Chainsaw?

kmaxwell3

Senior Member
Looking to have some trees cut down behind the house and will need a new chainsaw to cut the trees up. I have a Stihl 20" that has been a good saw over the last 17 years. But it's not going to handle these big trees. What do you guys recommend? And best place to get one at a good deal? Thanks
 

sea trout

2021 Turkey Challenge Winner 2022 biggest turkey ?
I love chainsaws!
I would get husqvarna 360 xp
 

riverbank

Senior Member
I finally got mine off of layaway from ag pro. It is a stihl ms362 .....I only got it with a 20" bar, but it will handle a bigger bar if needed. It's a mean saw, and will get through some wood. I've been really impressed with it. Are there bigger and badder saws out there? Sure. But I really did my research for a one size for everything saw and this is what I came up with. I also went with the 362 "c" , which has the mtronic carb system. Neat little deal. It's kind of like husqvarnas auto tune stuff. Automatically adjusts for climate, altitude, and lots of other stuff. Monitors the engine something like 35 times per second. Ag pro also has a thing with stihl to where if you buy a 6 pack of there mix oil they give you an extra year warranty.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
Stihl is the only chainsaw made.



The rest are wannabes and wish they weres.
 

tree cutter 08

Senior Member
I would second the stihl 362. I've got a 16 inch bar on my 362 and its turned up a tad bit and it will flat cut. Don't matter if the bar don't reach through the wood, you can always go to the other side. I use either a 16 inch on my smaller saw and a 24 inch on the big saw, 660 magnum. I've ran every size bar and settled on these to. I'll run the 16 inch bar on stuff up to 20 to 22 inches before I go to the big saw. Stick with a stihl and you'll be good. I would hang up tree work if I had to run anything else because they won't hold up.
 

Mr Warren

Banned
I would second the stihl 362. I've got a 16 inch bar on my 362 and its turned up a tad bit and it will flat cut. Don't matter if the bar don't reach through the wood, you can always go to the other side. I use either a 16 inch on my smaller saw and a 24 inch on the big saw, 660 magnum. I've ran every size bar and settled on these to. I'll run the 16 inch bar on stuff up to 20 to 22 inches before I go to the big saw. Stick with a stihl and you'll be good. I would hang up tree work if I had to run anything else because they won't hold up.
This - I've had several sizes of Stihls over the years - never had a problem with any of them - nearly cried when I finally had to sell them due to my arthritis. Back when I worked cutting pulpwood in Michigan Stihl and Homelite were the only saws the guys used.
 

northgeorgiasportsman

Moderator
Staff member
Stihl is the only chainsaw made.



The rest are wannabes and wish they weres.

Husqvarna might disagree. They both make excellent saws.

To the OP, how big are these trees you're talking about? I've seen some pretty big ones brought down with a 20" bar.
 

rayjay

Senior Member
Looking to have some trees cut down behind the house and will need a new chainsaw to cut the trees up. I have a Stihl 20" that has been a good saw over the last 17 years. But it's not going to handle these big trees. What do you guys recommend? And best place to get one at a good deal? Thanks

Which Stihl do you have? I have an 039 with a 20" bar and have heard these saws will pull a longer bar with no problem.
 
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GA native

Senior Member
For the price of a Stihl with a 36" bar, you could pay a tree company to drop it. And as a bonus, they will chip all the brush from it too.

Or, you could just rent the saw.
 

riverbank

Senior Member
Check out Craigslist. I see some big stihl saws for a good price on there all the time. When I want to buy something off of Craigslist I always ask them if they'd meet me at the police station, or would it be okay if I had the serial numbers ran before I leave. If they start spitting and sputtering like they got some trash in the carb I tell them to have a nice day.
 

kmaxwell3

Senior Member
Which Stihl do you have? I have an 039 with a 20" bar and have heard these saws will pull a longer bar with no problem.

Not sure what model I have. It's 17 years old and not sure if it would take a longer bar or have power to cut these trees up.
 

DannyW

Senior Member
At the risk of this sounding like a Stihl MS362 love fest, that's the model I have also. I did "downgrade" the blade to an 18" bar but it's still very good on trees up to 30" or so.

Like others, I wonder why your old Stihl won't do the job. Maybe you need a new bar size and chain, but don't underestimate it's potential.
 

lonewolf247

Senior Member
A 20" bar on the right saw can cut up to a 36" tree. However, without being more specific of the saw that you own, it's hard to say if you need a bigger saw, or if your able to run a bigger bar.

When it comes to cutting big trees, from a logger's standpoint, the bar only needs to be big enough to go to the center of the tree, and maybe a little more. The engine on the saw, and the power it produces is everything.

My dad retired from the logging business after 45 years of work. Typically all the saws he used for cutting down trees, had 20-24" bars. Anything longer is too bulky and cumbersome to tote around. I typically only see 28-36" bars used mostly by tree service guys, to cut the stumps down low on really large trees.

As far as brand, I think there are two good choices. Stihl, that has already been mentioned, but don't discount the Husky. They make some good saws too. My dad used both brands during his career, and had good luck with both. I have a 25 year old Husqvarna '55 Rancher, which is not even considered the pro model, and it's been a flawless saw. It wouldn't be my choice as a logger, but it's no slouch. We were hit by a hurricane and lost about 30 very large pecan trees, and this saw was used every weekend for about a year cutting up large trees, and some were up to 36" I'm sure.

I'd buy one of those two brands if I were you. I'd buy a saw with a 24" bar, and maybe buy a 20" bar to have as well for it. I'd maybe even consider taking your current saw, and put a 16" bar on it, if possible, and you'd have all of your basis covered. Unfortunately, my saw has held up too well, and my dad is retired, so I'm not up to date on the best models, to buy by each brand. You can't go wrong with another stihl, but do your homework, on which model.
 

660griz

Senior Member
I cut trees every now and again. I have a Husky. My neighbor cuts trees to make money, he has several Stihls.
Mine works great for what I need. His works great for what he needs.
 

NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
I cut trees every now and again. I have a Husky. My neighbor cuts trees to make money, he has several Stihls.
Mine works great for what I need. His works great for what he needs.

We use saws every day, month after month, year after year. Brutally. On the ground. Up in the trees. We have Stihls. We have Huskys. We don't have any other kind. Both are good saws. Neither one outlasts the other, as far as I can see. We have both that have been going strong for years. You can't go wrong with either, as long as you get the commercial instead of the fake Home Depot version of either.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
Husqvarna might disagree. They both make excellent saws.

To the OP, how big are these trees you're talking about? I've seen some pretty big ones brought down with a 20" bar.

the classic Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge conumdrum
 

Robert28

Senior Member
I have a 440 magnum and run a 20" bar on it 90% of the time but it'll run a 24" bar all day long too. They don't make the 440 anymore and I'm not a fan of the 441, but if you want a hoss, go buy a 461.
 

SGaither

Senior Member
Anyone have and specific experience with the Stihl MS261? I'm considering one for around the yard and occasional light use at the lease.
 
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