Chainsaws

I need a good chainsaw. For cleaning up around the house, AND cutting wood for an outside wood boiler. People say I’m going to need between 7-10 cords/winter. This year, since it’s too late to start cutting wood for the winter, I have a semi load of slab wood coming. Should be enough for this year and hopefully half of next year. It will be in bundles so I’m hoping I can buck it in the bundles. For the price and convenience I’m hoping to do the same next year. I’m looking at a stihl MS271 Farm Boss with 20” bar. Anybody got any reviews or suggestions?

Thanks, Drifter.

If you’re just going to be bucking firewood, IMO the 20 inch bar is just adding weight and more teeth to sharpen. It also takes more power to spin 20 inches of chian. 16-18 is plenty.

Personally, I think you should look at Husqvarna 450 or 455, or the equivalent size Echo. I got a Husqvarna 445 last year and it’s an excellent saw with great power to weight. You may want to go a little bigger, but IMO not much. Keep in mind, every pound you add is one more pound you have to lift X however many pieces you cut in a day.

Don’t overpay for Stihl. Based on my last 2 Stihl purchases, my opinion is that the brand is coasting on a reputation from 25 years ago. Just replaced the carb in my Stihl blower and on the bottom, the old carb was stamped “Made in China”. Pretty much says it all, IMO. Just had my 3 year old Stihl brush saw apart again to replace the kill switch, a fussy and over-thought design that was bound to fail after heavy use. Not what they used to be.

Grouse

go with an Echo chainsaw,my first one went thirty three years before it laid down on me and it was my own fault or I would still be using it.
my last two saws, ( CS8000 and CS500 ) came with a five year warranty.
stihl has a two year warranty the last I knew but you had to buy their oil when you buy the saw to get the warranty.

I would look into makita chainsaws. Bought 2 after the two jonsered 625 gave up the ghost. Been pretty happy with them so far.

The outdoor power store I’m looking has all 3 brands your talking about grouse. I looked at the 455 husqvarna rancher and was I believe $100 more than the MS271 Farm boss with 18” bar. The salesman said husqvarna was least brought in for repairs over the years, followed closely by Stihl. He also tried selling a little larger Echo,but I’d prefer to stick with stihl or husqvarna. Good point about the 20” bar. I may reconsider, and go for the 18”. Thanks for the your input Grouse, I may work on him a little on price. See if he can come down a little on the husky.

Drifter, I have the Farm Boss 27 and believe I upgraded to the 20 inch bar. Had it for about 20 years now. No complaints runs Great Cuts great, I would recommend it

Subcontract it out to the beaver. Why risk sawing your lower leg off?

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Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

Subcontract it out to the beaver. Why risk sawing your lower leg off?

Naw. I have two young boys who after I woke up this morning and seen their glazed over looks staring at the TV watching cartoons, I can’t wait to get out to the country and put them to work. This summer they really became lazy buns. When my dad used to go to sleep on Friday or Saturday nights, he’d tell us kids when I wake up we’re going to work. We would tip toe out of the house in the mornings. Especially rock picking time before spring planting.

I have a husqvarna rancher 450 20″ bar and absolutely love it. The thing is a powerhouse and easy on the arms.
In the winter i put veggie oil in it and cut my spear holes the eazy way

rubberduck wrote:

I have a husqvarna rancher 450 20″ bar and absolutely love it. The thing is a powerhouse and easy on the arms.
In the winter i put veggie oil in it and cut my spear holes the eazy way

Yup. Thought of that too.

I agree with Grouse 100% on the 18″ bar over the 20″, BUT not on the Stihl part. He has had some back luck with Stihl so I get what he is saying. I bought a new Stihl saw 3 years ago and it has been flawless and I run thru about 15-20 cords of wood a year heating the house. I have an 18″ bar and that is plenty. I prefer a little less weight and more power. I will say stay away from the home owner model in any saw you get. The Farm boss or Professional saws in Stihl are far superior and will last longer.

I agree with sticker. I have the MS271 Farm Boss 18″, bought 2-3 years ago and it has run flawless. I don’t get near as much use out of it as I’d like but when I need it, its ready. Of course, only run premium gas and I only run Stihl fluids through it.

Stihl with easy start is awesome lol. I got one for my birthday that thing is nice, not sure what model it has the 16″ cutter bar.

