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Stihl ms440 vs ms461
- Thread Starter filsonhand
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Well who the heck doesn't?
Would probably make a good hipster cologne, with the slogan...Now you can smell like a man without getting your fingers dirty.. Lol
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There would need to be a bear on my arse, to get me to the top of a 100' fir
Yeah, and at my age now I'd agree. But 10 years ago shimmying up 80 feet to take her top off always made me smile.
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dude 2 stroke honda 250r with a race gas mix.... O MANNN. GIVES ME THE FIZZWell who the heck doesn't?
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at your age???? you make yourseld sound old i mean geeze youre barely 50 arent you?
u know im kiddin
at your age???? you make yourseld sound old i mean geeze youre barely 50 arent you?
u know im kiddin
FU!!
But seriously, for some reason I've lost my love of heights and swaying trunks. Cross 40 brother, then come back and comment here.
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still waitin to cross 30 manFU!!
But seriously, for some reason I've lost my love of heights and swaying trunks. Cross 40 brother, then come back and comment here.
but really. i need to get a saw. soon
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I have a 461.
It is a bit big for most of what I use it for - usually cutting firewood - but I was thinking of getting a winch and auger for it so I wanted the largest most powerful consumer saw that Stihl made.
I have a 28" bar and a 20" bar. On hardwood (maple, oak, alder) it can bog down a bit with the long bar. Cut down a small tree for my daughter - not sure what it was but boy it was hard. I got the long bar for the stumps and for the few large logs I have, but the rest are better served by the 20" bar as it doesn't get in the way so much.
I think a 30+" bar may be a bit much for it, especially if you are cutting hardwood with it. I cut this 8' tall 5' wide cedar stump with the 28" just fine.
Had problems with this maple (?) tree but I think the chain needs to be sharpened:
It is a heavy saw - I think I could use a lighter smaller one for most of the wood I cut.
It is a bit big for most of what I use it for - usually cutting firewood - but I was thinking of getting a winch and auger for it so I wanted the largest most powerful consumer saw that Stihl made.
I have a 28" bar and a 20" bar. On hardwood (maple, oak, alder) it can bog down a bit with the long bar. Cut down a small tree for my daughter - not sure what it was but boy it was hard. I got the long bar for the stumps and for the few large logs I have, but the rest are better served by the 20" bar as it doesn't get in the way so much.
I think a 30+" bar may be a bit much for it, especially if you are cutting hardwood with it. I cut this 8' tall 5' wide cedar stump with the 28" just fine.
Had problems with this maple (?) tree but I think the chain needs to be sharpened:
It is a heavy saw - I think I could use a lighter smaller one for most of the wood I cut.
still waitin to cross 30 man
but really. i need to get a saw. soon
Don't waste your money on anything that doesn't say "Stihl" on it. Trust me, us "old guys" know.
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a few years back we had some local tree guys trim back our 110' Port Orford cedar.....had main trunk up to about 60' then a cluster of 6 or 7 50' suckers on top like a crown.
Their butt cut was nearly 12" average for each one; it was amazing/made me nauseated watching him sway around that far up. The bucket put him up about 60' or so & he climbed up & jumped around like he had prehensile toes....
Their butt cut was nearly 12" average for each one; it was amazing/made me nauseated watching him sway around that far up. The bucket put him up about 60' or so & he climbed up & jumped around like he had prehensile toes....
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High octane - saws and other two strokes.
Lawn mowers, generators, etc. - low compression and run better on regular.
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yes, i only plan on buying a stihl.Don't waste your money on anything that doesn't say "Stihl" on it. Trust me, us "old guys" know.
its just like how i prefer snap-on for my work tools.
i know theyre the best.
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ever work with 'Pacific yew'???
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Not knowingly. There are a few up here, but I have not cut on them. That could have been what my daughter had. It was a tree in her backyard and she was allergic to it. It was only like 8" across, but boy it resisted the saw like it was hard rock maple.
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I've had sparks fly off a 6-8" yew that cuts like it was granite.
They make great posts/don't rot, harder than hell & very heavy/strong/. Read up on French Pete's fence posts & round barn made with Yew.
Illegal IIRC to cut here but used to run across now & then in a cull deck I bought 100 cord deck for fire wood.
If you ever do get yew down to stove size do NOT use more than about a thumb size stick or 2 at a time...waste of wood & gets REAL HOT....
