461

[HolmenTree]

I have to tell you all this story relating to the "Red Lite".
On a summer evening in 1989 I was having dinner with Hans Peter Stihl, Stihl Canada president Fred Whyte [now Stihl USA president] and my branch manager Steve Meriam [now Stihl USA sales, product research and development manager].
Mr Stihl told us he will be announcing a new technological advancement on Stihl saws in the very near future, we never even got a hint of what it was.
That following Christmas I left the company and went back logging so I didn't find out what the advancement was until the summer of 1990.
This was printed in Chain Saw Age magazine Aug 1990, the picture doesn't show a LED red lite lens but this 064 was the start of the 066 Red Lite design that was introduced several years later, which at that time Stihl rep Dave Gordon who replaced me delivered a brand new 066 Red Lite to my door.

Also I'm posting some Red Lite info from my manual.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I've never seen a saw with a light.

 

[sawinredneck]

I've never seen a saw with a light.

And you probably never will! I think it was only done for a year and a half? It was a short lived experiment. Most of the problems came with the polly flywheel Stihl used at the time. They would disintegrate at high RPM causing a lot of problems. Most, if not all, have been upgraded with the newer style coils.

 

[HolmenTree]

And you probably never will! I think it was only done for a year and a half? It was a short lived experiment. Most of the problems came with the polly flywheel Stihl used at the time. They would disintegrate at high RPM causing a lot of problems. Most, if not all, have been upgraded with the newer style coils.

Actually the 066 Red Lite came out with a metal flywheel, then the upgrade was another metal flywheel and ignition module change. The poly flywheel came out a few years later with decomp included. I have both of these 066's.

 

[sawinredneck]

Thank you for the correction, Willard! I knew it was all around the same time, but unsure how it all unfolded!

 

[Bermy]

Well, I have totally derailed the OP's thread but happy to have initiated an interesting historical discussion!
My College Merrist Wood has for years been a testing ground for new Stihl saws, they would send them new models to field test, I guess especially with students abusing them it would soon prove what was practical and what was not! I guess that was an old one they hung on to.

I wish I hadn't buggered up the picture file on me standing with it, but here's the tree end of the stump, I was doing a practical assessment.

Might be picking up the 461 today...got work on the books, feel justified to borrow a bit from the truck payment fund!

Hey ClimbMIT...how's your new 461 going!?

Would you guys say $199Aud for a 25" bar plus three RS chains a spanner and a small bottle of oil is a good price? Its on Ebay right now

 

[HolmenTree]

Well, I have totally derailed the OP's thread but happy to have initiated an interesting historical discussion!

I wish I hadn't buggered up the picture file on me standing with it, but here's the tree end of the stump, I was doing a practical assessment...think I passed.

History lessons are good , I always believed an expert woodcutter who makes a living with a chainsaw should know his tools inside and out.

Good job on the codominant stemmed tree, you must have felled the forward leaning stem first to avoid the danger of that tree splitting apart especially with that band of included bark .
Nice open face notch and even hinge!

 

[Bermy]

'S'right Willard, the other stem went first...see the marks from the wedges too?

Right, I went and brought home the 461
I got a spare chain and some files (they tried to give me a Carlton chain, phshsh...none a dat!) that came with the saw price (please don't ask, you all will faint)
I also got some spare starter pawls and boot springs, a cup washer and circlip for the spares bag...and I picked a 3/8 file guide off the shelf
So I got it home, took it apart, muffler to check where the spark arrestor screen is, clutch side to check all that stuff, recoil starter, and hey, the flywheel is plastic, first time I've seen that.
It's got one of those like space age looking scabbards, but it actually fits all the way to the power head.
It came with double felling dogs...do I really need both? Mind you the chain catcher is a roller between the lower spikes...

Me likey...now to go use it, two jobs waiting for it...broke again, no more big expenses for a while.

 

[Tucker943]

I have not used more then one 064 in my life. The fella that taught me to climb kept a lineup of older stihl saws that were all in outstanding order. I took a liking to the 064, which no one else really bothered with. It had a grunt and a roar to it that let me know I had some saw in my hands. Its been so long since I ran it, but I remember loving it. Rumor has it, B is gifting me his when he has had enough cutting firewood in another 30 years.

 

[HolmenTree]

Fiona, you now have a top notch saw that can handle any job for you, very good investment. Now that I think of it if I was to buy another Stihl the 461 would be my pick. Looks like a good design.........also no microprocessor controlled carb to worry about in hot weather too!

 

[HolmenTree]

Just to add to my last post, as much as I like my old 064's and 066's they don't compare to todays new saws with air injection, spring anti vibe and the good running torque monster strato design.
Upon running my old 064/066's for a few minutes recently that was all I wanted to run them for, just a few minutes...........................the MS461 looks like a very nice saw to operate.
We need feedback Fiona.

 

[stig]

I just bought a new 441 last week. Not out of choice, burt for some weird reason Stihl won't market the 461 in Denmark. I REALLY wanted to try one of those.

