Well, let me start...I have a CAD issue...its infectous if you spend a lot of time in this section of FHC......Then your infection progresses on to the next stage: porting your saws...Thats when you know all will be A OK. I started in December with a 362/034/290/180. I've sold two and then acquired a few more. But I scrounge a lot and help my neighbor cut his wood. I come across some big wood now and then, thusly why I got the 32" bar with the 660. The 046 is just plain fun to run... I end up with one of these on my face... as you watch the chips fly by ... However, my go to size is really the 60cc, which has enough power and is light enough to handle for long periods of time. Plus easy enough to pull start. My go to saw was the 036, but it might be replaced by the 562xp here pretty soon...Oh such a joy to run it is....
I used to cut up tops and a 50 cc saw suited me just fine. Since I have now gotten in with some loggers and they load my trailer with a forwarder, the 50cc saws just don't do it anymore. This is typical of the stuff I cut nowdays.
The older Poulans were Beast... If you ran a 3400, 3450, 330, 3750, etc, you would have a huge smile on your face!!
The 026 that Dex built for me is my go to saw, love that thing. For anything 16" and under it is light fast and really cuts. I also have an 036/038 and a 460 that I love for bigger wood. But the small stiff I always seem to grab the 026. I need to put a smaller bar on the 036 though. On haven't really ran it with anything under 20" on it. It did really well with a 25" bar with the nose buried the other day. I was impressed, had a coworker call and ask if I could help out her brother. He had some ash and maple that was pretty big and that 036 ate it up.
Sure you can cut a 30" tree with an 025/250 but do you want to take all day to cut the thing up? Plus once you run a 70+ check saw you will wonder why you waited so long or got by without one. You cut your wood in less than half the time so you carry more weight for less time.
Until I had the 011 or earthquakes I use to do that with my ms390 now that would kill your back. I think the 390 is the same weight as the 044 without looking it up..there close.
A 250 is a good saw. If you're happy with the way it performs for your needs then keep it and look no further. The 290 you tried is a pretty unimpressive saw, in my opinion. I ran one a little bit yesterday. It was a dog. A lap dog...wearing a sweater. If your 250 leaves you wishing for better performance a 70cc saw will be a pretty eye opening experience. There is a difference...and that difference is huge. Its the difference between a 6 cyl gas 1/2 ton truck...and a 3/4 ton diesel.
Ya Think? The logging site was less than .5 miles from my house and the speed of 10 MPH was not attained. I also just replaced the springs in the trailer with heavier ones too.
That takes the forwarder 3-4 min. to unload and I have to tell the operator to STOP it's going to collapse! On some days I would get 2 loads home, cut and unloaded in under two hours. All the sawdust was on the trailer rather than the yard which then accidentally "flew off" the next time down the road.
He bought a poulan 3300 new many years ago. Has had it 21 years now. Maybe 5 years back I gave him a like new MS290. He basically hated the heavy pig and gave it back as he preferred the handling weight and poulan in the cut. 290 to heavy for power. I agree too. Almost forgot. The 290 was 23% faster then stock just by doing a muffler mod and carb retune. Imagine if he ran it completely stock. 3300 muffler was still completely stock with baffle etc still inside.
I have a 290 which is marginally more powerful than a 250. http://www.getsaws.com/S_specs.html Since upgrading to a 70cc saw, that 290 hasn't been run in almost a year, and I have a brand new chain for it in the package. I like the size of the 250, and if you are happy with it, then by all means that is where you should be. If the opportunity comes along and you can try something bigger, I think you would be tempted to get one. Nothing wrong with sticking with what you have though. It won't cut as fast, but it will sip gas and has fewer cutters to keep sharp. A sharp chain on most saws makes them very good unless you are trying to go through something really big and you like ripping through.
Just if you going to stay with the plastic crankcase saws. If I was going to carry the weight of a 290 56cc you mise well get the 390 64cc. Same weight. Then at least you can use 3/8 chain and up to a 24" bar. Otherwise much better deals and saws out there to choose from. Heck a husky 545 50cc PHO $400 to the door. 550xp 50cc PHO was $450 at one time.
I would like to find a 90 cc used saw and then sell the 290. It is mint. Very few scuffs or abrasions and has very low hours. But, back to O.P. Not my thread....
My 390 is barely lighter than a husky 372 I have. The 390 got a muffler modd which needs to be more aggressive but it seems like I got 10-20% more power in the cut. The factory holes are liketwo 3/16" holes in the muffler...way to small for the 60cc saw to breathe.
