What next after MS-250?

Are you dedicated to Stihl brand?
And to the 462 reply, that saw is north of $1000, no?

 

Yes, if he def must stay below $1000, 462 and 500 are out.

 

I’m in the Backwoods Savage and Ohio camps.

you really could use more than the 250, but likely don’t need a 066.
Somewhere in between. IMHO, 70cc would be the neighborhood. Maybe even less, in the 60s

Brand new, Stihl is pricey. A couple hundge more for comparable other pro makes.

And there are really good used saws by quality builders and honest sellers that stand by their products. I see them mostly on other forums.
Of course, you need to be cautious and do some home work.
There are real opportunities to get what you need, and maybe a little more in performance, for near half to 3/4 what you might pay new.

 

Personally I believe wood of that size calls for a professional grade saw. Sure a homeowner/farm grade saw like the ms250 “can” cut it but will likely wear out faster. If Stihl is what your looking to stick with, pass on the 362 and take a look at the ms400. 70cc power in a 60cc package and south of 1k by a couple hundred dollhairs…

If you’re open to other brands and you don’t mind the extra weight, you could go after a husky 562, 372, or 572. All good solid options. Sure there are other gooder brands out there, but unless you are a good chainsaw mechanic I’d recommend sticking with whatever your best local dealer carries. Best of luck to you.

 

Are you talking diameter or circumference? Big difference between the 2…

 

Definitely! 50” diameter oak is 90cc territory.

 

Definitely if that’s gonna be the norm for him. That’s when I’d pull out the tree monkey 066 11.5 horse beast.

Like Dennis said though if it’s the exception and he’s only doing it once or twice I could see tackling it with a 70 like a 572/462 and cutting from both sides. Heck you could probably get away with a ms400 and 24” bar @ 6.25 horse. Sure wouldn’t be all that much fun though

Traditionally I’ve recommended guys with a 50cc saw purchase a 70cc saw for a great 2 saw plan. @67 cc and weighing as much as or less than some 60cc saws I can see the ms400 getting the nod more often in the future for situations like the op has…

 

I’ve never been to Detroit, but if we’re going to talk about Journey songs, about 30 seconds into the “Faithfully” video, it shows a scene with 2 tour buses coming around a curve, climbing a hill. I would bet $1,000, that is Cabbage Hill, on I-84 East of Pendleton, OR, heading East bound.

In 33 years of truck driving, I have been over that “Hill” ( almost 7 miles, of near continuous 6% grade) a “Few” times

Watching the video one time, I recognized that scene and blurted out “That’s Cabbage “ my Wife said that I was Nuts. Her ex husband is a truck driver as well, and used to run to Boise every week, I said ask Darrel, she texted him the video, and he said “Absolutely, Cabbage “ she still didn’t believe me. A Friend of mine drives for a meat company, and has been doing 2 trips a week for almost 35 years, I sent Bobby the video, he said “100%, without any Doubt, that is Cabbage “, and he has been over that “Hill” well over 6,000 times.

At this point I think that the Wife is just trying to MAKE ME Nuts, but I’m still not sure if she believes 3 drivers that have all been over that hill at least a 1,000 times each, or not.

I crossed Cabbage each way, last Week, and I know exactly which curve is in the scene, and I am sure that I know where the camera was set up for the shot

Oh Dayum, maybe I AM Nuts, but I would still bet $1,000 that is Cabbage Hill in that video


Doug

 

Not married to Stihl. Co-op sells and services husky (albeit a 6 month wait for service right now). Further clarification, 50" (DBH) isn't the norm for me! But like I said, if I have an opportunity! My main goal is a bit more power, I feel like I've outgrown this saw, but I also know (and am of the age, and body is wearing out) my limits and feel like going full-bore in the other direction is probably more than what I "need", if that makes sense. Some of your answers, yeah, maybe I shouldn't make a habit of bucking 50" logs and pay the firewood man to cut that stuff. Icing on the cake would be if the same saw/bar could slab some of the nice walnut I've been turning into firewood, but I'm not going to spend money just to cut slabs. I of course plan to keep the 250 in hopes I can get post signatures as long as some of yours! Plus, who doesn't need a second saw? TBH I use this 250 like I stole it, probably should do the 300(?) hour service on it. Got it for 150 new, and 10 years is when I start looking for a second of what ever major tool I own and depend on.

