Autotune vs M-Tronic??

[Khntr85]

That’s one thing that has me leaning a little more towards the Husky 550XP. Not that this saw will be used a lot, but I want a quality saw for when I do use it. Aftermarket parts availability is one thing that would help more than having to go through dealers after the warranty has run out.

L8R,
Matt

They're definitely both quality saws. And as much as I'd like to own a new 550xpg, the reasons that I listed above for owning a herd of 350/346-family saws doesn't apply to the 550. There's like 8 models of Husqvarna and jonsered saws on that platform, which makes parts saws real common. Not quite the same with the 550 unfortunately.

Do you guys live in a predominantly husky area then???

 

[Ryan Browne]

Do you guys live in a predominantly husky area then???

I wouldn't say so. Within 100 miles of me there seems to be a few dealers and maybe there were more in the past. Definitely some Jonsereds back in the day. But locally it's a very Stihl dominated market. There's Stihl dealers in almost every small town, including mine. From the township guys to homeowners cleaning up branches most everyone I see cutting wood is running Stihls.

 

[bryanr2]

Have yall seen the new stihl ztr’s? The suspension system looks like Ferris in stihl paint.

 

[AnthemBassMan]

Do you guys live in a predominantly husky area then???

No, we have both but more Stihl dealers. Eastern central Ohio here. The closest Stihl dealer is 10-15 minutes down the road, and the closest Husqvarna dealer is maybe 25 minutes away. But I’m in the general area of the Husky dealer quite often so neither dealer really has a major advantage over the other to me. It doesn’t matter what brand it is, I just want to know that I’m not getting something that that has a lot of reliability issues.

L8R,
Matt

 

[AnthemBassMan]

I was originally thinking about an Echo CS590. Even it’s quite a bit less expensive, it’s also around three pounds heavier. And I’m wanting more of a pro grade saw and not have to look back second guessing myself.

L8R,
Matt

 

[pro94lt]

autotune and mtronic have been around a very long time. nothing new... I guess I have been running them for 15 years and have not had an issue with either of them in more than a dozen saws running commercially. In my opinion the ergonomics of the 550xp are much better than the 261 but that is personal preference. Run either at 50:1. It seems alot of the guys paranoid about oil mixes running 32:1 have the most problems... Just my observations...

 

[AnthemBassMan]

Thanks for the info. I use one gas can for all of my equipment. It’s always 40:1 using Amsoil Saber, Echo Red Armor, or Husqvarna XP+ mixed in 90 octane ethanol free gas because of my old Lawn-Boy mowers.

L8R,
Matt

 

[Loony661]

Have yall seen the new stihl ztr’s? The suspension system looks like Ferris in stihl paint.

They are exactly that.

 

[full chizel]

Are you firewooding with the 261? Personal or commercial? I wouldn't expect a stock 261 to hold up long-term on commercial firewood duty if you're consistently burying it, maxing out the bar, especially if it's hardwood. You can get away with it for a while, but it will shorten its life, so calculate that in.

BS alarm is going off here.

 

[Woodpecker]

BS alarm is going off here.

Wait you mean using a saw within its designed parameters won’t prematurely wear it out. Huh who woulda thunk it.

 

[SCHallenger]

I know of a guy that purchased a 261 Mtronic and bought their oil to extend the warranty. The piston/cylinder were toast in 9 months. Used the correct oil and ethanol free premium. It passed the pressure/vacuum tests. No clue how it failed. He had to pay the labor costs. Only the piston and cylinder were under warranty.

Do you suspect that he may have pushed it really hard with a dull chain?!

 

[Khntr85]

I wouldn't say so. Within 100 miles of me there seems to be a few dealers and maybe there were more in the past. Definitely some Jonsereds back in the day. But locally it's a very Stihl dominated market. There's Stihl dealers in almost every small town, including mine. From the township guys to homeowners cleaning up branches most everyone I see cutting wood is running Stihls.

