I need a chainsaw

[Ultradog MN]

Thinking out loud here.
I will buy a new Stihl.
But I don't know what size.
Ran gas saws in the past but haven't had one in 15 years.
Some parameters:
I'm mostly just a homeowner type though I do have a couple of wooded rental properties and some hunting land up north.
I do NOT put up firewood for heating!
Would mostly get used for dead falls, blow downs, trimming, tractor trails and the like and I have a couple of Ashes that need to come down here at home this spring.
I'll be 70 this summer and still in good shape but what about when I'm 75 or 80?
Some questions:
Is a 16in saw big enough?
They look a kinda puny.
18in?
A 20in looks a little big.

Dealer says you can upsize an 18in saw to an 20in bar. Can downsize a 20in saw to 18in bar as well.
What weight do I want to heft around?
What horsepower do I want to block up a 18in hardwood that blew over?
Anybody know Stihl's models.
For the record, this is the saw I have now. An 18in Milwaukee. It has been a great tool but it aint no good beyond 100' from the house.
Thanks

 

[Usedtobeiowadave]

I've run an 18 bar on a Stihl 025 for more than 25 years doing the same type of work you describe. It's been and still is great. It's taken down and cut up a few trees that really called for more saw, but it got done. I've got the same situation with some large Ash trees that need to come down and get cleaned up. I've been looking at 20 saws: Echo, Husqvarna, Stihl. My biggest issue with them isn't the price, it's the weight. At 59 I don't see using a 20 saw much after the Ash tree mission, I'll be back to using the 025 most of the time. Walked through Home Depot's rental center last weekend and see that I can rent a 20 Makita for 24 hours for about $70. Think I'll get a spare chain bought for it, lay on some help, and keep it running till they're all dropped and the trunks cut up while the 025 does the limbing. I don't have many more trees on the place that the 025 can't handle start to finish. If need be, I'll rent the 20 again. If the 025 craps out before I do, I'll be looking at a 16 cordless battery powered unit. Plenty of recent discussions on here on the current front runners. By most accounts 2 batteries worth of cutting will last longer than you do. That's the way I'd lean were I you.

 

[Fred47M]

I really like my Stihl MS271 50cc 18in. There's some youtubes of people using them if you want see one in action.

 

[Mike M]

Get yourself a portable generator.

 

[circus]

I've mounted a 2000w inverter below the seat in my van. Plug the electric chain saw in it all the time. Not to mention anything else that plugs in. On the 12v side I used cu welding cable to feed it.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

"Is a 16" bar big enough?"

Well, do you plan on sawing anything over 30" in diameter? Do you even plan on sawing anything over 14" in diameter? Probably not.

If you want an affordable, lightweight, handy Stihl saw, look at the MS170 and MS180 family of saws. They are not professional saws but you don't need a professional saw. They are light and easy to start. Keep a sharp chain on them and they will impress you.

I bought an MS170 at an auction a couple of years ago, and it's the one I use to cut up limbs in the yard, and to cut brush along the fence lines. I like it so much I consider picking up a new one every time I pass the Stihl counter at Runnings.

 

[wd9garymn]

Hello, Ultradog. I cut 10 to 12 cords of firewood a year and about 80 percent is cut down and blocked for splitting with a Stihl MS170 with a 14 inch bar. Have cut lots of trees 18 inches in diameter with that little saw. For larger trees i have a Stihl MS291 with a 20 inch bar but that is a heavier beast of a saw. I can cut for 4-5 hours with that MS170 without my arms feeling like they will fall off and i am 78 years old. it don't cut as fast as a larger saw, but not slow by any means as it has a narrow saw chain = needs less power to cut narrower kerf. I have 2 MS170 saws, oldest one i used for 12 years and the fellows in the saw shop said they couldn't believe it could run that long so i bought another one. Old one still runs as good as the new one. Good luck, Gary.

 

[Tony in SD]

My Linemen use Milwaukee battery chain saws for the occasional tree trim and pole topping. There are happy with the saw and they dont have to mix or carry fuel. We already have other power tools that use the same batteries. So it makes sense for us.

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 15:11:17 01/03/23) Thinking out loud here.
I will buy a new Stihl.
But I don't know what size.
Ran gas saws in the past but haven't had one in 15 years.
Some parameters:
I'm mostly just a homeowner type though I do have a couple of wooded rental properties and some hunting land up north.
I do NOT put up firewood for heating!
Would mostly get used for dead falls, blow downs, trimming, tractor trails and the like and I have a couple of Ashes that need to come down here at home this spring.
I'll be 70 this summer and still in good shape but what about when I'm 75 or 80?
Some questions:
Is a 16in saw big enough?
They look a kinda puny.
18in?
A 20in looks a little big.