They make great posts/don't rot, harder than hell & very heavy/strong/. Read up on French Pete's fence posts & round barn made with Yew.
Illegal IIRC to cut here but used to run across now & then in a cull deck I bought 100 cord deck for fire wood.
If you ever do get yew down to stove size do NOT use more than about a thumb size stick or 2 at a time...waste of wood & gets REAL HOT....
Yup, I've got only Snap-On ratchets and air tools. I don't like overpaying but I sure know they are the best. Made a living for a bit over two years turning wrenches, and Snap-On makes some fine-azz stuff.
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i dont look at it as over paying when they come to you instead of going out of your way to replace it and with most of their stuff comes lifetime warranty. break it and you get a new one free of charge.
also, they are professional grade tools. just holding them assures you they are of superior quality. i have always prefered ingersoll air tools but snap on has really stepped up their air tool game recently; notably their air hammers, air ratchets and impact guns.
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I actually rebuild and have several stihl saws and resale them as a hobby, the good models , i.e pro versions hold value pretty well , not really alot of displacement difference between a 038mag ii ,044 or 046 or 461, i will tell you the newer , last few years models no longer use mahle cylinders or pistons as stihl changed them out for cheaper suppliers, the vote is still out as to if the quality and life span of the the new suppliers will hold up to how proven mahle is.
My favorite combo for firewood and falling up to 24-28" wood is the ms360 or 036pro , great power to weight ratio, I run a 28" bar and either semi skip or full comp chisel. never had a issue power wise even in oak, at my height it fits perfect for limbing near ground or down a log as I don't have to bend over any. 5' 9".
The 024-026, ms260 pro and non pros are also a excellent little saw , only dif between the pro and non pro in those models are comp release and adjustable oiler. I have several of these in both versions as there my favorite rebuilds, I scored a dozen new oem mahle pro cylinders with pistons and rings awhile back at a good price. so if your looking for a ms260, 026 you might hit me up and ill rebuild one of my cores for ya. ( the cylinders and pistons i have are the late model larger displacement version and is a slight power upgrade on 026 saws and change 024 saws into ms260 displacement)
now back to the 044 vs 046 vs 461
I have all three at the moment actually, need to run them side by side to give ya a honest appraisal between them , the 044 is my father's , bought first year the 044 came out replacing the 038 line, I did a full rebuild on it about 4 yrs ago, ( Almost all saws I rebuild include some porting for power and responsiveness gains, and I know what I'm doing )
Its oem mahle cylinder and piston, ported some and runs just as strong or stronger then my 046, my 046 is not ported but does have some exhaust mods like dual port muffler, and highflow air filter kit, I honestly think the 044 has better bottom end power.
The ms461 i got right now is a friends, new saw last year he got for elk hunting, he had only run about 1/2 tank of break in fuel cutting wood for elk camp with it, then loaned it to a neighbor and the dumbass , parden my French, must of ran straight gas in it after it ran out, returned it to my friend and never said a word. long story short he brought it to me , said it wouldn't start, it was smoked, scored piston, seized rings, now first thing i can tell you is its not mahle cylinder or piston, it's some new supplier , I can look at the name tomorrow but it starts with a G and im not familiar with or ever heard of them,
The ms461 has a new transfer port design to it compared to the 046 , looks less efficient to me but they have added a crankcase stuffer which should help crank pulses force a little harder on the transfer ports. I'll know more tomorrow, I just honed his cylinder just enough to remove the aluminum left from the piston and give some fresh crosshatch for new rings, ill add the chrome in the new cylinder seemed hard enough and did not score. did some porting, opened up and widened the intake and exhaust ports some , didnt change any port timings, nor did I raise the exhaust port any(raising the exhaust port correctly and in the proper amount increases high rpm power typically) couldnt do much to the transfer ports other then open up the bottom of the cylinder at its entry point and smooth and blend, opened up the muffler outlet about 30% while retaining the spark arrested wire mesh, installed a new piston and rings, and wrist pin, and lit it off today and ran it for about 2 minutes, all seems good and snappy, but no clue how it will really pull compared to the 044 or 046 , I'll bar and chain it up tomorrow if weather allows and rip some wood with it and the 044, good running 038mag ii, 044,046,461 should all be happy with bars from 24" to 32" i personally run a 34 on my 046 with full comp chisel . that was a soft wood falling setup . hope I've helped some lol
I'll follow up with a 038 super magnum ii(2) is exactly the same displacement as a 044, but weights 3/4# more, they were and still are a great powerhead, and still sold new in lower economic country's. dont confuse a regular 038 av or 038 super with a 038 super magnum ii, there smaller displacement saws .