It looks like Huskys are $20 off this week at Fleet Farm. 20% off chains and accesories.

rubberduck wrote:

I have a husqvarna rancher 450 20″ bar and absolutely love it. The thing is a powerhouse and easy on the arms.
In the winter i put veggie oil in it and cut my spear holes the eazy way

There should be no reason to use the oil if your cutting ice.. She will not get hot at all and don’t have to deal with getting that oil out when running new stuff.

I’ve been investigating battery powered saws by Stihl and Dewalt (Dewalt uses a 16″ bar which is nice compared to Stihl’s 12″) just due to the fact that my saw won’t get used very much and then I won’t have to worry about gumming up the carb or dealing with old mixed gas… Battery powered tools have come along ways in the past few years…something to think about if you’re not going to be using it much…Price would then become a factor too as the battery saws are about 2x the price for same power but if you could use the battery for other tools it could become viable….

JoeMX1825 wrote:

I’ve been investigating battery powered saws by Stihl and Dewalt

I have a DeWalt. Haven’t used it much yet, but I bought it for the reasons you stated. Probably not a good option for the original poster, though. Milwaukee has one now, too.

buschman wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>rubberduck wrote:</div>
I have a husqvarna rancher 450 20″ bar and absolutely love it. The thing is a powerhouse and easy on the arms.
In the winter i put veggie oil in it and cut my spear holes the eazy way

There should be no reason to use the oil if your cutting ice.. She will not get hot at all and don’t have to deal with getting that oil out when running new stuff.

The oil is not just for heat….. its called lubrication…. the less “metal” to ” metal” contact the better it is for the saw and helps with rust prevention also. Veggie oil is not bad for the water plus it sinks to the bottom.i cut a lot of holes with this saw in the winter and if there is anything i can do to keep her top notch I will.

To each there own…..

I can’t take credit for this –
You can thank iowaboy1

These will get the job done

I’m in EPG! You wanna be my partner? Hope you got a strong back!

MNdrifter wrote:

I need a good chainsaw. For cleaning up around the house
Thanks, Drifter.

For cleaning up around the house?

Stihl is what the pros use, there’s a reason for that. I’ve used other junk over the past 25 yrs, never again. My stihl ms250 has cut over thirty trees in the past 4 yrs. no complaints.

I’ve been an arborist for twenty years and have used every make and model out there, I would recommend a Husqvarna 50 cc or better you want full chisel chain and a sixteen inch bar. Small bars stay out out of the dirt better and huskys have a primer witch is a nice feature to save on your arm pulling on a cold saw. Cutting wood with a sharp saw can be enjoyable but a dull weak saw is torture. Also the biggest problem we see with homeowners trying to sharpen a saw is they think a file last forever . You get about two maybe three sharpeningseparate out of a file and you need a new one. Good luck

I burn a woodstove most fall and winter nights mostly for recreation and it gives the furnace a little rest. I scavenge neighborhood trees and don’t go through a cord a year. Agree with previous poster. I run a 50cc Husky (545 to be exact) with a 16″ bar. I love that little thing!

Went with the 18” bar on the 271 farm boss. Haven’t used it much yet. But my load of wood showed up today. Can’t wait to hog into this pile!

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on the Farm Boss.

Looks like you’re gonna have one hellova bonfire

Just checked it out on the Google, looks like a nice saw. I like that they revamped the air filter design, old ones would get plugged up fairly fast. Good luck!!!

great pick on the stihl farm boss. We have a MS290 farm boss with a 20″ bar. Has been a great saw for a number of years. Sometimes the longer bar is to much for even this bigger saw. We now have 4 stihls now. You won’t be disappointed in your purchase.

Just bought a used 036. Gonna be the designated ice saw. Has a 20″ bar but gonna buy a 32″ for it. We run veggie oil for cutting ice as well. Gonna grind the rakers off the chains to aid in ice cutting.

I had a poor experience with Husquavarna. I think it was a 455 with 18 inch blade. Ran great and cut well. The vibration dampeners were great to. But….the screws that hold the muffler/spark arrestor in place vibrated loose and the threads stripped out. The threads were in aluminum. Could not be fixed. Not enough material to retap. I contacted Husquavarna and they admitted it was a known defect on that model but would not do anything to make this right. The saw was 2 years old. I will not give them any more of my money. Just my 2 cents.

Stihl ONLY man. Mine can sit at times for a year and start like I used it yesterday. I now own a 2016 MS 390. 20″ bar. Love the saw. Never goes to the shop for repairs. ALWAYS runs and cuts as you hope it would.