Stihl for "biggish" trees? 046/460/461?

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drinkwater

ArboristSite Lurker
Joined
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Messages
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Location
Pa
Hi everyone,

I'm a new site member and I'm looking for a recommendation for a used saw that can run a 24" or longer bar for felling some large trees. I kind of think I want a Stihl, but I"m not sure what the best choice for me would be.

Here's some background on me and my situation:

I'm fairly new to chainsaws in general. Well, not completely "new" - when I was a kid, we heated our house with a wood burner, and every fall I was out there bucking logs, splitting them, stacking them, restocking them in the basement, etc. But I was just teenager and ran whatever chainsaws the old man had. He had quite a few. All I remember about them is that they were mostly orange and seemed heavy as hell (this would have been the early 90s, I was a scrawny teenager who didn't play any sports and probably weighed around 150 soaking wet, so "heavy" may be relative). BUT... I know more or less how to run a chainsaw. Also, this was in the mountains of NW/central PA.

I recently bought a home in SE PA (Chester County) that is heavily wooded. And by "heavily wooded", I mean, "the house is invisible in aerial photos because there are so many trees around the house." They're everywhere. We have almost no yard. I'm surprised there are no trees INSIDE the house. We've already had a car window shattered by a falling branch.

So far I've cut nine trees, mainly so we can park our cars. Most of them have been Poplar and over 100 feet tall. There are other trees mixed in - mostly oak and maple, but there's a little bit of everything.

I've only ever owned one chainsaw - a newish Husqvarna home-gamer little saw, maybe a 240? Anyway, it sucks. Barely runs, etc. BUT... the previous owners of the house left me a Stihl 026, which after a good cleaning, replacing the fuel and air filter, and adjusting the carb, runs great. I actually love the thing - 16" bar, starts easily, cuts the heck out of anything. At first I was disappointed because it seemed only slightly larger than my crappy little Husqvarna, but wow... I had no idea. Great saw.

But the trees I'm cutting are not 16" bar sized. There are some smaller ones that the 026 can handle, but most of them are well over 16" in diameter. I think the biggest one I cut so far was around 34" in diameter, and that was measuring three feet up.

As of right now I'm using my old man's Husqvarna 371xp with a 24" bar for the bigger trees. But we live about 4.5 hours apart and it's almost fall, and he's going to need his saw back. So I need something to take it's place.

The question is - WHAT?

The 371xp is a nice saw, but honestly, it didn't love being buried in a 33" poplar tree. Granted, there are plenty of smaller trees, but there are quite a few larger ones that still need to be cut. Seeing as I have the 026, I think I need to get something on the "big" side for my second saw. If I stick with Stihl, would an 046/460/461/462 fit the bill for me, or should I step up to the next size, like a 661?

It looks like the 046 series of saws can go up to a 28" bar. The 661 can go up to 32". And then there's the 500i, which apparently can take a 36" bar??? BUT... I'm not really looking to buy a brand new saw. The 462 with a 28" bar retails for $1149.95, which is quite a lot of money. I'd love to find something for, say, half of that?

Sorry for being so long-winded, just trying to give a background on what I'm doing and what kind of advice I'm looking for.

SO - what used saw(s) should I be on the lookout for?
 
064s are a nice saw, weight to power is tough to beat. I’ve got an ms460, which handles a 25” bar buried in hardwood just fine and can be found for a nice discount over buying new.
 
Your in the right track with the 046/460/461. They can handle a 32” bar. The 660/661 can run up to 36” bar.. keep checking CL and marketing place and you might find one for a decent price.
 
Clean 064 that has been gone through for 600 bucks is the ticket IMO. If you want a newer saw you should be able to find a 661 in similar condition for that price as well.
 
I'm just outside of Downingtown.

So no issues buying from that guy in Hungary? That's... amazing. Future and all, I guess.

I'm trying to find some more info on the 064, it appears to be a slightly smaller predecessor to the 066, 660/661 series saws? 85cc?
 
No problems from buying from him. Shipping is faster from there than within CONUS, too.

I would get 046-sized saw for your next one before I went to 661 sized. You’ll get more opportunities to run the 046-class machine than the bigger 661 platform. Buy a 18-20” and 28” bar and have a super versatile combo!
 
