Need larger saw

[lehman live edge slab]

I think the Stihl 25” and everyone else’s 24” are pretty close in length at least close enough oiling wise. I personally didn’t think my 362 had an issue oiling a 25” as much as it did pulling it.

 

[ManiacalMark]

90cc class-390xp, 395xp, 661
70cc- 462, 7900, 572

 

[huskyboy]

What about a 24 inch bar on the ms362, would that be better than a 25 inch regarding oiling? I know that the Stihl specs call for a max of a 25 inch bar, not a 24 inch. On that note, I don't recall seeing a 24 inch ES Light bar but did see a 25 inch. Lighter is better! Perhaps one could buy a 24 inch light bar from another manufacturer.

The stihl 25” 3/8 bar takes the same 84DL chain as everyone else’s 24’s.

 

[Bigmac]

Sounds like your looking for more of a bump in displacement, a 70cc saw is nice but a 7900 or 500 is probably what your looking for. I personally haven’t run either one of those saws, a 500 would run the same bar mount and is pretty light, the 661 is lighter that the 395 and the 661 has the same bar mount as the 362. I like my 661 with a light weight bar, it’s really powerful with a 28” 8 pin and will run a 36” 8 pin in hardwood with some mods...lol

 

[sawmikaze]

I don't know about you boys and girls..

But I never used a modded saw thinking it was taking the place of a bigger saw, just to be efficient with what I was doing with it is all I was after. Big wood = 90cc and up for me.

 

[dustinwilt68]

I would go 390/395 about 50.00 difference for pho. Booth have great filters and oilers, ported they can gain a good bit more if it is ever needed. You can get a new 390/395 for less then a 462 and way less then a 500i, and for longer bars the AV is stiffer as well.

 

[livemusic]

The stihl 25” 3/8 bar takes the same 84DL chain as everyone else’s 24’s.

How can that be? I'm sure there's a reason! Chainsaws can be so strange, lol.

 

[drf256]

How can that be? I'm sure there's a reason! Chainsaws can be so strange, lol.

I’ve heard it’s because the 25 is so close in size to the 28, they names it a “24” so it sounded different. Makes little sense, but I gotta say that when a 24 and 28 are mounted to a saw they really look almost the same.

A big saw that’s needed for big rounds is what you are asking about. Weight doesn’t really matter, as you will be laying it into the wood. The only tiring thing is doing up-cuts and lifting from cut to cut.

The answer is a 395. Just a muffler mod and it’s a beast of a saw. You can buy an extra OEM top end or two for it now, and they are only around $100. It’s a simple beast of a saw and what I go to when it’s time to just get the work done. Use your 362 for your general cutting.

My personal setup Is a MS261CM, MS462 and a 395 for the big stuff. I have a 3120 for milling. I still love 60cc saws, but they suddenly fill a useless gap for me.

 

[livemusic]

Hmmm... a lot of people say 395 and I am sure it is a great saw. But the 395 weighs 17.4 lbs and the 500i weighs 13.7 lbs. That is a huge difference! I guess the 395 has more grunt since it has larger displacement. But that weight difference is a lot. The 395 is 7.1 hp and the 500i is 6.8 hp, so, fairly close there.

I am certainly not decisive yet, there are several choices and all could solve this but I'm favoring the lower weight at this time due to my aging and the rotator cuff problem where weight seems to be an issue. I guess the other benefit of a 500i is it's something new, something different, new kid on the block.

I sure appreciate all this feedback.

 

[drf256]

The original M-tronic had its growing pains, like everything else does. Not so sure the fuel injection won’t. The 500i already had a recall.

If it’s purely a bucking saw, the weight is almost irrelevant. I’ve got a pair of bad shoulders too. The 500i has some wonky AV to it that makes the saw feel like it’s folding in half.

As much as I love MT, I’d go old school here. A 661 might be better for you, but a 395 is just a bigger badder beast, everything about it. It’s a 3 series Husky that’s really like the 2 series.

