Peter 1955

Join the club! I hadn't realised the gulf between the 251 and the 261, but at the time I thought that the 251 would be an upgrade from an 023. Shoulda gone for a 261.

Seems to be a lot of support for keeping the old saws going. The old girl never missed a beat this afternoon. I keep looking at the 023 in the shed, and wondering if it could be mended. Only issue with it is it's leaking probably from the crank seal, and onto the clutch. Runs like a dream, just won't turn the chain! And that is probably my cunning plan. As I said, I don't want it to cease to function and leave me with only the 251. I want to make sure that this time I really get an upgrade, and the 391 doesn't look like one. I have a really good dealer fairly locally, and my son works for a training company on my doorstep, so I know where to get the next saw, I just need to decide what. Thanks for all the advice fellas, much appreciated. I'm a little surprised how much support there is for the old kit, much like Trigger's broom. 😉

Thanks again chaps. The 038 is still going strong, but it could be over 40 years old! How much longer can it keep going? I don't want it to explode when I don't have a replacement already in my possession. I must say that the strongest vote for the 391 is price. It's looking more and more as if it's between 361/362 or 400. Looking at list prices, and using the 400 as the benchmark, a 362 is £200 cheaper than a 400, and a 462 is only £100 dearer. On those figures, you can make a good case for any of them. Well at least I've narrowed it down, I think.

Snap. All the heat in our house comes from wood, or ( when the cold weather payment comes in, ) coal. We use a lot of wood.

Thanks for those thoughts chaps, appreciated. As I'm merrily Googling, it appears to me that the 391 is spec wise just a modern 038. Same weight, same power. 361 and 362 are a tad lighter, and a tad more powerful. Strong contenders, but still only a minor upgrade ( seemingly ). The big leap in performance comes with the 400 and 462. Anyone have experience of these? By the way Gareth, I don't run an 18" bar on the 251, but I agree with you that it's gutless. I expected it to be a step up from the 023, but I don't reckon it is.

I'm not a professional, and can't justify some of the incredible machines now on the market. I had a Stihl 023 which I replaced at well over 25 years old with an MS251. ( And in my exceedingly humble opinion, the 251 is gutless compared to the 023 ). My other saw is probably even older ( I think someone dated it roughly in another thread somewhere ) an 038. Now given its age, I feel it must be living on borrowed time, so I've got to consider a replacement. I want it to cope with a 20" bar, ( the 038 spends 90% of its time wearing a 16" ) and ideally I'd like it to use the same bars/chains as the 038. Also, apologies to fans of other brands ( including my son, and his boss ) but I really would like it to be a Stihl. I bought a Husky leaf blower, and it's great, but it always feels wrong to be using it to me. So, my question to the folk here with experience and knowledge, what are my options? The obvious replacement is the MS 391. ( Like for like, ish ). I reckon a 261 wouldn't be man enough for a 20" bar, from what I read. Is the 362 a contender? What about the Pro saws? Are the 462 and 400 overkill, or are they the way forward? I worry about cutting edge technology sometimes, I've seen it make life an absolute doddle when it works correctly, and when it doesn't, it can render equipment virtually unusable. Floor's all yours folks, thank you for your thoughts. And yes, if there's something from another manufacturer that's the answer to an old git's prayers, feel free to suggest it. I'm only sitting here looking at pictures and figures, you folks are handling them. Ta.

I have a Stihl 251 with the same size bar as the Makita. Doesn't feel that much faster to me.

I have used and abused it for many years, cut tonnes of logs without a single hiccup, and I have buried that 16" bar to capacity on more than one occasion. It has never, repeat never stalled, bogged, or failed to cut. If you say the chain isn't running fast enough, I believe you. It still cuts more than fast enough for me.

Oh Doobin, that makes me feel so good about myself. It's not just me then? Yes, we got very good at adjusting those rears. When tuned up tight, they worked a lot better than the discs on my Transit do now!

