morten

For the past two years, I have had a pocket wedge on a leash, via a Yo-Yo style retractor. I use it on the ground as well as while climbing, and it means I never loose a wedge - it simply retracts whenever it is released. As I haven't seen anyone else use one yet, I thought I'd leave a few pictures of it here, to pass on the idea. I have included a small spring-loaded clamp on the wire that I use whenever I don't like the pulling force of the retractor on the wedge. I rarely use it, but occasionally it is handy. Key retractors vary in quality. The wire length need to be sufficient, and the retraction force needs to be just enough to pull in the pocket wedge. Key-Bak makes some good ones, also for industrial/outdoor use, se Welcome to KEYBAK.COM

In my view, the MultiSaver has a big problem: The size of the rings (smaller than conventional cambium saver rings) means that you cannot take down from the ground if you are climbing on 12+ mm rope. A spliced eye simply won't pass through the large ring. Or?

Does anyone have access to the MS660 service manual and parts list as PDF documents? Pls PM me.

If you are going to use a 660 for milling, I suggest getting: High output oil pump. Stihl part number 1122 640 3201. See http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/chainsaws/23734-ms-660-oiling-probs.html Heavy Duty (HD) Air filter and pre-filter. Stihl part numbers 0000 120 1654 and 0000 141 0300 respectively. See http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/chainsaws/8589-ms660-ms460-air-filter-upgrades.html and http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/chainsaws/22974-hd-air-filter-ms660.html /Morten

Congrats all the way from the Land of the Vikings

If you have an iPhone, there are a few apps that allows height measurements: How High or Far: How High or Far for iPhone and iPod touch (4th generation) on the iTunes App Store SeeLevel: Appmaker

I have had LOTS of business using adwords, but the key is to be very specific about targetting your ads:' Geographic targeting. No point in paying for clicks from people that you are too far away. You can narrow the geographic area where your adword-ads are displayed by distance or drawing on a map. Specific combination of search words. Don't use generic single word search words like "arborist". Use combinations: arborist, (your city), price, felling trees, pruning, ... My experience is that I get one contact (phone or email) for every 5-10 clicks via adword ads, and every other contact is turned into an order with an average value of €250. You can set up a daily budget on adwords, that will not be exceeded. And you can see lots of statistics about what search words got people to your ad etc.

I just added a link from my website (Danish language) to arbtalk: Links - omkap.dk Træfældning

Well, actually both 250 and 260 are even numbers. 361 is not but it IS a pro saw. The "tens" digit is what you should be looking at. An even "tens" digit is "pro", uneven is "non-pro". "pro" is what Stihl calls "forestry". The general rule for current Stihl model numbers seems to be: Model number: MS XYX: MS = MotorSägen (German for motor-saw). X = power (higher number = more powerful). Y = Type. Even means "pro" (alloy crank-case), uneven means "non-pro" (plastic crank-case). Z = Generation (Later is newer). "T" is appended to the model number to indicate Top handle. "W" is appended to the model number to indicate heated handle (W=Warm). "B" is appended to the model number to indicate tool-less chain adjustment (e.g. MS 260-CB) "Q" is appended to the model number to indicate "QuickStop" chain break (breaks when right-hand grip is loosened). Examples: The MS 230 and MS 250 are "non-pro" saws, and the 240 and 260 are "pro" saws. The MS 261 has replaced the MS 260 with similar specs. The MS 362 has replaced the MS 361 with similar specs. The MS 192T and MS 200T are both top-handled, but the 192T is a non-pro model (plastic crank case). The MS 390 and the MS 361 has similar power, but the 390 is non-pro model (plastic crank-case). Previously, Stihl had a different numbering system, where the last "Z" digit was left out, and the model number had a leading zero, example: The "026" became the "260". The "088" became the "880". The "020" became the "200(T)"

See this thread: http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/chainsaws/24008-stihl-ms261-first-impressions.html

Nah, but I like to have tha service manual and parts list at hand, should something break. And they have made quite a few changes to the mechanical construction of the saw, so the old 024/026 Service manual is some way off decribing the 261.

Well, I was wrong! I just realised, that you can actually force a combi-spanner through the rubber shroud of the shield in front of the spark-plug. So it isn't really any more difficult than on the old 260. Possibly, I should have read the manual before jumping to conclusions

Anyone know if there is a new Service Manual (and Parts List) is available (as PDF) for the new Stihl MS261?

So true. The spark plug shield that has been introduced on the MS 261 is way too difficult to remove! It takes a torx spanner, and a lot of fiddling around to remove a plastic/rubber shield, before you can get at the spark plug with the combi spanner. Wouldn't like to have to do that in freezing temperatures with cold fingers!

