RhoRidge
New Member
Greetings all. First off, new member. Been doing a ton of research on buying a new saw & have spent a lot of time surfing this site. Figured I might as well join up & get the full benefits.
A little background that leads to my question. I'm gonna be 52 this year & am currently reclaiming 8+ acres of heavily wooded land that was sorely neglected for the last 20 years by the previous owners. I got my start running chainsaws way back in high school when I spent the Summers working for the Parks Department in my small hometown. We mostly were taking down diseased Cottonwoods & trimming trees that were encroaching on power lines. I spent most of my time aloft working in the bucket but did run a 36" bar when it came to dropping the tree. That saw was a monster but I never had a problem running it. I have no idea what we were running as far as bar length on our 'normal' saws as it wasn't important or meaningful to me then but my best guess was either 16" or 20". Certainly nothing smaller.
Fast forward to today. I've currently been running an Echo CS-306 with a 14" bar. If was recommended to me by our local dealer who handles both Stihl & Echo. He said Echo's were good for small stuff but you need to move up to a Stihl when starting to get in to the bigger timber. So far he's been right on the money. I've used that Echo for a lot of limbing plus have dropped quite a few trees with it. Basically I've run the crap out of it in both Summer & Winter and haven't been able to kill it. Plus it's a great saw for cutting in small confined areas; like up on a small dirt ledge when clearing fence line; as it's so small, light, & maneuverable. Never fails to start on the second pull & spends it's time bouncing around in the bed of the pickup when not in use.
Now it's time to get a new saw (plus a good excuse) as I'm getting in to the bigger stuff. After a lot of research; lot's of it here and thanks for all the great info & opinions; I've decided to pull the trigger on a Stihl MS 362. Like a lot of folks, I did a lot of wavering back and forth between the 391 & 362. The 362 won out for the weight savings; a pound is a pound is a pound & adds up after working all day; the better power band, & the better build quality. Plus I wanted something I could run up to a 25" bar on if the situation called for it. I always try to buy the best I can afford; if justified; & for a $150 more over the 391, the 362 just makes plain good sense. Over the life of the saw that extra $150 will prove to be negligible. Plus I fully expect to be using this saw when I'm in my 70's. So I aim to get something I'm gonna get my moneys worth. This is gonna be my first Stihl and I expect it will out last me based on their reputation for putting out a quality product.
Now to the crux of my dilemma after all this babbling on. I apologize if this question has been asked elsewhere in another thread and if so, kindly point me in that direction and I'll get outta your hair. The question is what length of bar should I be running on a 362 for day to day work? I'm a big guy; 6'4" 255 lbs. I was planning on running a 20" bar for everyday work & throwing on a 25" bar when the job demanded. I've seen sporadic references in various threads while researching which model Stihl to buy that indicate a longer bar will benefit a taller user by reducing operator fatigue throughout the day.
So I'd like to get some informed input as to whether I should be running a 20 or 25 inch bar for day to day use; based on my height; for optimal usage & comfort. I know it's prudent and has always been my own personal policy to run the smallest bar that will adequately & safely get the job done. Any and all opinions are welcome. I'm especially interested in hearing from you out there who are in the 6 foot plus category in the height department.
Thanks so much for running such a beneficial site. I've been trolling up & down here for the last month doing research & have found a lot of good, relevant info when it came down to isolating the Stihl model that would best suit my needs & wallet. Can't wait to get my 362 & put it to some wood. Thanks again.
A little background that leads to my question. I'm gonna be 52 this year & am currently reclaiming 8+ acres of heavily wooded land that was sorely neglected for the last 20 years by the previous owners. I got my start running chainsaws way back in high school when I spent the Summers working for the Parks Department in my small hometown. We mostly were taking down diseased Cottonwoods & trimming trees that were encroaching on power lines. I spent most of my time aloft working in the bucket but did run a 36" bar when it came to dropping the tree. That saw was a monster but I never had a problem running it. I have no idea what we were running as far as bar length on our 'normal' saws as it wasn't important or meaningful to me then but my best guess was either 16" or 20". Certainly nothing smaller.
Fast forward to today. I've currently been running an Echo CS-306 with a 14" bar. If was recommended to me by our local dealer who handles both Stihl & Echo. He said Echo's were good for small stuff but you need to move up to a Stihl when starting to get in to the bigger timber. So far he's been right on the money. I've used that Echo for a lot of limbing plus have dropped quite a few trees with it. Basically I've run the crap out of it in both Summer & Winter and haven't been able to kill it. Plus it's a great saw for cutting in small confined areas; like up on a small dirt ledge when clearing fence line; as it's so small, light, & maneuverable. Never fails to start on the second pull & spends it's time bouncing around in the bed of the pickup when not in use.
Now it's time to get a new saw (plus a good excuse) as I'm getting in to the bigger stuff. After a lot of research; lot's of it here and thanks for all the great info & opinions; I've decided to pull the trigger on a Stihl MS 362. Like a lot of folks, I did a lot of wavering back and forth between the 391 & 362. The 362 won out for the weight savings; a pound is a pound is a pound & adds up after working all day; the better power band, & the better build quality. Plus I wanted something I could run up to a 25" bar on if the situation called for it. I always try to buy the best I can afford; if justified; & for a $150 more over the 391, the 362 just makes plain good sense. Over the life of the saw that extra $150 will prove to be negligible. Plus I fully expect to be using this saw when I'm in my 70's. So I aim to get something I'm gonna get my moneys worth. This is gonna be my first Stihl and I expect it will out last me based on their reputation for putting out a quality product.
Now to the crux of my dilemma after all this babbling on. I apologize if this question has been asked elsewhere in another thread and if so, kindly point me in that direction and I'll get outta your hair. The question is what length of bar should I be running on a 362 for day to day work? I'm a big guy; 6'4" 255 lbs. I was planning on running a 20" bar for everyday work & throwing on a 25" bar when the job demanded. I've seen sporadic references in various threads while researching which model Stihl to buy that indicate a longer bar will benefit a taller user by reducing operator fatigue throughout the day.
So I'd like to get some informed input as to whether I should be running a 20 or 25 inch bar for day to day use; based on my height; for optimal usage & comfort. I know it's prudent and has always been my own personal policy to run the smallest bar that will adequately & safely get the job done. Any and all opinions are welcome. I'm especially interested in hearing from you out there who are in the 6 foot plus category in the height department.
Thanks so much for running such a beneficial site. I've been trolling up & down here for the last month doing research & have found a lot of good, relevant info when it came down to isolating the Stihl model that would best suit my needs & wallet. Can't wait to get my 362 & put it to some wood. Thanks again.