Anything hitched behind a 3.5T LWB LDV is a real pain. They were never nimble. Or narrow. I remember driving towards a Golf Club, which had telegraph poles laid horizontally, about a foot high to keep vehicles off the grass. All of a sudden, I stopped dead! My front wheel nuts had snagged the poles at each side, and I couldn't get anywhere near!

I used to have one which was heavy, but to my eyes a better design. It folded the legs out very wide, and the two front legs were at a steep angle, which allowed the working platform to be very close to the hedge. Until all the bushes/bolts wore, it was very stable. You don't seem to see them now. I may yet have a go at rebushing it, and new bolts. May need a lot of wd40 though.

No idea at all about this but on the sprayers we used to use RDS instruments did shaft speed monitors. All it consists of is a magnet lashed to a shaft, and a sensor on a bracket. Pretty simple.

Environmentally friendly stump grinding? Could be a strong selling point. I've had my hands on one of those emergency services chainsaws with the depth stop, that was a brute. Also seen those masonry chainsaws in use, and I'd have to say that although they're both undoubtedly awesome, running costs are high. A carbide blade that sharpens itself looks attractive compared to that.

That's the same with any disc on a Stihlsaw, unless you get a 14" beast. I take your point that chainsaws have greater depth of cut, but in my experience, once the chain has gone round once in soil, you might be as quick chewing the root off!

It's great for cutting roots. It's great for cutting tyres, pallets, belting and all sorts of stuff that's abrasive, dirty and/or unkind to other cutting tools. It's a cutting tool, it cuts. You can't run it laterally over a dead, rotting stump to lower it. You can cut the roots, and dig the blighter out, because that's what it's designed for. I tried to grind on a stump which was very soft and weak. It's not the tool for the job. Had I intended to dig the stump out, it's perfect. There's nothing else I know of on the market like it. It's a perfect piece of kit for that Blue Moon job. Get one, you won't regret it. ( Not if you can buy one for £50 you won't, mine was over £100! )

If you're going to start using axes, adzes, picks, mattocks, chisels and semtex, then the blade is not bringing that much to the party. Doobin, I completely accept what you say. I never said it was the answer to life, the universe and everything, just ( in my humble opinion ) a good alternative to wrecking saws and chains.

I'd use a Stihlsaw with a Terrasaur Blade rather than a chainsaw when soil or metal is expected. Recommended for root cutting, but be warned: They are absolutely correct, you cannot use it as a stump grinder! Well, as soon as they say you can't do something, you have to try it, don't you? 😉 Mine has cut roots, pallets and other crap. It's a lot slower than a chainsaw, but versatile.

Short answer, no. Long answer, I can get covered in enough green, brown and multi coloured stuff as it is with a guard on, so I don't fancy adding to the detritus on my clothes by dispensing with it. I suspect that may elicit a reply along the lines of " don't knock it till you've tried it", but so be it.

Now I'm definitely not known for fitting every possible guard to every bit of every machine, but I wouldn't fancy using a strimmer without a guard. When you see our American friends on Youtube, they all seem to be unguarded as well. Give me a bump'n'Go with a guard on every time. Each to his own.

My son bought the corded Makita ages ago. It has a 16" bar, and it can turn it with ease. On occasion, I have buried it in big logs, and it copes well. For what it does, I suppose a 14" bar would be better for what I do, but I've never felt the overwhelming need to change it. It hasn't half cut some timber! I would/will replace it with the same again, no doubt.

I've been using a customer's Husqvarna rider with a flail on recently. Very capable piece of kit, nimble too. I'd rather spifflicate twenty acres of vegetation with that, than a strimmer!

I agree entirely. Was just thinking that this afternoon, while knocking down some long stuff. Once the blade is up to speed, it takes some stopping, while the line has virtually no momentum.

Many thanks for your help, Alec, much appreciated. Looks like we have a plan to take forward.

Absolutely. My son borrowed mine for a bit of aerial work, and was quite impressed.

Pictures as requested. On closer inspection, the growth is mainly near the trunk. The dead branches are definitely dead, they just snap off. The leaves are curling up somewhat, which makes me wonder about aphids, or similar. Thanks for the advice so far.