I'm just outside of Downingtown.

So no issues buying from that guy in Hungary? That's... amazing. Future and all, I guess.

I'm trying to find some more info on the 064, it appears to be a slightly smaller predecessor to the 066, 660/661 series saws? 85cc?

064 lots in common with 066, but light as a 046 with more power. Bore is 2mm smaller than 066.

An OEM 066 cyl can be made to fit, but not a bolt on
 
Unless your Poplar's are WAY denser and harder than the ones that grow here- the 371 should not hesitate eating them for breakfast.
Maybe the chain teeth and rakers need some attention.
046/460/461 are all in the same ballpark as mentioned above, any of the three (or the 371) will handle a 24-28" B&C in most anything you care to throw them at and could run up to a 32" combo in softer stuff if you do your part with the files.
 
Hi everyone,

I'm a new site member and I'm looking for a recommendation for a used saw that can run a 24" or longer bar for felling some large trees. I kind of think I want a Stihl, but I"m not sure what the best choice for me would be.

Here's some background on me and my situation:

I'm fairly new to chainsaws in general. Well, not completely "new" - when I was a kid, we heated our house with a wood burner, and every fall I was out there bucking logs, splitting them, stacking them, restocking them in the basement, etc. But I was just teenager and ran whatever chainsaws the old man had. He had quite a few. All I remember about them is that they were mostly orange and seemed heavy as hell (this would have been the early 90s, I was a scrawny teenager who didn't play any sports and probably weighed around 150 soaking wet, so "heavy" may be relative). BUT... I know more or less how to run a chainsaw. Also, this was in the mountains of NW/central PA.

I recently bought a home in SE PA (Chester County) that is heavily wooded. And by "heavily wooded", I mean, "the house is invisible in aerial photos because there are so many trees around the house." They're everywhere. We have almost no yard. I'm surprised there are no trees INSIDE the house. We've already had a car window shattered by a falling branch.

So far I've cut nine trees, mainly so we can park our cars. Most of them have been Poplar and over 100 feet tall. There are other trees mixed in - mostly oak and maple, but there's a little bit of everything.

I've only ever owned one chainsaw - a newish Husqvarna home-gamer little saw, maybe a 240? Anyway, it sucks. Barely runs, etc. BUT... the previous owners of the house left me a Stihl 026, which after a good cleaning, replacing the fuel and air filter, and adjusting the carb, runs great. I actually love the thing - 16" bar, starts easily, cuts the heck out of anything. At first I was disappointed because it seemed only slightly larger than my crappy little Husqvarna, but wow... I had no idea. Great saw.

But the trees I'm cutting are not 16" bar sized. There are some smaller ones that the 026 can handle, but most of them are well over 16" in diameter. I think the biggest one I cut so far was around 34" in diameter, and that was measuring three feet up.

As of right now I'm using my old man's Husqvarna 371xp with a 24" bar for the bigger trees. But we live about 4.5 hours apart and it's almost fall, and he's going to need his saw back. So I need something to take it's place.

The question is - WHAT?

The 371xp is a nice saw, but honestly, it didn't love being buried in a 33" poplar tree. Granted, there are plenty of smaller trees, but there are quite a few larger ones that still need to be cut. Seeing as I have the 026, I think I need to get something on the "big" side for my second saw. If I stick with Stihl, would an 046/460/461/462 fit the bill for me, or should I step up to the next size, like a 661?

It looks like the 046 series of saws can go up to a 28" bar. The 661 can go up to 32". And then there's the 500i, which apparently can take a 36" bar??? BUT... I'm not really looking to buy a brand new saw. The 462 with a 28" bar retails for $1149.95, which is quite a lot of money. I'd love to find something for, say, half of that?

Sorry for being so long-winded, just trying to give a background on what I'm doing and what kind of advice I'm looking for.

SO - what used saw(s) should I be on the lookout for?

