Great info. That probably explains why my neighbor's, who got his .026 in Europe, is a tad different than my .025 Stihl. He was a logger in Norway for awhile and he can do wonders with that little puppy. I've gone into firewood as a hobby and am happy with the Stihl but am in the market for a slightly larger one for some cutting here in Pike Nat'l Forest and will carefully look at these less familiar brands.

 

This is what I run, and I have a 24 inch bar on it.

My firewood gets hauled in by my buddy a 7 axle logging truck load at a time.

So it gets a damn good work out, and it never lets me down.

Learn to file your chain correctly as well, that makes a huge difference in how any saw cuts, and lots of people do not file right.

My uncle is now retired, but was a faller for a living for 40 years, he swears by Husqvaran saws, and also showed me how he files a chain, and after trying his saw I was sold.

Husqvarna Outdoor Power Equipment - Chain saws - 372XP

ps. I also see loggers up here using Stihl a lot.
I would say its about 59% Husky, and 39 % Stihl here.....the remaining 2% could be whatever.
If loggers use them 2 brands almost all the time that says a lot.

 

Good call on sharpening. I file at every fuel fill and watch those chips. Got a B&D electric but don't often need it. We live in the boonies but have a Stihl dealer just 30 miles away, so taking that into consideration I'll probably stay with Stihl.

 

Wish I was in the market for a new saw - it's fun to spec them out. I have a Stihl 029 Super w/ 20" bar and .325 pitch chain. Upgraded to Stihl MS310 w/ 20" bar and 3/8 pitch chain. The larger kerf 3/8 chain pulls harder - the 029 with the .325 chain probaby gets more wood cut.
I also have a Huskie 55 with an 18" bar pulling a 3/8 pitch chain. It cuts circles around both of them - lighter weight and spins up faster. I think it is also quieter. The new version of the 55 is the 455 Rancher. I would like to try out a Huskie 372XP. Good luck!

 

I love mine.

And the reason I use a 24 inch bar is to save my back.
Being bent over too much is hard on my already bad back, and I am fairly tall, that does not help.
It would actually cut a tiny bit better with say a 20" as its less to spin up.

 

an easier way might be to get someone else to do it.

mebbe they should bring back indentured servants

 

I was just at a B&S update seminar the other week. The central distributor in my area is carrying Dolmar now and they had a little video presentation about the company history and reputation. Interesting history. My Husky 41 w/18" bar does a pretty good job for me. My sibs and I had chipped in and gave dad money to buy a saw of his choosing to cut wood at camp around 15 years ago. His back is done, so he gave me the saw about 10 years ago. That little guy has a lot of hours on it and still cuts like a champ.
I too like to lower the rakers for a more aggressive cut, but it only works if the saw is powerful enough. The "little husky that could" is and it makes firewood chores go much faster.
Can't see getting rid of a saw that was free to me and does the job quite well, but if I have to replace it, I'd try a Dolmar.
I also have ancient Homelite (blue paint) C5 that was my grandfathers. I only run it as a conversation piece on easy log cuts - not when I am doing serious cutting. No anti-vibe, no chain brake; heavy enough to make your arms tired in about 5 minutes, dangerous as hell (and louder than all the souls screaming down there) to operate, but boy does that mother cut!

 

Do you deal with Atlantic power as a distributor,I think the sales rep in that area is Joe Doman nice guy,they took over as a distributor about a year before I shut my big store/shop down and I never resigned as a Dolmar dealer as they wanted me to stock to much. I was turned on to Dolmar 25 years ago from a guy that I became friends with that moved here to Jersey from Northern California and he had some of the biggest saws I had ever layed eyes on(don't need em that big here LOL) all but one were Sachs Dolmars and boy did those things rip thru logs like nothing I had seen before. The new Dolmars are built nice and are very tough,I never had one come back for anything but maintence and maybe a bar and sprocket change no other failures that I can remember.

 

JimmyR, I gave up on the idea of even looking at Echo, Dolmar, etc., since I'm no mechanic and live in an area where anything other than fords and Chevys are considered exotics. I came close to buying a 310 Friday but couldn't bring myself to pay the $446 with tax and now see the 455 is on ebay at $350 with shipping and no tax. It looks like it has some nice features, too. Hope I'm not sorry.

 

Just keep in mind that the new Husky 455/460 series are fairly heavy in terms of power/weight ratio.....You might consider a Husky 359,its in the same class in terms of power,and as i recall its a little lighter than the 4 series saws mentioned above.

 

Yep- Atlantic Power.
Update seminars aren't as fun as they used to be since the central distributorship shakeup several years back. I used to be in Three Rivers Engine Distributor sregion and man did they do good update seminars.
Nowadays, you read through the manual while the presenter reads the same thing on a powerpoint slide show.
There was one fella there that took about 3 calls on his cell during the presentation. Completed all the conversations, too. Never left his seat in the meeting room. I was kinda shocked.
They said re: the Dolmar presentation that you ididn't have to stock very many pieces to be a dealer.
I don't sell anything new- I only do service and repair on the side outside of my day job.
Thought about going into sales along with service when I retire from teaching high school, but the paperwork on my little bit of side work (only gross about 6-8k annually) is more than I like as it is. Sure don't want any more.
I am still intrigued by the Dolmar saws. Wouldn't mind getting my hands on one; just can't justify it with a good working saw in hand already, though.

 

buy a makita from the HD rental dept for around 200. its a rebadged 5100

 

I haven't been to a Briggs update seminar in about 15 years, just using the Vhs/Dvd update program they have as they are to far away to travel too now(used to be in Cherry Hill now in Somerset) and cost to much and I learn the same thing and don't get bored or fall a sleep.I liked the Stihl seminars though always able to keep my intrest and learned something that I would actually use in the field when done. Husky never had one that I am aware of just sent out new product info on paper. Times sure have changed in the power equipment trade as far as sales go and the service you get,when I started you had to go to a dealer for a chainsaw no matter the brand unless it was a Craftsman or a Roper.Homelite,MacCulloch,Poulan,Skillsaw,Pioneer, Husky and Stihl, with Stihl being the only one left that you need to get from a dealer.

 

GlenFordX4, noticed your Bronco and had to mention I had an '87 Black Bauer. Best looking thing I ever had. Ran 160K, gave to college daughter for another 30 or so and she traded it in in Tuscon ten years ago. Bet it's down in Sonora still running!

 

I cut around 22 face cords of wood this past year and a little less the past 5 years with a Poulan Woodsman Pro with a 2.1 cubic inch engine 16" bar. My buddy's neighbor tried running it on straight 2-cycle oil (newbie to woods maintenance) and gummed it up and the guy gave up on it and gave it to me. Cleaned the carb, new bar and chain, and it goes like hell! I think it's a 1998 model he bought at TSC (Tractor Supply Co.) for $100 believe it or not.

I would recommend a Poulan. They have good parts and service support at almost all the good repair shops and parts suppliers, and they just don't die! I cut primarily ash and walnut and it's held up to the hard stuff real well.

Usually when I have to buy a low-kickback chain, I put it in the sharpener and take down the rakers half-way so the saw bites a lot better - just have to be a bit more careful.