Didn't event know about the MS341, tbh. I have attached a PDF file with a side-by-side spec comparison of: MS 261 MS 341 MS 362 Similar, but some notable differences. StihlComparison-MS261-MS341-MS362.pdf

But if he doesn't even have a side strop/flipline on his harness, he will have zero attachment points during the initial climb, and while advancing his anchor point. That is plain reckless climbing, in my book, anyway!

Amsteel Blue. Light, extremely low elasticity, safe to work with, and TOUGH! Expensive, though

Use Aspen 2T, in those situations (I use it exclusively). It honestly makes a lot of difference. The fumes are much less disturbing, and you never experience nausea after a days work due to exhaust fumes from Aspen, which I have done in the past with other people's home-brewed oil mix.

In my local area, I might have a spares availability issue with 246XP, although I acknowledge that there are no such issues in general. Another issue - parts for Husky are more expensive that comparable Stihl parts, too, but that wouldn't be much of an issue, tbh. But my choice is mostly down me to being comfortable with my local Stihl reseller and their workshop, and knowing the Stihl build/assembly better. I didn't intend this posting to become a Stihl MS261 vs Husqvarna 346 XP discussion though. Both are brilliant saws!

Happened to me twice. Really uncomfortable. At first I tried to convince myself that I was being silly, but progress became so painful, that I had to bottle out. Fortunately, my mate was at hand to finish the job in half an hour or so. If it ever happens to me again, I'll listen to my mind and get down on the ground at once. I don't think I would have the mental capacity to deal with any unforeseen incidents in that situation.

One night Last week, some creeps smashed a window in my van and ran off with three Stihl saws. I was upset and irritated, but I have insurance coverage so it is not a great financial burden, except I decided to go all-in when replacing the saws. I decided on: MS 200T (12") for majority of climbing use. MS 261 (15") for must ground work MS 660 (20" + 28") for the big stuff, and for milling with my Alaskan mills (mini mill and mill mk III). First impressions of the MS 261 leaves me with a feeling of having made the right choice (for a brief moment, I considered getting a Husqvarna 246XP but due to spares availability and conservatism, I chose to stay loyal to Stihl). Improvements over the MS 260: Better fuel economy (20%). Lower emissions (50%). Marginally more power (7%). Better acceleration (needed to compete with Husky). Better air filter (keeps more dust out of the engine). Bar nuts are now trapped by the cover, so you don't risk the uncomfortable feeling of dropping your nuts in 6 inches of snow ;-) Only down side, as far as I can tell: Weight has increased by 0,4 kg (approx 6% with bar/chain/fuel/oil). I liked my old MS 260 a lot. One small thing that irritated me, though was that I could take off the shroud without using any tools, but needed a screwdriver to take off the air filter itself. What was the point then? With the MS261 Stihl decided to reverse the situation. Now you have to use a screwdriver (combi-spanner) for taking off the shroud (which now covers the area all the way forward to the chain break, easing cleaning of cylinder), but they made the new air-filter removable without need for tools. Any of you guys have any gripes with the MS261 (except: "It isn't a Husqvarna"), or anything you would have liked Stihl to have done differently?

Agreed. The major weakness of Google Sites is that the layout choices are limited. Quite a few styling schemes/colours etc, but basically, you're stuck with the menu at the left hand, title at the top, and a line at the bottom with "google stuff". But I don't think the layout makes much difference in the arb business, anyway. A few pictures and enough relevant text to make you seem compentent, and you're off. The important thing is to get the site up and running, and start doing some SEO work. The underlying website technology is less important, as long as it's not a barrier itself. By the way - have a play around with Google Adwords too. Has generated lots of business for me. For every pound spent on Adwords, it generated about 20 pounds of arb business. Especially good during low-season, since you can ramp up/down within minutes, and only pay for what you get (clicks).

Google Sites is free. Now, and in the furure. And Google Sites does NOT require ANY coding, FTP Clients, strange editors etc. It uses plain page editing, similar to a word-processor such as Word, where you can highlight text and change size/styling, insert images etc. Furthermore, you can revert changes made, and see (revert to) any previous version of a page, if you so wish. Try it out - it's easy and free.

+1 It's hosted by Google (sites.google.com) and is clearly one of the quickest to set up. No need to code a single line of code og any kind. And you get good search engine optimization (so your site appears in the search result when potential customers google for an arborist). It also has easy integration to Google Analytics (so you can get information about how many and who visits your website). Oh. And best of all... It's all free (as in "free beer"). Have a read here, too: SEO Guide Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Webmaster Tools Help Google Analytics presentation Google Analytics | Official Website

I think I found the thread/post: http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/chainsaws/12753-large-felling-saw-4.html#post232436 Which contains...