G
Greenhorn
Guest
The 361 is a great saw, I also have the 600 blower - if its the biggest stihl. Its muy bueno too.
ms660
- Thread starter brendonv
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CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Some history on my 066... In Merced CA ... the largest oak they had there fell over... The trunk was relatively straight and they wanted it for lumber. This saw quartered this tree trunk... 36 bar did not make it all the through on the quartering... so the tree was over 6 foot diameter... Length approx 40 feet... yes this did take time... LOL They finished the quartering by popping the trunk with an escavator bopping the cuts with the bucket.
The saw was a hand me down to me when I took over this business from my best friends brother, I just assumed his half. He climbs for PG&E now. If I were to replace the saw, I might try the husky as I have really good luck with my other Huskys... But... I do love my stihls too (except for the FS 250s of the last couple of years, but they aint chainsaws). Ground crew runs huskys and I (in the tree and felling it) run echo and stihl.. My 200t went buggy after five years and no one seems able to fix it up here (limited resources in mechanics here). So I am trying out the echo 360t and no it aint the stihl 200t but they work pretty nice with a 14 bar. My 200 would push a 16 bar no problem. But I had a budgte and they had CCs and good warrenty. At 300.00 per, I got two for redundency and even if I olny see two years out of them... think they payed for themselves. Dont shake your head at me now.. we all know 200t rocks.. I miss mine horribly.. Yet I buy at least two of everything in my line up with few exceptions. So two 200t's were just not in the cards two years ago and yes I probably will have two 200t's in the near future..
Bottom line through this thread is power.. use more power to the bar to get the job done and balance the weight issue and reliability and wear and tear on us climbers, especially when in the tree. The more efficient we are at our job, the more money we can make, plain and simple. Is a $1200.00 plus saw worth the money, h**l yes if you can apply it enough in your field.
The saw was a hand me down to me when I took over this business from my best friends brother, I just assumed his half. He climbs for PG&E now. If I were to replace the saw, I might try the husky as I have really good luck with my other Huskys... But... I do love my stihls too (except for the FS 250s of the last couple of years, but they aint chainsaws). Ground crew runs huskys and I (in the tree and felling it) run echo and stihl.. My 200t went buggy after five years and no one seems able to fix it up here (limited resources in mechanics here). So I am trying out the echo 360t and no it aint the stihl 200t but they work pretty nice with a 14 bar. My 200 would push a 16 bar no problem. But I had a budgte and they had CCs and good warrenty. At 300.00 per, I got two for redundency and even if I olny see two years out of them... think they payed for themselves. Dont shake your head at me now.. we all know 200t rocks.. I miss mine horribly.. Yet I buy at least two of everything in my line up with few exceptions. So two 200t's were just not in the cards two years ago and yes I probably will have two 200t's in the near future..
Bottom line through this thread is power.. use more power to the bar to get the job done and balance the weight issue and reliability and wear and tear on us climbers, especially when in the tree. The more efficient we are at our job, the more money we can make, plain and simple. Is a $1200.00 plus saw worth the money, h**l yes if you can apply it enough in your field.
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I wouldn't use a 361 if there was a 460 440 near by. Im a small guy and not a small saw guy.
I dont like the 361, ours have 20" bars and thats too much bending over. I run a 24" on my 440 at work and have a 24" and 36" for my 660. At home I got a 660 that wears a 28". Its been ported and had the cylinder cut down and piston cut down also. Screams. I bought a 460 and tore it down to modify it, not got around to it yet.
After a while you get used to the little extra weight I guess.. Course you need to learn to work the saw and not let it work you first...
I dont like the 361, ours have 20" bars and thats too much bending over. I run a 24" on my 440 at work and have a 24" and 36" for my 660. At home I got a 660 that wears a 28". Its been ported and had the cylinder cut down and piston cut down also. Screams. I bought a 460 and tore it down to modify it, not got around to it yet.
After a while you get used to the little extra weight I guess.. Course you need to learn to work the saw and not let it work you first...
