Just Bought a 361 - Should I Upgrade to 441?

[Burvol]

Ya see them old pictures of the hand fallers Thall? They were not big, huge guys at all. But they were tough and strong beyond all reason.

70cc saws belong in the landing, if we're talking about work here. :hmm3grin2orange:

Being more of a strong wirery build vs. a burley one is good for cutting logs.

 

[THALL10326]

Ya see them old pictures of the hand fallers Thall? They were not big, huge guys at all. But they were tough and strong beyond all reason.

Yeah they were. However today its not "I miss the good old days" today its "Thank God the good old days are gone" when it comes to hard manual labor. Those poor men would kill for the saws we have today,

 

[litefoot]

Keep the 361. I believe you're having a bit of buyers remorse. Just a year ago, the 361 was considered here to be the greatest saw ever produced. A little over-hyped in my book, but it should give you an idea of its following. If you need something bigger, buy a used one later. There will be plenty to be had.

 

[mattmc2003]

i'm gonna blow a little smoke here'..lol. i just watched a video of brads on youtube.com of a ported 361 and ported 460 with same bar and chain in about 14 inch wood and the 460 won.....by.5 seconds! lol. i saw another video between the two awhile back in bigger wood but i can't find it now. and in a series of cuts the 460 only won by a max of 3 seconds. so on trees round here you max get thirty or so cuts out of the trunk. the only place the 460 is really faster. that gives you a whole minute and a half...

 

[mattmc2003]

so i'm gonna blow a little smoke and say how much more wood you really gonna get outta that tree in that minute and a half... heck... even say five minutes. the difference won't be that impressive in twenty inch wood. and i believe that was about what was being cut in the video i saw. so.... that means he could cut his whole 5 cords a year maybe....what'... an hour sooner total? thats all i'm sayin. in that size wood power is just ego booster.

 

[clearance]

Seems to be so far, that the guys who actually work cutting for a living, as opposed to the weekend warrior/firewood guys, are in favor of the bigger cc saws. Even the ones out east who run short bars.

If this was a farmer/rancher forum say, and the talk was about tractors, I would be listening to the guys who had ran them since they were kids. I think real world production experience counts a lot.

 

[THALL10326]

back before i had 3 460's and just had the 361 and 1 460 my 460 went down from a stupid skidder guy not watching what he was doing, i had to wait a few days for the parts to fix it so i used the 361 for a few days guess what. you can keep the little pissy 361. i just sold one the other day cuase there useless for real work. the 441 or 460 will drop top and buck more in a days time than that 361 ever would. i run mainly a 20" bar with 8 pin sprocket and full comp chain. stock to stock or ported to ported ill kiss your a** on the courthouse square and give you 20 minutes to draw a crowd if you put more wood on the truck with a 361 than i do with a 441 or 460. and yep i am 5'10" and weigh in at 160. little guy big saw, all day every day .....logger and proud of it..as far as operation of the saws ,the 361 is just fine but dont blow smoke up everyones a** by saying you can get as much done with it as you can a 441 or 460 .:bang:

LOLOL, you promise to wear lipstick? (I couldn't resist)

 

[tlandrum]

so what your trying to say is every ten trees you save 15 minutes. that would mean that after every 40 trees it would be an hour etc etc. time is money where i work, even if it is not money it saves you time in the end. if your only going to cut one tree then by all means nock youself out with the 361. my money is on the bigger saws

 

[tlandrum]

LOLOL, you promise to wear lipstick? (I couldn't resist)

would red be ok

 

[mattmc2003]

i'm talkin firewood by the way. which is what he's using it for. not production falling.

 

[STIHLTHEDEERE]

Thall is good guy, but he fixes saws more than he uses them.

How is it that men who are under 5' 8', under 160 lbs, and over 50, can fall, limb and buck all day long with 066/395 saws?
How is this possible, when men who are over 6', over 200lbs, and under 40 have a hard time running 70 cc saws?
Whats even more amazing, is how they did it with those monsters from days gone by that wieghed twice as much?

dont think for a minute icant run a big saw all day. its the matter of needing/wanting to. i work smarter,not harder. not gonna argue about this,just stating what works in MY situation.

 

[Burvol]

so what your trying to say is every ten trees you save 15 minutes. that would mean that after every 40 trees it would be an hour etc etc. time is money where i work, even if it is not money it saves you time in the end. if your only going to cut one tree then by all means nock youself out with the 361. my money is on the bigger saws

More trees adds up, but what doesn't come out in piece count comes out in log quality. When you don't have enough power on the stump when you need it to keep up with the wood moving, you have problems. A sharp chain on any sized saw is what really counts though.

 

[STIHLTHEDEERE]

isnt this post about a firewood saw???? 4-5cords, not 4-5 semi loads:monkey:

 

[Burvol]

isnt this post about a firewood saw???? 4-5cords, not 4-5 semi loads:monkey:

Oops. :arg:

 

[THALL10326]

would red be ok

 

[mattmc2003]

i found the video i was referring to earlier. its one of brads too. ms361 vs ms460. and actually only about 1.5 seconds difference in 16 inch elm.

 

[caotropheus]

I don't know if it's the Tim Allen in me or what, but I'm wondering if I should look into the the 7 day guarantee and the possibility of a moving up to a 441 or even a 460? At 32 years old, I'm 6'1" and 200lbs - what do you guys think my best bet is? This is firewood - whatever I can get my hands on that's suitable for burning.
Kevin

Get the 460. As you will discover soon for chainsaws, the bigger, the better! I'm about half your size and I haven't got a 460 yet because I have no money.

 

[MuleyJ]

OK, you guys win, I'll see what trade I can get on my "huge" saws for a 361. While I am at it I'll trade my 3/4 ton for a smaller truck, replace my 28 oz. framing hammer for a 16oz. one, trade my axes for hatchets, get my #### reduction surgery........

First of all the OP is from Delaware not the redwood forrest, second nobody is giving u advice or telling you to do anything so calm down before Mt St. Helens erupts again. You guys probably do need bigger saws up yonder and nobody is claiming you don't. For the average woodstove/fireplace guy the 361 is more than enough saw to get the job done. It is for me too, but that does not keep me from owning bigger ones!!! Keep it all in perspective guys. From Delaware looking for a firewood saw to run 20" bar. Does not require 70cc, if you want 70cc or more go for it. If you want the tool designed for the specified conditions 361 is perfect IMO.

 

[mikefunaro]

@muleyJ, what's wrong with you? Dont you know that everything recommended on this site has to be overspecified by a minimum of 15-20%???

Just kidding, I agree.

 

[caotropheus]

why would i run a long bar? i've cut a lot of stuff and a twenty inch bar will do 99 percent of everything in my area.

Well, I live in the other side of the pound and trees over here are not so big. I have to agree with matt, a 50 cm bar for my biggest saw is enough to tackle 99% of felling and bucking.