stihl 361

Drouin Tree Service

Brought this today and got asked to test run the carlton premium bar,we will see how it goes.

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

kevlar

Excellent saw you are going to love it!

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Got Wood!!

olympyk 264 deluxe,999.jonsered 66e.huskvarna 394.
stihl 026pro,036pro,038 mag,045,046,460,056mag,066,075.homelite super xl and xl12. pioneer 600a,maculloch d36and pro mac1000.whew!


What out for the boy he's crazy!!

Therrin

Nice lookin saw!!


I'm stuck right now between the 361 and the 441 Mag. Anything you could say to steer me in one direction or the other? It's cool that you *just* got one.

Drouin Tree Service

The 441 will be my next purchase!

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

Therrin

I noticed that some of these say they have a "secondary electric brake" .... what exactly is that?

shaggs

Nice! One of my favourite saws. Let us know how that bar goes

stihl #1

I think you are referring to the secondary chain brake. See the raised lever on the top of the rear handle? If you release it that will stop the chain from rotating, but not as fast as the front hand guard will if it trips. The idea is that if you release the rear handle and walk towards the next tree while carrying the saw by the front handle, there is no chance of the chain being able to spin, with the engine idling.

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newguy18

Is the 361 better than the 360?I had a 360 I bought brand new and had nothing but trouble with it so I gave it to my uncle who is a stihl buff.I might have got a fluke but when a 3.3 ci craftsman out cuts it then theres a problem.

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old schooler

Drouin Tree Service

Very happy with the weight/power,seems like it has more chain speed than other stihls.

Cant wait to drop a few with it.

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

windthrown

The 361 is a mean machine. Not much like the 360 or the 036; different feel. Far less <v><i><b><r><a><t><i><o><n>. Nice saw for all-around felling and firewood cutting here.

Eric Frei

So has the 361 got some new fangled chain break gizzmo that other Stihl saws dont have in the rear handle?

If so, what's the maint and reliability of it like?

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Drouin Tree Service

I noticed that for sure..

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

TrevMcRev

Just ordered one of these from the US

441 is next too

Therrin

Okay, so the more propper question would be,

between the 361 and the 441mag, which should I buy FIRST?

I was about to go with the 441, but now I see that you guys tend to get the 361 first. Why is that?

shaggs

How much Trev, and where??

TrevMcRev

Shaggs: I got this one on ebay.com(US, not local au) from a seller with lots of good feedback, the saw is as new, ran for a few minutes.

If ya sift through and keep an eye out there is a few on there like this.
A lot of sellers wont ship outside US though

I wouldnt bother on anything with a bit of hard use under its belt though.

Cost $589USD + $110USD shipping + $8USD insurance = under $800AUD
I think retail here is about $1300-$1400.

Oh came with a hardcase too

Therrin: Depends on what size saws you've already got. If i didnt already have something bigger i'd get a MS440/460/441 over the 361.

Drouin Tree Service

I paid $1200 with 1 spare chain,first service free...local dealer who will get my stuff done quick if i need it.

Has a totally diffrent engine sound to it.

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

Eric Frei

441

Coz it's better to have more power than less if you dont have a full range of saws.

I jump from a ms250 to 441 and wouldn't bother with anything inbetween. However these guys will climb with that 361 an not an ms200T as many of the gums they work on will have cuts over 12" dia .

It's about the range of saws you have and the work you do. For me by the time I finished using the 200T in the tree I'll need a 441/460 range saw to block down ... If I went to a 361 after a few blocks I'd be switching for a larger saw again so not much point.

Also I block down lots of shit sticks (palms), and the 441 has the grunt I need, again from 200T to 441

Hope that helps.

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windthrown

Get the 361. Its a keeper, it can be modded (lightly or a lot) and it is reliable. Very reliable. Some dealers never see them once they are out the door kind of reliable. Mine runs fine, and starts most every time. Only drawback I have found is that they can flood if you use the decomp button on starting cold. It is a smooth saw. It has some flex to it, unlike the older lines of rubber mount saws (the 361 has integrated springs that are fine for my use). It is more nimble than the 441, and weighs quite a bit less. I have a modded 290 that is about the same HP, but that thing fuzzes up my hands after a few hours use. The 361 is slated to be deleted come 2010 EPA time in the US too. So they are only gonna be around for a few more years it seems. The 362 will replace it (supposedly). Sad, I was hoping that they would make a smaller and larger saw based on the 361. They got it right (I am not a huge fan of the smaller Stihl saws, which I have several).

The 441 is a different beast. One thing it is? Its smoooooth and vibration-free. Its one of the new lines of saws, and will be around after 2010. It is wider, and I ALMOST bought one myself. But... they have a strato carb system that severely limits modding, and at altitude (above about 4,000 ft) they are said to really turn into dogs. They also have that kids 'old style rocking horse' spring-loaded look to them. I have seen some used 441s show up at local Stihl dealers here already, so they are getting turned in for other saws. The now obsolete 440 that it replaced is king of the Stihl saws around here, and used by many many loggers. Sucks up more gas than the 441 though. You can still find them new on the shelves here. I am tempeted to snag one up. I had a 460 once though, and the vibration was hard on my hands. So I am looking at the Dolmar 7900 too, which is also VERY SMOOTH, has more power, and has a great reputation here in the states.

