Stihl MS271

[Spectre468]

Sorry about your personal bad experience, but most of the evidence out there supports that in general the Pro level saws out perform and out last the other ones. In addition, the M-Tronic/Auto Tune saws are in a whole new category. I stand by my original recommendation, but the decision is yours. The way I look at it, you can only cut with one saw at a time, may as well be a great one. For cutting over 10 cords a year, the increased productivity would be well worth it. The pro saws also have better air filters, chain lubrication, etc. and are lighter and cut faster. M-Tronic will also remove a lot of headaches.

I appreciate your suggestions. My go-to saw for most things is my 029 Super with a 16" bar that is pushing 15 years old, followed by my 390 for the bigger stuff. As far as using one saw at a time, you are right, but I usually take at least 3 saws when we are out cutting, and rotate between them so they don't get too hot. Some years we are cutting in 104'F temps. Thank you USFS for your wonderful cutting schedule! I've been pretty happy with my saws and the way they perform and have held up, despite not being "pro" saws. And, I am only too well aware of the old saying that two is one and one is none. This is why I have a rule to always have back ups to important stuff. The only exception to this rule is my Wife.opcorn:

 

[MustangMike]

What ever works for you and your circumstances is good. I only have the two saws, so I do like having a backup, but I can use either one for just about anything and run them hard all day long (the 044 has even spent a good amount of time ripping logs into posts & beams).

Good Luck with your cutting.

 

[Spectre468]

What ever works for you and your circumstances is good. I only have the two saws, so I do like having a backup, but I can use either one for just about anything and run them hard all day long (the 044 has even spent a good amount of time ripping logs into posts & beams).

Good Luck with your cutting.

Thanks! And thanks also for you input. I do appreciate it, and I certainly see your point.

 

[cedarshark]

I think these threads that berate homeowner saws as opposed to the pro series saw are entertaining but rarely very useful. I had the occsasion last year to contract a land clearing service to cut blueberry cedar that covered overed 70% of a 200 acre pasture. The contractor showed up with a trailer that was loaded with 20 MS290's in a rack on the trailer along with a workbench,compressed air and a full set of tools and spare parts. A van arrived with 10 people. One guy was responsible for fueling and oiling the saws. The trailer was pulled into a central location, the remaining 9 got a saw off the rack and started cutting. When a saw ran out of gas, it was returned to the trailer, blown off with compressed air, air filter cleaned, chain inspected and resharpened if required. The sawyer got a freshly fueled one with a sharp chain off the rack. I was amazed that a situation that should have called for "pro grade saws" was profitable using homeowner equipment. It was simple...and the service owner explained. He grew up cutting cedar, went to college and had his degree in ranch mgt. His lowest calculated cost per hour to operate a saw was with the 290. 260's were tried for a time period and the hourly cost was higher. He gets about 4 yrs out of a 290 running it 8 hrs a day in horrible heat and dirty,rocky conditions. I suspect he beats a saw to death in that time period in those conditions.

Having said the above, I pulled down and replaced the piston in 2 saws last week, an old 028 and a fairly new MS280, which is the clamshell version of the 028. The job went quicker and more enjoyable on the 028. The 280 clamshell cylinder is deeper and much more difficult to clean if you have aluminum deposits to clean. My hands were a bloody mess when that 280 cyl was done. The 280 is the more enjoyable saw to run,much smoother and less vibration. I am amazed at the condition that some of the older saws retain after 30 years and I suspect the newer plastic saws will not age as welll. But will the homeowner saw serve most people well ? Most definitely if cleaned and maintained responsibly.

 

[Spectre468]

I would tend to agree that bashing threads are counter-productive. I may have a different opinion once I get my pro saw up and running correctly, but I still think that I would not have had this sort of problem with such a great saw, had there not been some underlying issue with it from the factory or dealer.

 

[MustangMike]

I guess if I were hiring other people to run my saw I would not care if it was a little heavy, and the speed may matter more depending on what you are cutting. But if I can take a lighter saw and cut faster and get the work done sooner, well, I value my time. Ripping a 27' piece of Ash into a beam takes long enough with an 044, I would not want to do it with a lesser saw. Ditto if I can get through a pile of logs sooner, or just cut more wood in the time that I have available, I value having good equipment.

That said, if your equipment serves your needs, I'm not trying to twist your arm. When I went from homeowner to professional saws I never looked back. My 044 was far more productive, ran smoother and was trouble free. Your experiences may be different.

 

[Spectre468]

For the most part I would agree that professional grade equipment performs better than lesser grades, but not always. And often they are one and the same, depending on the equipment in question. I didn't see your contributions as arm twisting. Quite the contrary! I do appreciate your thoughts and suggestions, especially since they were not of the "oh you must have what I have or else its just ****" variety. If I had the budget to do so, I might have tried to upgrade my 360 to a 362, but I just can't swing it right now. We are replacing all of our windows this spring and getting a new wood-burning stove with a remodeled hearth/mantle this summer. I'm hoping to get both projects done for under 25K, but I might be underestimating. We'll be getting our first estimate for windows next week. I am trying to get my stable of saw in tip top order this year. Perhaps next year I will be able to re-arrange some of what I have and make upgrades. I'd love to have a MS44-class and an MS66-class saw, but I'm not sure that I would really need the bigger of the two. Maybe I'll end up with a 362 and a 441.