 

[XP_Slinger]

What about a 24 inch bar on the ms362, would that be better than a 25 inch regarding oiling? I know that the Stihl specs call for a max of a 25 inch bar, not a 24 inch. On that note, I don't recall seeing a 24 inch ES Light bar but did see a 25 inch. Lighter is better! Perhaps one could buy a 24 inch light bar from another manufacturer.

All depends on your felling abilities. A little tricky to line up cuts with a smaller bar if you lack experience. But if that’s not an issue for you I’d say go for it. The only downer in that plan is you don’t get to buy another saw lol

If you want a powerful big bar saw to run when needed get a 661 or 395XP. If I may suggest don’t be to focused on factory power specs. 6.8 vs 7.1 in 500i and 395 can lead you to believe that they are comparable models power wise....they are not. With a long bar a 395 will out work a 500i all day long.

 

[Ryan Browne]

Say, my ported ms362, seems to me, is a very strong saw. How much stronger? I see that the ms362 weight is listed as 12.35 lbs and the ms462 is listed as 13.0 lbs. I am sure that is PHO. Ok... so far, the ms362 is ahead. Would you think the ported 362 would be equivalent to the stock ms462? If that's the case, I could just put a larger bar on the 362. Could it handle 28 inch bar? I have 20 on it now and shopped today for a 25 inch bar/chain. It would cost me about $101 for 25 inch Stihl bar and chain plus tax locally. If I were to buy an ES Light bar, it would be a bit more. The ms362cm is listed at 4.69 hp. (Mine is not m-tronic.) The ms462 is listed at 6.0 hp. That is 28% more hp. Do you think a quality port job could provide 28% increase in power?

I believe this is the reason many people find a 60cc saw kinda confuses things when you're trying to make a versatile lineup. It's not really light enough to be a nimble limbing/thinning kinda saw (like a 50cc is), and it doesn't have the AV/oiler to run a long bar very well, even if it can pull it.

If you didn't have the 362, it'd be pretty easy to go with a 70-80cc saw. They'll all handle a pretty long bar, and if you get bored with it stock, have it ported and it'll make you smile again. But as you point out, they're not THAT different (in stock form) from a ported 362 in terms of power. So that pushes you into a bigger saw to go on top of your lineup.

Personally I like my ported 036 a lot. But for most of the work I do, it's a stock or ported 50cc and a stock 70cc. That's plenty of power, and not a huge honking saw. I've never owned a 390, so maybe it'd be more comfy, but my 395 is big enough that I just don't grab it a lot for general firewood duty.

For cutting firewood, I use a 16" 3/8 bar on a 346 a lot. Right now, that's how my 036 is set up, but with an 8 pin. It's fun, light, and powerful. But I think it's better suited to that, than it is to being put to work with a 28".

 

[livemusic]

I believe this is the reason many people find a 60cc saw kinda confuses things when you're trying to make a versatile lineup. It's not really light enough to be a nimble limbing/thinning kinda saw (like a 50cc is), and it doesn't have the AV/oiler to run a long bar very well, even if it can pull it.

If you didn't have the 362, it'd be pretty easy to go with a 70-80cc saw. They'll all handle a pretty long bar, and if you get bored with it stock, have it ported and it'll make you smile again. But as you point out, they're not THAT different (in stock form) from a ported 362 in terms of power. So that pushes you into a bigger saw to go on top of your lineup.

Personally I like my ported 036 a lot. But for most of the work I do, it's a stock or ported 50cc and a stock 70cc. That's plenty of power, and not a huge honking saw. I've never owned a 390, so maybe it'd be more comfy, but my 395 is big enough that I just don't grab it a lot for general firewood duty.

For cutting firewood, I use a 16" 3/8 bar on a 346 a lot. Right now, that's how my 036 is set up, but with an 8 pin. It's fun, light, and powerful. But I think it's better suited to that, than it is to being put to work with a 28".

