Bigger saw needed for bigger jobs?

[ratso]

ms 290

Well my experience was the opposite of your friends.I took down 4 hazardous trees on a golf course the smallest was 40"pine.I had picked up 2 labor guys and they had a 290 and farm boss.Well the limbs got cut but that was it for 290's.

That saw is heavy and underpowerd to me.My 024 avs will run circles around the 290 and is 3 pounds lighter.

 

[Tim Carroll]

To the OP, I think that the 290 will be just fine for what your current needs are. Yes a bigger pro saw would be nice but you can wait till your needs change to the point you need it, you can afford another saw or you wear that 290 out wich will take longer than you think if you treat it right.(basic maintenance, decent gas/oil mix, sharp chain, clean filters) Happy cutting.

 

[roostersgt]

Well my experience was the opposite of your friends.I took down 4 hazardous trees on a golf course the smallest was 40"pine.I had picked up 2 labor guys and they had a 290 and farm boss.Well the limbs got cut but that was it for 290's.

That saw is heavy and underpowerd to me.My 024 avs will run circles around the 290 and is 3 pounds lighter.

You must be doing something terribly wrong then. I have several and have never had a problem cutting far more than you've mentioned. You killed saws on only 4 lousy trees? Really??? What went wrong with them? Bad mix? Bad carb setting?

 

[blsnelling]

No one said it is the preferred saw, just that it is capable. It certainly is.

 

[zogger]

Small pines? That should be more than adequate one might think. As mentioned in another thread, they now have drop in cheap replacement engines for those saws as well. Keep it well tuned, fresh mix, sharpen the chains for softwood. People use them around here for hardwoods of that size or larger and they seem to work. I don't have one, but stihl sells a zillion of them things, that should say something right there. Basic general purpose saw, and you already own it. Keep it cleaned out all the time, especially with sappy woods like that. air compressor it out a lot, get the gunk out of it, and don't run dull chains, puts a load on the saw makes them run too hot, and you don't get anything much cut anyway.

 

[ft. churchill]

I'm a husky hand, and my main saw is a 350. Yes it's a plastic saw also. For all the badmouthing that saw takes, it's a cutting fool. Cut about four cords of 15" to 20" hard pinyon pine with it this year, I have upgraded it this winter to a muffler mod, removed the limiters on the carb for proper tuning, removed the casting lumps in the transfer covers, and a sharp full chisel chain. I purchased the saw with a 353 top end already on it. You'll do fine with that 290. It'll respond well to the similar mods as mine did.
Dont worry You'll catch a bad case of cad too, (am I already seeing the onset of symptoms?), and you will "need" bigger saws, for like in case you come up against bigger trees, or a friend might need a maple cut down. The reasons bigger saws will find a way to come home in the bed of your pickup are endless.

 

[ratso]

killed 290

You must be doing something terribly wrong then. I have several and have never had a problem cutting far more than you've mentioned. You killed saws on only 4 lousy trees? Really??? What went wrong with them? Bad mix? Bad carb setting?

I never said the saws were killed just not up to bucking the 40"pine pine fast.

 

[Buzzkill]

If you are thinking about another saw, for what you do, I'd say go smaller. Snag a 211 16" b/c or something of the same grade for limbing, heck at 15" average dbh felling to. after 5-6 hours limbing with a 290, sometimes i feel chubby.

 

[homelitejim]

Your ms290 should last forever with what you are cutting unless you fall a tree on it or run it over. My 1979 032 has cut countless loads of wood for the last 30 years and still runs like it is new, only thing is I got cad a few years ago and have amassed quite a collection so it does not see the action it used to. Now my go to saw is a ms 260 Pro which I picked up late last year and it has already cut 20 cord of wood and it is only April, I use it in wood under 15 inches any bigger wood and a larger saw gets used. If anything pick up a larger saw for times when that big tree presents itself and don't over work your 290.

 

[roostersgt]

I never said the saws were killed just not up to bucking the 40"pine pine fast.

My bad. Misread what you were trying to convey. I wouldn't think they'd do well in 40" + wood either, soft or hardwood. That would require a much bigger saw IMHO. I believe the OP stated he mostly cut 14" wood.

 

[Steve NW WI]

I ran a 290 for years (before I found this site and got CAD) - it'll do what you want it to do and more for many years with the proper care others have mentioned. I only replaced a couple fuel lines (dang ethanol gas) in the time I ran it. Little bro has it now for trail clearing and work on his wooded 2 acre lot. Still runs like a top. It's probably got 150 cords of firewood under it's handles.

In your conditions, the biggest advantage to a bigger/higher dollar saw will be in a better antivibration system. If you have any arthritis or other hand problems, by all means ditch the 290 and get something with spring antivibe. There's a world of difference between that and the mini hockey pucks the 290 uses. I've got a bad hand from an old work accident, and running the new ones is a downright pleasure.

Otherwise, keep running the 290, and the day it dies, I guarantee it won't owe you a thing.