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

[drinkwater]

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.

Haha - yeah, I haven't been doing any of this by myself.

I mean, I'm as stupid as the next guy, but at least two of the trees we've cut were over 30" in diameter and over 100' tall. Every tree we cut was within 100' of my house (most were within 20'). Two trees were completely dead. And they all have big, dead branches. I couldn't summon enough stupid to go at this alone, without someone who knew what they were doing.

Luckily, I'm from the mountains of PA. I know a lot of loggers (although I swear we didn't have trees this tall in the ANF).

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Haha - yeah, I haven't been doing any of this by myself.

I mean, I'm as stupid as the next guy, but at least two of the trees we've cut were over 30" in diameter and over 100' tall. Every tree we cut was within 100' of my house (most were within 20'). Two trees were completely dead. And they all have big, dead branches. I couldn't summon enough stupid to go at this alone, without someone who knew what they were doing.

Luckily, I'm from the mountains of PA. I know a lot of loggers (although I swear we didn't have trees this tall in the ANF).

Excellent. What do those guys run for saws? There's several good saws that will do what you want, but dealer support is very nice to have. Those guys will have a better idea of which saws are better supported than we will.

 

[drinkwater]

The two guys that were helping me both had Husqvarna saws, but they're both from NW PA. We have a pretty good Stihl dealer right up the road from me, and I like the 026 that I have, so that's why I'm in inclined to stick with a Stihl.

 

[BangBang77]

I have both the 460 and the 461 - both have open front OEM mufflers and enlarged side ports and I changed the 461 coil out for an unlimited coil. There doesn't seem to be a difference in power between the two. The 461 has a slightly faster acceleration than the 460 but both are fast, strong saws.

The only difference I've found between the two are the vibrations. The 461 is definitely a smoother feeling saw, whereas the 460 exhibits a different feel in terms of vibes. I prefer the 461 feel, but the 460 doesn't bother me. I also run 026s, 360s, and a Tree Monkey 066.

You can't go wrong with either one in my opinion. I don't have personal experience with the 046, but I would assume performance would be similar to the 460/461.

I run them both with a 24" bar but they can handle a 28" or 32". If I'm cutting something that big though, I break out the TM 066.

 

[BangBang77]

Just my opinion, but the 461 is one of the greatest saws Stihl ever made.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

30'' trees mean more CC more happy. A good starting point starts at 80 CC my two pennies. Thanks

 

[Ted Jenkins]

Do you mean 261 as a small saw?

My smallest saw is a 372 XP which will cut a 24'' log but not well. I get many 30'' Oak logs which works well with a 661. As I said I know that in different areas some have larger tees than others. I think a 70CC saw should be the smallest any one should consider. Thanks

 

[sawfun]

Opening up the exhaust on my stock 372 really helped. After I got it ported, it pulls a 36" bar very well. Unless you regularly cut 30" or larger wood, I'd skip the 660/661. Having owned an 046, 460, 064, and 066's, the 046 & 064 might be your best choice. The 064 will oil a longer bar better. Still if you get your 371 ported, you will basically have a fresh saw that is lightweight and the best of both worlds that you are familiar with, oh yeah, that 371 will oil a 36" bar just fine.