AmateurSawer
ArboristSite Operative
Thanks for all replies.I'm going to look into rebuilding my 026 and save some money.Maybe later,I'll pick up a 250 or 251 just because.Might find a good one for sale.
Ms 250 Experience please
- Thread starter AmateurSawer
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
If you rebuild your Stihl 026 and it performs well, there will be no need to buy either a 250 or a 251. The only reason I ever bought a 251 was to help out a widow who lost her husband to a heart attack and needed money to bury him. It's a sad tale but true.
drf255
BAD CAD
Have your 026 redone and hopped up. You won’t be disappointed. For around $400, you could have it ported, new bearings and reassembled to cut for another 20 years.
The 241/261 are nice saws, but the 026 is super small and powerful, has no computer to make you scratch your head, and it’s easy to work on. In fact, a 261 is physically bigger than an 036 which will beat its ass. Yes, the 261 is lighter, but the 036 is still a comfy weight for all day work.
See if a 261 will do this with a 28” 3/8” chain.
FIXED!!!!I'm hoping to pick up my new MS-241C-MAGNUM within a day or so.
Gonna go get it tomorrow.
I’m in the market for another 025/ms250! So would that info be available fer that ms250 you’re talkin about? That is if you know fer sure you’re not going to buy it! And if shippin isn’t an issue!
Ok, thanks!
Ok, thanks!
For just plain old firewood cutting a 250 is hard to beat. I'd actually prefer rebuilding an 025 to an 026 if I was gonna change the crank seals also. On the 025 you can even buy a new engine and it's not too expensive..
BTDT. I rebuilt a Stihl o25 two years ago with a new top end and also replaced the crank seals. The saw runs today as if it were brand new. The owner really likes this saw that she bought from me. I would likely have kept it, but I already owned a pair of Sthl 026 PROs that both run well.
Same here. I have an 025 and an 026. Generally when cutting little stuff which is mostly what I do I grab the 025. It really buzzes through the wood with it's 3/8 LP chain...
BuckNasty
ArboristSite Lurker
There is a sale going on now MS250 for $299 at my local dealer. I have been reading these posts trying to figure out what saw to buy for firewood cutting. That price is tempting... my dealer is steering me towards the husky 450 though, he’s not a fan of the homeowner grade Stihl saws...
Does that Husq 450 have a primer bulb?
What’s the weight difference?
How much wood are you gonna be cuttin?
Welcome to AS @BuckNasty. Not a bad price for the 250. depends on how much you are cutting.
The 025-250 is a better saw than it's supposed to be. I have the MS362CM and the 025. The 025 gets a lot of use.
ThackMan
ArboristSite Operative
I really like the Husky 450. 2+ years on one with no issues yet.
Also I’ve run my friends ms250 and the husky has a bit more power.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Also I’ve run my friends ms250 and the husky has a bit more power.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
BuckNasty
ArboristSite Lurker
Husky 450 is slightly heavier than the 250... 10.8 lbs with an 18” bar. It does have a primer bulb. I have owned a Stihl 028 a long time ago, an old echo 500 VL and have used Husky’s working clearing in Maine. They all worked great.... I’m not overly concerned with the brand, I just want the best bang for my buck with a 50ish cc saw for cutting 2-3 cords per year....
I also like the sounds of the echo 490 or 501p.But the 501p is a little pricey for my budget.
BuckNasty
ArboristSite Lurker
Yeah it looks like a solid option. The dealer quoted me $380 for the 450. Another local Husky dealer wants to sell me the 455 rancher but I can’t see that the extra weight/expense is worth the 5 more cc engine.
BuckNasty
ArboristSite Lurker
I am tempted to buy the ms250 because of the sale price... not sure if it will be powerful enough for bucking the occasional oak logs.... altihiugh I would love to own two saws, in reality I will only have one all arounder.
Trust me, it will cut all the oak you can feed it.
I’ve cut ALL spring and ALL summer this year several times a weeks!
I’ve cut, I guess around 15-20 cords so far! I’ve drug around 200 trees and tree tops over to my place from where the neighbors have logged and are gonna doze everything up and burn it to turn it into farm land!
So I may end up with maybe 300-400 Rick!
99.999% hardwoods!
•Red & White Oak
•Hickory (lots of Hickory)
•Beech
•Wild Cherry
•Ash
•Mullberry
• a few trees of other varieties
It’s all been done with either my 025 (That I’ve had since the late 90’s), or my ms250! (Both mmodded and limitar caps removed) 16” bars!
They can handle the “occasional” oak!
The Oak is a pleasure to cut compared to the Hickory!
I dropped a big Black Gum fer a neighbor cpl months ago and cut it up! About 30” trunk!
The average thickness of these trees..well my bar tip just barely sticks out the other side on most of these!
But keep the chain sharp and in tune and you’ll be fine! Especially with the mmod they cut like a scared haint!
Plus they’re light weight! (Very important to this almost 58 yr old!)
I’ve had to replace the chain sprocket and bearing on one, so did that on both!
If you are doing ANY cuttin in the woods you definitely need two saws! You WILL pinch your bar and have to use the other one to cut it out! Garunteed!
I have an Echo 600p that I really like, and that I would use on the bigger stuff but it’s been an ordeal tryin to get it goin this year! But I don’t hesitate at all to use the ms250 on anything! (Granted bigger saws will cut faster on the big stuff!) (and I want yo get a smaller one to cut away everything arm size and down! An ms170 or maybe the ms193ce) ((super light))
I’m not necassarily a brand snob! But I have plenty of extra parts that I ordered fer the Stihl ms250’s and I want to get one more 025/ms250 just in case I get someone to help me, to make sure there’s always one’er two runnin!
I do recommend doing the mmod though (which on these saws only consists of taking off the spark arrester screen and leaving off the baffle! (I guess you can do some drilling too if you want!) Makes a nice difference! Deffinitly need to take off the limiter caps if you do though, so you can richen up the settings!
But I think all you have to do is punch out the little metal tab that is in between the H and L screws so the caps “stops” don’t catch on it!
But even if you don’t do that I think you’ll be fine!
Too bad you don’t know someone who has one you can run fer a bit!
AmateurSawer
ArboristSite Operative
Update:
I bought a new 250 on Friday.I had borrowed one from a friend and liked it a lot.When I went in the shop, the counter man asked if he could help.I replied I was looking into buying a 250.I then proceeded to the display and picked up a 250 and a 251.Looked over the 250 and started looking at the 251 since I hadn't seen one up close.
The counterman said if I wanted his advice,set the 251 back on the shelf and get the 250.That sealed the deal.I left with it,a six pack of mix and an extra 26RS68 chain.
Still plan on rebuilding the old 026 someday.
I bought a new 250 on Friday.I had borrowed one from a friend and liked it a lot.When I went in the shop, the counter man asked if he could help.I replied I was looking into buying a 250.I then proceeded to the display and picked up a 250 and a 251.Looked over the 250 and started looking at the 251 since I hadn't seen one up close.
The counterman said if I wanted his advice,set the 251 back on the shelf and get the 250.That sealed the deal.I left with it,a six pack of mix and an extra 26RS68 chain.
Still plan on rebuilding the old 026 someday.
Congratulations. You have a good saw there that with reasonable care will last you a long time.
