firewood saws

[zogger]

I wonder what the new Poulan 50cc saw would be like ported?

I don't know, but consider what the big name 50cc class saws cost, you would come in near the same in cost starting with the poulan and paying one of the builders fees.

Say, just for grins

stock 50 cc something big name, a flashy import job-500 clams

stock 50cc poulan + hotrodded-500 clams. Would it last, would it work? Don't know, ain't got the beans to find out neither. It would be interesting if one of the big name builders here did one and did a write up on it.

 

[bcorradi]

If your on a budget I'd find yourself a used 026/260 or buy a new MS250. If money isn't a huge concern I'd opt for the 261.

 

[Axlerod74]

I am looking for a smaller saw to complement a stihl ms 362. Any advice? I have been poking around and looking at the 250, 261, 271, or something in the 40 to 50cc range. Also curious to see if a 251 ever happens, and if the 241 will be available in the U.S.

Just my opinion, I'd go for a Dolmar 420, Husqvarna 445 or 353.

 

[bcorradi]

I don't know, but consider what the big name 50cc class saws cost, you would come in near the same in cost starting with the poulan and paying one of the builders fees.

Say, just for grins

stock 50 cc something big name, a flashy import job-500 clams

stock 50cc poulan + hotrodded-500 clams. Would it last, would it work? Don't know, ain't got the beans to find out neither. It would be interesting if one of the big name builders here did one and did a write up on it.

I'm pretty sure new poulans have chrome cylinders so their longevity isn't there so it wouldn't be worth porting. I'm all for ported saws in a production environment. However, for the average joe homeowner that cuts 10 cords or less per year, the time saved is relatively negligible.

 

[chucker]

with 1 empty hole left to fill and after tax time is done ? and if theres any change left.. maybe a new huski 346xp to fill in for the retireing jonnies... tipped with a 18" 58 gauge an a chipper to boot.. and just maybe i will **** chips an and might be done for a year or three?? and???????......

 

[Locust Cutter]

be a man, trade your 362 for a 441 and then go buy a 261!

That seems to be the best way in our area, i have 3 more buddies with the exact same setups. We just add a 660 that we use to get the big'un's down.

I went a bit of a different route with the 346XPne, 55 husky, 039 and MS660... I will be adding a Dolmar 7900 to the mix from Oxford saw, when they get off of back order. All in all, the two I use the most are the 346 and the 660. I might have to join you and go cut with you one of these days,...

 

[Sagetown]

I went a bit of a different route with the 346XPne, 55 husky, 039 and MS660... I will be adding a Dolmar 7900 to the mix from Oxford saw, when they get off of back order. All in all, the two I use the most are the 346 and the 660. I might have to join you and go cut with you one of these days,...

Repped......

 

[TXTreeSurgeon]

I don't know if the strato port is still intact or not. I just run the saw. Here is a picture of waht I cut this afternoon. I cut 2 full tanks through the saw. The logs were a load I had delivered. So there was no limbing and no falling of the trees. The truck bed is 12 foot loand and 89" wide. The sides are 52" high. Just the back 2 rows are stacked.

Wow, I officially have saw envy! If I ever buy another saw, it will definitely be a 261. Btw, nice firewood hauler! :msp_thumbsup:

 

[1harlowr]

I have Husky 346xp and a 372. I rarely use the 346. Sure it's a ton lighter but even in smaller stuff the 372 with a 24" bar beats bending over all day to limb with the 346 and a 16" bar.

I'm 42 years old with bad joints. Even with that, I would rather go with more weight and MUCH more power. I'd love to get a 395. Both the 346 and 372 are fine, but a 90cc saw's power would spoil me when the chain hits the wood. Doesn't matter if I'm cutting 12" wood or 24" wood, I always opt for the bigger saw.

 

[Wolfcsm]

I have Husky 346xp and a 372. I rarely use the 346. Sure it's a ton lighter but even in smaller stuff the 372 with a 24" bar beats bending over all day to limb with the 346 and a 16" bar.

I'm 42 years old with bad joints. Even with that, I would rather go with more weight and MUCH more power. I'd love to get a 395. Both the 346 and 372 are fine, but a 90cc saw's power would spoil me when the chain hits the wood. Doesn't matter if I'm cutting 12" wood or 24" wood, I always opt for the bigger saw.

Big saws are a LOT of fun to run. But at the end of the day, they are also heavy. Hauling around a 066 or 880 with a 24" bar tires me out. A lot nicer with the 310/455/SP60 and a 18 or 20 inch bar.

But always- more power makes things better!

Hal

 

[Locust Cutter]

Big saws are a LOT of fun to run. But at the end of the day, they are also heavy. Hauling around a 066 or 880 with a 24" bar tires me out. A lot nicer with the 310/455/SP60 and a 18 or 20 inch bar.

