It will be tough to tell how the 661 will really do until the 660 disappears forcing the reluctant to buy the new model. It's going to be awhile yet before some accept anything with a microprocessor as a working tool.
I can't speak for the loggers but at least with the saw enthusiast crowd, reviews were mixed. I didn't think the 660 was all that great as a stock saw either but it's still quite popular with the working crowd.
Like concrete our loggers around here usually stick to 70cc. I dont think I have ever seen a 90cc saw with a crew. But my crews are not in big hardwood which is different. And our mills only take 28" pine which is easily cut with a feller buncher. (We dont have steep slopes here). And 9/10 crew around here run husky saws so seeing a stihl is almost like seeing a bearded hen. They exist just rare.
Stock for stock. I still think a 661 will take a 660's lunch money. I'm not a fan of the limitations of the Mtronic though. After seeing several Mtronic saws ported? The 441 and 261 would be two of my favs after mods. My 661 is still stock, but I hope to change that this winter.
Did you see what that logger up north said about the 661. Guess they aint holding up to well in the real world earning a living.
Yep. A few have had good luck with them and some can't keep them running a week. If I can find someonewho wants a normal carb I think I know one the same size. If it works like it did on the 562 then you don't need the different coil and stuff.
Guy I am talking about said they are coming apart breaking. Have no clue what he was talking about though and didnt ask. I do wonder though.
Wasn't there a non-mtronic 661 released in Europe/U.K etc? If so, there should be an IPL with carb models and part numbers floating around out there somewhere.
Yes there is. None of those parts are available from sale in the US. Have to find a friend over there to buy and ship them. Hoping you can just take the carb off and unique hook those wires and put a different one on.
There is a dandy of a 660 saw listed in the classifieds here for a heck of a lot less. Guys are buying these saws for premium money because there are a ton of parts for them on the market. Used and after market. They can be built or rebuilt easily. And, they don't require a computer to do so. It is where the old saw shines. To a logger that is going to buy a saw yearly or every year and a half, that is no big deal. But, to the guys like us, it is huge to be able to have a working saw that we can work on. These prices are being driven by the nonprofessional chainsaw user. Not the logger. As they are going to spend the time and money one way or the other regardless. And, lets face it, the Auto tune saws really run. If one does go ca-poot, they just buy another. To the home user, $300-$400 will put you back into a brand new one rebuilt and it only requires a few select tools. Not a computer. God Bless