Ryan, why are you using a 16 inch 3/8 bar on the 346 instead of, say, a .325? Just curious. I have a ported 346 that is real strong and I need a new bar and chain. I have been tending to want an 18 inch bar on it; for general purpose firewood work.

 

[rogue60]

Hmmm... a lot of people say 395 and I am sure it is a great saw. But the 395 weighs 17.4 lbs and the 500i weighs 13.7 lbs. That is a huge difference! I guess the 395 has more grunt since it has larger displacement. But that weight difference is a lot. The 395 is 7.1 hp and the 500i is 6.8 hp, so, fairly close there.

I am certainly not decisive yet, there are several choices and all could solve this but I'm favoring the lower weight at this time due to my aging and the rotator cuff problem where weight seems to be an issue. I guess the other benefit of a 500i is it's something new, something different, new kid on the block.

I sure appreciate all this feedback.

Your needs and planned use I'd say along the lines of a ms462 with aging and the rotator cuff problems you probably should stay away from a 395 it's a tank of a saw compared to other 90ish cc saw's.

 

[Ryan Browne]

Ryan, why are you using a 16 inch 3/8 bar on the 346 instead of, say, a .325? Just curious. I have a ported 346 that is real strong and I need a new bar and chain. I have been tending to want an 18 inch bar on it; for general purpose firewood work.

A couple reasons. One, I believe it stays sharp much better than .325 does, and it is faster and easier to sharpen (fewer and bigger cutters). I think it's also easier to get a faster cutting chain, I'm sure someone makes a hot .325 chain, but it isn't me. I can make a .325 chain that works real nice for cutting small stuff, but bucking 10-16" material, I find 3/8 cuts faster. And two, i got a good deal on several loops that size of old school RS at my local Ace. So, it's a loop I need to use whenever I can, because I have a lot of them. But really, the first reason is the main one. You can buck some decent sized wood with a 16" bar if you can get to both sides.

 

[deye223]

A couple reasons. One, I believe it stays sharp much better than .325 does, and it is faster and easier to sharpen (fewer and bigger cutters). I think it's also easier to get a faster cutting chain, I'm sure someone makes a hot .325 chain, but it isn't me. I can make a .325 chain that works real nice for cutting small stuff, but bucking 10-16" material, I find 3/8 cuts faster. And two, i got a good deal on several loops that size of old school RS at my local Ace. So, it's a loop I need to use whenever I can, because I have a lot of them. But really, the first reason is the main one. You can buck some decent sized wood with a 16" bar if you can get to both sides.

Yep 3/8 is to 325 what .404 is to 3/8 in the sharpness department .

 

[huskyboy]

Sell your 362 and use the $ towards something like a 462. There are other good 70cc saws out there but you might as well stick with stihl since you have the bars from your 362. If you want more power you can always buy a 90cc saw down the road. A 50-70-90cc plan is a solid lineup that won’t let you down. They you can pick the tool for the job.

 

[XP_Slinger]

One thing is for certain amidst all this is that we have an awesome selection now days.

 

[Ittybittyfitty]

I would go 390/395 about 50.00 difference for pho. Booth have great filters and oilers, ported they can gain a good bit more if it is ever needed. You can get a new 390/395 for less then a 462 and way less then a 500i, and for longer bars the AV is stiffer as well.

May i ask how can you get the 395 for less than the 462? Don't they retail for $1240?

 

[markds2]

If cost is not a leading factor in your decision, and all things considered (you want to both buck and fell and you have some injuries that make handling a heavy saw a chore) my recommendation would be to get a 500i (light, smooth and powerful out of the box) send it to Kevin @huskihl for some xtra sausages then couple it with a 32 inch light bar (after knocking the oiler limit pin in). You'll be surprised...it'll come back and out-cut a stock 661c and still retain great torque.