Buying a "Senior Saw" :comparison thread- Echo CS361P,Stihl MS241CM, Husqvarna 543XP
- Thread starter kantuckid
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CoreyB
Addicted to ArboristSite
Kinda hard not to. There are not many out anymore are there. The only one I know of is the dolmar 6100 but I have very limited knowledge.
Rockjock
Addicted to ArboristSite
Now that is a easy start!
Chris-PA
Where the Wild Things Are
There are two main sources of emissions on chainsaws, which are primarily unburned fuel going out the exhaust. The first is scavenging losses due to the exhaust port being open while the fresh charge is entering the cylinder, and the second is the poor fuel control of conventional all position carbs. A cat does absolutely nothing to address the cause of these emissions, rather it just burns up some of the wasted fuel in the muffler, turning it into heat not mechanical energy. It's a poor band aid at best, and it also is restrictive and gets very hot (especially if you enrich the mixture).
I do not believe there are any Stihl or Husqvarna (or Poulan) saws that still have cats. Instead they use strato and often feedback carbs on the high volume models, and often they can get away without either on the bigger, lower volume units.
Manufacturers that cannot or will not pay to develop or license the technologies that actually reduce wasted fuel are left with trying to reduce scavenging losses through modified conventional porting, setting the carbs as lean as they can, and stuffing a cat on the exhaust to burn up what still comes out.
kantuckid
ArboristSite Member
As OP here's my buy today:
I had been discussing price & condition specs. for a day or too by email and stayed mostly silent on here to avoid missing out on the saw-plus I was still into the other saw choices available if I missed out. The web "makes deals go away" if you talk too much! Worlds real small.
FWIW, this was an out of state pawnshop deal.
I will not disclose the price,thanks.
I learned the hard way on that one after selling a motorcycle a couple of years ago and the guy had found the original used price from when I bought it at a bargain like 7 years prior. it was a bike I traveled 1,400 miles to buy and spent lots of time finding. I just keep it to myself now days, for most part.
I have a "barely used but used"(no chips or scratches, original chain cutters still sharp as e.g.), Stihl MS 241C w/16" original bar. I picked one up new today and it should do the trick for my aging body. Feels like a feather compared to my old Stihl.
I really appreciate the great comments this thread brought around on saw choices. Not only saved me time, I learned a bunch.
Now, I think I know which chain-63PS3 sound best? I have a bunch of 16" oregon chipper chains from old saw but not the narrow type. I'm wondering is there a special tool to remove the muffler on this saw? The heads that look like a funny sort of Molly nut? Hate to do a Fred Flintstone screwdriver move on them? Any other tricks I need to hear on the 241? Are there mod pics on the web for Muffler & porting? I've never modded a saw but raced SCCA when a kid- I was a vroom vroom guy then!
I had been discussing price & condition specs. for a day or too by email and stayed mostly silent on here to avoid missing out on the saw-plus I was still into the other saw choices available if I missed out. The web "makes deals go away" if you talk too much! Worlds real small.
FWIW, this was an out of state pawnshop deal. I will not disclose the price,thanks.
I learned the hard way on that one after selling a motorcycle a couple of years ago and the guy had found the original used price from when I bought it at a bargain like 7 years prior. it was a bike I traveled 1,400 miles to buy and spent lots of time finding. I just keep it to myself now days, for most part.
I have a "barely used but used"(no chips or scratches, original chain cutters still sharp as e.g.), Stihl MS 241C w/16" original bar. I picked one up new today and it should do the trick for my aging body. Feels like a feather compared to my old Stihl.
I really appreciate the great comments this thread brought around on saw choices. Not only saved me time, I learned a bunch.
Now, I think I know which chain-63PS3 sound best? I have a bunch of 16" oregon chipper chains from old saw but not the narrow type. I'm wondering is there a special tool to remove the muffler on this saw? The heads that look like a funny sort of Molly nut? Hate to do a Fred Flintstone screwdriver move on them? Any other tricks I need to hear on the 241? Are there mod pics on the web for Muffler & porting? I've never modded a saw but raced SCCA when a kid- I was a vroom vroom guy then!
Rockjock
Addicted to ArboristSite
Those are covers over the screws, they pop off and its a T-27 torx screw
kantuckid
ArboristSite Member
I stand corrected. I meant muffler mod not porting, my saws work. I noticed the muffler fastener covers having a sort of ear like aspect and thought maybe they required a funky tool to keep out the public...
Lets see, if I use this 241 as long as I have my 034 (bought in 1990) , hmm, I'll be almost 96 yrs.. May need to go even smaller by then?
Lets see, if I use this 241 as long as I have my 034 (bought in 1990) , hmm, I'll be almost 96 yrs.. May need to go even smaller by then?
Barcroftb
Kickback king, and head chain brake tester
If this is the same 241 you referenced in your first post you may want to edit the price out of the post. If your looking to keep it a secret. Great saw! I'm sure you will like it a lot.
Congrats on your "new" saw. You will find that a simple muffler mod will make a significant difference in the power and throttle response.
Barcroftb
Kickback king, and head chain brake tester
X2 give it some gills like this and it will breath much better. The little bugger will retune itself and be much happier for it.
Why not PS?
You bet. Should have said PS/PS3. Some have said PS may be hard to find
Thank you. I've heard that PS can be scarce. So far it's been readily available here. Guess we're lucky.
kantuckid
ArboristSite Member
If this is the same 241 you referenced in your first post you may want to edit the price out of the post. If your looking to keep it a secret. Great saw! I'm sure you will like it a lot.[/QUOTE
Some days I'm into it some days not as much?I actually like that for an "out there price" so let it fly as non-editable anyway...
