doobin

Saws were 2017 and 2019. Both had worn crankshafts after low hours of use. I sold the first at a big loss but DM saws badgered Stihl to sort the second as it was very low hours (74 as proved by their data download from the computer) They still tried to deny a claim however. MS271 is a domestic saw. Best avoided. Heavy for the power and lots of plastic parts.

I don't think it makes much difference. I might leave an MS462 or an FS460 for three months but it always starts quick and runs well. If it bothers OP though, the echo is all mechanical.? OP, are you in the South? You can come and play with both saws here and ring up as much of my firewood as you like....

They're making strong money currently, but so are diggers and the 016 is very popular. You'd do better to sell that first and then have some cash in your pocket as Avants are pretty rare second hand. Few on eBay but plenty of them are scams.

I've had bad experiences with two MS241s. It would be an ideal size for you, however I'd suggest you look also at the Echo CS501SX. Around the same money, tiny bit heaver and noticeably more power. I run both, the 241 is definately more ergonomic but as you will be just crosscutting rather than felling I'd say you will be fine. I'm learning to appreciate the Echo's 'raw' nature and the extra power, as I just don't trust the 241 any more. Big plus for Echo is a two year commercial warranty, whereas Stihl try to wiggle out of a worn crankshaft after eleven months and 74 hours use on the saw.... Both saws will run picco chain, so I would recommend that you get the dealer to supply them as such. It's a thinner kerf so makes better use of the avaialble power, as well as being much more forgiving when sharpening. Nice and simple. 16" bar is ideal. If you have trouble getting this then call DM saws- they have supplied both for me in picco from new, and I think they'll do mail order.

Handled an echo in the dealers today by chance whilst I was waiting. I don’t climb but was impressed with the weight and size. It was sporting a much smaller bar then yours and felt very well balanced. if I did climb though I think I’d have been tempted by battery. Surely an ideal scenario for battery power.

Yup, mechanise as much as possible in my book. Very hard to read tension and careful gentle test cuts are a must.

Pretty sure stihl hl series hedge cutters are two mix, and available in a faster reciprocating ‘trimmer’ (T rather than R) variant.

If you have any domestic customers you always loose with vat. No if no buts. You are essentially an unpaid tax collector and you are more expensive than the unregistered competition (or you get to keep less overall for the same amount of work) However, there are tangible yet hard to accurately quantify benefits. It allows you to grow your business faster, especially when combined with finance. More machinery (subsidised if you like by reclaiming the vat) makes you quicker on domestic jobs than the unregistered competition, therefore more profitable. And of course, you can take on work for commercial customers, farmers and the like, for whom vat is not an issue. You will also find that the higher quality domestic clients fully expect vat, and indeed may view those not registered as amateurs or cowboys. Like I said, the benefits are hard to put an exact figure on, and if you look at domestic jobs and the competition in terms of exact figures then you ‘always loose’. But I don’t regret going registered one bit.

First thing I noticed about the 462 (and the dealer said it too) is how quick it revved up. It’s really quick. I know everyone moans about how saws are getting too complicated, but would anyone genuinely go back to a twenty year old saw rather than what we can buy today? I know I wouldn’t.

Around the midhurst area

I can never get a tractor/operator and forwarding trailer when I need one, so there’s a demand locally to me at least.

Dogs tooth I use all the time on leaning ash/beech grown tough and slow on the South Downs. Is the sweep cut the same as a letterbox cut? I’ll look up danish cut.

What are the cuts they teach you in cs32?

I bought a 462 just before they brought out the 500i ?‍♂️ But I do love it. Incredibly quick on the throttle, well balanced with a a 20” light bar on it too.

What were you doing?

Because if I need that much power I pick up the 462. I’m jumping in an out of the the digger a hundred times a day, I want a light powerful saw. Yeah, it’s only half a kilo more but got to draw the line somewhere. The other consideration with choosing the other saws is that they can run picco chain, which is a worth a few hundred watts alone of extra power in my experience. Horses for courses.

It’s more an ms 261 equivalent at 3kw the ms241 is MS241s 2.3kw and 4.5kg And the echo 2.57kw and 4.7kg dry I looked at the 550xp and liked the feel of it, but I didn’t need that much power and certainly didn’t want the extra half kilo over the echo. so it’s less ‘walks all over both’ and more ‘horses for courses’ ? Should have said power to such a low weight. Ms462 must be up there for power to weight ratio?

They’re still available. I really liked mine, very ergonomic, but with two crankshafts on two different saws wearing in no time for no reason I’ve lost faith in them. I’m growing to like the echo cs501sx. It’s a right little ripper, but the ms241 is SO much more ergonomic. The fuel caps, the felling lines, the captive bar nuts and the anti vibe (especially the anti vibe) are all much better on the stihl than the echo. the power to weight ratio for both saws is unmatched. Nothing else comes close.

Not many motors out there have the guts to accelarate out of a snake. First thing to do is drop it into fourth, add some engine braking.

There’s a bloke near me. Can’t remember his name but it might come to me yet

It was 'Toguard' brand off eBay.

A reversing camera is a gamechanger. I've just this month fitted dashcams to all my vehicles. I don't bother wiring the reverse camera into the reverse light, you can press a button to cycle through views so when trying to hitch up set it to rear only and it displays the view whilst you aim and shunt if needed. Should have done it years ago. I've been unhitching the trailer on my own in places I'd never dream of as it's so easy to get back on it.

Don't be tempted by anything else cheaper. I tried freehand, freehand on CBN wheels (much easier but still hard to repeat easily especially with smaller sizes), a fiendishly complicated jig for a Tormek (reasonable but by God slow and very fiddly to set up) and a 'top of the range' Drill Doctor. That was total wank. You can't hold a 4mm bit in a plastic universal 3-13mm collet, stick it in a plastic holder and expect it to split the point accuractly. Slop like a dick in a top hat, in engineering terms. It also used a diamond wheel, which is totally unsuitable for grinding steel. The Chinky one uses standard E25 series endmill collets, much like the very expensive and well regarded Darex machines.

Drill Bits Sharpener Grinder Drill Grinding MachineMR-13D Sharpen Machine WWW.EBAY.CO.UK MR-13D Drill Bits Sharpener. 【DURABLE STRUCTURE】- Sharpening grinder machine owns a reasonable structure... The difference between this and the cheaper B or C models is that this will split the point and thin the web- additional hole machine in the top for this function. About a minute to put a near enough factory point on a bust drill once you get the hang of it.

Nah, I like their main product, I just wish they employed someone who actually knew one end of a saw from the other.