Which saw: Stihl 362 or Stihl 461

Well won't be today I guess. I was waiting for my trucker to call. That is the way it works here. They truck wood all week and on Friday's they call when they got your money, but it's nearly 4 PM and he has not got back from hauling wood so too late to buy a saw. Maybe tomorrow. I'd kick on the system, but I always get paid in cash and I have always been a cash-only sort of person, so it works.

As for saws, everyone is indeed correct; I am a Stihl only guy.

I have actually strayed from the flock a few times, but honestly I have always been disappointed. I can't keep a Husky running past 9 months without blowing crankshafts, or they never can start after they get warm. No matter how many times I take them back or where I go, they can never can seem to get them running right, but my Stihl's...my word, I have batted them around with excavators, pulled them out of trees with skidders, and landed trees on them and can always get them running again. Of course the last tree; a big White Ash being pushed by a big bulldozer might have been too much. Sadly though I am not even sure where I would buy a Sachs Dolmar here, and while my local dealer no longer sells Stihl and only Husky now, Johnsered is the same saw since it comes out of the same factory. I'll pass on those in part due to my sad experiences with Husky.

Saw choice is pretty important now because my days of sawing 100 cords a year are over for awhile. I am not exactly sure when I'll reach the tipping point of where farming sheep takes all my time and I won't be able to clear any more land, but it will be a few years for sure. To give you an idea, the Dr released me on May 27th from the knee surgery that I had, I retired from the shipyard then, and already I have cut over 150 cord of wood. At that rate I am looking 300-400 cord per year.

As for Katie, she actually did some professional modeling though I am not sure she, nor I, would exactly call her one. A friend of ours opened a hair styling salon and wanted to do a grand opening with advertising with a model and so paid Katie to be the model for her advertising. These are the pictures used, just realize it was all about hair and not regular modeling, but technically she was a model for pay. These are the pictures:

 

I think it's a great hobby. I'd love to see more of your pictures.

If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion; if you can find some vintage aircraft at an airport near you, preferably WWII era, you dress as a pilot and your wife as the air corps lady. No offence intended, I think you two would make a great shoot!

 

Yes that would be cool and we would LOVE to do that. I mean it is the calling card of the era so to speak! I am not sure where there is some WW II planes though. Here are a few of the better ones of that Railroad photo shoot. I know what you are saying, and we did some pin-up style photos like you see in the 1940's. Obviously nothing risque, but I would never want to offend anyone on here so I will keep it really tame. I also wanted to show that I got into the act when I could.

 

[QUOguys LodgedTree, post: 543348, member: 3758"]Yes that would be cool and we would LOVE to do that. I mean it is the calling card of the era so to speak! I am not sure where there is some WW II planes though. Here are a few of the better ones of that Railroad photo shoot. I know what you are saying, and we did some pin-up style photos like you see in the 1940's. Obviously nothing risque, but I would never want to offend anyone on here so I will keep it really tame. I also wanted to show that I got into the act when I could.
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You guys are good!

As for the saw, a 461 with a 28" light bar and you can take on the world!

 

The 461 without a doubt.

Little Red Riding Hood looked a little bored.

 

Yeah she was going for the stoic model look, but I am not sure it worked.

As for my chainsaw, I am going with a Stihl MS 461, but for interesting reasons. (1) It's a nice saw that will fit my needs (2) Its free. Here is the story on the latter.

A few years ago when I was working at the shipyard and was making pretty good money a friend and guy in our church was struggling. I did not really know it at the time, but we were set financially, so I just felt led, stopped in and gave him some money. He latter said he was destitute at the time, and appreciated it. He also never forgot it. Last night he called and said he had heard about me running over my chainsaws and that him and his wife talked it over and wanted to replace my saw. The thing was my load of logs did not pay nearly what I thought so I was going to buy the cheap MS 362 instead of the MS 461. I would never expect anyone to buy anything more than I needed, but he already knew what I had, knew what it cost, and called the dealership up this morning and paid for it. As soon as the wife is out of the shower, we are headed to pick it up.

Here is the interesting part. His daughter runs the horse program at the Christian Camp my wife and I volunteer for. This coming week were going to start that horse pasture project of removing stumps, but its a month long job. With money going to a saw instead of bills (electric, phone, etc) I would have had to put it off. Not now, I am freed up financially for over a month in both time and money. To me it is just God's provision, but then again as a Christian I just don't believe in coincidences.

As for Katie as Little Red Ridinghood, here she is smiling, but this morning so am I. Brand new free chainsaws do that to a man!

 

Great thread. I like both the saw and the photo lines. That 461 will be perfect for you, even if you would have had to pay cash for it.

 

Nice story about your friend and new saw.

Little Red Riding Hood must be expecting the Big Bad Wolf with that smile. You did not show your costume LodgedTree.

 

I didn't did I?

But I was not the big bad Wolf; too hard of a custom to come up with, but a logger now that was easy!! (In some stories of Little Red Ridinghood, a Hunter was the hero, but in others it was the logger; naturally I chose the Logger).

I did get my saw today too by the way. I walked in and as soon as I asked for the saw the guy smiled and said, "You got quite the friend". Indeed I do; on heaven and earth. But this is not bringing God down to our level in disrespect, but rather biblical. You can read about it in John 15:15 " I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." Considering all the horrible things I have done in my life, and everyone of those things he knows about, and yet still calls me a friend; that is utter amazement. But so is Chris and his wife Heather for being faithful.

 

Glad you got your new saw. I enjoyed the pictures.

 

Here is my new saw:

 

Nice saw.

 

The Lord works in mysterious ways sometimes. Congrats on the new saw. Might be worth it to protect your new saw with something lIke this:

Chainsaw Scabbard - AlcobraMetals.com

 

You chose wisely . I would have bought the same (with 18 or 20), all you need on a saw (99% of the time cutting timber that size). Nice dozer too.

 

Katie is a sweetheart and since she willingly agreed to a photo shoot with my new saw for you guys, here are all the photos of that endeavor. It was all in fun, however not every wife would be so willing to model with a new chainsaw. She's a sweetheart!

 

Okay the last four in a set of nine.

 

Awesome pictures and friend you have.

 

461 is a work horse of a saw. Congrates.

 

Yes your Wife is a good sport. If I told my wife I was going to post a picture of her on the net with my saws she would be running for cover.