Spectre468
ArboristSiteNoob
Bear with me everyone. I'm learning how to get images up.
This year I decided that I needed to get my saws up to snuff, replace some older saws and be able to do some serious cutting. Last spring I invested in several new saws, all Stihls. In order of purchase, I bought a MS362 C-M, followed the next week by a MS261 C-M, and the next week I got a MS271. I was pretty happy with these saws, which replaced my MS360, which was toast, an 029 Super that was pushing 16 years and on its last legs, and a MS390, that is perfectly fine. I sold off the 360, rebuilt the 029 into a MS290/029 hybrid with a new crankcase and engine assembly/carb, flipped a low hour MS290 that I had about $125 in to for 3 times the money, and kept the MS390.
I managed to do quite a bit of cutting with all of the saws. Have a family member who bought a property for his business that had a bunch of Chinese Elms and a few big Cottonwoods up against the building, and I cleared them all out. I have a buddy who bought a small chunk of mountain property several years ago that ended up burned over when a forest fire ripped through there a couple of years ago. He asked if I would help him clear it out since he has little cutting experience and not much equipment. I told him I'd glad come and cut. Well, his entire property, which is undeveloped, all burned. Every single tree was dead standing. He said he several big trees that he wasn't going to be able to even attempt. When my Wife and I arrived at the property, the destruction was evident, and we knew were would be in it for the long haul to help him get the land cleared so he can replant. I decided to tackle one of the many large Ponderosa Pines. It came in at roughly 110', with a base circumference greater than 12'. I used the MS362 C-M on it. The saw performed admirably, cut beautifully and without hesitation. It wears a 20" bar and I was running RS chain. It took quite a long while to cut and I had to use quite a few wedges, but I was able to drop it safely. Bucking the base was great fun with the MS362, but again, with that 20" bar, the thought kept running through my mind, I really need a bigger saw. My Wife agreed, saying that she thought it would be a lot safer to have a proper felling saw for felling bigger trees. ( I am so blessed to have such a great partner. I thank the Lord for her every day!)
No offense meant, but the MS441, even in the C-M version has never appealed to me. Can't quite put my finger on it. Not sure if its the balance of the saw, but it just doesn't feel "right" to me. No doubt that it is a great saw, but it just isn't for me. I really like the MS461, but really wanted the saw to be M-tronic. I couldn't get a straight answer from any dealer or Stihl about plans/timeframes for an M-tronic version of the 461. I got answers anywhere from, should be out Q1 '15 to late '16, to "they'll never make that saw M-tronic because its the base for the rescue saw". (WTF!?! All the more reason for it to be M-tronic in my opinion!)
I had dreams of the MS 661 C-M, but, again, couldn't get a firm answer as to re-release date, or even a ballpark price. I started seeing the posts on here about the 661 being available in Canada, then select areas in the US started getting them. Got 3 dealers to look up a price, initially said no listing in the system, then a few weeks later were able to find it and get me a price, but were not able to place an order for the saw.
The Friday after Thanksgiving, I got a hold of my dealer and he told me it showed in the system, he could order it and it would ship Monday and arrive Wednesday. Only problem, he said, was that it was only showing the R version with the wrap handle, oversized clutch cover and felling dawgs. I told him that this was not a problem since that was the configuration I wanted. He placed the order and I brought it home Wednesday. First one sold in NM, he says, and possibly the first in the SW region. I haven't been able to put it into wood yet, but plan to do so Tuesday. I will take some pix and post them up then.
Anyway, this is the tree that lead to my most recent saw purchase, the MS661 R C-M! That's me at the bottom right at the base of the trunk. And I now have a picture up of the 362 that dropped that bad boy.
This year I decided that I needed to get my saws up to snuff, replace some older saws and be able to do some serious cutting. Last spring I invested in several new saws, all Stihls. In order of purchase, I bought a MS362 C-M, followed the next week by a MS261 C-M, and the next week I got a MS271. I was pretty happy with these saws, which replaced my MS360, which was toast, an 029 Super that was pushing 16 years and on its last legs, and a MS390, that is perfectly fine. I sold off the 360, rebuilt the 029 into a MS290/029 hybrid with a new crankcase and engine assembly/carb, flipped a low hour MS290 that I had about $125 in to for 3 times the money, and kept the MS390.
I managed to do quite a bit of cutting with all of the saws. Have a family member who bought a property for his business that had a bunch of Chinese Elms and a few big Cottonwoods up against the building, and I cleared them all out. I have a buddy who bought a small chunk of mountain property several years ago that ended up burned over when a forest fire ripped through there a couple of years ago. He asked if I would help him clear it out since he has little cutting experience and not much equipment. I told him I'd glad come and cut. Well, his entire property, which is undeveloped, all burned. Every single tree was dead standing. He said he several big trees that he wasn't going to be able to even attempt. When my Wife and I arrived at the property, the destruction was evident, and we knew were would be in it for the long haul to help him get the land cleared so he can replant. I decided to tackle one of the many large Ponderosa Pines. It came in at roughly 110', with a base circumference greater than 12'. I used the MS362 C-M on it. The saw performed admirably, cut beautifully and without hesitation. It wears a 20" bar and I was running RS chain. It took quite a long while to cut and I had to use quite a few wedges, but I was able to drop it safely. Bucking the base was great fun with the MS362, but again, with that 20" bar, the thought kept running through my mind, I really need a bigger saw. My Wife agreed, saying that she thought it would be a lot safer to have a proper felling saw for felling bigger trees. ( I am so blessed to have such a great partner. I thank the Lord for her every day!)
No offense meant, but the MS441, even in the C-M version has never appealed to me. Can't quite put my finger on it. Not sure if its the balance of the saw, but it just doesn't feel "right" to me. No doubt that it is a great saw, but it just isn't for me. I really like the MS461, but really wanted the saw to be M-tronic. I couldn't get a straight answer from any dealer or Stihl about plans/timeframes for an M-tronic version of the 461. I got answers anywhere from, should be out Q1 '15 to late '16, to "they'll never make that saw M-tronic because its the base for the rescue saw". (WTF!?! All the more reason for it to be M-tronic in my opinion!)
I had dreams of the MS 661 C-M, but, again, couldn't get a firm answer as to re-release date, or even a ballpark price. I started seeing the posts on here about the 661 being available in Canada, then select areas in the US started getting them. Got 3 dealers to look up a price, initially said no listing in the system, then a few weeks later were able to find it and get me a price, but were not able to place an order for the saw.
The Friday after Thanksgiving, I got a hold of my dealer and he told me it showed in the system, he could order it and it would ship Monday and arrive Wednesday. Only problem, he said, was that it was only showing the R version with the wrap handle, oversized clutch cover and felling dawgs. I told him that this was not a problem since that was the configuration I wanted. He placed the order and I brought it home Wednesday. First one sold in NM, he says, and possibly the first in the SW region. I haven't been able to put it into wood yet, but plan to do so Tuesday. I will take some pix and post them up then.
Anyway, this is the tree that lead to my most recent saw purchase, the MS661 R C-M! That's me at the bottom right at the base of the trunk. And I now have a picture up of the 362 that dropped that bad boy.
