suggestions on what saw to buy

[onlybrowning]

Hello, as you can see I am new here, and pretty new to chainsaws. I currently only have an old red Craftsmen hand me down saw and an even older McCulloch 7-10. The Crapsmen has an 18" Oregon bar and the 7-10 has a factory 16" on it. I am looking to purchase my own first real saw. I have ran only a few Stihl's and a few Husqvarnas. The Stihl's that I have ran were glorified homeowner saws, with the biggest being I think an 029. The Husqvarnas were both the same saw just into the Professional category. I can't remember but I think they were both 359's or just a hair bigger. All of the above had 18" bars on them.
I do not cut that often, but when I do, it is often to get into my hunting camp. Big, broken down white pines, and the like are what is cut most often. I also cut firewood for our camp a few times a year. I have been looking at the Husqvarna 455 Rancher and the 359. What saw would you recommend for me? I don't want it to take 2 hours in the snow to cut up a tree in our camp road, but I don't want a saw that requires a ton to maintain. What would you suggest? I am open to all brands, but have most run time with Husqvarna. Thanks for your incite.

 

[toddstreeservic]

A 359 will work fine for you.

 

[Freehand]

Husky 346

Stihl 260

Dolmar 5100

Just a few ideas.......

 

[TRI955]

Husky 346

Stihl 260

Dolmar 5100

Just a few ideas.......

Yea....I'm about to pull the trigger on the 5100s too!!!!

 

[Bounty Hunter]

Stihl 260...

Bounty Hunter

 

[FATGUY]

can't go wrong with a ms361 if you only want one saw, if you want 2 saws I'd go 346xp and 7900, Stay here long enough you'll have all 3, and then some. BTW great handle! welcome to the site!

 

[computeruser]

Don't exclude the Stihl MS290-310-390 family. They'd work great for the use you have in mind.

Aim for 4hp +/- for an all-around blowdown saw. This will pull an 18" bar with authority.

 

[Bill.A.Bong]

Stihl 260 with an 18" bar would do fine unless you have to do a fair bit of bucking >20" timber. My 026 has run for years with minimal maintenance.... The 361 with 25" bar is also a very nice combo.

 

[nmurph]

a 260 is really out of its league when you get to trees larger than ~10in. can it do larger? yes, but you will need patience and an easy hand on the saw.

Stihl 310, husky 359, dolmar 5100 (nice power/saw for the money), or a dolmar 7900 (the BEST saw for a 1-saw plan: light enough for all day use, big enough for all but the very largest trees) are all nice saws.

what does your pocketbook say???

 

[onlybrowning]

Thanks for all the great replies everyone. I would like to spend less than about $550. I have never seen or handled a Dolmar saw. I think the 4 hp or so size is right up my alley. I was thinking something rated for up to a 24" bar would perform best for me assuming I will run an 18"-20" bar. I am shying away from anything that is only recommended to have up to a 20" because I don't want to get low chain speed and not be able to put on a bigger bar if needed. I am not sure if my theory is correct here, but please feel free to comment on how to go about choosing.

 

[taylor6400]

Well at $550 your getting close to a 361. My dealer has them on special right now for $539 with 16" bar. I got mine for $559 with a 20" bar in the spring. I love mine...but only have a 310 to compare it to. But i would think the 310 would be fine for what your looking for. I had an 18" bar on mine and did fine for occasional cutting and occasional firewood. Then i bought a wood furnace and really started to cut and i moved up to the pro model...good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[blsnelling]

I've got a MS390 with a muffler mod that I'll be finishing this evening. You could have it for $325 + shipping. It has a new piston and has been totally gone through and cleaned up. It looks almost like new. I've already put over a tank of fuel through it. Just waiting on a couple small parts to finish it up.

 

[nmurph]

Thanks for all the great replies everyone. I would like to spend less than about $550. I have never seen or handled a Dolmar saw. I think the 4 hp or so size is right up my alley. I was thinking something rated for up to a 24" bar would perform best for me assuming I will run an 18"-20" bar. I am shying away from anything that is only recommended to have up to a 20" because I don't want to get low chain speed and not be able to put on a bigger bar if needed. I am not sure if my theory is correct here, but please feel free to comment on how to go about choosing.

browning,
you have three criteria here, pick two you can make it happen, but add the third and you have to change parameters. here is what i mean;

-4 hp is under powered for a 24" bar regardless of what the manufacturer says unless you are only cutting the very occasional pine.
-$550 is about where you can buy a saw that is capable of running a 24" bar.

take a look at the 390 that Brad is offering. that saw is probaly pushing 5hp with the muffler opened up and is capable of pulling the 25" stihl bar. He is well respected and i would have no qualms buying a saw from him. this series of saws is as reliable as gravity and there are plenty of parts available. don't listen too hard to the nay-sayers who say it is not a pro saw. it is not, but for the average user it is a perfectly capable and acceptable saw.

the 361 as recommended is a very nice saw and CAN run a 25" bar if needed, though i think most people feel it is slightly underpowered with a 25" bar in hardwood.

if you have a home depot with a rental center, check to see if they have any makita 6401 saws (rebadged dolmar) that are coming up for sale. they are a very nice saw and can be bought for about $200. they are very durable and can be easily upgraded to an 80cc saw for less than $200. then you have a saw that can pull a 36" bar.

to me the thing you need to determine is how often you need a 24" bar. if it is less than about 5% of the time, a 4hp saw could work for you. if it is more, then you need to be looking at larger saws which will start to stretch your budget.

