New Saw Justification

[groundup]

So here's the deal I own only one saw, a ms 310. I want a new one bad, a ms 441 m-tronic to be exact.

I sell firewood, around 30 cords a year @ $180 per cord. My trees range from 12" to 36" in diameter. Oak, locust, beech, cherry, and maple mostly. I typically cut one day a weekend on a friends property when the weather cooperates and not much during the summer when it is too hot. All the wood I cut is free and there is a lot.

Will buying a bigger saw and having a two saw battle plan improve my production speed enough to justify it? Will it even come close?

It really got me leaning last week when I drove 30 minutes and couldn't get my 310 started (bad plug which I fixed when I got home) and lost a lot of time with a bum saw.

I've got the CAD but you know how it goes times are tough, moneys tight, the 310 has always been enough, I've got a 3 month old starting to cry in the other room. Ive got the money to buy it in cash (even sold a nice smith and wesson last week to help justify)

Thoughts?

 

[H 2 H]

My Dad cut firewood with 50cc and 60cc for about 20 years and his last saw was the MS 310

He had a fleet of 50cc (280 and 2x 290) he always had a backup saw with every time he left the house

He had extra starting rope; plugs; filter's (air and fuel); chain; bar's in his tool box in the truck

 

[REJ2]

get it

 

[Circle B MN]

Two saws are a must, at least in my opinion if you are cutting anywhere other than in your front yard. Get one pinched, use the other to free it (or get it pinched too). One no starts, you have the other and don't lose production time. Get the saw, then split some wood a bit smaller and sell it to the summer firepit crowd to help pay for it.

 

[flyboy553]

Coming here and asking for justification to buy a new saw. Isn't that a bit like asking the fox if the henhouse is safe for the chickens??:msp_ohmy:

All joking aside, I do not really think a bigger saw is going to make a "come to Jesus" difference in your production speed. Unless everything your cutting is bigger stuff. Your better to try to find other ways to speed your production, like cutting down on the number of times you have to handle the wood before you sell it. Lots of wasted time if you are handling it a bunch of times.

On the other hand, that 441 would look good sitting on your woodpile, wouldn't it? That kid is crying because you have not bought that saw yet, and the kid wants to inherit that saw when it grows up to oh, I dunno, maybe 14 15 yrs old!

Ted

 

[KiwiBro]

If you can afford to wait for your 310 to be repaired if ever she needs some TLC you can't provide, then I'd say flag the new saw and get your money's worth out of the 310.These barstids on this site will say otherwise but don't fall into their 'keeping America employed' mantra when it's your hard earned money on the line. It's taken me months of therapy to even admit to my compulsive buying spurred on by the consumerism pack mentality herein. I reckon a few more years of therapy, or bankruptcy (whichever comes first) and I'll be able to ignore the new product evangelists around every corner of AS.

Like smoking, the best thing is to not start. She's a slippery slope. You've been warned.

 

[timbrjackrussel]

View attachment 230032 Get a few bigger saws then fill in the blanks. Two 066 Arctics, A MS660, 028, started to fill in with an 038 and another 028. If you have lots of wood then time is the limiting factor.

 

[polkat]

money is always going to be tight with a little one, i have 4 now and i usually have to throw a temper tantrum just to get small stuff for my saws. while i had twins in the other room i thought i am never going afford anything other that forumla and dipers, i used a j-red 2045 to cut wood for my own home i asked my wife if i coud get another saw, asked how much i said 750 she said good luck with that, so i compermised and got 20+ saws now after being here on this site and realised that used saws fit my bill nicely

 

[H 2 H]

If the 310 is getting a little slow put a short block in it and new hoses and filter for about $175

Bailey's - NWP 49mm Short Block for Stihl Chainsaws 029 039 MS290 MS310 MS390

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Get an extra bar and chain for the saw you have and keep the rest in the bank, or spend it on your wife. A young mother probably doesn't need a husband with a new chain saw. A three day weekend somewhere? Doesn't have to cost a lot. Just a thought!

 

[Circle B MN]

Get an extra bar and chain for the saw you have and keep the rest in the bank, or spend it on your wife. A young mother probably doesn't need a husband with a new chain saw. A three day weekend somewhere? Doesn't have to cost a lot. Just a thought!

Who's side are you on anyways....:msp_thumbdn:



j/k

 

[groundup]

Get an extra bar and chain for the saw you have and keep the rest in the bank, or spend it on your wife. A young mother probably doesn't need a husband with a new chain saw. A three day weekend somewhere? Doesn't have to cost a lot. Just a thought!

