Just got a new MS461.

[2 Stroke Pete]

Hi JustinSL,

Congrats on your new saw! As people have mentioned, great saw and very capable out of the box. I am running a 25" bar on mine, full chisel/square ground chain (no mods totally stock), in Aussie hardwoods. Has never missed a beat. Very fast and loves to rev hard! I had my heart set on a 661 and at times do think I should have taken the plunge and purchased that instead. Enjoy your new saw for what it is, you will be the judge of if it suits your requirements, I am sure you won't be disappointed running it stock!

 

[2412]

I've toyed with the idea of modifying my saws. I just couldn't figure out why I wanted to do it. So I got a project saw; a hopeless saw about to be tossed into the landfill. Believe me, it does satisfy the tinkering bug in all of us. The 461 will run a 32" B&C just fine and if you find it lacking then you probably need to sharpen the chain. I run a 24" on mine and I have yet to find a log that can't be cut quickly and easily with the 461.

It is fun to run a powerful saw, and the 461 is definitely in that category. In my experience 90% of my time is in hauling, splitting and stacking the wood. To increase the power and cutting time of the saw is attempting to save time in the least time consuming task of all. You could save the most time by wearing a sweater and long-johns during the winter and only burn during exceptionally cold days. I have neighbors that do just that. They have both told me that they can usually see their breath during January and February. The guy just doesn't like to cut wood. I suggest a pellet stove, but I guess he might be polar bear or something, cause he has yet to make a decisive move to any realistic solution in warming his home.

Are pellets cheaper than just buying splits?

 

[JustinSL]

Well here she is boys. Nothing fancy and there is a bunch of 461s out there but this one is mine. I can’t wait to put it in some wood.

 

[user 122190]

You are going to be amazed! And it will get stronger and stronger over 10+ tanks of gas.

 

[SCHallenger]

Thanks guys , I’m pretty exited to break it in and then start doing some work to it. My plans are to get the Maxflow air kit , dual port muffler , high output oiler and the large double dogs. (Which I need to do the research and find the parts numbers for and the bolts.) Might have it ported as well. I was originally wanting the 461R model because it came with the oiler and dogs but they quoted me $1270 for it and I don’t really need the wrap handle so I’ll just build the saw and save a little money and have some fun in the process because I like to tinker on things.Between this new saw , my 201tcm , ms310 which I plan on selling and buying a Ms261cm I should be covered.

That is a very nice lineup!

 

[JustinSL]

That is a very nice lineup!

Thanks a lot I sold my ms310 yesterday and plan on picking up a ms261 next weekend. I think this will be a good 3 saw plan.

 

[JustinSL]

Hi JustinSL,

Congrats on your new saw! As people have mentioned, great saw and very capable out of the box. I am running a 25" bar on mine, full chisel/square ground chain (no mods totally stock), in Aussie hardwoods. Has never missed a beat. Very fast and loves to rev hard! I had my heart set on a 661 and at times do think I should have taken the plunge and purchased that instead. Enjoy your new saw for what it is, you will be the judge of if it suits your requirements, I am sure you won't be disappointed running it stock!

Thanks a lot , I think it will serve me well. I have a 20 inch bar on it now and a 25 for it as well. Where I’m at we cut mostly hardwood and the 310 just wasn’t as fast with the 20 inch as I would’ve liked. I believe the 461 will pull the 20 and 25 with no problems. Most of what I cut these two bars will do with no problem.

 

[maulhead]

The 461 is a very capable saw right out of the box. If you plan to jack it up with a bunch of Arboristsite.com BS (like it isn't going to be powerful enough), why not take it back and just buy a ms661?

I understand about the tinkering, so I would recommend finding a hopeless junker and fix it.

bunch of Arboristsite.com BS?

Lol....

Don't run a jacked up Arboristsite.com ported 461, you won't wanna run a stock 461 again.

Save yourself and heed that warning...

I had a stock, broken in, 461 I used to think is was a great saw, then I bought a ported 461, never wanted to use the stocker again, yeah the stock one was that boring, only thing I could figure to do with the stocker then, was to send it off to get ported, then it became fun again...

 

[JustinSL]

bunch of Arboristsite.com BS?

Lol....

Don't run a jacked up Arboristsite.com ported 461, you won't wanna run a stock 461 again.

Save yourself and heed that warning...

I had a stock, broken in, 461 I used to think is was a great saw, then I bought a ported 461, never wanted to use the stocker again, yeah the stock one was that boring, only thing I could figure to do with the stocker then, was to send it off to get ported, then it became fun again...

Didn’t Randy at Mastermind do yours , I’ve seen the video of him cutting with yours. I actually emailed him today and waiting to hear back on if he is willing to do my saw. Yours sounds amazing in his video. All of the things I’ve read about him and his work are exceptional. I haven’t cut with it yet so hopefully he will get back to me soon. Right now I’m actually working 7 days a week so I have time to wait.

 

[maulhead]

Didn’t Randy at Mastermind do yours , I’ve seen the video of him cutting with yours. I actually emailed him today and waiting to hear back on if he is willing to do my saw. Yours sounds amazing in his video. All of the things I’ve read about him and his work are exceptional. I haven’t cut with it yet so hopefully he will get back to me soon. Right now I’m actually working 7 days a week so I have time to wait.

