MS660 or MS661

[turboaudi80]

Hi Folks, I'm sure this has been debated on a number of threads before, but I'm looking for some advice.

I have an old Homelite 1050 Super that I have done some milling with. It's nasty, old and fun, but I'd like to upgrade to something more modern, and more reliable and user friendly. The recoil kinda sucks and no decomp can be less than fun at times. No chain brake doesn't seem like a big deal milling, but for bucking it seems like a smart feature to have. I'm considering either a 660 or 661. I would also like to be able to use the saw for occasional large tree felling and bucking, but not regular (not even close to pro use). I have a MS462 and a 260 that i use fairly often. There are used 660s around in the $600-900 range and 661's typically go for $900-1400. I also wonder about a 660 with a big bore upgrade. On paper, it seems like the 660 is the bang for the buck, but not having run either, I don't know what I don't know. The longer stroke of the 660 would make me think it might have a little better torque than the 661, but I'm not a 2 stroke guy. Chainsaws don't advertise enough detail specs to see what the torque/hp curves look like.

Just to stir up a hornets nest, I would also consider a 395XP, but I like the the Stihl bar tensioning set up and then I'd have to buy new hats. Also, the option to move bars between the 462 and the 66X sounds nice for shorter bars in the 25-28" range for bucking.

I live in Mass and have woodland in Maine so mostly cutting hardwood for firewood, but milling could be either softwood or hardwood.

As always, any wisdom is appreciated.

 

[ElevatorGuy]

The only thing better than grabbing a new 661c from your local dealer would be having one of the great builders on here port a new one for you.

 

[NSEric]

The 395 has more balls and is better for milling than a 660 or 661.
You can put a stihl bar on a husky very easily with a small spacer so dont worry about that.
I'd take the 660 over the 661 for milling and some bucking because it's cheaper and easier to get parts for if it ever breaks. The 661 is better for a big work saw falling trees but no better on a mill.
You have to do a bunch of porting to the big bore on a 660 to make it as good as a stock size one with next to nothing done to it, forget about big bores, most are down grades. The problem is you lose transfer size and shape when you bore a 2 stroke out which cancels out the gain from more cc.

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

Ms660 clone for 300.00$ is what I'd suggest for milling. They are pretty much solid from the 2 top sellers and are great for the non-pro use.
It is true that a 395xp has more grunt , but that damn front tensioner is a PITA when hooked to a mill, and the external clutch.
The 660 has a HUGE aftermarket support and even if you find a crushed one in a scrap yard you could rebuild the plastics for pennies compared to OEM.

Scrapyard find , probably 150.00$ in aftermarket parts.
Original cylinder,piston ,bottom end , and a Bing carburetor that I found in a shops scrap pile.

 

[thompsoncustom]

Ya I'd take the 660 over the 661 but the 395xp will have more torque than both and that's what you want for milling.

 

[huskihl]

661 is better all around for power than a 660 would be. If I wanted a saw for a mill though, I would get a 395. External clutch and near double the oil output along with an adjustable carburetor. And a better air filter system

 

[turboaudi80]

I decided to give one of the clones a try. At $350 if it sucks then I'll go back on the hunt for an OEM saw. All the used 660 saws around me are either beat or claim to have "expertly installed" big bore "upgrades" and the the nice used 661's are in the $1200-1400 range. Since this is really a hobby project I'm going to be frugal for now.

My next decision is what bar/chain to buy. I'm running a 36" bar with .404 chain on the 1050, and that seems to work pretty well. I know the 66x's typically run 3/8 chain, but I see .404 bars available. I'm thinking .404/.063 will be more durable for milling, and the .404 sprockets appear to be cheap and readily available. Any good reason not to go with .404?

 

[NSEric]

Nice.
I like my clone 660, the only reason I have a saw that big is it's a clone and cheap.
I bet you could put the 404 bar/chain from the homelite on the 660 with a new hole drilled in it for the oiler. The .404 sprockets are easy to get, my neotech came with one.

 

[SS396driver]

I modified the mill to adjust the chain on the 395xp . I’ve been very happy with its performance
Works perfectly

 

[turboaudi80]

Nice.
I like my clone 660, the only reason I have a saw that big is it's a clone and cheap.
I bet you could put the 404 bar/chain from the homelite on the 660 with a new hole drilled in it for the oiler. The .404 sprockets are easy to get, my neotech came with one.

I considered modifying the homelite bar to fit the stihl, but I would have to mill the slot larger and then I couldn't use it on the homelite without making an adapter. I would also have to have one drive link taken out of the chains. I think I'll just keep it working as is. It would be fun to find a big log to run both saws side by side just for comparison. I'm not sure if I'll keep the homelite. I have a PS7900 that i'm not running much these days that I will probably sell to cover the cost of the clone and the new bar.