Need advice, want to upgrade my saw.

[htb]

365, run it on an 18" or 20" bar

[gary112]

I got a 20 on mine and reckon thats about right it pulls well with that

[Dan Maynard]

I went in the shop for a 241 but was talked into the 261 years ago, never regretted it. If you don't have a special reason to get as light as possible then it's not a lot more cost or weight for the 261 but a good step up in power.

If you are only going to have one saw then I would say 50cc but for those larger stems a second bigger saw will make sense. I have also a 365 on 18" bar for the reasons as above, it's a lot of saw for the money.

[Echo]

On 17/03/2019 at 14:40, tree-fancier123 said:

I thought Stere also made a sensible suggestion (below).

Putting the Husky 365 and Makita EA7900P45E side by side (the specs are similar, the Makita is 200g heavier, 8cc more displacement and slightly (0.9kW) more powerful). I would prefer the Husky as spares would be easier . The best google prices for both are £550 on 18 inch, some of these internet stores though I would be wary of.  Radmore, FRJ etc established forestry suppliers won't be a problem

Personally would use my 441 for ringing up 20 to 30 inch dia as op states. I don't use Aspen, just start, open tank, tip out and rev till it stops to store. Been doing that with it since 2011, never had to put a carb kit in it.

 

Can't go wrong at that price for that power, I liked mine when I had it, but not enough big stuff to keep her going so she found a new home.

[Echo]

19 hours ago, GotWood said:

Hello all, thanks for the info, even if there's a lot of conflicting info it's interesting to hear different opinions.

To clear it up, I have a healthy respect for chainsaws and safety - but do appreciate people mentioning it, forall you know I could be getting myself into all kinds of trouble! I own a 181 which has been more than adequate for the hedges, trees and odd jobs I've needed it for at home, but it's not my only chainsaw experience, and years ago a tree surgeon that was a friend of my dad taught me a few things so I could help out on the farm with tree work. I've used much bigger saws on the farm at home up north.  It's not an option to borrow them now as they are 400 miles away! I have a Mrs who loves a warm house, and I don't like buying logs or big gas bills! So a solution must be found!

 

I went up and looked at the trees today, they are felled and sectioned. Using a 18-20" bar to ring them up is going to bore the pants of me, they are big trees. I could borrow the 440 for the large sections but even if I bought a £500-£700 saw for this job and never used it again it would more than pay for itself compared to buying the equivalent amount of seasoned logs. Besides, I like doing things myself anyway. 

 

I will likely get more big trees in the future, and I suppose the 365 would give me a nice big saw for felling if the conditions are right ( I'm not very experienced at that so I'd be very choosy about doing that). What bar length would you guys recommend for a 365? The online shop I'm looking at says 15"to28". Wow.

  

Im tempted to buy a 241 and borrow the 440 though.

 

 

A 261 is not much heavier than the 241, but has way more power, I commented on your other thread, but reading what you are cutting, 365 Husky or 7900 Makita would make more sense.

Just in case you do not know, the 7900 saw can be turned into a 73 or 64cc saw by changing the cylinder and piston, makes any potential rebuild easy to do as you have a choice of three cylinder piston combinations, only saying. 

I do however think the 365 is a calmer saw, and may be more suited to your experience and certainly will do your job too.

Have you looked at the 555 rancher, would be big enough too, it has autotune unlike the 365 or 7900.

How about a Makita 6100, they are a power house, stay cool too under pressure.

Lots of options, good luck in choosing.

[fonzy]

Cut loads of firewood with a 346xp which would now be the 550xp mk11. 13” and 18” bar. I was advised years ago it would be to “pro” for the job but so glad I bought it. Recently though timber is getting bigger so I’ve now added the 572xp on 24” bar. I’d say it’s like the 346xp but bigger and you could run it on a 18” if you’d like. Possibly out of the budget though, unless you could get the vat back.

Assuming you’re keeping the smaller saw, 365 sounds about right and that’ll ensure your ms181 doesn’t gather too much dust.

You appreciate a powerful saw at the start of the day and a light saw at the end of the day.

[wyk]

On 17/03/2019 at 14:40, tree-fancier123 said:

I thought Stere also made a sensible suggestion (below).

Putting the Husky 365 and Makita EA7900P45E side by side (the specs are similar, the Makita is 200g heavier, 8cc more displacement and slightly (0.9kW) more powerful). I would prefer the Husky as spares would be easier . The best google prices for both are £550 on 18 inch, some of these internet stores though I would be wary of.  Radmore, FRJ etc established forestry suppliers won't be a problem

Personally would use my 441 for ringing up 20 to 30 inch dia as op states. I don't use Aspen, just start, open tank, tip out and rev till it stops to store. Been doing that with it since 2011, never had to put a carb kit in it.

 

In practice the Makita 7900 is significantly more powerful than even the 372, let alone the 365. It also costs quite a bit less from @shavey

 

 

Keep in mind the XT version is a bit more weight than this non XT Husky:

 

 

Edited March 19, 2019 by wyk

[wyk]

On 17/03/2019 at 09:57, openspaceman said:

Having mended and used a ms181c briefly now I wouldn't use it for logging, too small but ideal for coppice work and a bit of pruning.

It's a good little saw for small jobs. Ours is replaced with an Echo 360WES, which is significantly lighter and more powerful. The issue we had with our 181 was it just isn't very robust for firewood use. I'm curious to see how our 360 gets on after a few years. The 181 lasted 2 years.

[tree-fancier123]

1 hour ago, wyk said:

Keep in mind the AT version is a bit more weight than this non AT Husky:

I did read the Makita is a bit heavier than a 365, but had no idea either the Makita or Dolmar badge were electronic carbs? If they are electronic carbs I don't see that as a plus for the occasional user. You see plenty of old saws up for sale year 2002 etc, Do you think many Mtronics will last 20 years in the cold damp air of a shed?. Won't be much choice soon, other than refurbs way things are going.

What a life with a view like that, would drive me mad

[wyk]

49 minutes ago, tree-fancier123 said:

I did read the Makita is a bit heavier than a 365, but had no idea either the Makita or Dolmar badge were electronic carbs? If they are electronic carbs I don't see that as a plus for the occasional user. You see plenty of old saws up for sale year 2002 etc, Do you think many Mtronics will last 20 years in the cold damp air of a shed?. Won't be much choice soon, other than refurbs way things are going.

What a life with a view like that, would drive me mad

Sorry, meant to say XT version - x torq. I'll see if I can edit it.