Fi, I don't know if you need double dogs for the kind of work you'll be doing with it, but I wouldn't consider felling with a saw that didn't have them.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

I'm sure Stig could fell okay without them, but he's so true about what difference they make, especially if you have a full wrap handle. Dogs are often underestimated. Some of the bigger OEM (or are they aftermarket) show that the lower tooth of the one dog doesn't align on with tip of the lower tooth of the other. Dogs are more engineered than many people give them credit for. Proper use saves much muscling of the saw during felling. Pivoting a heavy saw while keeping your intended kerf aligned is much better with dogs suited to the task.

 

[Cold Logging]

True dat Sean ; Husky has redeemed themselves some with the big dogs on the 372 and 390. But the factory big dogs on the 394/395 are an abomination!!. On a a Stihl I like the factory R dogs. The 5 point the extra height above the top of the bar saves the left hand knuckles a lot. And the roller chain catcher works well and helps save the saw and potentially some body parts.

Stig; I feel your pain, believe it or not, Stihl won't sell the Arctic version of any of their pro saws in Alaska. Talk about maddening. Is 50°below Not cold enough to maybe offer saws with a heater wire in the Carb and heated handles!!!!!!!!!!

 

[stig]

That is about the weirdest thing relating to chainsaws, I've ever heard!

 

[HolmenTree]

That is about the weirdest thing relating to chainsaws, I've ever heard!

That's nothing Stig
When I was doing sawchain field testing for Stihl in 1989 I came upon a logging camp in northern Alberta, and found a group of White Russian hand fallers felling timber in the dark long after supper time.
They had head lites mounted on their saw's top handle wired into the saw's heated handle circuit.
I got photos somewhere in my treasures of stuff.

 

[Cold Logging]

And here I thot I was the only one that needed lights to work.
Sorry to say that I have fell some timber here in the Interior with a head lamp. Working alone, there just ain't enough hours of daylight sometimes in the winter.

 

[HolmenTree]

And here I thot I was the only one that needed lights to work.
Sorry to say that I have fell some timber here in the Interior with a head lamp. Working alone, there just ain't enough hours of daylight sometimes in the winter.

We're not quite as far north as you, you'd be in SawTrolls latitude where it's 24 hr darkness in winter, 24 hr light in summer.
We have up to 21 hrs of day light in summer and 16 hrs darkness in winter on the shortest day.
Never had to use head lamps though.

 

[Cold Logging]

Getting equipment running, opening up roads ect. Takes up a lot of time too often and I can only be in 1 place at a time. I'm set up better now but I had some logistical learning curves.!!!

 

[Cold Logging]

I'm at lat. 61°N.
About. 8 hours of light if its not snowing or cloudy on the shortest days. That's with the twilight. About 6 hours of actual sun up

 

[pete mctree]

I just bought a new 441 last week. Not out of choice, burt for some weird reason Stihl won't market the 461 in Denmark. I REALLY wanted to try one of those.

Fi, I don't know if you need double dogs for the kind of work you'll be doing with it, but I wouldn't consider felling with a saw that didn't have them.

We can send you one from the UK if you want

 

[Tucker943]

Fiona, you now have a top notch saw that can handle any job for you, very good investment. Now that I think of it if I was to buy another Stihl the 461 would be my pick. Looks like a good design.........also no microprocessor controlled carb to worry about in hot weather too!

Your issues with hot weather.... are they limited to your saw or others you have used? All the AutoTune saws I know of between myself and other guys in the business I interact with have been flawless.

 

[Bermy]

One of the reasons I didn't get a 441 was the m-tronic carb...I just can't wrap my head around a computer chip in a saw, I'm sure they are great but I don't think they've been around long enough to be fool proof. I'm a bit technophobic sometimes, don't even own a smartphone...then again, my saws probably aren't tuned perfectly even with a normal carb, just good enough, spark plug the right colour, good mix gas, good pick-up and top end ok...girl's saw after all.

Mr. Bermy would often say after buying something new to the market for our boat when someone would ask how he likes it...'ask me again in five years and I'll let you know...!'

Pete, what does the 461 cost in the UK?

 

[Cold Logging]

IMO, the 461 is a far better saw for your application. It weighs the same but has more power. And more bomb pruf.
The 441 is smoother to run ( spring mounts). Stretched out handle spacing which is more for long bars so not an issue for you. Better wrap handle design. But again not an issue.
Now if Stihl would keep the weight the same but make the 441 a 6+ horsepower saw. Then I would sturt getting used to computers on chainsaws.

 

[HolmenTree]

Your issues with hot weather.... are they limited to your saw or others you have used? All the AutoTune saws I know of between myself and other guys in the business I interact with have been flawless.

In 90F and higher with humidity my 562 plus 3- 550Xp's I also have being using in my tree service all have warm start issues. Flooding, have to use fast idle to clear them out. Really bad when working in a tree. Weather cools down they run flawless. I heard the same from operators in Australia in their hot climate too.

I remember a while back you said your 562 won't start on the first pull when warmed up but you said you can live with it. Not good enough for me.