Need my Big Saw.

[r0ck1r0ck2]

zam! that's a lot to chew on y'all.

i suppose that 'beast' is relative.
relative to my 362(59cc).
i've had mopeds with less.

here's what bugs me.

ms461 76.5cc 14.6 lbs 6bhp
390xp 87.9cc 16.1 lbs 6.5bhp
066 91.6cc 16.1 lbs
ms660 91.6cc 16.5 lbs 7 bhp
395xp 93.6cc 17.4 lbs 7.1bhp

let me just ask your thoughts on a 461/390 pulling a 36" bar?

 

[squisher]

460. Nope. I have four, one very well modded. None wear a 36". And I cut mostly softwoods. I've got a 66 and a modded 660. Both of which pull 36"s with authority.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Only in emergences.

 

[Reddog]

If my primary use was pulling a 36" in hardwood, 390, 066/660,or 395.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Mod the muffler and tune the 461, maybe remove the gasket on the head to up compression, and it will easily pull a 32.

 

[HolmenTree]

Rock your in Wisconsin, would you need a 36"? on the average what wood diameter do you encounter?

 

[RopeArmour]

In the tree? Or on the ground?
660 is manageable in the tree for me.
I go 200t then right to 660.
Last week knocked down a fair size Norway maple
In 1/2 dozen cuts whole tree done in blurr of chips.
By far my favorite saw. Plus my dealer/service is top shelf and that is itself is priority

 

[Altissimus]

Rock your in Wisconsin, would you need a 36"? on the average what wood diameter do you encounter?

.... was wondering the same thing, first guy I worked for had a Husky 2010 ... overkill / beast

 

[r0ck1r0ck2]

3' in wisconsin...?

maples. lots of silver maples.
oaks a plenty
willows(ugh.. smell like swamp butt.)
freaking cottonwood
box eldars by the mile.
i'm sure there are ash trees about to fall that'll be big...

it is true tho'
most trees will be under 3'
i don't want to get a saw that can't take out the odd big ones.

but yes.
mostly less than 3'
this is why i'm considering the 461.
i'm sure it'll be useful
i just don't know if it's enough of a step up from the ms362 you know?

the 390 is also looking good.

it's not like they're going to stop making the bigboys.

i use the 362 in the tree. haven't wanted anything bigger than 20'' yet.
i haven't even been on a job where anyone went up with anything bigger than a 20'' bar.

 

[HolmenTree]

The 461 is a major step up from the 362 but for a little extra cash you might as well go the next step to the 390XP.
A 3 ft diameter tree can be easily felled with a 18" b/c ,but I recommend for your big saw should sport a 28".

I primarily own a 395XP just to lower stumps for my stump grinder with a 32" trading off with a 36". Other then that my 372XP-24" will handle anything else.
Your Wisconsin timber sounds exactly what I deal with here in Manitoba.

I heard the Stihl 661 CM will be available in the U.K. this summer, so we'll be waiting longer then that I'm sure.

Interesting specs:
661CM
91.1cc
16.3 lbs
7.3 h.p.

390XP
88cc
15.65 lbs
6.5 h.p.

 

[Grendel]

Sounds like that 661CM is going to be a husky killer.

 

[Reddog]

But first this mythical beast has to re-appear on dealers shelves

 

[FireFighterZero]

My Pro Mac 850 is all the big saw I need. Gawd is it loud. Loud means good right? Probably less power than my 460, but it is a lot louder.

 

[Magnus]

Too big is not good for example 880 or 3120XP
I bypassed the 390XP by buying the 395XP for the extra displacement. .....if your going to buy an aging series of saws you might as well buy the slightly bigger one.
The 390XP is a perfect high production saw for a faller working 6-8 hrs a day. But the yet introduced Stihl 661CM is going to blow it away.......that's my hunch.

390 is old design too, it is 385 in a new dress..

 

[Tucker943]

Get a 395.

 

[flushcut]

Rock your in Wisconsin, would you need a 36"? on the average what wood diameter do you encounter?

Sometimes yes a big saw is needed

 

[HolmenTree]

That's big wood Rajan cottonwood or willow?

Here's a 8 ft cottonwood stump I lowered with my 395, had to get the 36"b/c out for this one otherwise the saw always sports a 32".
Poor little 252 labored for 2 1/2 hr to grind the core out completely, visable root flares included.

 

[stig]

Get a 461 and learn to bore cut.

Having a "beast" fitted with a 36" bar and using it as many times in the year as I use my 880 with the 60" bar is a waste of saw.

Better to,learn how to do those big cuts with a shorter bar,

But then Y'all knew I'd say that, right

 

[Mick!]

Hey Willard, there must have been a pile of grindings left, where did they go?

 

[Mick!]

Get a 461 and learn to bore cut.

Having a "beast" fitted with a 36" bar and using it as many times in the year as I use my 880 with the 60" bar is a waste of saw.

Better to,learn how to do those big cuts with a shorter bar,

But then Y'all knew I'd say that, right

Thing is with an 880 is that you only need to buy one. Should last your whole career.
I'm not that experienced a faller so I'd rather do one back cut with a biggun, clients like to see it as well, brings plenty of gasps

 

[HolmenTree]

Hey Willard, there must have been a pile of grindings left, where did they go?

Yeah there was enough to fill a dump truck 1/2 full. This job I did for the city of Flin Flon, They cleaned up for me with their large front end wheeled loader and tandem axle dump truck.
All I had to do was cut down the tree and grind out the stump, I love jobs like that.

 

[Mick!]

Cheers, I actually google earthed the address to see the tree, Channing drive, Manitoba, came up with flin flon.
I get bored you know!!!!!

 

[HolmenTree]

the address is 77 Channing Drive. Is it a old google with the tree still there? I removed that tree about 2-3 yrs ago.

 

[Mick!]

Was it this one?
Speaking of which I used the guy line felling technique the other day for a birch, worked a treat.

 

[HolmenTree]

That's so cool
Yep that's the big cottonwood, lives forever as a legend with it's 86 feet of grandeur.

If you can circle around that tree you can see all the powerlines I had to work around felling those stems.

You can see more of that job on page 17 of the official work pictures thread.
I glad the guy line technique worked for you.