Need advice, want to upgrade my saw.

[openspaceman]

45 minutes ago, Stere said:

Having used a 181 even a decent  40cc would be a huge leap up from a 181 in cut speed/performance but hardly an increase in saw weight.

 

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.

[tree-fancier123]

7 hours ago, MattyF said:

only sensible saw suggestion seen so far is the husky 365 pretty much designed for the task at hand

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.

On 09/03/2019 at 23:11, Stere said:

This seems a bargin atm, alot or saw for the price if you want to cut though logs fast

 

https://www.radmoretucker.co.uk/shop/garden-machinery/chainsaws-tree-care/petrol-chainsaws/makita-ea7900p45e-petrol-chainsaw-18/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4cPQ-pX24AIVb7HtCh3urQN6EAQYASABEgI1U_D_BwE

 

Not tried one but there s being several threads on them:

 

 

 

[Echo]

Nothing wrong with a 550 for cutting firewood, there is a lot of short fast cuts

involved there too, lots of branches, and if your cutting them into logs you will also

find the quick acceleration and cutting speed an advantage, people are correct

in that its not a saw for burying in thick wood all day long, not made for it,

but its 50cc like the OP asked for, its a brand name with lots of part outlets,

it will cope with prolonged use, though as said, its snappy so you need to know

how to use it.

For standing in the one spot cutting logs all day, I would agree, a larger saw

would be better, your only lifting it up and sitting it back down on a log, say

once every 12 to 20 seconds depending on thickness of wood, this type of activity will not be very tiring so a bit more weight wont be as noticeable as it would dragging the same saw through the wood on rough ground and trying to limb with it.

Makita 50cc or even larger would be a good firewood saw, Dolmar Echo and many other brands too, but I would not wish to carry a 365 or 372 for firewood, unless it was mostly big wood.

I cut firewood with a Jonsered 2153, and had a 372 for the small amount of real heavy stuff involved, the 2153 was just as highly strung as the 550 though no rev boost, and I liked it for cutting branches into logs, and cutting just about all of the tree into logs, always avoided starting the 372 because the 50cc saw had plenty of grunt, right enough I used a low pro 3/8 chain, which took the stress of the saw in the heavy cuts.

Its good that the topic of the 550 's high chain speed and it firey nature came up, as it is a real consideration that needs to be considered by the OP,  there are other saws better mannered for his task, personal preference will play a part too, some like lively, some like steady.

Nearly everyone around me use the 550 or the 261 for cutting firewood, not real large trees here anymore, and unless one has heavy machinery to lift and transport such then then the bigger trees need to come cheap or be avoided for the ordinary firewood cutter, there is only so much you can spend before its cheaper to buy oil coal or gas.

Most of the wood a fire wood cutter gets is small, or too large to bother with, so its mostly small straggly stuff, big difference in this and cutting in  forest where most trees are similar in size, and thus a 550 would struggle if being burred all day, where it certainly would not be burred with the kind of stuff most of us get for free, or a small fee, we all know there is more calorific value in smaller wood than in the same wood in larger format, I gladly let the greedy have the thick end of things, and let them sledge away all day, carrying splitting using more fuel and burning out themselves and their equipment.

 

Edited March 17, 2019 by Echo

[billpierce]

The makita /dolmar 7900 might be specced similar to a 365 but I promise you it had alot more torque/grunt. I'd put it between a 46 and 66 for both weight and power, but is it heavy, personally I wouldnt be messing about with it with a 18'' bar unless constantly cutting firewood in a yard.

[Echo]

4 minutes ago, billpierce said:

The makita /dolmar 7900 might be specced similar to a 365 but I promise you it had alot more torque/grunt. I'd put it between a 46 and 66 for both weight and power, but is it heavy, personally I wouldnt be messing about with it with a 18'' bar unless constantly cutting firewood in a yard.

Exactly, good saw but probably too heavy for the OP 's work, he is coming off a ms 180, and the 7900 can drink some fuel too, a firewood cutter may not appreciate that kind of thirst.

[tree-fancier123]

22 minutes ago, Echo said:

Exactly, good saw but probably too heavy for the OP 's work, he is coming off a ms 180, and the 7900 can drink some fuel too, a firewood cutter may not appreciate that kind of thirst.

the op says he has access to 20 to 30 inch pine and ash, surely it's best to have more than 50cc for ringing up those stems?

[tree-fancier123]

37 minutes ago, billpierce said:

The makita /dolmar 7900 might be specced similar to a 365 but I promise you it had alot more torque/grunt. I'd put it between a 46 and 66 for both weight and power, but is it heavy, personally I wouldnt be messing about with it with a 18'' bar unless constantly cutting firewood in a yard.

interesting you put the power of the Makita between a 460 and 660, at £550 they seem a bargain in comparison. I agree it would make more sense on a longer bar, as a saw just for ringing up

[Echo]

1 hour ago, tree-fancier123 said:

the op says he has access to 20 to 30 inch pine and ash, surely it's best to have more than 50cc for ringing up those stems?

Thats the thing, how much of it will the OP ever get, a 79cc saw is no fun cutting up what most people get for firewood, I would look at hiring a big saw for when I had enough of the heavy stuff piled up for a day or Two 's cutting and get a saw that would be more suited to what ever it is I cut most. But yes, a big saw is a must if the OP has a lot of big wood, but he needs to be weary, thats a huge jump in power to keep under control. I like the 7900, had one when I needed it, sold on now.

[tree-fancier123]

5 minutes ago, Echo said:

but he needs to be weary, thats a huge jump in power to keep under control

ah yes, the safety is another topic - my 441 has a strip of green stripey insulating tape on it, whevever I pick the saw up and think 'why is that tape on there?' I remember I put it on there to remind me of the day I was logging up a trunk and the bar nose came up so quick I only just stopped it from hitting my face, they always kill a few each year

[GotWood]

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.