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
I agree with you Jim ... Work the saw and not let it work you thing. Why I like adding HP to the bar... and also consider the weight.. I want something that will cut fast and produce cuts. Faster the cutting, lighter the weight, less I get worked overall.. I remember using my 066 for the first time.. Felt like it worked me... But I was pretty green to it and really could have done more of the job with less saw or less bar on the saw. Most of the trunk needed two cuts, but after that .. I could have used a smaller bar and sped up my work then transfer to a lesser saw to handle the next part of the tree bulk. I wish I had my 036 back then. I had a temper mental 251 Husky with a 24 bar so I rarely used it as it was temper mental. LOL... Now day what I am comfortable with and know is efficient in the wood I am working is in my hands. Crew puts it on a rope and sends it ot me as I call for it.. NP.. 
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squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
I've been pulling my ehp361 over my 46's lately. Light, smooth, and power I'll never go back to stock saws now.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
hey guys.. Husky 372 or 575 ... what ya think???
Yah it used to really wear me out to run a saw much, now I can go all day anymore and be fine. Learn not to fight it. Once I pick it up, I don't put it down till im done, need to move brush or something out of the way it gets moved with the saw.
I cut alot of "brush" at work with the 440. I usually wear the bar out on the topside of the tip before it wears out anywhere else. Do most of my cutting there..
I cut alot of "brush" at work with the 440. I usually wear the bar out on the topside of the tip before it wears out anywhere else. Do most of my cutting there..
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
You doing alot of brushing right now on the line clearance or something? I did some treespacing when I was younger and those were long days on the saw, bush teaches you to be efficient.
Heavier is heavier no matter how efficient you are, all I'm saying is side by side I'm certain my modded 361 is more powerful then my old bagged out 46's so it's a easy choice to make. Don't get me wrong for a all around saw that's gonna have to do some bigwood duty I don't think that you can beat a 46.
Heck I don't think I'll be satisfied until I have two or three of every size. I'm still dying to get my hands on a 90.
Heavier is heavier no matter how efficient you are, all I'm saying is side by side I'm certain my modded 361 is more powerful then my old bagged out 46's so it's a easy choice to make. Don't get me wrong for a all around saw that's gonna have to do some bigwood duty I don't think that you can beat a 46.
Heck I don't think I'll be satisfied until I have two or three of every size. I'm still dying to get my hands on a 90.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
We do a lot of brushing here and use the huskys for it .. 455 ranchers and the 345s... Bars will always be an issue in the brush due to the pinching of the bar on multiple stress cuts.. Hard wood most of it like manzanita, buck brush and deer brush here. All with all kids or pinch points. Chains wear faster too. We even lose the the sprocket on the bar regular. About welds itself. lol. Have to dress the bars regular and watch for chain stress close. Drive sprockets also wear fast. Love doing the brush though. Gets us in to do the trees and we can really pretty up a property by selective cutting. Reason why we use huskys for the brushin, torque and just tough. I would burn out a stihl up here brushing with it. We also price our saws for short life and return on it. Including repairs, husky for brushing is the way to go .. It's like the old addage, Stihls in the air and huskys on the ground.. Our records show it is the way to go so far. Like I mentioned before though, Stihls are hard to get repaired up here, huskys easier. Stihl parts are higher priced too. Our authorised dealer (1) is also having issues with parts from stihl. Why we are trying other products with better warranties and such.. One dealer (1 hour away) that we could have service our stihls from time to time (when nobody else could fix it) dropped them. Hearing another just dropped Husky in the same distance frame cause they weren't backing their parts or warranties. See what haps. I am small engine certified from the 70's. I guess I will just have to possibly take matters and spend money on tools and such, into my own hands.
My 660 originally came with a 42" bar and it pretty much sat in the truck most of the time. Since I boughta 32" bar it gets used way more often. When we have a big tree to cut up my guy starts on the small end with the 046 with a 20" bar and I start on the big end with the 660.
