expected, couldn't give me quite as good of a deal, but it was close. As long as he was going to "give" me something (and I knew he would) I was going to buy from him. His offer was 361, 20" bar (that's what he thought I wanted), 2nd loop of chain and a 6 pack of oil for $600 plus tax. I said done, but I want one from the back, 18" E standard bar and put on a 8 pin rim, but I want to keep the 7. He was fine with that. So I ended up getting a 361, 18" bar 3/8, 3 loops of RSC3 chain, 6 pack of oil, 8 pin sprocket, 2 files and handle, extra fuel/oil cap and a case. The bill after tax was $675. I was happy.

I then went straight home, fired up the mini excavator and dug out a few white and red oaks to try the saw out. At 1st, I have to say, I was a little disappointed. The 8 pin rim spun the chain very fast and it cut very quickly as long as I used light pressure (this is 12" oak I cutting). Maybe after it's broke in it will develop more power, but I was lacking too much torque. So I walked back to the house, changed back to the stock 7 pin. This made a big difference in torque I could almost pull as hard as I wanted and it just kept eating. The speed was great too. A little slower, but still much faster than what I was used to with my 026 or 028. I'll try the 8 pin again once I have a few hours on the saw or after I do the muffler mod.

So thanks to everyone here that helped me decide on this great saw. I will have many great years cutting with my trusty MS 361! It truly is an awesome saw. Wish I was home buzzing though some oak right now!:greenchainsaw:

 

[polexie]

Congratulations!!

Now some pics of a 361 getting some oak!

Lex

 

[2000ssm6]

Congrats on the 361 but why not get the "ES" bar?

 

[Country1]

No ES bar because I'm trying to keep it as light as possible.

 

[RedShift42]

No ES bar because I'm trying to keep it as light as possible.

Yeah remember, he's got an office job!

 

[Country1]

Yeah remember, he's got an office job!

Hey now... I've spent most of my working life out in the field. Out of high school I was hired as an heavy equipment operator running what every was needed (mainly the loader). After a couple years I was board and got on with the Power company as a grunt. I worked my way up and was sent to school to become an overhead/underground Lineman. I thought that would be my career for life but after 10 years of service I was layed off when they closed my district shop. That was almost a year ago. I was talked into working for the family business, financial planning. So here I am, after a year, still out of my element sitting in front of this computer, wishing I was still outside. At least I have my weekends guaranteed to be free to work out on my property.

Sorry for all that. I'm just a little sensitive about having an office job. I ain't no normal office guy brother. I promise I'll out work 75% of ya. Maybe not on tree work, but in general...