 

[Saw Dr.]

I currently only have ..... and an even older McCulloch 7-10. The Crapsmen has an 18" Oregon bar and the 7-10 has a factory 16" on it. I am looking to purchase my own first real saw.

If you have a 7-10 MAC, you already have a REAL saw. That thing will hang with many modern 70cc saws, and outlast most of them. Buy a new saw if you want. I'd spend a few bucks sprucing that old MAC up, and use it.

And the 7-10 should pull a 24" bar all day long with no problems. If it does not, something is wrong with it.

 

[SawTroll]

Thanks for all the great replies everyone. I would like to spend less than about $550. I have never seen or handled a Dolmar saw. I think the 4 hp or so size is right up my alley. I was thinking something rated for up to a 24" bar would perform best for me assuming I will run an 18"-20" bar. I am shying away from anything that is only recommended to have up to a 20" because I don't want to get low chain speed and not be able to put on a bigger bar if needed. I am not sure if my theory is correct here, but please feel free to comment on how to go about choosing.

Your theory is right on, imo!

My suggestion is the MS361 - you sound demanding enough to deserve a pro saw....

 

[7sleeper]

I've got a MS390 with a muffler mod that I'll be finishing this evening. You could have it for $325 + shipping. It has a new piston and has been totally gone through and cleaned up. It looks almost like new. I've already put over a tank of fuel through it. Just waiting on a couple small parts to finish it up.

browning,
you have three criteria here, pick two you can make it happen, but add the third and you have to change parameters. here is what i mean;

-4 hp is under powered for a 24" bar regardless of what the manufacturer says unless you are only cutting the very occasional pine.
-$550 is about where you can buy a saw that is capable of running a 24" bar.

take a look at the 390 that Brad is offering. that saw is probaly pushing 5hp with the muffler opened up and is capable of pulling the 25" stihl bar. He is well respected and i would have no qualms buying a saw from him. this series of saws is as reliable as gravity and there are plenty of parts available. don't listen too hard to the nay-sayers who say it is not a pro saw. it is not, but for the average user it is a perfectly capable and acceptable saw.

the 361 as recommended is a very nice saw and CAN run a 25" bar if needed, though i think most people feel it is slightly underpowered with a 25" bar in hardwood.

if you have a home depot with a rental center, check to see if they have any makita 6401 saws (rebadged dolmar) that are coming up for sale. they are a very nice saw and can be bought for about $200. they are very durable and can be easily upgraded to an 80cc saw for less than $200. then you have a saw that can pull a 36" bar.

to me the thing you need to determine is how often you need a 24" bar. if it is less than about 5% of the time, a 4hp saw could work for you. if it is more, then you need to be looking at larger saws which will start to stretch your budget.

Jump on it!! Don't even think about something else! Brad is highly respected here and if he offers you a deal for that price then you should think very thorough about rejecting it and getting a tool that has the aura of pro around it which you don't need!!

BTW don't forget about PPE (personal protection equipment) like chaps, helmet with face shield and hearing protection.

You can be real cool without a leg, blind & deaf. And your wife and family will love you for being so cool.

Spend the saved money on something sensible like ppe!

Good luck

7

 

[Evan]

you may also look for a used 290 310 390 and if it needs rebuilt we can walk you through the rebuild. this serious of saw is likely one of the easiest to mod of the stihl saws.


probly pick one up for 25-100 bucks.

i have dibs on a 310 thats sitn in shop that needs a clutch guy said i can have it for 70 bucks. looks like new has good compression just needs clutch work. it wasnt worth it to customer to pay a stihl tech 35 dollars an hour plus parts to fix it.

there are deals like this all over. you can find very good deals if your willing to alittle wrenching to get them

 

[Turkeyslayer]

2165/365 special

I am not sure of the price in US$ but the Jonsered 2165 is a great all around saw that is awsome with a 20" and will run a 24" bar no problem. IMO it is the most bang for your buck.

 

[nmurph]

dolmar 6400 is more powerful, smoother, and cheaper.

 

[joatmon]

dolmar 6400 is more powerful, smoother, and cheaper.

Neal,

Bingo! We have a winner!

Folks, I'll agree that the 365 is a good saw. I've never had one, but they always get good, positive reviews.

What puzzles me is that the Dolmar 6400 has similar specs, and has the same easy OEM upgrade path like the 365, but the 6400 is usually blasted as being "too this and that" by all but the Dolmar HomeBoys. I also submit that said Dolmar HomeBoys don't come on the 365 thread and bash the 365 as "too this and that".

Remember that "Honesty is the best policy." Some are not paying the premiums on their policies.

And, so it goes,

ole joat

ole joat