Have I made a big mistake by buying a new MS362 saw?

[dave53223]

Your 18 inch bar will fit. I like the 24 inch bar idea. I am to old to bend and am thinking of trying it on mine.

 

[rwoods]

... Put a 28" on the 045 so that I didn't have to bend over so much, was hoping the 25 would do similar on the 362.

I have owned two nonM 362s. Ran one almost exclusively with a 25" bar. More for the reason you cite than cutting large diameter wood although you can bury a 25" in red oak. Much easier to bury a 20" bar. Nonetheless the saw is happier with 18" and under wood. For small stuff, like routine limbing, it could care less that the bar is 25".

The 362 is a good saw and gets good gas mileage.

Ron

 

[1Alpha1]

FW, is that what your wife says? Sounds familiar.

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My wife is one of those low-maintenance models.

Doesn't like jewelry, pricey sports cars, la de da glitzy homes, or fancy dinners out.

It took me quite a while to find her.

 

[LoveStihlQuality]

I have owned two nonM 362s. Ran one almost exclusively with a 25" bar. More for the reason you cite than cutting large diameter wood although you can bury a 25" in red oak. Much easier to bury a 20" bar. Nonetheless the saw is happier with 18" and under wood. For small stuff, like routine limbing, it could care less that the bar is 25".

The 362 is a good saw and gets good gas mileage.

Ron

A lightweight bar would balance it better. The Stihl ES bar was nose heavy.

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[LoveStihlQuality]

My wife is one of those low-maintenance models.

Doesn't like jewelry, pricey sports cars, la de da glitzy homes, or fancy dinners out.

It took me quite a while to find her.

A keeper for sure. Took flowers to mine at work and out to lunch.

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[1Alpha1]

My wife is so low-maintenance, that on Valentine's Day, all we do is say Happy Valentine's Day to one another.

She hates spending good money on stupid greeting cards, candy, or lord forbid, flowers. And, if we do agree on a Valentine's Day dinner out, it's a few days after the fact so it's not so crowded.

 

[Woody912]

If I needed a 24/25" bar regularly I would want a larger saw, 70cc+.

That doesn't mean 60cc saws won't do it in a pinch, but they really are at their best with shorter bars. Even a 20" is a long one.

Using skip chain has its own set of disadvantages.

I run nothing but 72 and 84 dl chains on my 2 036's and I have Zero complaints with them cutting dry oak, hickory and maple they just eat

 

[Full Chisel]

An 18" and 24" bar combo would work great with a 362 in softwood country...enjoy and of course, be safe!

 

[LoveStihlQuality]

I run nothing but 72 and 84 dl chains on my 2 036's and I have Zero complaints with them cutting dry oak, hickory and maple they just eat

Those are the same I use. Keeping the two keeps simple and can stock up when good deals.

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[rwoods]

A lightweight bar would balance it better. The Stihl ES bar was nose heavy.

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No doubt a lighter bar has plenty of advantages other than cost. Easier on the shoulders for reaching; probably less difference when cutting at your feet. I have never owned one so I'm just theorizing.

The primary point I was trying to make in my post was comparing saw power to bar length is not near as meaningful as comparing saw power to the length of the actual cut. Many run longer bars for the reach not for more cut length. I am not sure what diameter the OP is cutting but he did mention bar length in reference to bending over.

Ron

 

[SawTroll]

The lowly 460 can be awakened, muffler mod, cut the limiters on the carb and adjust in the cut. That's all it takes to make that 24" bar sing!

24" isn't a big deal on a 460. I run a 34" on mine and it does fine. I suppose a 660 would pull it better, but honestly I wasn't overly impressed with the 660 I had.

I suspect the top post is about the Husky 460 (that is 60cc), and the other about the Stihl MS460 (that is much larger)?

 

[SawTroll]

Thanks all, buyers remorse is now gone, lol. Believe I have a 18" bar that is in good shape that I once had on the 045, have to find out if it will fit the ms362. anybody know for sure? Put a 28" on the 045 so that I didn't have to bend over so much, was hoping the 25 would do similar on the 362.

If your 18" bar fit your 045 it will fit the MS362.

 

[SawTroll]

No doubt a lighter bar has plenty of advantages other than cost. Easier on the shoulders for reaching; probably less difference when cutting at your feet. I have never owned one so I'm just theorizing.

The primary point I was trying to make in my post was comparing saw power to bar length is not near as meaningful as comparing saw power to the length of the actual cut. Many run longer bars for the reach not for more cut length. I am not sure what diameter the OP is cutting but he did mention bar length in reference to bending over.

Ron

That is correct, but longer bars than needed for the cuts is a double edged sword, as it may mean a badly balanced saw and less control with where the bar tip is.

