MS 461

[SouthSoundTree]

Anybody get one yet?

Mike, the Madsen's saw mechanic, said they had a demo that he'd have loved to send out with us (Parks crew) but Stihl called it back too quickly to send elsewhere.

His report from fallers that it went out with, is that it is everything its supposed to be, none of the problems of the 441. Same price as the 460.



And FWIW, they have 440s on the shelf. Probably available elsewhere, too, but it not, just a heads up.

 

[Cut4fun]

Bunch of guys have them already and woods ported too. Mastermind Randy really likes them ported.

 

[bonner1040]

We have one at Big Green, they moved the decomp button, but other than that it feels like my 460.

Disclosure, I am not a 'motor' guy. Someone might say its this or that compared to the 460 and have all sorts of numbers to back it up but it doesnt seem any different to my undiscerning review.

Ultimately I really like my 460 and the 461 we have at work. I will take a 460 over a 660 for anything other than really big logs or stumping. We have two 660's and two 460's. Both 460's have 25" bars and we have a 25" and 36" 660. I never use the short 660 over the 460.

 

[Cut4fun]

Ed had some info on them moving the de-comps.

Ed Heard = well had a guy in here today that has 2 -461's artics , he loves the saws but has had a bad problem with both of them, the decompressure sits up to much above the top cover and he has broken them off twice now in a very short time logging , , It needs the top cover to be raised up where the decompressure is like they do on the 460 so you donot hit the end of the button and bust it off

 

[bonner1040]

461

460

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Those new HD air filters are nice. They knock out nicely.

Ya Nick, 460s are a lot easier to swing around that 660s.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Damn straight they are... Been on the end of my 066 for the last week bucking pondos.... Rob had the 046

 

[Cut4fun]

Randy has video comparisons of stock 461 against ported 461's he has done. Just look for them off the 200 201 videos.

 

[mastermind7864]

Anybody get one yet?

Mike, the Madsen's saw mechanic, said they had a demo that he'd have loved to send out with us (Parks crew) but Stihl called it back too quickly to send elsewhere.

His report from fallers that it went out with, is that it is everything its supposed to be, none of the problems of the 441. Same price as the 460.



And FWIW, they have 440s on the shelf. Probably available elsewhere, too, but it not, just a heads up.

I've modded 10 of them already. They make way more power than a 460....with more torque over the whole power range. One of my customers is running a .404 8 pin setup.

One thing about the 461 is that they don't sound as racy as the 460 when modded....that leads some guys to say they don't make the rpm that the 460 does. In the wood, where it matters, the 461 walks away though.

Randy has video comparisons of stock 461 against ported 461's he has done. Just look for them off the 200 201 videos.

Here's a ported 461 doing the noodle thing......ain't got no cookie cutting videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1qLgHec388&feature=share&list=UUg2yelCeKwB12xIohZfmf1g

 

[mastermind7864]

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[mastermind7864]

Same saw crosscutting.....

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[stig]

Those new HD air filters are nice. They knock out nicely.

Ya Nick, 460s are a lot easier to swing around that 660s.

Yep, but when you have a frozen mature beech tree to fell, and have to whack dozen of them a day, to make a paycheck, the 660 is GOLDEN.
Only better falling saw I ever had was the 064. Last one before environmental issues killed saws.

I was told by Stihl Denmark that the 461 was for the US market.

Then our french member, Marc- antoine was kind enough to send me an ad from France for the 461.

So, I talked to my dealer last week, and he said he'd work on getting us one.
3'rd biggest Stihl dealer here, so he has some swing.
I'm hopefull, anyway.
Would be a fun one to try.

 

[Cut4fun]

Hey Randy Thanks for coming over to help these guys out. They are looking for someone on this site that does port work and etc.

 

[FJR]

I am very interested.

 

[Ed L]

Haven't seen one yet, not surprising though, dealers around me don't stock much in the line of the larger pro saws. My regular dealer didn't know the 440 was available again.

Ed

 

[Al Smith]

Oh yeah the pepped up 461 has got some soup now .

Now I'm not certain but the last I heard the 440's were only being sold on the left coast .

 

[HolmenTree]

I'm not certain but the last I heard the 440's were only being sold on the left coast .

I believe your right Al, the holy grail of Stihl dealers [Madsens, Centralia Washington ] I hear still stocks them. Time may be running out though if not already.

 

[Tucker943]

Ive seen 440's for sale recently here in PA.

 

[woodworkingboy]

The ported 441 looks kick A. Tom's saw sounds too rich on the H.

Just wondering, Randy, are you doing piston modifications on the work mods?

 

[1BUS]

The 440 is for sale in Georgia too,

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Yep, but when you have a frozen mature beech tree to fell, and have to whack dozen of them a day, to make a paycheck, the 660 is GOLDEN.
Only better falling saw I ever had was the 064. Last one before environmental issues killed saws.

So true, but 40 hours a week, I get paid by the hour. After that, I get paid by the job.

I've heard from Burnham, too, that the 064 is a good saw, however, I've also heard its something of a detuned 066. I have an 064, but its been rode hard and put up wet before coming to me. Hard to compare.

 

[Cut4fun]

There was new reintroduced 440's being sold in NE Ohio in the $700-$789 range

 

[Al Smith]

I don't really know if they have been totally successfull in enhancing the 441 and 201 the way a normal saw would respond .As I understand it the 461 uses a slightly different method of design than the previously mentioned models so maybe therein lies the difference .

Now Bradley David S has a 441 that he keeps fiddling with that honestly does pretty well at least over the blocks .I've never seen it run with a longer bar in some real round wood. I have no idea how it might do against a souped 044 or 038 Mag or 372 Huskey which are all about the same displacement .

To make a good woods saw that thing has to dig in and pull like a Georgia mule .Obviously that 461 can get-er done .Weather a 441 can I have no idea.As far as that I've ran them in stock form with 20" bars and for that they do okay once they get warmed up from a couple of cuts .

 

[Tucker943]

441's are turds once you move up from a 20" bar. I like mine with a 20" bar but found it to be an ultra smooth dog when I went to 24".

 

[HolmenTree]

I've heard from Burnham, too, that the 064 is a good saw, however, I've also heard its something of a detuned 066.

A little history lesson needed here.
Way back in the mid 1980s [when Stig, myself and others were heavily into forestry hand falling] the 064 was introduced as one of the "new generation Stihls" [teamed up with 024,034,084] the 044 wasn't introduced until almost 4 yrs later.
These early 064s had a powerhead weight of 14.1 lbs at 85cc engine displacement [less then the smaller 76.5cc 046 at 14.3 lbs introduced in the early '90s]
When the 91.6cc 066 was introduced in 1991/92 [to compete with the Husky 394] it was 2 lbs heavier and alot "fatter" then the 064 thanks to the wider rewind housing and sprocket cover. Power of the 066 seemed to be higher then the 064, but the 066's dual outlet muffler fooled you and boy did fuel economy drop. Also the early 066s redlight and rev limiting didn't offer the power and versatility a fine tuned 064 offered.

But marketing is marketing and the 064 was fattened up, and died a slow death years later as a 650 [detuned 85cc 660].
To distract the enduser the 046 was introduced, but unfortunately the 046 and 066 never could match the power/weight ratio that the early 064s offered.