Will 50cc do it all?

Been cutting alot with my 550xp here lately, my back has been hurting and grabbing the little saw just seems more fun. It does great until the tree is larger than say 24 inches or so. Not to say it cant be done just gota reach over and cut the far side first. Im willing to bet i would enjoy a ported 50cc unit even more, would help with the 20 inch bar i run but the 550 does fine just stock. Keep in mind this is softwood conifers im cutting not oak.

 

Yep, 50cc will do it all. I know a guy that's made all his firewood for 30ish years with an 026/260/261C saw. He does pass on real big stuff & I can't blame him. Ported 50cc saw will run a 20" just fine, esp with a narrow kerf .325 chain. I cut a lot of 3' + hardwood around here, cause most won't mess with it. I'll run the smallest/lightest saw I can. Sadly my 064 with a 32" bar does a lot of cutting, but I could make all my wood with a 50cc machine if I wanted to.

 

In my opinion, yes. We all love bigger, but that 550 should take very good care of you.

 

I have bigger saws, im just starting to see the wisdom in using a smaller saw to cut the stuff thats 24 or less. Its also less cutters to sharpen. Im almost 50 and been cutting and splitting firewood since i was 13, been years where i have only helped friends get there wood. And been times where i cut 15 cord a year for me and sell a little. Point is why use a 70cc saw when you dont need to.

 

Yes , a 50cc saw can do it all . My BIL cut wood for over a dozen years with a Castor Alpina 45 . When parts got hard to find , I located a smoked 550 xp for him . Rebuilt it for him and he’s used it for his go to saw .

 

ran a 50 cc 260 pro for 10 years in 30 inch sugar maple... 10 cord a year easy.. it's still runs.. great uncle sugar woods

 

I have cut firewood since the late 80's. First, with an old blue Homelite, then my Stihl 028 AV Super (16") and later, my Husky 55 Rancher (18"). While I borrowed a larger saw on rare occasions, I didn't own any thing larger til 2009 when I bought my Stihl 361.

I love that saw as well as the Husky 372 I picked up this summer. I like limbing with the larger saw since I don't have to bend over so much. Sharpening the teeth doesn't bother me at all, yeah it takes a few minutes longer but the reward is worth the penalty.

I'm likely to add a big bore piston and cylinder to the Makita 6421 I bought Fri., throw a lightweight bar on it and enjoy.

Short answer, yeah, a 50cc will do it, but the bigger ones make it fun.

 

Yep a 50cc saw will heat many homes for many years. The only possible limitation is if you are like me and use your chainsaws for your wood splitter aka noodling then a bit more saw is nice with a large clutch cover discharge.

 

I have a pair of dolmar 5105's..... yes they could do it all, but I run into a number of bigger tree's and my 6421 got a good amount of use. The 6421 no wears a 7910 top end and will get all the big bar ( 24 to 32 inch ) use..... I don't really care for cutting from both sides, so the bigger saw is "needed" for personal reasons.

 

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I have noodled some pretty large rounds with my 550 and never had any issues. But i will admit sometimes i shut the saw off and pull some of the noodles hanging out of the clutch cover out by hand. And i do the same with the bigger saws.

 

My best friends father who is 70 still cuts with a homelite super xl and a stihl 028 wood boss. Both have 18 inch bars, he is one of the best around at hand filing saw chain. He still cuts about 4 cords a year but used to do alot more when he was younger. These days he has the grandkids go with him to help load the wood.

 

I was not meaning it won't. Just some bigger saws make it a bit faster work lol some also handle the noodles better. Also I do not own a log splitter and if I can't split it with a maul it all gets noodles . Great fire starter and spread in the garden and a few other uses.

 

Ya i like noodles too! Alot of the tops off the ponderosa pines have to be noodled soo many large limbs. Im kinda wanting a wood splitter these days me and best friend might go in on one next spring.

 

I like bigger saws,just sold my ported 550 xp

 

I will use a smaller saw when limbing and I can get through the wood fast. But when in larger wood I will go to a bigger saw just because it is faster. That means less time bending over for the same cut or having to make two cuts one from each side.

 

I love my 550xp. If I got a larger saw it would only be because of CAD... I don't need bigger.

 

My 353 was a great machine, 52cc with .325 kerf.
I put a ripping chain on to mill for the shed you see in the avitar. I think that smoked it. Replaced the plug and jug last spring but doesn't have the gusto it had when new.
Before that, when running strong, it was all about planning the cut with an 18" bar.
Came across some cake and bought a 562xp and I love it.
Seriously considering selling the 353 and a 350 to fund a 550xp.

 

50 cc is the perfect size saw. I cut about 80% of my wood with my 260 or 026 and could do 90% easy. I can easy cut all day and not get tired.

 

Porting really changes the game. You could pull 20 inches with authority, especially with softwood. Some of these plastic bottom 350/346top end saws flat out rip and are very very light. The older you get the more you appreciate every advantage you can get.

 

Yes the light weight is whats to love about 50cc saws. Dont bother me to much to run a 70cc saw on flat or almost flat ground, problem is that alot of the woods where i cut most certainly is not flat. The 50cc really is a back saver on hills. If $ allows i think the 550 is gona get ported after christmas.