Stihl MS880 or Husqvarna 3120xp choice

[shillo]

88 with new 32'' sugi bar. Nice!

 

We were going to mill up the chestnut but decided it was too dead and we needed to get the road clear.

[tomcorke]

Hello

 

Thanks for all your comments relating to milling particularly as this is what i asked and am after.

 

i like the idea manual oiler on the husky but sounds like the Stihl slightly wins.

 

i will price up and make a decision from there.

 

Thanks

 

Tom

[Big Beech]

Many millers prefer the older saws with the low down torque. If getting an 880 I would drop a sprocket size, speed ain't everything!

Here in action by 070 on a 900mm beech. I save the 090 for bigger trees

[tommer9]

880. The reason is Jim B is that it has more torque basically, and anecdotally has outlasted the 3120 for milling.

[OliB]

There may be an argument for sticking with what you know, and if you're not familiar with husky, stick to stihl? Then again progress would never be made if everyone was afraid of change.

Myself I went with the 880, little more ccs and power. I haven't looked back, it's served me very well milling through nearly a couple of hundred tonne of mostly oak. Only slight issue would be direction of fumes from the exhaust when you're milling large slabs at 8" plus, the fumes bounce back off the timber and aren't very pleasant. But I think the husky is the same?

 

When I bought the 880 I factored in the cost of buying it against hoping it would produce at least the equivalent of 1000 oak sleepers, thus costing £1 a sleeper. I have far surpassed this already, and it's stihl going strong! I would not be surprised if it got up to 5000 or 1000 plus now. The rollomatic 36" bar sprocket failed ( but I didn't used to oil the nose, so that's my fault), and I've worn out a 25" rollomatic bar. But now using a sugi 36" bar I think I've matched a bar of equivalent durability to the saw, but this if off topic.

 

I've no familiarity with the bigger huskys, but have an old small one, and over all I prefer stihl, but this is kind of subjective, huskys make good saws, and other people prefer them.

 

I ordered from my local dealer TFM, and they gave me a really good price when I asked.

 

I have to clean the air filter alot from all the fine milling dust. I don't know whether the husky might be less prone to collecting dust?

 

The 880 is LOUD, but I expect the husky will be also.

 

Either way I'm sure you will have a saw you will be happy with.

[gobbypunk]

Hi I paid 1250quid for my 880 and that was the best price I could find so I would think thats what you should be looking at an ace bit of kit just wish I could get round to useing it a bit more often

Cheers Mark

[Forest2Furniture]

Bit of advice, if you do get an 880 change the air filter from the crappy corrugated card one to the old fashion green mesh type as the corrugations fill up with wood dust and kill the saw.

[gobbypunk]

Hi what do you mean kill the saw does saw dust get in the carb and maybe the barrel thus f-----g it up , as I have noticed my cardboard air filter filling up with sawdust do you think a sthil dealer would be able to get me the other type cant afford to kill my big saw

Cheers Mark

[josharb87]

Bit of advice, if you do get an 880 change the air filter from the crappy corrugated card one to the old fashion green mesh type as the corrugations fill up with wood dust and kill the saw.

 

Ive got an extra filter, a band of material that wraps round the filter to stop this happening. This filter setup is far superior to stopping the real fine dust than the green filter that i had previously IME

 

Ive an 880, 2003 model, brought 3rd hand in 2007. no problems what so ever.

 

You might want to think about running either saw on Aspen from new, so many advantages including - better for your health, saws health and as milling IS hard on saws, if it does seize or the like, the dealer can't turn round and say "wrong fuel mix, not our problem"

[Eddie@aspen]

Ive got an extra filter, a band of material that wraps round the filter to stop this happening. This filter setup is far superior to stopping the real fine dust than the green filter that i had previously IME

 

Ive an 880, 2003 model, brought 3rd hand in 2007. no problems what so ever.

 

You might want to think about running either saw on Aspen from new, so many advantages including - better for your health, saws health and as milling IS hard on saws, if it does seize or the like, the dealer can't turn round and say "wrong fuel mix, not our problem"

If anyone wants to know the facts about Aspen or has any questions please contact me

 

07568 108953 [email protected]

 

Kind regards

 

Eddie