 

[kevin j]

just for your memory for future use if the 056 ignition module, that you put on the 045, fails, there is a thread here on AS about adding an external capacitor and solving the failure it's a common problem on certain 056 modules

 

[seaflight101]

Well I made it out and used the new saw, wow, believe it is a keeper. Got to test it out on some various size rounds as you can see in the picture. The trailer in the picture is 12.5' long, 7.5' wide, and the metal sides are 2' high. figure there is somewhere around 3.5 cords give or take a little. Took the 045 super along just incase I found some rounds to big for the 362 to handle, as there were some but the 362 handled most of it. Not as fast as the 045 but then its 20cc's smaller. I am excited at the way the 362 performed being the first time out and not broke in yet. They say give it 10 or so tanks of gas and it gets stronger with every tank. Took approx. 3 tanks of fuel to cut plus what I used in the 045. I think the saw is going to serve me well as I like to cut the bigger rounds (16" and bigger, 30" put a smile on) as it fills the truck and trailer up faster, but is getting to much for me as I am getting older and lots more aches, it seems like the smaller rounds (24" and smaller) is where its going to be for me. I really liked the anti-vibe on the 362 as the 045 used rubber mounts on the full wrap and was good for the time it was made, but the new 362 is so much better. The lighter weight of the 362 was really noticeable as well. It takes a little longer to cut a 18" or bigger round but that's ok, it will still pull into the cut. I would highly recommend this saw to anyone who is looking or is on the fence. Hope you will take it easy on me with the pictures. This site rocks

 

[LoveStihlQuality]

Well I made it out and used the new saw, wow, believe it is a keeper. Got to test it out on some various size rounds as you can see in the picture. The trailer in the picture is 12.5' long, 7.5' wide, and the metal sides are 2' high. figure there is somewhere around 3.5 cords give or take a little. Took the 045 super along just incase I found some rounds to big for the 362 to handle, as there were some but the 362 handled most of it. Not as fast as the 045 but then its 20cc's smaller. I am excited at the way the 362 performed being the first time out and not broke in yet. They say give it 10 or so tanks of gas and it gets stronger with every tank. Took approx. 3 tanks of fuel to cut plus what I used in the 045. I think the saw is going to serve me well as I like to cut the bigger rounds (16" and bigger, 30" put a smile on) as it fills the truck and trailer up faster, but is getting to much for me as I am getting older and lots more aches, it seems like the smaller rounds (24" and smaller) is where its going to be for me. I really liked the anti-vibe on the 362 as the 045 used rubber mounts on the full wrap and was good for the time it was made, but the new 362 is so much better. The lighter weight of the 362 was really noticeable as well. It takes a little longer to cut a 18" or bigger round but that's ok, it will still pull into the cut. I would highly recommend this saw to anyone who is looking or is on the fence. Hope you will take it easy on me with the pictures. This site rocksView attachment 559946 View attachment 559947

Nice load. Good looking trailer.

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[bassattacker]

great thread here. I'd like to pile on.

Going to buy a new saw to replace my Poulan 3400.

Have narrowed it down to a Stihl due to access to parts / dealer.

I cut/burn 4-6 cords per year. Live on 5 acres with a mix of mature hardwoods (none bigger than 40" across) and lots of pines.
I'm going to buy new because I can't see spending a couple hundred less for someone else's problem with no warranty.

I've got many 20" chains from the Poulan so sticking with a 20" bar seems like a good idea.

I have an MS180-c for limbing.

I'm in my 40s so God willing I plan to cut firewood for the next 20-30 years.

Is the 200 dollar difference between the 362 and 311 such that I'll regret not buying the bigger saw?


One last question. The kid at the dealer tried to convince me the MS311 was not much different than the MS261 pro saw. He specifically said anything bigger than the 271 was overkill for cutting firewood. I'm big on overkill, I like it a lot. The 311 & 261 are about 30 dollars different. But the 261 has a higher power to weight coefficient. If he's correct, and I'm thinking he is, the choice might be between the 261 and the 362.

Thoughts?

 

[Whiskers]

A 60cc pro saw is my favorite do it all size. The pro gets you the best power to weight. The ms311 is a fine saw but heavy for what it is. The ms261 is a great saw also, but really is at its best with a 16" bar. The weight between the ms362 and 261 isn't really that noticeable. I'd pick the ms362 every time unless cash was a big factor, then you can get by with almost any decent saw.

 

[SawTroll]

A problem with discussing saws like the MS261 and 362 is that there are different generations of both saws, that are different regarding rated power, weight and carb system - without even the full model designations keeping everything apart.

This isn't unique to those models, but it is more pronounced than it usually is. They really should have changed the model numbers after the last redesign.

 

[bassattacker]

Do the dealers ever let you test drive a saw? That would probably push me in one direction or the other.