 

[MustangMike]

Spectre, my arm twisting comment was not in response to you, and I wish you all the best. I know what it is like to have to prioritize your needs, I first got into woodcutting when I could not afford the oil to heat my house (it tripled in a day during the Arab Oil Embargo).

Keep the saws running and good luck with the cutting. Few things are more important than properly maintaining your saw and keeping your chain sharp, and family always comes first.

 

[Spectre468]

Quick update. The MS271 was sold to another party for pretty much what the seller paid for it new. I'm glad he was able to get his money back out of it, but I'm sorry that I didn't get a screaming deal on a nice saw! So it goes. My quest to repair my MS360 continues. Replaced the leaky tank vent, fuel and impulse lines today and did a compression test. 120 psi. New p&c with less than 1/2 tank through it. I'm at 7000', so I guess that's not too bad a number? I've also decided to change bars on it. Went down to an 18" from a 20". Tomorrow, I plan to get the tach out and tune it, see how it does.

 

[MustangMike]

Best of luck with it, keep us posted.

 

[Spectre468]

Best of luck with it, keep us posted.

Thanks, will do!

 

[Spectre468]

Dang! Guess I failed to update this post. Here's what I did. I ordered a MS 362 C-M and got it home, made a few cuts with it at the wood pile. Was really thinking that I needed to get the MS 261 C-M as well. Went to the shed and started looking at saws. Got ahold of my dealer and asked if he could ball park me a figure on trade in on my low hour MS 290. We struck a deal I could not refuse and the next week the MS 261 C-M came home. So, I have 2 new saws that I am very pleased with, but haven't had the chance to do any real cutting with as of yet. Hope to get out in the next couple of 3 weeks and get these pups broken in.

 

[7sleeper]

Having a bunch of brand new saws and no wood to cut is typical for AS...

Congratulation!!! On a great saw pair!

But to be honest I wouldn't have bought the pair. Powerwise they are quite close together. Either change the 261 for a 241 or the 362 for a 441.

7

 

[XSKIER]

Keep the saws, but rather add a MS 241 C-M and MS 441 R C-M, and still cut no wood!

 

[MustangMike]

Hey, I don't use a saw every day either, but when I use them I use them, and often I need to get a lot of work done in as little time as possible, which is why it is nice to have some good saws. Also, most firewood cutters do it on a seasonal basis, or as the opportunity arises. Doesn't mean you should not have good saws.

 

[Spectre468]

Typically, USFS regulates most of my cutting for the majority of our fuel wood. If we get concurrent permits, we have 30 days to cut 8 cords. Sometimes we can get a second, following permit, good for another 30 days. These are usually available in June, July, or August, but one year I did get a permit in October. So the majority of our "heavy" cutting comes in short bursts. Our home sits on just over 4 acres of forested land. Just this am, my Wife and I looked at a problem area where we have some beetle kill trees. Looks like have about a dozen pinon to cut this week. Most are less than a foot in diameter and no taller than 20'. Doubt I'll break out the 362, or even the 261 for this. Probably just use the 029, and the 210 for limbing. My buddy has a little over an acre and a half of burned over ponderosa, some pushing 80' that we'll be clear cutting so he can replant. That, and our fuel wood cutting will be when the new saws get their work out.

 

[Spectre468]

Keep the saws, but rather add a MS 241 C-M and MS 441 R C-M, and still cut no wood!

I am already looking at the 241, but I think for the $100 price difference and increased power over the 441, I'd rather go with the 461, but its not a C-M, yet.

And I did manage to get about an hour's worth of cutting in today. Dropped, limbed and bucked up a few pinon. I'm still pleasantly surprised at how well/fast the 210 cuts with the 3/8 picco yellow chipper chain. Granted, I wasn't using it on big wood, but it was a size appropriate match of wood and saw. Really enjoyed using the 029 Super, too. I haven't run it since last fall, and it felt like shaking the hand of an old friend.

 

[Spectre468]

Ok, latest update. Trading in the 029 Super for a MS271 tomorrow. Dealer is setting it up with a rim sprocket for me and it'll be running a HD2 air filter!

 

[MustangMike]

Good Luck with the new saw, let me know how it compares to the 261.

 

[Spectre468]

Good Luck with the new saw, let me know how it compares to the 261.

Mike, I'm sure it won't compare to my 261 C-M at all! It's just a cheapo homeslice saw!

Realistically, I think I will get more use out of the 271 than the 261 since I'm getting the 271 for "around the property" use as opposed to serious firewood cutting. It'll be taking a lot of pinon, mostly 6-12" diameter stuff that I didn't want to run up hours on the pro saws cutting. I know they are nearly the same rating in power, but that M-tronic really makes the 261 (and 362) perform like a bigger-than-it-is saw. The 271 is supposed to out-cut the 290 and 291, so it sounds like a good saw for my purposes. And you know I've been jonsing for one for awhile. And I'm still not sold on the 241 C-M just yet. It may be a mistake to pass over the 241, but I have for the time being. Hope to get a couple hours in with the 271 tomorrow and I'll post my thoughts.