For a small saw the 661 is awesome. It works well for trimming and it can still go through a tree in a pinch. If your biggest tree is 30'' then the 661 can handle that well. I have an array of saws , but having a few to choose from is very helpful. I remember starting with just one as it is a learning curve. Thanks
 
For a small saw the 661 is awesome. It works well for trimming and it can still go through a tree in a pinch. If your biggest tree is 30'' then the 661 can handle that well. I have an array of saws , but having a few to choose from is very helpful. I remember starting with just one as it is a learning curve. Thanks
Do you mean 261 as a small saw?
 
Do you mean 261 as a small saw?

We all are not on the same page here as a Sthil 661 is not a large saw. It is under a 100 CC. When I have major limbing to do the branches are often a foot or more so a 261 would definitely struggle with high density branches. When I start a saw I want the wood cut already. For those who live where there are smallish trees then that is a completely different matter. When I worked in Germany I do not remember seeing anything larger than 16'' so a 661 might be a bit over kill. For me I prefer every thing much over kill. A good Stihl 661 might be just right for smaller trees in that it is a small saw that is versatile. Thanks
 
Unless your Poplar's are WAY denser and harder than the ones that grow here- the 371 should not hesitate eating them for breakfast.
Maybe the chain teeth and rakers need some attention.
046/460/461 are all in the same ballpark as mentioned above, any of the three (or the 371) will handle a 24-28" B&C in most anything you care to throw them at and could run up to a 32" combo in softer stuff if you do your part with the files.

I'm new to all of this, so the 371 might just need a bit of (better) sharpening. It also seems to be running a bit off. It wasn't a problem until we were cutting a tree that was roughly 34" in diameter. It cut it, but it struggled a little bit with the 24" bar buried in there. The main thing with the 371 is that it isn't my saw and I can't hang on to it forever.

For a small saw the 661 is awesome. It works well for trimming and it can still go through a tree in a pinch. If your biggest tree is 30'' then the 661 can handle that well. I have an array of saws , but having a few to choose from is very helpful. I remember starting with just one as it is a learning curve. Thanks

If the 661 is a small saw that's good for trimming, what does that make my 026?

Do you mean 261 as a small saw?

We all are not on the same page here as a Sthil 661 is not a large saw. It is under a 100 CC. When I have major limbing to do the branches are often a foot or more so a 261 would definitely struggle with high density branches. When I start a saw I want the wood cut already. For those who live where there are smallish trees then that is a completely different matter. When I worked in Germany I do not remember seeing anything larger than 16'' so a 661 might be a bit over kill. For me I prefer every thing much over kill. A good Stihl 661 might be just right for smaller trees in that it is a small saw that is versatile. Thanks

I was about to ask where you were from, but I see that you're way out west. I don't envy your trees, but I hear that you can get a good cherry pie out there.
 
I'm new to all of this, so the 371 might just need a bit of (better) sharpening. It also seems to be running a bit off. It wasn't a problem until we were cutting a tree that was roughly 34" in diameter. It cut it, but it struggled a little bit with the 24" bar buried in there. The main thing with the 371 is that it isn't my saw and I can't hang on to it forever. If the 661 is a small saw that's good for trimming, what does that make my 026? I was about to ask where you were from, but I see that you're way out west. I don't envy your trees, but I hear that you can get a good cherry pie out there.

I think you have it wrong. What ever saw You buy will be a great start. You might use it for ten years with a big smile or wish you could super charge a Stihl 661. The math says go figure the average tree you will be cutting. If your trees are going to be 12'' to 18'' then 50 to 60 CC will work. If your trees are 14'' to 20'' then 70 to 90 CC or if the trees are 18'' to 60'' like here then big and bigger. I like my 372XP for all around trimming. Many times I do not use a large saw to fall because many trees take a little finesse and not always in a hurry. When the tree is down different story I expect that I will get four to six cords done quick or less than a day. Thanks
 
I'll chime in here to say that if you're new to running saws as an adult, you should try as hard as you can to find a knowledgeable professional to learn from. What you're undertaking is seriously dangerous work. Work that kills people who have had years of experience and countless hours of safety training. See if you can find any members here who are on your area and who do tree work regularly. You're at a point where you can avoid developing some bad habits. Also, be sure to include some chaps and a hard hat in your budget at the very least. Beyond that, if I were you, I'd look for a 460/461 Stihl or 372/572 or 390 Husqvarna.
 
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