My Chainsaw is toast

[greatwhite]

Well seems my Stihl is toast almost sounds as if I ran it with unmixed gas but I checked my gas and it's all mixed. I was looking at the Stihl MS170 nice light saw to replace my 025. Anyone use this saw. If I don't buy new I contacted a fella about a used 028 that he's asking 275 for.

[glen]

They have so many numbers just to confuse. The ms 170 is 30cc I think.
Look at the cc.
I'm looking for one with pressure relief.

[stragglelake]

The 170 is a " home owners " saw.
I would go with a used "pro " saw.
Much longer life and easier to fix.
Can't go wrong with a 026 or 028.
Should last a lifetime.


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[greatwhite]

Actually the all the MS saw are home saws. I use as a benchmark my ole poulans which served me OK and each cut about 200 cords before I retired them. My used MS 025 was great and fast with lot's of power the Poulan not so fast. I thought the MS 170 would be nice in light being only 30 cc and 8.8 pounds while the MS028 much like the 025 weighs about 10 pounds. Not sure what my poulan 2250 weighed but it was probably 10 pounds but slow.

I think my saw requirements are to be able to cut 20 cords a year for 20 years or 400 cords (Face) must be faster than a Poulan (thats not saying much I know). Needs to be able to withstand abuse as I am extreme on equipment. I have looked at Husky are they cheaper than Stihl and are they any good anymore?

[stragglelake]

I believe MS 260 comes in pro.
A 170 or 025 would never compare to older 026.
In performance or reliability.



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[sawbill]

A 30 cc seems just a little light in the cc department to me for the amount of wood you're dealing with on an annual basis. I'd personally be much more comfortable with something in the 40 cc range.
And I don't see how anyone can go wrong with most Stihl, Husky or Jonsered saws nowadays.

[smitty55]

Stihl or Husqvarna seem to set the standard. That's usually what you see the pros and forestry workers using, or even the hydro guys. If you want to have some some real insight and an interesting roaming check out the forums at http://www.arboristsite.com/community/

Greatwhite there's one thing I don't get here. You basically want to buck up close to a tandem load of logs every year. That's not what I consider occasional use by any stretch, so I would never be looking at a 30cc saw like that 170. You can't put a 16" bar on that, it's made for a 12" ideally. I'd rather have more power than not enough anytime in any small engine so I wouldn't go under something like the 028, 43 cc, which I own, but if you can find an 028 Super that would be much better, with more displacement and other improvements like a dual dog pull start mechanism, while the 028 with a single dog was prone to breaking, mine did.

One last point. I don't know how big the logs are that you plan on cutting, but one year back a ways when I first started getting logs delivered my load turned out to be full of huge local red oak up to 20" and some neighbours got even bigger ones. Best burning wood, once cured two years, it was so dense. Let's just say that after working through the smaller stuff I realized that my present chainsaw was totally inadequate for the job. So I checked the local EMC paper want ads and there just happened to be an ad for a Stihl 036. Go figure eh. I check out the specs and right on, over 60cc. I phone and it's a farmer selling it too, so I know it's likely been well used and maintained. They had bought a brand new Stihl to fit that role on the farm. So I drove 2/3 the way to Brockville and ended up buying it for $350. Turned out to be a great deal still to this day. I have a real nice load of good sized straight 8ft oak logs here right now and my 028 doesn't even hardly get a glance anymore, regardless of the extra weight you just can't beat the power. The 028 is plenty handy still, and gets strapped to the quad or on a trip in the truck for sure. Or maybe a son in law offers to help hehe...
Point being is that you will never ever regret that you bought quality tools to fit the job, even if you go used go with the better product. Better spent money.

Cheers

[MikePal]

GW...my buddy and I have been cutting about what you cut every year times 3...we cut enough for 3 households every winter. Mostly maple so the saws get a good work out.

I have 4 Stihls; a 036, 290, 026 and a MS170. ...

The only one I bought new was the 290 Anniversary special. It's a big saw that weights a lot but is great for blocking the 16"+ logs. The arms sure get tired holding/carrying for 4-5 hrs in the bush. I found it not as powerful as the 036 so I don't use it as much.

For a day in the bush...I basically use 3 saws; the 036 (with an 18" 3/8 bar/chain) drops and blocks the big stuff. The 026 (the best saw Stihl ever made) is my workhorse, drops and blocks all the 'average' trees and does probably 75% of the work each winter, I've kept it with the 16" .325 bar/chain.

For a great limbing saw, I pimped out the MS 170 I picked up off Kijiji for $175; put on a 3/8 drive socket and a 12" bar. That .043 bar/chain combo the saw comes with is pretty much only for tree trimming around the yard.

With the 3/8 set up, it gives you a far bigger chisel/ cutter and turns that small light saw into a great short bar saw for limbing everything that gets dropped. I've been using is for the past 6-7 yrs and it still works great. Keep the cutters sharp and the saw doesn't have to work so hard and lasts longer.

Here's the chart Stihl puts out to give you an idea what kind of saw fits the job at hand.

For the work you do...I'd be looking at the Farm Boss 271, unless you can find a good used 026.

[MikePal]

So I checked the local EMC paper want ads and there just happened to be an ad for a Stihl 036. Go figure eh. I check out the specs and right on, over 60cc. I phone and it's a farmer selling it too, so I know it's likely been well used and maintained. They had bought a brand new Stihl to fit that role on the farm. So I drove 2/3 the way to Brockville and ended up buying it for $350.

Hey Smitty, I lucked in getting my 036 at an estate auction for only $200. It didn't have a bar on it, so no one wanted it. I started the bidding at $200 and no one challenged it. I picked up a new 3/8 bar chain combo off eBay for $50.

As you say great saw for blocking the big stuff...a real workhorse. I don't do bush work anymore, my partner got Parkinsons and couldn't work the saws anymore, so now I have 18' logs delivered to my yard and I just block them here.

I find I'm using the 036 a lot more these days as I'm not having to carry it thru knee deep snow so the weight is not as much an issue.

[greatwhite]

Well I wish my 025 had died going to rip it apart later today to see what is wrong. But although it hasn't seized sure sounds like something is very wrong. I had been hoping to buy the M170 for the ATV. But I agree the 025, 026 and 028 are more suited to what I do and the abuse that I put a saw through. Have not heard from the guy on Kijiji yet but about the 028 guessing it might be sold.

The new MS250 (I think it replaced 025 and 028) is about 500 with tax. I'm going to search for a used but I do need something by the fall. My buddy has the 290 nice but very heavy.