But always- more power makes things better!

Hal

I would run your 880 any day Hal!!! (preferably not ALL day,...) but I could start every day w/a smile on my face after making chips w/that saw and a 28-42" bar on it.

 

[chopperfreak2k1]

What!?!? I have heard that the 261 is good on gas, but that has to be the best fuel efficiency I have ever heard of. Depending on the size and conditions of the tree, it takes me 1/2 gallon to 1 gallon of fuel to cut a cord of wood with 362.

a 1/2 gallon to a gallon of fuel to fell, limb and buck a cord of wood seems like alot to me.

 

[fields_mj]

a 1/2 gallon to a gallon of fuel to fell, limb and buck a cord of wood seems like alot to me.

+1 It normally takes me about 2 1/2 tanks with my 036. I'm not sure how much that actually is, but 1/2 gallon to 1 gallon sounds like a lot. Now if I'm having to noodle any with my 064, then that's an entirely different story.

 

[benp]

It must be just me but $600 for a 50cc saw. You younger guys that are working can afford a 261 but I can't. I'd get a 365 Husky or a 7200 Efco and port it. Yah, with my back I'd love a 261 but the cost? Man for that I could search for a 044 and send it to Mastermind or whoever for a serious port. Heck you can cut anything with one. They're fabulous.

Funny you say that......I saw this at one of my local Stihl box stores last week.

Upon further inspection it was mis -labeled....

I informed the guy in that section that the saw was incorrectly priced. I got a blink blink look.

Back there yesterday and they did indeed correct the price. I was impressed....

I wish Stihl would jump more into the M-Tronic arena like Husky is doing with their Auto Tunes.

I would be all over a 261 M Tronic like a "poundage challenged child" going after a Twinky.

I dont think they would be able to make them fast enough.

 

[TXTreeSurgeon]

a 1/2 gallon to a gallon of fuel to fell, limb and buck a cord of wood seems like alot to me.

1/2 gallon of gas won't fill a 362 up that many times. I usually fill up my saw with gas and bar oil whenever I turn the saw off, so I don't run the tank empty that often. Therefore, I measure fuel usage by starting will a full gallon of mix and then seeing how much I have left when I finish the job.

If I use near a full gallon of fuel, that is because I had to do some noodling. I cut all of my logs to a weight that I can safely lift into my trailer. If the log is over 16" diameter, it probably needs to be noodled in half. If it is over 24" diameter, I will probably noodle it into quarters. Basically, I don't want to lift anything more than approximately 100lbs over the side of my trailer which is almost 4ft high. My dad has had recurring back problems and is about to have his 5th back surgery because he injured his back when he was young lifting something too heavy. I don't want to injure my back trying to make a few bucks selling firewood.

One of the reasons that I bought a pro saw is because I knew that I was going to have to load all of my logs by hand, and I wanted a saw that I wouldn't wear out by noodling a bunch of logs at one time. I once felled and cut up a post oak that was over 40" diameter at the base. The biggest rounds were almost 4ft diameter and my usual 20" long, so they had to be cut into 10 pieces just so that I could safely load them into the trailer by myself. I guess if you have a tractor or split the wood where you cut the tree, then you don't have to worry about this. But that doesn't work for me because I don't have a tractor or access to a big enough splitter, and I don't want to be in the woods that long away from my wife and 3 small children. So yeah, I usually use 1/2 to 1 gallon of fuel when I cut a cord of firewood.

 

[fields_mj]

I don't want to be in the woods that long away from my wife and 3 small children.

+1 I enjoy cutting wood, and only cut for myself, but the kids are too small to be out there with me, and the wife doesn't like being out in the cold. So I do what I can to make the most of my time when I can get back into the woods while the ground is frozen. What ever I can't get done while the ground is frozen has to be done in the spring and summer with the ATV, and it all takes longer that way which means more time away from the family.

 

[chopperfreak2k1]

What!?!? I have heard that the 261 is good on gas, but that has to be the best fuel efficiency I have ever heard of. Depending on the size and conditions of the tree, it takes me 1/2 gallon to 1 gallon of fuel to cut a cord of wood with 362. I ain't saying you haven't done it... I'm just saying that I have to buy a 261 if that is the kind of efficiency people normally get out of a ported 261. Is the strato port still intact on your saw?

1/2 gallon of gas won't fill a 362 up that many times. I usually fill up my saw with gas and bar oil whenever I turn the saw off, so I don't run the tank empty that often. Therefore, I measure fuel usage by starting will a full gallon of mix and then seeing how much I have left when I finish the job.