Thanks my wife was reading over my shoulder as I read you post. She thinks your wife hi jacked your username True words though

 

[Steve2910]

I could never get by with only one. I heat my house & shop w/ wood + sell 10 or so cords a year. I don't usually have the luxury of bringing my firewood operation to the wood, mostly it's get it home & work it up there. That said, down-time from pinched bars, broken recoil ropes, dull chains, & YES even saws that are out of gas is costly to me. When I first got serious about wood, I started out w/ some used Echos, which I bought off of ebay & fixed up for cheap. They served me well, but I am fazing them out & upgrading as I find deals on better saws. Most recently: Dolkita 6401 for $200 & MS460 magnum for $280

 

[sawinredneck]

If you are running firewood and driving at all you do NEED two saws! I drive 100 miles each way for my Oak to sell, I take at least three with me! I figure it cost me $100 to get there and back, I'm bringing something back, at least enough to recoup my gas money! I did the run once and didn't return with anything because I got stuck, that day just flat sucked!
Now in wood as big you are talking, not sure if it's hard or soft, but I'd think about something a bit bigger than a 441, something like a 460 or even a 660 seems more suited to that size wood, but that's neither here nor there, the 441 will do it fine, a bigger one a bit faster. But I do all I can with a 50cc saw anymore, my back likes it better.
If money is tight, look into the used saws, there are deals to be found, maybe even another 310, but if you plan on the wood money for income, I wouldn't do it with one saw! It's fine starting out, but you need to reinvest money to make money.

 

[Iska3]

So here's the deal I own only one saw, a ms 310. I want a new one bad, a ms 441 m-tronic to be exact.

I sell firewood, around 30 cords a year @ $180 per cord. My trees range from 12" to 36" in diameter. Oak, locust, beech, cherry, and maple mostly. I typically cut one day a weekend on a friends property when the weather cooperates and not much during the summer when it is too hot. All the wood I cut is free and there is a lot.

Will buying a bigger saw and having a two saw battle plan improve my production speed enough to justify it? Will it even come close?

It really got me leaning last week when I drove 30 minutes and couldn't get my 310 started (bad plug which I fixed when I got home) and lost a lot of time with a bum saw.

I've got the CAD but you know how it goes times are tough, moneys tight, the 310 has always been enough, I've got a 3 month old starting to cry in the other room. Ive got the money to buy it in cash (even sold a nice smith and wesson last week to help justify)

Thoughts?

If you sold 30 cords of wood last year then why did you sell the S&W to justify a new saw? If you lost your reg job today, would your wood cutting pay the bills and put food on the table? If we had another warm winter like this year, are your sales still going to be there? I'd like a new saw also and I can afford one but with things the way they are and so many without a job, I'm putting the money in a coffee can and holding off for another year.

Sorry to say it but if I had a little one who's 3 months old, I might not be looking at a new saw right now. FYI: My son picked up a use saw for 15.00 at a garage sale and cut 12 cords of oak last fall and 10 cords the year before.

Why not cut for one more year with the saw you now have and save anything ove the 30 cord sales for a new saw.

Sorry but....I think you answered your own question...
I've got the CAD but you know how it goes times are tough, moneys tight, the 310 has always been enough, I've got a 3 month old starting to cry in the other room. Ive got the money to buy it in cash (even sold a nice smith and wesson last week to help justify)

 

[MN Ripper]

Save some $$ and just keep looking for a good used saw. Even a used 441 at that, but maybe an M-tronic showing up used could be far and few between at the moment but how much is that option worth to you as a firewood cutter? Newer, good saws do turn up and with some cash in hand you'll be ready to wheel and deal when the time comes.

 

[PEKS]

All day long..
Buy the 441CM..

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

Want/need?

Done

 

[gregfox]

If you're cuttin trees up to 36" you may come across some in the 40's or bigger. Buy a 660 and you'll never need anything bigger. You already sold the s&w, go buy the new saw:msp_thumbup:

 

[Whitespider]

Justification? You want justification?

Well, retrieval of a “pinched” bar ain’t justification… A second bar and chain will get you out of any “pinch” situation, and give you two choices of bar length.
A “no-start” when you get to the woods ain’t really justification, I normally fill mine with gas and oil, adjust chain, check/clean air filter, and test fire it up before it leaves the shop… besides, a spare spark plug will correct most all “no-start” problems (and you should always have a spare plug along).
A “back-up” saw in case of catastrophic failure is justification… but only if your life, or someone else’s life, depends on it, otherwise that (improbable and rare) failure is just a temporary inconvenience.
Big wood could possibly be justification for a second “larger” saw… but you already said your 310 has handled everything you’ve needed it to do (and I cut bigger wood than that with an 026). Besides, it sounds like you have plenty of access to wood sized appropriate to your saw size.
Really, I don’t see any way for a one-man show to “justify” a second saw… pretty hard to “justify” two saws when you only have one set of arms. How can you “justify” several hundred dollars worth of chainsaw just sitting on the tailgate looking angry?

So forget about “justification”… it just ain’t there. It all comes down to “want”… and if your family finances can withstand the cash depletion. I will tell you this, there’s lots of stuff I “want” and would own if I didn’t have a wife and kids to support… it’s that whole “time-to-grow-up” thing. Yep, kind’a sucks at times… but we all make our own choices.


Oh... and there's no way in hell I would have sold the Smith & Wesson...