Peter 1955

Far be it from me to point out that I have one Kombi shaft with two different sizes of line available, one with guard for metal shredder knife and the like, and one with no guard with the blade badged by some as chisel tooth ( the one that looks like a chainsaw tooth ) all swapped merely by turning the locking shaft knob on the power unity. That could be construed as being a smug git, so I definitely won't do that. Seriously, for years, I've looked at buying a big strimmer/clearing saw, but having gone down the Kombi route years ago, there's no way I can justify that. I can't even justify the short reach HL 92K hedgecutter, even though I desperately need one. The miserable swines at Stihl purposely made it so that I can't build one out of retired machines, as the drive shafts are all differing lengths and fittings, grr!

When I see Youtube videos, particularly of our American cousins, they all seem to have bars about four feet long on 30cc saws. 🤔 ( Slight exaggeration, I know, but you get the idea ). On here recently, I've recently seen people recommending 20" bars on an MS 261 for instance. To me, for efficient use, that's 400 territory. I always start with the smallest bar specified for the saw as the default, and the biggest for when you need it. The small bar makes it nice to use. My 251 had a 13" bar on it, and I always felt that was too big for the cursed thing. The 261 has a 14", which it laughs at, but 20"? My 400 with a 20" bar on is a vastly different animal to when it has a 16" bar on. Is it just me? Am I ridiculously heavy handed? Are people fitting razor sharp chains that I don't know about? I'm genuinely interested to hear the views of some of the experts on here.

I'm really not up on the theory/details, all I can say is that the fact that the 4-mix engines run on exactly the same fuel as I put in my chainsaws means no risk of mis-fuelling. For me the big plus is that the 4-mix are very economical, and in my humble opinion, powerful. Against, the valve gear requires regular maintenance, to ensure reliable operation. I know many people said they preferred the power delivery from the 2 strokes, and I told my dealer that I felt the 4-mix engines didn't seem to run at as high revs, which made the strimmer lines less efficient. I once used a big Husky 2 stroke strimmer, which was woefully underpowered, and had a raging thirst, so I'm in no hurry to change from my 4-mix ones. Other people's views may differ. Edit: My son's views differ. He gave me his old 2 stroke Kombi, he's gone battery powered. 😂

Didn't last a morning here. 😟Started lashing it down just when I'd considered putting the mower in the van and cutting some grass.

The Kombi systems were some of the first to go 4-mix, I believe. My dealer was initially sceptical, when I enquired about them, but now they're commonplace, and I'm more than happy with mine.

As William says, the great beauty of battery/mains saws is the immediate motor stop when the trigger is released, yet it's always ready to cut instantly. Also, the low noise. For me, the battery saw is only to make them small enough to carry to the mains one in the yard. It cuts 12" without batting an eyelid, and keeps going all day.

Define sensible, and define boot! 😉 The boot on my Transit would need more than one set of batteries.😂 My Makita is over two years old, and I'd say it's had more than light use. Still going well.

I've filled a 12ft Ifor trailer on one set of batteries before now. Very large willow branches fallen into a crop, cut into manageable lengths. I would never try to cut anything over a couple of inches diameter into logs with it, that's what the mains one at home is for. Bigger diameters and constant cutting kills batteries. I haven't used the 18v model, so can't comment on how much lighter/easier that is, but I find the 36v one to be a joy to use for trimming.

Posted @withregram • @chain_wood 😆💯👍@perry_trees Unfortunately we’ve... WWW.FACEBOOK.COM Posted @withregram • @chain_wood 😆💯👍@perry_trees Unfortunately we’ve had to part ways with Tarquin. (He’s sacked) It seems he lied on the job application. #stihl #fail... 😂

Snap. Mine's a little bit like Trigger's broom. New engine and new deck. Don't forget the strimmer too, for fiddly bits.

The Makita ( 36v) saws are very good, but they're not Pro saws. Hobby/occasional. Can eat batteries for fun if you're logging, they're more for making stuff manageable.

Don't panic Mr Mainwaring! Round here ( twenty miles from Drax ) all the farms are growing Miscanthus to meet the demand for fuel, so we're alright there. Must go now, the Gloucester Old Spots are coming in to land, and they'll need refuelling. 😂

The difference in impact energy between SDS and SDS Max is considerable. So is the weight. Screwfix kit is hard to come a cropper with as their returns policy is normally excellent. A machine like this is a bridge between the standard drill ( which can be found wanting on heavier jobs ) and the three foot tall breakers. I couldn't manage without at least one of each.