Ya for me I can get any part for the stihls so figured it was opposite for you…no one around runs anything other than stihl…

 

[Khntr85]

No, we have both but more Stihl dealers. Eastern central Ohio here. The closest Stihl dealer is 10-15 minutes down the road, and the closest Husqvarna dealer is maybe 25 minutes away. But I’m in the general area of the Husky dealer quite often so neither dealer really has a major advantage over the other to me. It doesn’t matter what brand it is, I just want to know that I’m not getting something that that has a lot of reliability issues.

L8R,
Matt

Ya that’s why I wondered how the husky would have more parts…I mean you can get aftermarket parts anywhere….exspecially from the dealers around you that have burnt up saws in the shop

 

[Ryan Browne]

Ya for me I can get any part for the stihls so figured it was opposite for you…no one around runs anything other than stihl…

In theory, Stihl parts should be easier for me to get, but I'll walk into the local Stihl dealer with a part number and they'll do the whole "what saw is it for?" routine. Then they want a premium for parts. Then, they charge me shipping for parts that get delivered to the store. That was really the last straw for me. If I'm gonna pay for shipping, I'll just order husky parts online and have them shipped to my house. They're cheaper anyway. If a guy only has one or two saws, I think Stihl is a great choice, but if you can have backups for them and afford to wait a few days for parts in the mail, you can run whatever you want.

 

[FederalQ]

Do you suspect that he may have pushed it really hard with a dull chain?!

They thought he wasn‘t running it hard enough. If that‘s the case makes me think Mtronic then didn‘t learn to fully fuel the carb and ran it too lean. With the strato air injection that is probably a thin line.

 

[Khntr85]

In theory, Stihl parts should be easier for me to get, but I'll walk into the local Stihl dealer with a part number and they'll do the whole "what saw is it for?" routine. Then they want a premium for parts. Then, they charge me shipping for parts that get delivered to the store. That was really the last straw for me. If I'm gonna pay for shipping, I'll just order husky parts online and have them shipped to my house. They're cheaper anyway. If a guy only has one or two saws, I think Stihl is a great choice, but if you can have backups for them and afford to wait a few days for parts in the mail, you can run whatever you want.

Damn ya that dealer giving you the shaft, balls deep…sad stihl needs to reevaluate the sales….they have just pushed the small dealers to the side and sell their *s-word at rural king and other “box stores”….i run stihl equipment but sad they let the smaller guys go out of business and make no mistake they did make that choice!!!

 

[Khntr85]

Also if anyone goes to get a part at a dealer, give them the part number,make it simple, dont even let them ask you questions about what you need…give the part number and if they don’t get it for you at cost, go to one that will!!!

 

[HumBurner]

BS alarm is going off here.

Say what you will. I'm not a fan of maxing out a saw and running it hard at all times.


Bigger wood, especially hardwood, likes a stronger motor, especially if maxing out the cutters and having them fully buried all the time.

Again, to each their own. I'd rather let the torque of a 60-80cc saw do the work.

 

[Woodpecker]

Are you firewooding with the 261? Personal or commercial? I wouldn't expect a stock 261 to hold up long-term on commercial firewood duty if you're consistently burying it, maxing out the bar, especially if it's hardwood. You can get away with it for a while, but it will shorten its life, so calculate that in.

Say what you will. I'm not a fan of maxing out a saw and running it hard at all times.


Bigger wood, especially hardwood, likes a stronger motor, especially if maxing out the cutters and having them fully buried all the time.

Again, to each their own. I'd rather let the torque of a 60-80cc saw do the work.

My guess is that BS is being called because that’s not what you originally stated. You attempted to sway someone to your way of thinking that a saw used within its designed engineering parameters would wear out sooner because it was being used in a manner that you deemed “hard”. Who said he was using it “maxed out all the time”? Stihl recommends up to a 20” bar for the ms261. Which means they designed it to hold up long term to full bar use at that level.

When you got push back you said, essentially, “meh to each their own” which was a contradiction to your original cautionary statement. Now you’ve moved the goal post again with your last statement. Of course a bigger power head will get the job done faster but not everyone has a pile of saws laying around. Surely you can see the issue others are having?

 

[Pincher]

Of course a bigger power head will get the job done faster but not everyone has a pile of saws laying around.

And there is the real problem...