Pretty much everything in the easement under the line gets cut out, no topping. Basically bare ground, then grass seed goes on. We don't trim like the "contractors"... Sky to ground, everything. Groundy gets alot of it but I don't start trimming till the brush is cut so I help alot of times.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Same here Steve.. I start the crew on the upper end the 16s and 18s and i head for the big wood... Some of this is practicality as I probably felled the tree with the 066 anyway. That and the crew are a bit leary of that 066, and I like it that way. Two reasons.. I am used to running it and know its lil quirks (could take a leg ect.) and its a $1200 saw..... Do I really want anyone that has no vested interest in high dollar equipment running it??? Heck no!
We are a two owner business (3 actually counting the Mrs.) and only the owners run the higher dollar stuff.... Have experimented with this sceneareo... Funny how my maintenance curve went down with owner only on the upper equip.......Hmmmmm... LOL. Other side of this is I do work m way down saws once a tree in ground side. 066 then 036 then 455 then 345.... Gas matters.. anyone that has one (066 or like cc kind) knows the fuel these beasts use and when it is just better with a diffy saw.
We are a two owner business (3 actually counting the Mrs.) and only the owners run the higher dollar stuff.... Have experimented with this sceneareo... Funny how my maintenance curve went down with owner only on the upper equip.......Hmmmmm... LOL. Other side of this is I do work m way down saws once a tree in ground side. 066 then 036 then 455 then 345.... Gas matters.. anyone that has one (066 or like cc kind) knows the fuel these beasts use and when it is just better with a diffy saw.
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CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
P.S. y'all would love to see my Katy on a saw... Ohhh Baby!
She works mostly as my spotter and cuts the falls up for the other crew members, but she aint as active in that regard of late. She is expecting and out of it till after Feb.... Almost 2nd trimester now. No saws for her.. LOL
She works mostly as my spotter and cuts the falls up for the other crew members, but she aint as active in that regard of late. She is expecting and out of it till after Feb.... Almost 2nd trimester now. No saws for her.. LOL
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Otherwise you will end up with a very expensive shelf ornament.
Thats what mine is. It basically only comes out if I'm running the 460 and hit a something in the wood. Its faster to start the 660 than change or sharpen a chain. I wish I would have bought a second 460 instead of a 660.
SkwerI
Treehouser
Ben, shoot me a pm if you want to sell the 660.
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
Dang Brian you run a 660 and you'll never go back to that fleet of orange heaps that you got.
Ben if Brian's not interested I may be, cheaper shipping.
Ben if Brian's not interested I may be, cheaper shipping.
F
fallguy
Guest
A question for you guys with the 046"s I'm looking to get one and put a 28" or 30" bar on it. What kind of chains are you runnig? I cut mostly hardwoods alot of dead oak thanks to the oakwilt problems around here.
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
I cut mostly softwoods and only run up to 25" on my 46's imo the lengths of bar you're talking are gonna be sloooooowwww on a 46. I run the Stihl chisel anywhere from full-skip to non-skip(what I call full house but I don't want to open that can of worms again 
)
)
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
I don't own an 046 but I do have a pair of 048's which are the same displacement although older .These will pull with relative ease a 32" in hardwood .
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fallguy
Guest
What typr of chain are you running Al full, semi skip, or full skip?
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
Full compliment round filed chisel on that bar .I have some skip on a 36 for the larger saws but this one does just fine in these hardwoods running full .
One thing thing to note,the damned Stihls are a little lacking in the oiling department to really oil good this length of bar . I seldom use this bar because I have larger saws with longer bars but it will do alright running it if needed .
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
brendonv
Tree Hugger
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #50
I ran my 460 today with a full 28" bar through Red Oak. Thing chugged along like nobodys business. Glad I went with the saw and blower instead of the 660. The new 361 kicked ass all day and the BR600 saved me from taking out the rakes.
Thanks for the replys!
Thanks for the replys!
