I know how that feels, and that's exactly what I want to do for this new hobby / life style.
I've worked on my and friends' cars, motorcycles, snow blower etc, and it's very addictive. it takes time and get frustrating sometimes (or all the time), but it's fun and satisfying.
Ive been searching a lot here. This site is very helpful. I'm sure Ill have many more questions.
Any idea how much the 350 is going for?
$10,150 bucks used. That is with the skid steer and grapple attachment.
Really man, it is almost spring now, should be a variety of used cheaper saws on your local CL. Get you a used 50 buck poulan, something with antivibe, it will say poulan pro, not just poulan. Real easy to work on, give it new lines and filters, clean and adjust the carb, muffler mod it a little, go cut wood. The poulan sticky here will have every possible repair and mod. Avoid the tool less chain tensioner, get one with real bar stud nuts.
I am a neogeezer and a little guy, 5 foot five and around 125 starkers, 130 clothes and boots on. If I can run an 80 and a 90cc, you can run a 45cc. No, I dont run them 10 hours a day every day, but I can go out and fell and buck up a tree in an afternoon. The saws dont wear me out, humping the big rounds do....I usually quarter them or more right where they are before loading them.
Even at that size, around 45 cc, it will cut most of the wood you are likely to encounter. Did I mention, the easiest to work on? Then in the meantime keep your eyes opened for a deal on a pro saw like your 346xp or whatever. Hit up your local shops, see if they have a junker you can buy, then totally tear it down, rebuild it back up.
A coupla years ago and small change I joined here..I had one dinky saw..now I have dozens and I am in the lowest income bracket you can be in...I am not kidding, most of them I got for free or ten bucks and made them work, usually for a grand total of three bucks in fuel lines and two bucks for a fuel filter. The rest is cleaning and adjusting. The number one chainsaw repair tool is an air compressor for getting them clean enough to work on.... If the piston and cylinder are intact, and not all scored to crap..you can make them run 99% of the time. Pull the muffler to look. I grab non runners all the time, even if they dont run, or have toasted top ends, hey, spare parts, extra bars and chains etc. Its actually quite easy, chainsaws are about the easiest and cheapest engines you will ever work on.