stihl261

[woodyguy]

Sorry to confuse. Yes of course I wear gloves to protect against brambles etc. Thick padded left hand glove that make gripping hard and sold as protection for using chainsaws are positively harmful and a waste of money.

[campanula]

Really very glad I posted here before spending our (limited) cash....but I do feel bad for young Chas, our tree surgeon friend, who has just bought the 261. He was employed for a couple of years and has recently been laid off (is this a familiar story in treework, guys because it surely is regarding general hort.). Trying to build up a business from scratch is difficult, scrabbling around hand to mouth, so a bad investment of expensive kit can be crippling (it took us weeks before parting with money for a chipper). We have a reasonably local dealer, Ernest Doe, who stocks huskies (and Stihl) so will trot along there on Saturday. Am trying not to be baffled by the extensive mentions of clutches, sprockets, cranks and such (being deeply non-technical and obviously the last person to England to be unable to either drive, text or manage the most basic digital camera).

This is a great forum, by the way - have spent hours perusing fungi and knots!

[kev7937]

Really very glad I posted here before spending our (limited) cash....but I do feel bad for young Chas, our tree surgeon friend, who has just bought the 261. He was employed for a couple of years and has recently been laid off (is this a familiar story in treework, guys because it surely is regarding general hort.). Trying to build up a business from scratch is difficult, scrabbling around hand to mouth, so a bad investment of expensive kit can be crippling (it took us weeks before parting with money for a chipper). We have a reasonably local dealer, Ernest Doe, who stocks huskies (and Stihl) so will trot along there on Saturday. Am trying not to be baffled by the extensive mentions of clutches, sprockets, cranks and such (being deeply non-technical and obviously the last person to England to be unable to either drive, text or manage the most basic digital camera).

This is a great forum, by the way - have spent hours perusing fungi and knots!

 

I'd advise you to shop around, our local Ernest doe isn't the best place to get trade prices.

[Howard R]

If your friends MS261 is a good one he will be fine.

 

I don't regret buying mine

 

There are plenty of recent threads about Husky 550 issues

 

New saws are just not made as well as they use to be

[campanula]

shop around where? Sorry to be a bit dim but generally, we tend to avoid online buys cos we usually want to see (and hold and even try) what we are buying. I did just type in Husquvarna - local stockists - should I be looking elsewhere, then. Usually, we have to buy second-hand (being perpetually skint) but on a decent bit of kit, am prepared to stump up for new especially with a warranty (but again, I could be hopelessly naive and truly appreciate the time and effort you guys are making to educate me). Obvs, we can look anywhere between Cambridge and Norfolk (take the pick-up for a ride) so inspired suggestions always helpful. I did notice a dealership just outside Acle....

[woodyguy]

Stihl have recently banned on line sales, so it means a trip out to buy new. There are some trustworthy sellers on ebay who I have bought 3 different second hand saws from. Prices a lot better and available mail order. Many dealers are pretty pricey and Stihl have lost a lot of customers through this action.

[kev7937]

shop around where? Sorry to be a bit dim but generally, we tend to avoid online buys cos we usually want to see (and hold and even try) what we are buying. I did just type in Husquvarna - local stockists - should I be looking elsewhere, then. Usually, we have to buy second-hand (being perpetually skint) but on a decent bit of kit, am prepared to stump up for new especially with a warranty (but again, I could be hopelessly naive and truly appreciate the time and effort you guys are making to educate me). Obvs, we can look anywhere between Cambridge and Norfolk (take the pick-up for a ride) so inspired suggestions always helpful. I did notice a dealership just outside Acle....

 

Don't know your area so don't know who to try but my tactic is to look at online prices, find the cheapest (usually fr jones and honey bros) and quote it to my local dealer who normally beats it.

 

Even though they can't sell by mail order they still list the shop prices and this can give you a bit of leverage, I'd try and find your nearest arb supplier and see what they do.

 

We have a 261 btw and it's not gone wrong yet but it always sounds like it's going to

[campanula]

So, based on a long (impassioned) post from TGB, we are probably going for either a Stihl 241 or a Husky 555. Have found a couple on the interweb but am not opting for secondhand because I just don't like buying tools without trying them (so ebay is sort of out).

We will probably rock up to Ernest Does (or Wrights) and have a good look and feel and then sneak off home and get online.

 

Any thoughts about either option, bearing in mind we won't be using it daily but we will use it for extensive periods of time (so weight, handling, vibrations and robust quality all count for more than sheer power).

[mike83]

in my opinion dont bother with anything from stihl with a 1 on the end. at work we got 6 261`s all are crap. get a second hand saw or a reconditioned older model. 260, 360, 440 etc. proper tools..

[Eddy_t]

So, based on a long (impassioned) post from TGB, we are probably going for either a Stihl 241 or a Husky 555. Have found a couple on the interweb but am not opting for secondhand because I just don't like buying tools without trying them (so ebay is sort of out).

We will probably rock up to Ernest Does (or Wrights) and have a good look and feel and then sneak off home and get online.

 

Any thoughts about either option, bearing in mind we won't be using it daily but we will use it for extensive periods of time (so weight, handling, vibrations and robust quality all count for more than sheer power).

 

The 241 is 40cc, and will be a little small for felling the poplars, as whilst it can be done, you're inexperienced at using a saw and I wouldn't recommend doing double bar length trees, the 555 is a 60cc husky, and whilst having a bigger engine, still doesn't have the power to pull a bigger bar, I would say the limitations are 20", where as the husky 365 will be perfect, it's 70cc with a max length of 24", the saw is bomb proof, and isn't too heavy to use all day

 

 

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