Milling power head?

[Jimmy in NC]

I didnt want to start a new thread so I will ask my question here.

Starting out milling soon and am looking at what power head will be best but I cant make a decision.

Considerations:
All timber will be hardwood, Australia dont grow soft stuff
I will be fitting a 42" bar to the power head no matter the width of timber. we dont get super thick stuff here often but if I need a longer bar, the power head will need to pull it.

I have a couple 066's I plan to sell to finance the milling saw but will the 066 do it?
My 066 red light is a cracker of a saw and strong as an ox but I am worried about the clutch and sprocket overheating or slipping.

happy to hear all thoughts.

I'd double power head a bar and run what you have. 3120 is a milling saw but needs an adjustable carb and such to really make it survive.

 

[CoreyB]

Selling a running 056 would give you enough to probably buy a 394/395 or 066/660. Wait until it craps out and you sell parts...just my .02.

394 mills nicely.

That is kinda the direction I am thinking about trying. My 056 is a solid running good saw but I want something that I can work hard and when something breaks parts are readily available.

 

[Brewz]

I am steering towards a 3120.
I have never had or used a Husky so why not start with the biggest one

 

[CoreyB]

I am steering towards a 3120.
I have never had or used a Husky so why not start with the biggest one

That sounds logical to me.

 

[Iron.and.bark]

I'd double power head a bar and run what you have. 3120 is a milling saw but needs an adjustable carb and such to really make it survive.

My 3120's are non epa older Australian versions. Both 1.25 mm fixed jet. Us version is about 1.16(?).

1.25 actually bogs the saw down when milling with unlimited coil and factory muffler (presume the jetting is for rain Forrest killing with unrestricted muffler).

You can drill out the factory jet to get more fuel and make it easily survive. An adjustable carb is a better option though.

 

[mdavlee]

I'd double power head a bar and run what you have. 3120 is a milling saw but needs an adjustable carb and such to really make it survive.

If you don't do much elevation changes the jet on there is easily reamed. Screws out with a carb screw driver

 

[Brewz]

Gawd...... Looking at the big Husky's they are a lot more expensive second hand than the big stihls.

What sort of price should I be looking for if chasing a 3120 in Australia?
Also, not being familiar with Husky's, what should I be looking for model wise for a good non EPA one?

 

[mdavlee]

Gawd...... Looking at the big Husky's they are a lot more expensive second hand than the big stihls.

What sort of price should I be looking for if chasing a 3120 in Australia?
Also, not being familiar with Husky's, what should I be looking for model wise for a good non EPA one?

How much are they converted to US dollars?

 

[Brewz]

$1000 to $1300 USD for 395/3120

Stihl 066/084's run at about $650 to 800 USD

I have not spent a lot of time following Husky prices so they are probably the overpriced ones left sitting for sale
I will spend some time keeping an eye on prices to get a better idea of what is going on

 

[Brewz]

Is a Stihl 084 a bad choice?
I cant see an issue with making an Aux oiler, they are affordable and I know Stihls back to front.

 

[VinceGU05]

Is a Stihl 084 a bad choice?
I cant see an issue with making an Aux oiler, they are affordable and I know Stihls back to front.

I think it's a brilliant choice. I got 2 here all freshened up ready to go!

 

[Brewz]

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/lara/other-home-garden/stihl-chainsaw-m088/1110110715

Hmmmmmmmmm

 

[sawfun]

Mastermind is a legend period, but porting may favour rpm instead of torque (or at least shift torque band higher into the rpm than the saw runs at when milling). This will make the saw possiblely slower than a stock saw (with a muffler mod).

Mastermind will build a saw for torque if that is what you want. He and another builder built 088's for me and while the other builder made the saw rev much quicker and sound way better (think 346 speed), the Mastermind saw could be leaned on harder. Both saws are great and I would not hesitate to use either for milling. Though even a stock 090 would likely be better.

 

[mdavlee]

$1000 to $1300 USD for 395/3120

Stihl 066/084's run at about $650 to 800 USD

I have not spent a lot of time following Husky prices so they are probably the overpriced ones left sitting for sale
I will spend some time keeping an eye on prices to get a better idea of what is going on

A new 395 here can be had for $1k and a 3120 for $1450-1500.

084 is a good choice since it seems you guys have more parts left for them than we do.

 

[Brewz]

How thing change.

At the moment i have a Stihl 076av and an 090 in my garage awaiting rebuilds and a husky 2100cd to come soon.

I am thinking one of the big stihls will be fixed up and set up for milling.

They both have big outboard clutches and the combination of big motor with modest rpm makes sense.

They are both absolute tanks

Which would be the pick of them?

 

[Iron.and.bark]

076 for far better fuel consumption

But seriously don't stuff about. The answer is both stihls.

Fit 076 with 42" bar and 090 with 60" bar. Use each where suitable. Or go the other way around, point is dedicate each saw a bar size, don't chop and change on one saw.

As for the 2100, both 090 and 076 you can get p&c's for, while 2100 is a problem (unless things have changed).

 

[Brewz]

I bought them to fix up and flip for some money.

I only need one for milling, even though I would like to keep both, I dont plan to mill a lot.

Would the 076 pull a bar over 50"?

 

[sawfun]

The 090 may drink heavily, however it WILL have a great deal more power and you do not need to ask if it will pull a 50" bar ok. I sold my 076 super and never looked back as it was a real dog just bucking. I believe the 090's are easier to get parts for as well.

 

[kpkustoms]

I ran a stock 371 all day today with my home made mill and a 36" bar in pine but it cut fast I can't see hard wood being so drasticly harder that I couldent usevtge same set up but maybe

 

[mdavlee]

Pine and poplar cut about twice the speed of oak. Oak I don't like to go over 24" of wood for a 046 or 7900. I wouldn't ask a 372 to do anything over 16" with the smaller bearings in the case.