for your reference here is a list of old models thru currant models listing, cc,bore,stroke, bhp,powerhead weight etc
Sluga's Saw Shop - STIHL chain saw specifications
My favorite combo for firewood and falling up to 24-28" wood is the ms360 or 036pro , great power to weight ratio, I run a 28" bar and either semi skip or full comp chisel. never had a issue power wise even in oak, at my height it fits perfect for limbing near ground or down a log as I don't have to bend over any. 5' 9".
The 024-026, ms260 pro and non pros are also a excellent little saw , only dif between the pro and non pro in those models are comp release and adjustable oiler. I have several of these in both versions as there my favorite rebuilds, I scored a dozen new oem mahle pro cylinders with pistons and rings awhile back at a good price. so if your looking for a ms260, 026 you might hit me up and ill rebuild one of my cores for ya. ( the cylinders and pistons i have are the late model larger displacement version and is a slight power upgrade on 026 saws and change 024 saws into ms260 displacement)
now back to the 044 vs 046 vs 461
I have all three at the moment actually, need to run them side by side to give ya a honest appraisal between them , the 044 is my father's , bought first year the 044 came out replacing the 038 line, I did a full rebuild on it about 4 yrs ago, ( Almost all saws I rebuild include some porting for power and responsiveness gains, and I know what I'm doing )
Its oem mahle cylinder and piston, ported some and runs just as strong or stronger then my 046, my 046 is not ported but does have some exhaust mods like dual port muffler, and highflow air filter kit, I honestly think the 044 has better bottom end power.
The ms461 i got right now is a friends, new saw last year he got for elk hunting, he had only run about 1/2 tank of break in fuel cutting wood for elk camp with it, then loaned it to a neighbor and the dumbass , parden my French, must of ran straight gas in it after it ran out, returned it to my friend and never said a word. long story short he brought it to me , said it wouldn't start, it was smoked, scored piston, seized rings, now first thing i can tell you is its not mahle cylinder or piston, it's some new supplier , I can look at the name tomorrow but it starts with a G and im not familiar with or ever heard of them,
The ms461 has a new transfer port design to it compared to the 046 , looks less efficient to me but they have added a crankcase stuffer which should help crank pulses force a little harder on the transfer ports. I'll know more tomorrow, I just honed his cylinder just enough to remove the aluminum left from the piston and give some fresh crosshatch for new rings, ill add the chrome in the new cylinder seemed hard enough and did not score. did some porting, opened up and widened the intake and exhaust ports some , didnt change any port timings, nor did I raise the exhaust port any(raising the exhaust port correctly and in the proper amount increases high rpm power typically) couldnt do much to the transfer ports other then open up the bottom of the cylinder at its entry point and smooth and blend, opened up the muffler outlet about 30% while retaining the spark arrested wire mesh, installed a new piston and rings, and wrist pin, and lit it off today and ran it for about 2 minutes, all seems good and snappy, but no clue how it will really pull compared to the 044 or 046 , I'll bar and chain it up tomorrow if weather allows and rip some wood with it and the 044, good running 038mag ii, 044,046,461 should all be happy with bars from 24" to 32" i personally run a 34 on my 046 with full comp chisel . that was a soft wood falling setup . hope I've helped some lol
I'll follow up with a 038 super magnum ii(2) is exactly the same displacement as a 044, but weights 3/4# more, they were and still are a great powerhead, and still sold new in lower economic country's. dont confuse a regular 038 av or 038 super with a 038 super magnum ii, there smaller displacement saws .
for your reference here is a list of old models thru currant models listing, cc,bore,stroke, bhp,powerhead weight etc
Sluga's Saw Shop - STIHL chain saw specifications
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A ms390 isnt near the powerhead of a 038mag ii nor a 044,046 aka ms440,ms441, ms460, ms461,
The ms390 is a overbored 029-031, ms290- ms310 farm boss series, unified cylinder -crankcase build. im not saying there bad saws , i had 2, still got 1. they make decent power especially with proper porting and muffler mods but 32" of bar on a 039,ms390 is a bit much, it would be happier with 24" to maybe 28" . but if your not cutting large wood your probably fine.
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