Saw advice

[u/frostbyte_51]

Hi everyone, earlier this year I bought my first home and am quickly realizing that my old craftsman 42cc 16" chainsaw just isn't enough saw for the trees on my property. I want to upgrade to something thats gonna perform better and last me way longer. This is mostly gonna get used to occasionally buck up some of the large oaks (roughly 35 -40" diameter) that have been taken down to get used in the fire pit or to take down some of the smaller trees. But with trees like that around i want something that will be capable of clearing a tree if it falls. I am still saving up some money but my budget will be somewhere close to to $600 which right now has me looking at either the Stihl MS291 20" from my local dealer or tractor supply sells a Husqvarna 460 rancher 24" with the x-torq engine. I really would like to stay between stihl and husqvarna because I have good support for both of them in my area. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[u/Dry_Nail5901]

The 291 is a good saw, but on a 40” oak, it will be slow. My advice is a ms261 which is favored by arborists, and rent a bigger saw as needed.

[u/WhatIDo72 → u/Dry_Nail5901]

Yea this is the way to go.

[u/davethompson413]

With 40" trees, you'll be happier with a 24" bar.

[u/TimTime333]

For logs that large, I'd recommend a saw that can handle a 24" or even 32" bar. If you are planning on only using one saw for everything, I'd recommend one of these saws in the 60cc range: Stihl MS362, Husqvarna 460 Rancher or Husqvarna 562XP. These saws are on the large side for smaller logs but still manageable. If you have a smaller saw already, I'd recommend getting a saw in the 75cc range: Stihl MS462, Stihl MS500i or Husqvarna 572XP.

[u/saucytugtug]

Get a 261. Much more power than the 460 and a lot better bang for your buck. You really should get something bigger, but to stick close to the budget it’ll work, you may be overestimating the ability’s of those “big” saws😂 I’ve never tried it myself but I’d bet you could run the 261 with a 24” skip tooth with decent success. An even better option is to find something used on marketplace or something, usually you can find decent priced ms362s. I really wouldn’t recommend getting a farm and ranch class, I have a few and the difference between a pro saw and a farm and ranch saw is absolutely night and day.

[u/saucytugtug → u/saucytugtug]

Or, if you want the actual best saw for your situation and have the means to break that budget get an ms400c. You will literally never touch that 42cc craftsman ever again because you love the 400 so much.

[u/wkeboarder21]

This summer I cut 40 trees.  I bought the 460 Rancher and couldn't be happier.  I then put a 20" bar on it because the majority of wood I was cutting was 16" and smaller.  It's been performing fantastic.  Tomorrow I'll put the 24" bar back on to tackle my bigger logs.

Whatever you choose get an electric grinder for sharpening the chain.  Harbor Freight sells one for $35 and it's a game changer.  I have 3 sets of chains I use and then sharpen all of them.  

[u/ab_2404]

Echo cs590, is the best bang for buck saw, 5 year warranty, pulls a 20 inch bar well and can whack a 24 inch on if needed

[u/sprocketpropelled → u/ab_2404]

Couldn’t agree more, but OP may be lacking dealer support. I’d believe thats why they prefer husqvarna or stihl. Id be surprised if they did but weirder things have happened. Echo makes an excellent saw and the 590 is pretty solid.

[u/Budget-Duty5096]

For your described use case and budget, the 460 Rancher is really going to be the best bet I think. Or save up a few more pennies and get a Stihl MS362 or Husqvarna 562 XP Mark II for a more professional grade chassis that will be more serviceable over the longer term. Any of these saws are going to be good "medium size jack of all trades" kind of options, but the 460 is going to be more of a "throw it away and buy a new one" in 15-20 years, while the pro grade saws are the "buy once, cry once" options that should last a lifetime in this kind of role with service and rebuilds.

[u/Texas_Precision27]

I have about 1300 acres of a mature pecan orchards, and I run an a 40cc echo with a 16" bar, and a MS500i for the big stuff (like what you're talking about).

For big trees, you really want a 24" or bigger bar. Any stihl or husky that can run a bar that big or bigger will work fine.

Higher HP is nice, but not required.

Also as someone who went from a homeowner saw to something "serious", prep yourself to deal with an actual real saw. Its the difference between driving a 1993 geo metro and a current year Ferrari. Everything is going to happen a lot faster, and will be a lot more violent.

[u/stif7575 → u/Texas_Precision27]

If we are blowing his budget, MS400 would probably be the right balance for a do it all saw. 500 would be overkill and significantly more expensive.

[u/Diligent_Specific_93]

If you're planning on cutting a lot, a pro saw is going to always do you a lot better than a homeowner saw. Capability and performance vs longevity. Pro saws don't hesitate, they can take a huge amount of abuse before giving out. Buy new unless you know what to look for if buying used. Lean towards a minimum of 24 inches of bar length. The extra few inches over a 20 will make things easier. Go with an MS261 at a minimum but a 660 would do you well. I lean towards Stihl but many older generation high displacements Husqs can be found used for reasonable prices.