Now, I do not know what kind of sawing you are doing or want to do. However, a 361 will push a 24/25 inch bar, no problem. I have 16, 18, 20, and 24 inch bars (Stihl calls is a 25 inch bar for some reason). Its is right at home with the 18 or 20 inch. I use the 20 inch mostly on my 290 with a full skip chain. I use the 18 mostly on the 361 with full comp. I also use full comp 24 inch on bigger stuff. By bigger, I mean mostly firs, from 18-30 inches in diameter. We also have old growth oaks here with 4 foot diameters. I cut mostly for thinning our 80+ acre stands, felling dead snags for firewood (oak, alder, bigleaf maple, and firs) and culling larger trees that have problems (non-commercial grade). I also buck firewood from slash piles to get madrone (really really hard wood, but great for fuel) and maple which are considered trash trees here. The 361 is great for most of that. I can fell and buck the big stuff with it, but I have to let it do its thing, and not push it. The 460 would rip through just about anything here, and in a hurry. It was really thirsty though. And vibrated a lot. That is why I sold it and started looking for a smoother saw on the larger end, and specifically at the 441.

My experience on the subject... I paid about $500 for my 361. I thought that was pricey at the time They go for a tad less than $600 now with a 20 inch bar and chain. The 441 here is about $775 with a 3/4 wrap (Still calls it a full wrap for some reason) and a 24 inch bar and chain.

Eric Frei

I love the ole 440 ... sadly when the one I got carks it I'll have to replace it, I'm not happy about the extra weight of the 441

Also the 441 one looks bigger, fatter etc? More PITA when climbing if so.

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windthrown

No new fangled brake gizmo, unless you buy the 361C model, which has the safety linked to the rear handle top lever that locks the chain brake when you release it. O/w the standard model 361 is like the older line of Stihl saws.

I donno about the reliability of the brake safety; I do not like the C model saws in general from Stihl. The chain adjusters look too flakey to me (some say that they break) and I like the dual lock center screw adjusters. I no longer climb much any more though, so from a groundie perspective, I prefer the non-C models.

windthrown

The 441 is a lot bigger, fatter and is a tad heavier than the 440 was. It also has more external mounting/anti-vibe springs, which is weird. The 361 has them nicely tucked away and out of the way. I would not like to climb with the 441. Bucking on the ground and felling, yes. Climbing? No. I would much rather have a 361 well modded (ported and muffler opened up) to get more power for cutting up there. I no longer climb much though, and I do not climb with anything more than a 250 these days (usually just the CS3000).

SawTroll

Right!

It is a very good saw, and has been my favourite since I bought it in 2004 - absolutely trouble-free so far, and the perfect allround saw around here.

Power to weight is very good as well, response/accelleration is very good (and not just "for a Stihl") - and maintenance is swift.

I mostly use an 18" bar and 7-pin for felling, and a 15" with 8-pin for limbing and most bucking. Chain is 36RSC, occationally 36RM (for dirty work).

shaggs

Thanks Trev and Windthrown, alot of good info there.

SawTroll

Yes, but looks a bit odd to me with the "all plastic" handlebar (mine is a "W", and has a metal one, as are the other ones I have seen in "real life").

Until yesterday, I thought that only the mid section of those handlebar was plastic - but I was proven wrong on another forum. It admittedly is very odd that I hadn't notised it before.

The "plastic" ones is reputed to be very strong by reliable sourses - so no problem at all!

Steve Tipton

Ms 460!

Drouin Tree Service

The main reason i brought this saw was to replace a 026 from the ground/chipper,just feel its a bit safer in the long run,I have 2x 046mag 2x066 and huskys.

I wont be buying any saws smaller than the 361 again due to my personal saftey issues with smaller saws,and productivity issues.

It feels quite light for the power it packs.

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

SawTroll

It sure is, best power to weight in the 60cc class!

..the Huskys in that class is quite a bit heavier than adverticed - the 361 is not.

Drouin Tree Service

My climber uses a 365s husky,ill be testing the 361 out tommorow on a dead black wattle thats hard as wood could be.

Both running 20" and stihl semi chisel chain,ill be interested as i think the 365s is a good saw..

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

Therrin

Windthrown and others,

Thanks a bunch for all of the info, it's exactly what I was hoping for.

As for what I cut, lost of stuff but mostly pine, oak, and elm; all 12"-24" with some lately out to 36 and 48".

For most climbing and limbing I've used my 011 or my 200T. For bigger climbed stuff, bucking and felling I've only had my 028 with an 18" bar. Can't beleive I've gotten so far with it but it's been a good saw but I'm seein it givin out in the not so distant future. Definitely need a bigger newer better one.

You guys seem a bit divided between those two others. I'm a pretty big guy though at 6'6" so maybe the extra weight of the 441 wouldn't bother me. I've gotta check one out though, this whole "external spring" thing sounds strange. Thanks again