 

The proper statement here is "Who doesn't need another saw" ! It's an ongoing process.

 

Me ?
I need two.

 

Going back to "What's next after a 250?". While a lot of great saws have been recommended (I really want a 361 myself!!). A real low cost way to go about a second saw might be the following strategy. Please consider if the saw is really going to be a few times a year for firewood / scrounging and the 30" oaks are the exception rather than the norm.

I have a Stihl 025 (and a 250 that is permanently at my brother's house), and I have been amazed with a sharp chain how much that small light saw will go through. One disadvantage of the saw is the bar mount / chains are not the same as the next size up Stihls...so you cannot inter-change bars with a 261,361,391 for example. This for me is an additional reason for considering other than Stihl.

I'd take a long hard look at the Echo-590, it makes a great compliment to a 250. It's not a pro saw, but neither is your 250 and the step up to 60cc means you can run a 20 or 24 inch bar with 3/8ths chain on the saw. I have cut through a lot of large red oak with the 24" bar and never found the Echo to be underpowered. One could even consider buying a used one, in my area its quite a common saw for sale. People buy them from Home Depot use a few times (e.g. to clean up a large tree) then sell them when not using them anymore and they are practically new, I got mine for $240 and have seen several <$300 over the years.

 

Yep, Echo does offer a good bang for the buck. I was just looking at one I was not familiar with, I think it is a 4910. But you could go bigger and still get a bargain. And I have bought more used saws in my life than new. If you get into firewood scrounging, you will need two saws because you WILL get your bar pinched. Various ways to get it out, but one way is with another saw. Plus, things go wrong from time to time and if so, grab the other saw and keep at it.

 

Agree 100% about the 2nd saw for pinched bars! I have had to cut my way out of a pinch on numerous occasions.

 

The cost of saws is rising as rapidly as everything else. It seems like the 261 went up $100 in a year as well as the Husqvarna 550. Hard to believe a pro 50cc saw is now over $600.
Lighter is better when you get older. Cutting wood with an underperforming saw is hard on you and the saw. Get the most power you can get for your budget. I could live with a 50 and 70cc pro saw if I had to.
I don’t keep up with Echo saw prices, but maybe there 70cc saw is sub 1k. You can’t go wrong with investing in good tools and having the right tools when you need them.

 

Funny you mention pinching bars....big storm a few weeks ago.....lots of trees down. FD was cutting their way in (to a tree thru house/trapped occupant), I was cutting out (which is where the thought that I have an under powered saw first took root).

We meet at the last big tree, a giant mess of Aspen that took a rotten maple with it, and a chit ton of bramble or what ever curse word you call the understory that creates an impenetrable barrier to the log you're trying to buck.

Of course I pinch the bar. Walk over and ask the nice firemen if I can borrow their saw.

Pinch that one too..

Me and 3 sheriff's deputies eventually get 'em out. Of course I didn't have my wedges with me....

Turns out she coulda climbed out a window, tree took down her front steps and over hang.......

Lotsa good answers here, gonna print this whole thread out and visit the co-op this weekend.

 

I think you mentioned age. In other threads, I reported my take on the ms400 that I bought. And that is... it is slightly less weight than a ms462. It is also not as expensive. I also couldn't even find an m-tronic 462, which is what I would have wanted. And... IMO... the ms400 is plenty of saw for most any size hardwood log. I mean, I am now bucking up to 36" DBH logs. Pretty big. Point of this post is... at my age, every ounce matters. I like its power-to-weight ratio. I have a 25" on it. If one is bucking logs on clear ground that is one thing; a bigger, heavier saw can be managed and can even lead to more production because it cuts faster. But if you have to limb big oaks and footing is a bit dicey due to terrain and limbs everywhere, each ounce carries a price over even a few hours and safety/fatigue is a factor.

 

I like that answer! As for footing, I'm picky, and will walk away from anything that requires me to dance to get to or requires more cutting just to get at it then actual bucking.

 

A 64cc 391 is in the farm/ranch category and not a deal breaker around $650 with tax. 362 a good choice too but will set you back $800 as its a pro saw. Both can handle a 25" bar and consider full skip chain.

IMO: Upgrade to a bigger cc saw and keep the 250 for smaller wood. It is nice to have more than one saw to choose from. Ask me how i know this!