Which Stihl Chainsaw to Buy?

[jaymark6655]

Not sure what the new numbers are....kinda like cameras.   In the day, I fell a crap load of trees with an 038 Super.   Must have the super on it.   But th 44 was one hell of a chainsaw.  Its what I graduated too.   I fell some gigantic stuff with it.   I only used the 66 with a 72 inch bar I think it was for old growth.   That was a tank.   The 44 would be easier to get around with and will cut just about anything you'll ever cut.

I think they took the 44 and just tacked a 0 at the end. So the old 038 is now the new 380.    At least it seemed that way when I was looking at saws.
Can't make a recommendation really since I have only used the 271 and 290 (only cut 1 chord last year, trying to get up to 5 this year).

[biggdogg]

I've owned both saws the 440 didn't last but a couple years, from day one I have lots of carb problems, rebuild 3 times with not even 10 hours on the saw. I got tired of dealing with and traded it in on a stihl 460, after getting that saw the husky 390 and the stihl 660 r my back up saws. The 460 is a heck of a lot lighter and still has plenty enough power for what u need. The biggest trees I have cut with my 460 have been 4 foot douglas firs with out a problem, I would reccomend for what your doing a 26 in bar you won't believe the chain speed difference from 32in bar. But the good thing about a bigger bar is you don't have to bend over as far, and a 460 will push the 32 in bar really good as the 440 had some trouble, and 660 will run whatever bar u put on it.

[BigGoonTuna]

the 038 is actually still in production in brazil, it was renamed the ms380, now it's the ms381.  overall it's still the same saw as an 038 mag II.  hell, the 051, 070, and 076 are still made down there too, but you won't find any of those saws up here(EPA and safety regulation type stuff).  the 381 is sort of the "farm boss" in other countries like australia.

biggdogg, if you had 3 carb rebuilds done on a new 440, your dealer should have replaced the carb.  i've been seeing a lot of them lately with issues that a rebuild kit won't fix(leaking main nozzle, makes the saw act like it's sucking air).  it sure as heck isn't a problem with the 440's design - the 460 is almost exactly the same, just with 5 more CCs.  they even have the same carburetors(and so does the husky 372, albeit with different linkage...).

i still say the 660 is too much for firewood cutting.  you're damn sure going to notice that extra couple pounds when cutting.  if all out power is what everyone needed, you wouldn't see the majority of the timber fallers here using 460s instead of 660s.

[cwuwildcat]

On a slight side note, chains for the Stihl are buy one, get one free.  At least that was the deal at Washington Tractor in Sumner an hour ago.  Went in to buy one to strap on the bar while the original was being sharpened, they said they were having a sale.  Not sure if thats at all Stihl dealers or just the one in Sumner.  Not a bad deal.

[rasbo]

On a slight side note, chains for the Stihl are buy one, get one free.  At least that was the deal at Washington Tractor in Sumner an hour ago.  Went in to buy one to strap on the bar while the original was being sharpened, they said they were having a sale.  Not sure if thats at all Stihl dealers or just the one in Sumner.  Not a bad deal.

still the same for all the saws there,huskie or stihl

[cwuwildcat]

On a slight side note, chains for the Stihl are buy one, get one free.  At least that was the deal at Washington Tractor in Sumner an hour ago.  Went in to buy one to strap on the bar while the original was being sharpened, they said they were having a sale.  Not sure if thats at all Stihl dealers or just the one in Sumner.  Not a bad deal.

still the same for all the saws there,huskie or stihl

I'm not sure.  I didn't see any signs or anything advertising it.  I was about two feet inside the door when a guy that looks like the big boss told me about it.  The tightass in me got excited about a twofer.

[rasbo]

On a slight side note, chains for the Stihl are buy one, get one free.  At least that was the deal at Washington Tractor in Sumner an hour ago.  Went in to buy one to strap on the bar while the original was being sharpened, they said they were having a sale.  Not sure if thats at all Stihl dealers or just the one in Sumner.  Not a bad deal.

still the same for all the saws there,huskie or stihl

I'm not sure.  I didn't see any signs or anything advertising it.  I was about two feet inside the door when a guy that looks like the big boss told me about it.  The tightass in me got excited about a twofer.

sumner lawn and saw Im talking about just in case Im being misunderstood..

[Chris]

Thanks for the responses. Both prices include bars. The 660 will have 20 minutes run time on it. That is why it is the price it is. I will be running a 26 inch bar being that I am so low to the ground. I think I will go with the 440. Thanks again!

[biggdogg]

I have worked in around logging for the last 12 years, and suped up 46's have been the choice of saw by most fallers. Where we log we do probably the most logging in the pacific northwest. So your telling me a 44 with a 32 inch bar is not much difference then a 46 with a 32 inch bar?? I see a big difference but what do I know I only cut 150 cords of firewood a year. I think the wood on the west side is a little bit different then the wood on our reservation, that's what I've been told. There is a lot of ash in our wood from st helens really sucks trying to keep a chain sharp. Do you do chainsaw modifications if you do I would be interested in getting the most power I can out of my next saw. It's nice in our forest we don't have any chainsaw restrictions we can pretty much run a saw that has been ported so much you might as well take muffler plate off maybe that's the difference for me.

[Doublelunger]

I would only go for the 660 if your planning on falling/bucking a lot of tress's that are 45"-50" dbh (diameter at breast height) or bigger. The 440 can easily handle a 28 or 32 inch bar.  I know where I cut wood you're not allowed to cut anything over 28 or 30 which is still a pretty good size tree.  If you're just cutting firewood the 440 in my opinion is actually the perfect choice. Sometimes bigger isn't better.

[Whitpirate]

If you are near Chehalis go to Madsens Saw Shop.  I bought a tuned 46 that has done 200 cord or so in 10 Yeats with a spark plug and filters.

[biggdogg]

I bought a power tuned husky 390 from madsen's was pretty satisfied with the work, it was my favorite saw until someone decided to break into my garage only got to cut 20 cords with it. That was a waste of 1100 dollars, let's look at it this way some crack head got his fix for a couple days.

[TheHunt]

http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/professional.html

You can look at the link and see the weight differences and power.

[300winmag]

If you are going to just cut firewood all you need is the 44.I have been a timber faller for 20 years and the 66 with a 20 inch bar will kick back hard if your not ready for that it could be ugly. We mostly run pumped up 46s with 30 inch bars and they will handle pretty much anything we get into. We dont pull out the 66s unless the timber is 4ft or bigger . just thought i would putin my 

[TheHunt]

44 with a 32 inch bar
46 with a 32 inch bar

One has a little more power then the other... 

Look at the weight of the saw...  30-32 inch bar and how much power you get with the sizes you like. 

I like the longer bar because of the sized wood I come acroos and the long butt ends that are cut can be handled with that saw without jumping onthe other side of the to finish the cut.  I do not like to hunker over to cut fire wood if you buy a saw with a 16 to 20 inch bar.  BUT a shorter bar is less dangerous then a bigger bar.