Need a bigger saw....

Therrin

Howdy folks,

Okay so I'm looking to sell my MS361. It's two years old, has had one top end rebuild, and now its not running right. Selling it as a parts/rebuild saw it looks like.

Looking to get either a 441, 460, or 650 (or 660).

And I just got done looking at Stihl's comparison charts, for the last 30 mins or so, and cant really decide exactly what it is I'm looking for.

So, are there specific reasons any of you would go for one of those out of the rest, or NOT go for one of them for some reason?

Garry Brockley

Personally i would go 66 or husky 372 both are high powered and not too heavy really for the bigger work the 360 is only really a snedding up saw or for dealing with smaller stuff well thats my 0.02 cents worth

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Therrin

Due to purely financial concerns I might only be able to get the 441 or 460, in which case I'd shoot for the 460, I think.

And true, I was only blown away by the 361 because till then I'd only used up to the 028. But in reality, when you're working on stuff that's consecutively larger than about 20", even the 361 starts feeling underpowered.

The 441 is $830
The 460 is $910
The 660 is $1,060

At only $150 more, that's not toooo much more expensive for the 660. I think I can put about $550 together right now, and my friend/confidante/mentor has optioned to take up the balance in return for work &/or payments in installments.

Drouin Tree Service

Get the 066 there is no comparison,Last a LONG time

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Drouin Tree Services | Excavator Hire - Drouin and SE Gippsland | Landclearing Melbourne

Eric Frei

How often will you need a saw the size of a 660 out there?

I do not use mine much, but the 460 a lot.

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Therrin

well the 460 they "recommend" a 16" to 32" bar, with 76.5cc's displacement, vs

the 660 they recommend a 16" to 36", with 91.6cc's.

Based on that they're only talking about a 4" difference in bar size, at the upper end. But that's an additional 15.1 cc's of displacement. So at least if I can *afford* to buy a 660, it sounds like it'd get the job done faster.

Never used either though, it'd be nice to give them each a trial run =(

dannyboysfc

For everyday use cutting up wood on the ground and chunking down trees I'd go with the 460 and 28" or slightly shorter bar. Even though the 660 doesn't look that much bigger it sure feels a lot heavier if you're using it up in the tree. The 460 is your good all around medium sized everyday workhorse saw.

Cut4fun

What ever you do if you get a 460 or 660. Make sure you get the factory Dual Port muffler cover.
Then when your warranty is up, open the rear muffler exhaust outlet. It's about the size of a pencil eraser from the get go. It's no wonder the dang saws are dogs box stock now days .

Therrin

For the life of me I cant figure out why my 361 isnt working again. I'm REALLY kinda upset about that. I'm pretty sure its not maintenance/tuning/mix malfunction, because it gets the same mix/attention that all my saws get, and its the only one with issues.

IM SELLING MY 361 AS A PARTS/REBUILD SAW, just incase anyone wants one.


I'll have to go down to the store and heft the 460 & 660 and see whats up with them.

In terms of noticeable power, is the 660 really that much more of a beast than the 460?

Willard Holmen

Go for the 460, all the saw you will ever need.
But if your really serious find a 1986-87 Stihl 064 with low hours. 14.1 lbs.-85cc.
Take my word for it.
Willard.

Eric Frei

Well, mine certainly is. It's an older one, goes like the clappers. Do not get lazy with them, no one handing or thumb on top of the handle etc .... especially bucking or cutting off stumps to close to ground level.

The newer ones seem lighter or something, not sure what it is but they dont feel as heavy or as potent but like Cut4Fun says could be emission controlled down.

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newguy18

get a 460 Ken,its really the only saw stihl makes that is any good imo.The 660 is okay but its just sooo heavy,espically when climbing,plus it drinks gas like no tommorrow.We have a 25" bar on the 460s at work,they don't bog at all when cutting or bucking.Nice,light,reliable.

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old schooler

newguy18

oh btw Ken,how much for the 361?I wanna do a little experiment.

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Therrin

Ya know bill, about a year ago you were swearing up and down that the 200T is absolute shit and that climbing with a 660 all day was "the thing to do" and that it wasnt very heavy and that it's the only way you'd climb.

Or maybe it was a Husky 3120, or something like that. Either way.


PM me about the saw.

Eric Frei

660's do drink like a fish (just like NG18 ), and they have a big tank!

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Therrin

*frustrated*

its only a $150 difference.

I'm about to sell my soul for a new saw.

I cant decide whether I should save for the saw and use the resulting money the saw brings in to get prospecting and mining equipment, or the other way around.

I'm thinking the saw is probably a safer bet.

family man

The 441 is a great saw. It replaced the 044. With the extra weight you also gain killer antivibe and better fuel economy. The 460 weights the same as the 441 but has .5 more HP. However it doesnt have the same antivibe system as the 441. Its up to you.

newguy18

460,good
660,maybe later down the road
3120,awesome,wish i hadn't sold mine.
pm sent.
eric i quit drinking in febuary.

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ryan.malecha

441... great all around.

newguy18

For the price difference and power to weight,460 spanks the 441.

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Therrin

Yeah but for as little the price difference is, everyone says the 660 spanks the 460 also.

You get your stuff straightened out yet? Ive prolly got some extras stuff I could send with that saw.

066logger

whatever you do do not buy a 441 i have a friend that runs 460s and he bought one. he said it was the biggest piece of crap ever.now it bounces around in the back of the truck under everything else as a parts saw. now back to the real saws. 460 is sweet but when you are cutting 35+inch logs into firewood all the time the 066 is the way to go. but it is thirsty for sure. i put a woodland pro bb kit on mine and so its worse yet but it doesent seem to loose power as the air filter gets dirty as bad as what it used to either

Therrin

Looks like I'm going to be getting a 460 and a 260.

If I get more big-wood jobs, the price of the job could pretty much pay for a larger saw if I need it, and if that were the case I'd be inclined to go one more level up from that anyway.

I figure 200T / 260 / 460 / 880 would be a good set to run. But the first 3 should take care of most of my needs right now just fine. If I think I need a 660 some day I suppose I can always get one. It's quite a bit larger/heavier than I really need to be lugging around all day.

SawTroll

You sure chould get a 346xp instead of the MS260, but that's another discussion!

Therrin

Ya know I actually talked to my saw shop guy about that.

Except, I've already got an entire selection of bars/sprockets/parts and everything for Stihls.

He said at the level of the 460/660 the comparable Husky saws werent really "better", just that all the stuff at that level is all pretty much on par with eachother.

If he'd said "oh this husky is sooooo much better than the comparable range still saw in this catagory for (whatever) reason."

But I didnt hear anything like that... So. I suppose I'll stick with Stihl and hope something new lasts longer than my 361 did.

dannyboysfc

Sooo whats gonna happen with that old 361? Why not fix it, how much do you want for it?

SawTroll

It always depent on how you define better - in some ways the 046 (later to become the MS460) was outdated about the time it hit the market in 1996 or so, in other ways it still is pretty good!

Rudolf73

have you considered a Dolmar 7900 ?

Its my go to saw - I prefer it to my 460, 440 etc. In terms of power it sits nicely in between the 460 and 660 so it might be just the size you are looking for. And the best part is - its the same weight as a 440. Oh and the price is really great too...

newguy18

Good call,i'd hold off on the 880 though,Stirman has one and power to weight sucks compared to the 3120,that thing is so frikkin heavy but he likes it and the 660's,i perfer to use 440/460 most of the time.

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SawTroll

HUH?????