Now that we've threadjacked to bar length, I've tried using longer bars but it makes it worse on my back. When the limbs are low I "take a knee" and bring the saw up close and personal to the limb and cut right were the felling dogs are. It lets me keep my back perfectly vertical instead of having to lean over some like I still did with a longer bar. It seems safer cutting that way and lets me run a shorter bar, saving weight. An added bonus is I can run a larger sprocket for faster chain speed. I typically run a 20" bar on my 79cc makita and a 13" bar on my 550xp. I only use a 28" bar on the Makita for felling when I need to for large trunks, and the 18" bar that came with my 550 has hung on the wall collecting dust since I bought the 13" bar.
My "typical" set up CS2139T = 12" 543 XP = 18" ('cuz that's what it came with) MS 261 cm ported = 16" (sometimes 20") MS 361 = 20" MS 461 ported = 25" (sometimes 32") Why... because.
I am with Ralphie Boy MS461 77cc saw and the power head is around 14 lbs. I'd go with a 25" Stihl rollamatic ES bar. But that's me.
If you are okay with used, my choice would be a 044 or 440. I have owned and ran probably 20 different 70cc class saws and have sent all of them down the road except my 044 and 440s. There are other 70cc saws I like, but those are the only ones I love. My second choice would be a 372.
mdavlee has a 046/460 for sale in the classifieds $475 for a stock one or $600 for one that is ported! He also has a video to check out of the saw in action.
The 2172 is the strato saw, lots of bearing problems with them. I have been told the heavier piston is the culprit, and 50:1 mix. The problems get better with 40:1 .
Ported 70cc (MMWS Stihl MS441C-M) running 32" of full-comp 33RS in Sugar Maple. Bore cutting, felling and bucked most of that trunk too. Any questions?
The first few runs of them had the bearing pressed in crooked. They're not having that problem since the 2012 models if I remember correctly. The heavier piston and using less fuel so less oil is on the bearings can't help
Nice job!! I wouldn't touch that tree job with a 10 ft pole ain't enough insurance in the world to cover the damage I would do. You made it look easy. Lol Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
I've done so many of them it's not even funny.......but that doesn't mean that bad stuff cannot happen. Learning the proper techniques is a good start, but the only way to gain real-world experience is to practice it. There are occasions when I've walked away from a job, just because of the risk. We had this tree properly rigged and sufficient pull on the trunk to get it down safely. Using the bore cut technique with wedges (which is what I did on this tree) worked perfectly. Some situations like this require climbing and piecing it to the ground.... We do that too.....lol Back to the saw question.......that Masterminded MS461 (MasterMech' s saw) used in the video was most impressive......I love my 461, and I use it quite often. Right out of the box, it'll impress the pants right off of ya..... It's going to go to Redfin sometime soon for a port job......
I remember Scotty cutting that one down. The tall guy in the back of the photo was me ready to dive around the corner of the house if that one went the wrong way. Scotty dropped it perfect!
I jut saw this thread and highly highly recommend the MS461. I bought one two years ago and use it routinely. Get it with a 24 inch bar, and work the dealer hard on a discounted 32. It's not too heavy, but a great saw.