Sometimes a TPO can be quick. When I worked on a farm, we had someone cutting a dyke with a vee bucket. In a 150 acre field, along the tree line. Friday afternoon, and there were a few branches in his way. I removed them with my saw, no problem, half an hour job. Monday morning, and the dyke had to be dug far enough away from the trees to avoid branches, as there was now a TPO on them, so I was told. This was over twenty years ago, mind.

With a 16" bar on the 400, you will pick it up before the 461 most days. 😉 You may also smile a lot, when using it. I do. Even with a 20" bar on, it's a handy saw. I don't regret retiring the 038 one tiny little bit. 😂

If I'm absolutely honest, either my 261 is too big, or the 400 is too small. 😉 However, even though I considered a 462 when I got the 400, it's more saw than I need, or can justify. ( I did give it very serious consideration though ). There are very few right or wrong answers in this game, but a lot of valid opinions.

If I knew that Mr Keen but Green lived close to God's County, I might easily have typed that. 😂 I like your style, Sir.

On paper, I'd say you're absolutely correct, only 2" difference in max/min bar sizes, and very little weight difference. The big difference is power, and it's a lot. I'm happy with that pairing, it suits me for what I do, but I believe you're correct that if we start with a 261, then a 461 is a natural partner. Similarly, the case for a 400 with a 661 is logical.

I'd agree totally. I "upgraded" an ancient 023 to a 251 years ago. I never liked it, slow to warm up, lacking in power. I've put up with it till last year, when I bit the bullet and got a 261. The reason why I got the 261, even though the 251 seems to have eventually bedded in, or I've got used to it? On the advice of folk on here who know these things, I bought a 400 to replace an even older 038. After using that, I had to have the 261. They're both a joy to use, I reckon either would suit you, but if you are rarely going to need a 20" bar, the 261 would be my choice. The one thing I would say is be very careful about buying a used chainsaw privately. I'd only do that from a dealer.

I have no idea at all about a 461, but I agree about the 400 with a 20" light bar. It makes the 038 it replaced seem vastly underpowered and hugely overweight. As for the 261, mine thinks it's a 400. 😄 What a saw.

Don't get me started on that one! Years ago, I saw a heap of Makita battery kit in B&Q, at unbelievable prices. I'd have had my trolley filled so full that I'd have struggled to push it, had I not seen the disclaimer in tiny writing " not compatible with Makstar equipment ". You and me ( and probably many others ) both.

As someone whose son is earning a living by going round the country teaching people how to safely and competently use all manner of equipment, I applaud the need for training and certification. As a crotchety Old Git who has been waving a chainsaw about for forty odd years, and has operated lots of other equipment which could be life threatening to himself and others with only a driving licence, shotgun certificate and firearms licence as evidence of his skill and qualification.......................................................................................... 🤐 You can't square this circle. My son was recently instructing at a venue who seemed to need nothing more than a simple maintenance course on the strimmers/mowers they were using, but he felt they actually needed a far more in depth course. Compare and contrast with a friend who ran a haulage yard. Only one member of staff had a forklift certificate to say he was competent to use it, the rest were on what we might call " grandfather rights ". Three guesses who my friend reckoned would be the most likely to seriously harm someone. When I left agriculture, I had " grandfather rights " on huge self propelled sprayers, capable of covering many hundreds of acres a day, but I couldn't legally use a knapsack sprayer to put Glyphosate on a garden. Now that my rights have lapsed, I'm no longer qualified to do the job I did for thirty years. Sorry not to be able to give advice on how to solve the problem outlined originally, it's just that I believe it's actually the tip of an iceberg really.

My Father's car insurance just renewed with the same percentage increase as you quoted. I used Go Confuse a Meerkat with a Wombat as we had before, and guess what? Damn good quote! Whereas before, we had cut his premium and increased his cover by using them, we couldn't improve on the renewal quote from RAC. Wife's is due in a fortnight. Same percentage. Seems 50% is an across the board rise in policies. Agree with recommending NFU where possible, service is just better than other companies. Dealing with my Father's home insurers after a flood was a nightmare.

I'll just go and sit quietly in the corner, then eh? 🤐 I remember helping a very experienced mechanic on a 5000 with a water leak. Head off, pistons out, fill it up with warm water, and watch the fountain of water go into number 3 cylinder. Fortunately, a new block cured it. Really annoying when the amount of work done on yours didn't cure the problem.

If I remember right, they were wet liners, with seals at the bottom. Often a cause of fluids mixing.