Dealer says you can upsize an 18in saw to an 20in bar. Can downsize a 20in saw to 18in bar as well.
What weight do I want to heft around?
What horsepower do I want to block up a 18in hardwood that blew over?
Anybody know Stihl's models.
For the record, this is the saw I have now. An 18in Milwaukee. It has been a great tool but it aint no good beyond 100' from the house.
Thanks
<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto144193.jpg>

<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto144194.jpg>

thl 036 here that accepts 16, 18, 20 inch bar. It comes out seldom, because 12.6 pounds get heavy real fast. Electric with generator most of time & occasionally a little 10 or 12 inch Homelite. Do have a really heavy Homelite 24 inch , all metal, no plastic it is ~1956 model, that I haven't lifted in a decade. Now you want heavy, this is it. It does not use 50:1, 40:1, 32:1, but 10:1 (3/4 pint to the gallon). I use smallest that I can get by with.

 

[Ohio88]

I have used 16 bars for 40 years and have rarely had to find a bigger saw. Currently have 2 MS350 Stihl. If I were in the market now I would get an electric. A friend did that when his saw quite on hike. He is in his late 6os and says he gives out before the battery. I would also down size to a 14 bar. Use to saw with a guy that had a 14. We cut 3 cords of wood every Saturday during the winter. His saw did everything mine did save a couple of spots. We did that for 5 years. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Dean]

I have 3 Stihl chainsaws that I use for various tasks.

I recommend the MS250 for your purposes. It is very popular and suitable for either 16 or 18 bars. I have an 18 bar on mine.

Stihl offers a newer, similarly sized MS251 for about the same price. I bought one of the a few years ago and did not like it so got rid of it and bought the 250 which I well like.

 

[caterpillar guy]

I've got a 290 For the last 20 or so years and now bought a 261. It has a bit more HP on about a pound less weight. I don't really see a difference between them using them. they have 16 inch bars.Thes doe 90% of the saw work around here. If I need bigger I sue dad's O56 big heavy saw with a 28 inch bar. I use it when I have big stuff to cut like in the 36-55 inch trees to cut. The last big one was close to 5foot across. An old tree in the filed. died and now gone.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Dad likes his Milwaukee battery saw for sawing and he uses it to cut wood for the furnace. Only real complaint he has is the saw cuts so narrow it has a problem with pinching some. He's going to be 90 the 8th. Still going.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Mike
I have a 3500 w RV champion in a lawn cart and pull it around with a Kawasaki mule.
Powers my 18 inch 4 hp craftsman electric.
I use a 100 ft 12g extension cord too.
My arthritic arm won't allow me to start a 2 cycle chainsaw.

 

[rvirgil_KS]

I got a new Stihl MS251CBE a year and a half ago. I was 78 at the time. They are a little pricey but a great saw. I got the easy pull start and quick adjust bar. Have cut a couple of trees and done some trimming and like it real well. I use no e10 fuel with Stabil and Stihl 2 cycle oil.

With Stihl the actual cut is 2 shorter than advertised length. ie my 18 has an actual 16 cut. 16in. models I looked had an actual 14 cut. I got a #27 torx assortment for servicing it.

 

[M-MAN]

I like the 18 in bar. You're not having to bend over as much. The older I get the more I appreciate that.

 

[Eagle Beagle]

I have a 250. If you get one, the new easy start is great. An older 250 can have that feature installed. Try one at the Stihl dealer.

Beagle

 

[Hay hay hay]

You can put a fully charged car size 12v battery in the bed of the pickup, hook it through a $150 inverter and saw till your arms give out with your old 110v saw. A car battery will outlast me, even if the 110v saw is very light and easy to use. Charge the battery overnight at the cabin. Lots of ways to skin a cat. I also have an 18v Ryobi that I love. Gas saws are for younger men than me.

 

[redtom]

My favorite saw for years has been my 028 super, 16. So much so, that I added an 028 as a back up. I tried various smaller saws for trimming and light work. My dad bought an 015L? top handle used. Its unique If it starts after sitting. He had a Husq 141? Sent that thing to the auction. Last year I splurged and bought a Milwaukee Fuel 18v. I will never look back! No muss-no fuss. No stink-no mixing fuel-no rope yanking. I can cut a 14inch tree down and clean it all up into stove wood with one charge easily.

 

[T.R.K.]

I guess I may go against the grain on this one. My Daddy got to where he could no longer crank his chainsaw in his early 70s. I have also had to tell older customers there was nothing really wrong with their saw, that they were just no longer able to crank their saw any more.

Since you say you don't use a saw much, I would look at the battery chain saws. That way, if you have a good battery you just pull the trigger and start cutting. A battery saw also won't have any problems due to bad or old gas as there is no gas used at all.