Looking to drop a bunch of SYP and top them for a timber sale. Most are sub 18” DBH so I can swap to the 442c when needed. ive held the 362c and honestly it feels as pig as the 442c. Any suggestions on something that can pull and manageable in felling with 16” bar good for topping etc.
BINGO! 261 you won't be sorry! light weight, fast cutting, and it feels great in your hands. Chain speed is really good keep it sharp, you'll never be sorry.
550XP. Haven’t held a MarkII, but I understand it’s the same or better performance as the OE, a thinner chassis and the off idle bog has been beaten out of the auto tune. My favorite stock saw. Wish I could tell you what a 261 feels like to offer a comparison
Never ran one, but yes, agree. Our great members that own either version have sung the praises. Don’t rule out one of these gooder 555 XP’s basod.
If a 261 isn't light enough, a ms211 with the pico chain really rips through pine. It's about a lb lighter than the 261. 9.5 lbs. Parents have 1 with an 18" b&c and I've used it quite a bit for red pine and red oak. You want light, that's light.
Im with the 261 group here. Owned one for nearly two years and have run 20" & 16"bars. My go to saw for the most part. Cutting all hardwoods though.
I’ve run 261’s since they were released. It’s a great saw! The 261c feels lighter and more nimble than the non c version. If I was forced to have only one firewood saw, it would be a 261.
I'd have to run a 261 some more, but I really want that impressed with my neighbors then new 261. It wasn't broken in, and he did have the safety chain on it, but I used the 261 back to back to back with my 029super on the same tree, both saws had 16" bars with .325 chains on them. Mine had a non safety stihl rs chain on it. The 261 was lighter, but not drastically, and it didn't cut any faster than the 029s. Had I had more time, I might have swapped chains to see if the new 261 picked up more speed with the stihl yellow chain. That, and by now, the 261 is probably broken in. Whereas, that ms211 is super light.
I watch 261s take an incredible amount of abuse and keep going..sometimes I wonder how they do it. I'd only buy a 550 if I had a GOOD dealer close by.
I think id go along with that. A lot of the wood i cut it could handle. Ive just switched it to a 16" bar and havent run it with one since late last Spring. Been using the 20" it came with.
I gotta say 261 as well. Bought my son one for his birthday a year and a half ago. Great all around saw with good power to weight. It'll eat Pine all day & make ya smile doing it.
Want light and nimble with awesome power, get a 350 w/ a 346 top end(ported even better). Power to weight is unmatchable.
I think some people just aren't aware that the version 2 comes in both flavors. They equate a standard carb version with the older/heavier model. I have 5 261s in different configurations. They have proved their worth in my eyes.