Thinking about it, when you keep a saw as long as I do, the price matters not a hell of a lot!
Conversation of old farts: Wife and I were watching the Barn Builder show (I like those guys!) which I DVR and rip through each episode. Our conversation turned to how she thought I should write a small paper on how our home came about(large log home with timber frame addition) given that our adult children were babies during the two year build and given that it's a built from the woods bldg., other than light fixtures, plumbing, so forth and I'm the only one that knows all the tales associated with it. Then she says "and what about all your stuff" meaning the large shop bldg filled with a lifetime of hands on tools and motorcycles in progress and so on, as only me knows their values and so on-like the saw I just bought. I just told her what was left after my 3 boys split it up the "keepit's" , there's always ebay.
I have a newish Stihl biggest blower replete with the toolless gas cap. Am I alone in saying I really dislike them! I've already had one break on the blower after just couple of years! I vote for the crude version as I always have a tool handy when running a saw-maybe not on the blower but they still suck IMO.
What else do the mufflers "get" or lose? For the record I have 35% loss R&L so always wear muffs on my head, plugs on bikes!!!
Keep the "how to improve my MS241 C" posts coming!
Nice saw! Glad to see you went with a pro construction saw mag case instead of a clamshell.kantuckid
ArboristSite Member
FWIW, the Stihl 241 I bought feels very much like the Jonsereds I held in TSC ~ 15 minutes later or so and if you made a mold of the overall general shapes they'd be nearly the same that way too aside from near exact same weight too. That same rounded shape, not the blocky of many others-not that that aspect matters!
As for magnesium, I used to work with tire building machines that had huge magnesium parts. it was an "interesting " metal to play with, as in drilling,tapping, general repairs,etc.. Goodyear earthmover tires they were.
The dealers in Winchester,KY I went in before the Rural King is an old time Stihl dealer and a guy/owner is in his 70's(like me) and he dissed the 241 as not a saw he'd ever sell unless an order. Also he was a hardcore hater on any saw sporting narrow chains. He was old school as though everyone should either have a bad ass huge logger saw or a small cheap DIY. I told him I "play with" some very large trees but not for a living or everyday either.
>FWIW, I was "shopping for" a poplar last week, to cut after doc released me(yesterday!) from hip replacement and the larger of two I'm zero'ed in on is guesstimate of bit over 30'' diameter while other is a twin with one side dying and 2x24" or so. Nice tree's good job mother nature!<
Might be one difference in he and I- I still go to the woods, while he smokes his cigs and worries all day over his business matters- from direct observation. Given the saw dealers that hang here it's an interesting fact that Stihl crapped on his saw business as his hardware, rental and Stihl store are ~ 2-300yds apart from Rural King in an old K-mart bldg.!
Rural King must have some clout huh? Rural King is the kind of store your wife won't like much as not very girly.
keep the 241 ideas coming now! Thanks.
As for magnesium, I used to work with tire building machines that had huge magnesium parts. it was an "interesting " metal to play with, as in drilling,tapping, general repairs,etc.. Goodyear earthmover tires they were.
The dealers in Winchester,KY I went in before the Rural King is an old time Stihl dealer and a guy/owner is in his 70's(like me) and he dissed the 241 as not a saw he'd ever sell unless an order. Also he was a hardcore hater on any saw sporting narrow chains. He was old school as though everyone should either have a bad ass huge logger saw or a small cheap DIY. I told him I "play with" some very large trees but not for a living or everyday either.
>FWIW, I was "shopping for" a poplar last week, to cut after doc released me(yesterday!) from hip replacement and the larger of two I'm zero'ed in on is guesstimate of bit over 30'' diameter while other is a twin with one side dying and 2x24" or so. Nice tree's good job mother nature!<
Might be one difference in he and I- I still go to the woods, while he smokes his cigs and worries all day over his business matters- from direct observation. Given the saw dealers that hang here it's an interesting fact that Stihl crapped on his saw business as his hardware, rental and Stihl store are ~ 2-300yds apart from Rural King in an old K-mart bldg.!
Rural King must have some clout huh? Rural King is the kind of store your wife won't like much as not very girly.
keep the 241 ideas coming now! Thanks.
Philip Wheelock
Finis Origine Pendet
Keep the saw stock and follow the manual at least until the warranty runs out. You never know...
kantuckid
ArboristSite Member
I doubt I have a warranty on a pawnshop saw that's been run a bit? No way to know the original sale date for one thing.
I bought a Stihl BR600 blower couple years back on ebay that the guy died before he used it and family sold it with next to zero hours. It has the dealers sticker on it but I've never had an issue to ask if they'll cover it. It's a 4-Mix engine so I use full-syn oil to keep the carbon down.
Carlton chain-I've never used it before. How does Carlton N1C-BL-055G compare to Oregon 91VXL055G ? Is it a Ford/Chevy thing?
I bought a Stihl BR600 blower couple years back on ebay that the guy died before he used it and family sold it with next to zero hours. It has the dealers sticker on it but I've never had an issue to ask if they'll cover it. It's a 4-Mix engine so I use full-syn oil to keep the carbon down.
Carlton chain-I've never used it before. How does Carlton N1C-BL-055G compare to Oregon 91VXL055G ? Is it a Ford/Chevy thing?