Yes Randy has done two 461's for me, and I have one done by Scott aka Tree Monkey now also.

They rip!

 

[JustinSL]

Yes Randy has done two 461's for me, and I have one done by Scott aka Tree Monkey now also.

They rip!

I’m drooling those are some nice saws. I don’t need it ported but it would make a fast firewood saw. Plus I’d like to be able to out cut some of my Husqvarna buddy’s when we go out. He runs a 288 and a 550 so I’m looking to get a 261 to run with his 550 soon.

 

[Derrick Sawyer]

Congrats on the new saw, lets be real here, the setup you have is fancy for 99% of the population, just not the 1% here. Most arborists, landscapers, and firewood business here use the 461 and 261 the most in unmodified form and they do great, for the once in while monster trees they have an older 066 or 394 (and of course the 200 or 201t for climbing). I was frustrated with the oiling of my 460 but the 461 i have already had a larger exh port and better oiling

 

[longbowch]

Yes Randy has done two 461's for me, and I have one done by Scott aka Tree Monkey now also.

They rip!

You have hardwood in Colorado? lol

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Didn’t Randy at Mastermind do yours , I’ve seen the video of him cutting with yours. I actually emailed him today and waiting to hear back on if he is willing to do my saw. Yours sounds amazing in his video. All of the things I’ve read about him and his work are exceptional. I haven’t cut with it yet so hopefully he will get back to me soon. Right now I’m actually working 7 days a week so I have time to wait.

Have Randy do up a 261 for you.

Use the 461 for a while until the 261 shows up. Then, if you like the ported saw thing, send the 461 to Scott.

Don't get me wrong, Randy is a totally solid dude. I'd love to do business with him. But how are you gonna wait to use that 461??

 

[JustinSL]

Congrats on the new saw, lets be real here, the setup you have is fancy for 99% of the population, just not the 1% here. Most arborists, landscapers, and firewood business here use the 461 and 261 the most in unmodified form and they do great, for the once in while monster trees they have an older 066 or 394 (and of course the 200 or 201t for climbing). I was frustrated with the oiling of my 460 but the 461 i have already had a larger exh port and better oiling

I agree the 261 , 461 , and 201t will do anything I will need to do and do well at it. I ran the 461 with the 25 inch bar some yesterday and it seemed to oil it ok. A tree fell beside my neighbors house and it broke off about 3 feet up on the stump and was still hanging. I helped get it down on the ground and off the porch roof since he isn’t a saw guy I wanted to get rid of the stuff that was loaded. He runs a ms270 which is fine because he dosent cut much but my 461 put a smile on his face when he tried it.

 

[JustinSL]

Have Randy do up a 261 for you.

Use the 461 for a while until the 261 shows up. Then, if you like the ported saw thing, send the 461 to Scott.

Don't get me wrong, Randy is a totally solid dude. I'd love to do business with him. But how are you gonna wait to use that 461??

Well we’re going to be working a lot of overtime probably 70+ hours a week up until the end of November so unfortunately I won’t have time to cut much. Some of that overtime money will be well spent on some toys. By next spring when the works hopefully slows down a little I’ll be ready to start cutting again.

 

[huskyboy]

I enjoy running a 461. Just a nice behaved saw. I prefer them over the other 1128 series saws I have owned (044/046). They are easier on fuel than them and with just a dp front cover alone, it wakes the saw up nicely. I would invest in a max flo and ho oil pump for sure however. The spikes are a personal preference... but I like the smaller dogs for cutting hardwood.

 

[Gugi47]

I have one 460 and not once ask my self, why anybody modify this saw? With 28" bar and chain work like no other saw I ever have. I just don't need any better then this.
I do some search on this saw and many guys claim that 460 is stronger and better then the 461. I can say that because I never run one. But I will soon.

 

[huskyboy]

I have one 460 and not once ask my self, why anybody modify this saw? With 28" bar and chain work like no other saw I ever have. I just don't need any better then this.
I do some search on this saw and many guys claim that 460 is stronger and better then the 461. I can say that because I never run one. But I will soon.

461 was stronger than my 046 D jug saw both muffler modded, until I further modified the 046. More torque and a little more rpm in the cut along with better fuel efficiency. The standard oiler is the same on both and is stingy with a 28” bar. Ho oiler would be a welcome upgrade.

 

[JustinSL]

461 was stronger than my 046 D jug saw both muffler modded, until I further modified the 046. More torque and a little more rpm in the cut along with better fuel efficiency. The standard oiler is the same on both and is stingy with a 28” bar. Ho oiler would be a welcome upgrade.

I have a high output oiler in backorder right now. Even with my 25” bar it isn’t getting as much oil as I like my saws to get. It seems like a stout saw I’ve only got to put about 2 hours on it in some poplar so I haven’t really got to run it hard yet. This weekend I plan to cut up a red oak that’s around 35-40” that’s been downed by the wind at my dads house and a dead hard maple that’s still standing. So far I have no complaints about the saw and am happy with my purchase.