Stihl MS261 C-M or Husqv 562XM

Grandad's a tried and true Stihl fan, so I was leaning heavy to the 261.

The 562 is getting 0.7hp more at over a pound and a half heavier.

Will likely run a 20" majority of time...

My only personal saw is a 180C (ha) but run MS250 at work regularly, and a 311 to fell somewhat large dead trees.

Is that 0.7 HORSEPOWER!!!! gonna make me feel much better about all that pound and a half extree?

I also plan on doing some Chinese milling on some Osage orange for personal building of benches, maybe a picnic table if I can lift them heavy ol' planks. (Milling chain is something I need to research if that's a thing.)

 

You are comparing a 50cc Stihl to a 62cc Husqvarna. The Husqvarna is going to eat its lunch. Big time.

 

A closer comparison is a 261 to a 545 or 550 Husqvarna or the Ms400 to the 562.

 

All I can say is my 029 super (57cc) when it was stock did not have the snot to mill.

 

Why is the Husqvarna 60cc on the same price level as the 50cc Stihls?

Is the quality that far off?

The 261 is 4hp, twice that of my little 180c, and the 562xp is 4.7hp.

I don't plan on milling on any sort of high production, more of something I want to do and have a saw to drop the bigger trees more easily.

 

I can't answer your pricing questions. I've seen the ms261 and 550xp within $20 of each other.
No idea why the 562 is less than a 261 unless there's a sale going on. I've not priced them as I'm not looking for anything currently.

 

Wow, that 400cm is a bad son of a gun.. but the price..

 

Milling is hard work and Osage is especially tough stuff. I would opt for as much displacement as possible. Since you're looking at pro saws and price is a factor, I would go with the Husky in this case. More bang for your buck.

 

I cut a lot of Osage, the 261 will do fine felling & bucking. I don’t like noodling with my 261 or the 260. I wouldn’t want to do any amount of milling with one. Milling is pretty hard on saws.

A .325 chain will be fine on a 20” bar with a 261, a 3/8 chain will do ok if you aren’t ham fisted with it.

As stated earlier, comparing a 261 & 562 isn’t going to be a fair fight. Both are professional class but the engine sizes are different.

The Swedish saws are generally lower priced the Krauts saws.

It looks like Bruce has 562’s listed for $625

 

Is that power head only like my 543 was from HL supply?

 

PH only, plus shipping.

Yes, Bruce from HL supply has them on sale.

 

Yep, they are on sale. I'm intrested to see how the Mkii does. A buddy has an older Mki and it runs very well. Now considering that you can get an $850, 60cc class saw for the price of a 50cc it shouldn't be too hard to decide.

 

Thank you for the heads up,I'll definitely watch some videos about the clutch, chain, and brake.

The consensus seems to be on the higher cc's..

 

I would say stick with what you know and are use too maybe take price out and get a little bigger Stihl saw especially since you are considering milling

 

Everyone that has run my 400 is impressed. Luckily I have a dealer that is way flexible on price. I run a 20"on mine most of the time and do a lot of noodling on big stuff. It should run a 25" no problem.
Edit. I also run a 261 with an 18" bar. I don't think I would want to try milling with it. General consensus I have seen is an 18 is the perfect size. You lose some power going to 20"

 

External clutch is a good thing when milling. The heat produced is outside of the case. Every little bit helps in this situation. As said above, nothing is harder on a saw.
$680 is a good deal for a 562 imo. In ‘11 I paid that exact price for my 56.5cc 357xp.


And on the milling specific chain, I’ve milled quite a bit and never bought any. Normal chain can be filed or ground at a different top plate angle and that works just fine. I could dig through pics and show you examples of the finish I get and it’s totally acceptable for csm’ing.

 

You could compare the 550xp. A little closer match. If you plan on milling, get the most power you can afford. Milling is rough work for a chainsaw. As far as chain, if you're only going to mill occasionally, just run regular chain (or maybe buy some skip tooth).

Sent from my moto g power (2022) using Tapatalk

 

Have you considered Echo? They are some great saws at a good price. They are an animal when ported.

 

Your Grandad has lived a long life and obviously knows what a good tool is.
My grandfather was a JD and Chevy man, so I wouldn’t even consider trying to give him a Mahindra or Dodge.