Had the guys over yesterday for a mass split day. Dont know how much we split but we dropped a 34" diameter ash, skidded it to the wood lot, split for a good 6 hours on the ash and all the other rounds I had piled. 3 splitters, 4 guys should be at least a few cords... Anywho, when we were done my buddy handed me his almost new MS391 and wanted me to keep it. He moved to the city, has kids now, and minimal garage space so no time to use it and no wood to cut. I tried to offer him cash numerous times but he just said keep it. What an awesome guy. The saw has only been used maybe 5 times but needs a bit of work. The circlip came off the sprocket and the bearing went missing. I'll take it to my local shop for pro repair. Also, he bought the saw from a dealer new with a 25" bar. Sthil only notes it is good for 18-20". Reading up in it online, many say that there would not be enough oil to lube 25" and that it would lack power. I have personally ran this saw with the 25" bar and it did not show any signs of low chain lube. In fact, it pulled a sharp chain through sugar maple much better than my MS290 with a 20". Does anyone have any insight here? I would really like to keep the 25 on it. My MS290 is a 20" bar and I love it so why have two 20" saws? Thoughts? Might be time to get the Oregon chain sharpener too. Getting quite the repitore of saws going: MS170 - 16", 028AV - 18", MS290 - 20", and now an MS391. Hand filing is becoming quite the task. I know one thing for sure, if my buddy ever needs a saw, I'll haul all 4 over ready to rock and roll!
I know we love pictures Here is the 391 and my 290 after a good hard run The MS391 doesn't have the greatest reviews I've noticed. For the one time a year I need it I imagine it will do just fine.
The 391 is capable of pulling a 25" bar. Don't let anyone or the reviews fool you. Not sure where you saw it, but I sell them with 25's every day. That's the largest bar it's suggested to run though. Order those parts and fix it yourself. It's seriously as simple as sliding the needle cage over the crank, installing the sprocket, and putting the e clip in the groove on the crank. You owe your buddy a serious gift card or sumthin...that's a $500+ gift he handed you. Good friend to have
You have a great friend. Not every day you get a saw handed to you for free. BTW it looks like you and your friends were having way too much fun. Gotta watch that stuff
Try running a half or full skip chain with the 25” setup. I found a full chisel will bog down when cutting big wood on my 361 and 362 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for the insight! I'll plan on keeping the 25! The only concern I have is that he ran it with the bearing and clip missing for a few minutes and I would feel alot better of the clutch was inspected. Surprisingly, it cut with pieces missing quite well but we knew something was wrong. I have a really good tech (hard to find these days) that could fix me right up
I've never experimented with the other chain styles. One question I have always had is does it require a different file or sharpening method?
I have been using the same 391 for at least 15 years it is truly amazing how reliable of a saw it’s been. Power wise it can handle the 25” bar, imho the only weakness for the 391 is the Oiler. I have found stihl bar oil makes a day and night difference on that saw, I was getting ready to replace the oiler because it wasn’t getting the job done for a 20” bar until I changed brands.
Born2Burn , what a great friend to give you his saw. I would use it and take good care of it and maybe someday you could gift it back to him. Circumstances change and he may get back to where he could use it again someday. I too would leave the 25" bar on for the occasional time you need the longer bar.
Hey I have a fence contractor that uses 391 20-24'' bars and the problem with the clutch bearing is common on those saws I used to use oem stihl bearings but with extended chain brake on saw running it would melt the plastic cage and then it would start to wobble then throw the washer and circlip his employees (Human remains not Human resourses) have ruined crankshafts I since switched to Rotary brand sprokets they have metal cages and hold up much better part#36-14989 other than that saws seem to hold up well hope info helps JB
You can get a full skip round ground chain from Stihl, RSF is the code for it, use regular round file, same angle as Rapid Super. Might have to order it for you, but worth it. I run that on my MS362 with 25" bar on big stuff, regular RS on smaller logs that bar will reach across . I think you will like the 391 set up like that. Don't have to bend over to reach the ground as much. The 391 has 4.4 bhp compared to 4.69bhp for the 362. Just make sure your oiler is turned all the way up and watch your chain if you are cutting dry wood. Pour a little extra oil on the chain occasionally if so.
I have a few full skip chains that require the triangle file. The other half skip chains I have are all round file. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have had a 391 for about a year and a half. I ran it at first with a 25" bar and was not impressed, but that was during the break in period. I switched to a 20" bar just about the time the saw started to break in and it really seemed to wake up. Have run it only once since with a 25' bar in old growth Fir and Deodar Cedar. It ran great with no oiling problems and Deodar has a stringy, fibery sawdust that really soaks up the oil. I think the reason that these saws are sometimes maligned is because they have been eclipsed by the 362 which is slightly lighter and has slightly more horsepower and has an adjustable oiler. I don't believe mine has an adjustable oiler. The Stihl dealer in town here (Tacoma) talks a lot about the older design of the 391 case and how it is harder to service. There is a dealer Southwest of here in Elbe, deep in the less populated back country who I have become friends with. He has hard core woodsmen who are budget minded who heat with wood all year round and run even longer bars. His comments are that while he doesn't recommend the 28" bars on that saw, many people use them and get good service. He has no problem with the 25" bar. Also, while the case design is older, he claims that is a tried and true and a very reliable saw. Two contrasting views, take your pick! I think the in town dealer wants to steer a prospective buyer to the 362 and his strategy worked, I recently got one! My Wif thinks I will be selling the 391 to offset the price of the new one. Not!
1. Get your friend a bunch of beer ASAP! 2. Fix your 391 ASAP 3. Put on 25” b & c 4. Find big wood 5. Cut big wood until your very thirst (might be a little slow, but will get through it) 6. Put saw away 7. Drink friends beer! 8. Find more friends that give away saws!
I've had my 391 for 3 years now. I use it for bucking and felling medium sized trees. Never ran anything other than the 25" bar
Hahaha! That's so true. Do this, the skip chain, & good oil & you'll likely get a good long life out of that saw. Oh & I use a good high temp synthetic grease on those bearings when I service them. Enjoy the saw!