If I use near a full gallon of fuel, that is because I had to do some noodling. I cut all of my logs to a weight that I can safely lift into my trailer. If the log is over 16" diameter, it probably needs to be noodled in half. If it is over 24" diameter, I will probably noodle it into quarters. Basically, I don't want to lift anything more than approximately 100lbs over the side of my trailer which is almost 4ft high. My dad has had recurring back problems and is about to have his 5th back surgery because he injured his back when he was young lifting something too heavy. I don't want to injure my back trying to make a few bucks selling firewood.

One of the reasons that I bought a pro saw is because I knew that I was going to have to load all of my logs by hand, and I wanted a saw that I wouldn't wear out by noodling a bunch of logs at one time. I once felled and cut up a post oak that was over 40" diameter at the base. The biggest rounds were almost 4ft diameter and my usual 20" long, so they had to be cut into 10 pieces just so that I could safely load them into the trailer by myself. I guess if you have a tractor or split the wood where you cut the tree, then you don't have to worry about this. But that doesn't work for me because I don't have a tractor or access to a big enough splitter, and I don't want to be in the woods that long away from my wife and 3 small children. So yeah, I usually use 1/2 to 1 gallon of fuel when I cut a cord of firewood.

well i'm certainly not questioning your techniques at all. but i can cut anywhere from 2-3 cords with a gallon of fuel. if your using that much fuel (unless your noodling your pants off every time you cut) something is wrong somewhere i think.

i'm not callin you a liar or saying your wrong, it just doesn't seem normal to me.

 

[mhyme71]

I use a 028 super av woodboss with a 18" bar and full chisel .325 on the bigger stuff and i bought a poulan pro 18" took off the 18" bar and reduced it down to 14" and it does a great job limbing and cutting up 12" or so logs. The 028 seems to be a real beast for its size though i smoke my father in laws 455r with it.

 

[TXTreeSurgeon]

well i'm certainly not questioning your techniques at all. but i can cut anywhere from 2-3 cords with a gallon of fuel. if your using that much fuel (unless your noodling your pants off every time you cut) something is wrong somewhere i think.

i'm not callin you a liar or saying your wrong, it just doesn't seem normal to me.

Is that with your 261 and 026 doing most of the cutting? I use my 362 for almost all of my cutting. I bet the 362 uses a good bit more fuel than the 261. Also, if you cut 2-3 cords with a gallon of fuel, that is not too far off from 1/2-1 gallon for a cord: 2 cords per 1 gallon (your low) = 1/2 gallon per cord (my high). And as I explained, I sometimes have to do a lot of noodling, just depending on the size of the tree I am cutting. Also, I usually cut dead standing oak for firewood, which is about as tough of a tree as you will find in my area.

To give some reference, I cut a cord of green mesquite recently using a 16" bar and I used maybe 1/4 gallon of fuel. All of those logs were 6-12" in diameter, so I didn't do any noodling. Green mesquite cuts at least 2x as fast as dead oak, so I used far less fuel.

There is nothing wrong with my saw. It runs awesome and is tuned spot on. I clean my saw with compressed air after each use. I keep my chains razor sharp and touch them up between fuel/oil refills. I switched to an 8 pin rim last time I went cutting and my fuel economy (and speed) increased a noticeable amount. I used about 1/2-2/3 gallon to cut 1-1/4 cord that time on a tree that was 30" diameter all the way up the trunk, so I had to noodle each big round into quarters.

 

[freeridekid]

Is that with your 261 and 026 doing most of the cutting? I use my 362 for almost all of my cutting. I bet the 362 uses a good bit more fuel than the 261. Also, if you cut 2-3 cords with a gallon of fuel, that is not too far off from 1/2-1 gallon for a cord: 2 cords per 1 gallon (your low) = 1/2 gallon per cord (my high). And as I explained, I sometimes have to do a lot of noodling, just depending on the size of the tree I am cutting. Also, I usually cut dead standing oak for firewood, which is about as tough of a tree as you will find in my area.

To give some reference, I cut a cord of green mesquite recently using a 16" bar and I used maybe 1/4 gallon of fuel. All of those logs were 6-12" in diameter, so I didn't do any noodling. Green mesquite cuts at least 2x as fast as dead oak, so I used far less fuel.

There is nothing wrong with my saw. It runs awesome and is tuned spot on. I clean my saw with compressed air after each use. I keep my chains razor sharp and touch them up between fuel/oil refills. I switched to an 8 pin rim last time I went cutting and my fuel economy (and speed) increased a noticeable amount. I used about 1/2-2/3 gallon to cut 1-1/4 cord that time on a tree that was 30" diameter all the way up the trunk, so I had to noodle each big round into quarters.

How does the 362 do with the 8 pin in large hardwood with a 20 inch bar, and what kind of chain are you running? I have been thinking about trying an 8 pin on mine.