Need opinions/info on pending chainsaw purchase

I have a Stihl MS 180 that I've had for 5 or so years. Before moving to CO, it was plenty of saw for my needs.

Now, living at 9500 feet in the CO mountains, I need to cut firewood to heat my home. Approx. 5-6 cords per season. My MS 180 is just not up to the task... It would be good as a de-limbing and back-up saw, though.

I'm ready to pull the trigger on a Stihl MS 390 w/ a 20" bar ($479.00)

Local Stihl dealer is great - honest and helpful (sold me a $4 fuel line instead of taking my saw in for service...)

Let me know what you think?

Thanks in advance,

Troy

 

i have a magnum 066 and i love it. it was my dads for years and it stills runs great and cuts anything. its got a 36 inch bar on it

 

That might be a tad bit of overkill for me...

 

cant go wrong with a stihl. ive got a stihl and a husqvarna, love em both

 

That should work just fine for you. I would also recommend the MS 361. It is apart of the professional series. Used them all summer and worked like a champ. Either way go with Stihl.

 

The 361 would be nice... lighter but about same HP...

But... $600...

I'm already stretching my budget for the 390... I like to keep 2+ extra chains handy, so even purchasing the 390 with 2 extra chains, I'll be in the $500 range already...

 

I bought a Stihl Farmboss 290 back in January this year after a major winter ice storm. This thing has been the most reliable and best running saw I've ever been around. I used it clean up our property after the ice storm, but have continued to use it through out the year. There have been several trees that needed to be taken down and I've done it w/o an issue with my Farmboss 290. Mine has a 18" bar and just recently, I cut a 36"-42" diameter white oak tree trunk (50' long) into 4' sections and it had no problem doing this. I'd buy another Stihl in a hearbeat and highly recommend them. I'm sure you can't go wrong with any of them if you pick up the correct size. Here is a pic of the white oak I just finished sawing up.

 

Good to hear...

The 290, 310, and 390 are the same saw with different displacements - 3.8, 4.0, and 4.3 BHP respectively...

So, I'm basically getting a "Farm Boss" with a little more power, but the same weight...

 

X2 on the 029 Farm Boss. I've had mine with a 20" bar for around 10 years now and it still runs flawlessly.

Marc M

 

I cut a lot of wood and it's the primary heat source for my home here in the NW (where we have long wet cold winters). Go with a 30" bar. My last Stihl had a 20" bar and I replaced it with a 30". I replaced it with the Stihl MS660 Magnum about a year ago and it has a 30" bar and is about the lightest weight for that power/bar available.

I have only cut 5-6 cords of wood with it thus far so can't speak to it's longevity.. but I love it. A great saw. And I've cut plenty at 9k feet and it does great!

A Stihl is a saw for life. Well worth the investment. Mine cost me just under $900. I'll bet if you have a good relationship with a dealer you could probably do even better, who knows?

 

That is just not in my budget right now... Also, not much need for a 30" bar around here... The largest trees I will more than likely be cutting would probably be in the 18" range...

 

stihl for sure! never had any issues!

btw... nice flex pic! hahaha

 

OK, fair enough.. the Stihl MS660 Magnum is a bit overkill. Even for big trees a good 20" bar can tackle them. And I know you said you were on a budget. Sorry. Guess I just wanted to tempt you. When you pull the Stihl MS660 Magnum out of your truck and head for the fallen tree everyone around is in awe.. it's an impressive saw! And you can upgrade it to a max of a 36" bar if needed.

OK, OK.. so I guess my advise is to stick with Stihl. Go into that shop with the money you have budgeted and say, "Give me the best saw for my money". Pretty much any Stihl will do you well for many many years. Sometimes they throw in the extra chains for a discount if purchased at time of saw.

Best wishes.

 

Yeah, I plan to buy at least 2 additional chains at time of purchase...

 

I was at my Stihl dealer last week and they were offering a free carrying case

with the purchase of a Farmboss. All I got was a bar/chain cover when I bought mine... Hopefully, you're dealer in CO is offering the same thing!

 

I wish I had bought a 20" bar instead of the 18" after cutting down this large white oak. Does the 290 seem to have plenty of power-even with the 20" bar?

 

my buddy works for a stihl shop they had one in there with atleast a 36 inch bar and the what he said was the biggest motor they offered it was like 50 pounds of pure 2 stroke

 

I have a Stihl 024AV. it works good, but I think my Husqvarna 445 is better. 18" bar, $319 at Lowes. Chains are $22 each.

Its worth checking them out.

 

My buddy has one of these...



Stihl 090, his has a 54" bar if I remember right... That saw would cut down plenty of fire wood for ya.....


It will cut deep...

 

thats the one the o90 thing was like 60 pounds