Best sub $700 chain saw?

[travis howe]

Hey folks... my parents still live on the ranch I grew up on in Southern South Dakota. They have a lot of elm tree's that have seen better days. I was thinking about trying to take some cuts home with me to colorado on my next trip there.

I would like to find a nice sized chainsaw....something worth a few extra bucks if need be that can get the job done. I'm not sure if it's "american elm", "red elm" or what....

Thoughts?

Thanks

[James Carmichael]

I would suggest the Arborist site.

You didn't say how many CCs you wanted. Under $700 should get you a lot of saw, but depends if you're planning to mill.

Thought I should add, though I doubt you're planning to do it, that elm is brutal to split.

[Michael Wildt]

I have a Husqvarna Rancher 455. Absolutely awesome machine, and with all the cleanup from the icestorm it sure came handy (during and after). It chews through oak like it was butter.

If it was me I would look at Husqvarna and Stiehl. Both brands are well known and if you can find a local dealer too then I think you would be all set. I didn't go with the big box store since I wanted more guidance on model choice and I wanted a place that had parts handy.

It is a bit on the heavy side so that might be something to think about since it can get a bit tiring, but the power is awesome.

Ohh, and be safe when using it. Get the steel toed boots, chaps, and a hat with hearing protection.

[Ryan Baker]

You can get yourself a real nice Stihl for $700.

[Rich Souchek]

Travis,
Agree with the above comment about arboristsite.com as being very informative about chainsaws. They ae very particular about them and very biased on pro quality Stihl and Huskys. Not all of the saws made by these two manufactures are liked, do some reading.
That said, $700 can get you some nice new saws (Makita, Stihl, Husky) or good used equipment. It will probably depend mostly on what you intend to do with the saw (cut smaller firewood stuff under say 20 diameter vs cutting 60" diameter hardwoods like oak or pecan to using the saw in a chainsaw mill), what chainsaw shop are in your area for service and parts, to what preferences and expereince you have.
Rich S.

[Ron Bontz]

1 vote for a Husqvarna Rancher 460. Mine has a 24" bar and works very well.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Travis, southern South Dakota, I'm guessing the same Siberian elm that we have a "bunch" of in western Nebraska. What part of southern SD?

It's kind of interesting wood. A search here will yield you a couple photos of projects built with it. I've used a few pieces of firewood for bandsaw and handplane practice. It has interlocked grain, and is not the easiest stuff to work with.

$700 will buy you a nice Sthil, which is what I would get.

[jim carter]

get a stihl if you can.

[Scott T Smith]

Travis,

Stihl and Husky both make great saws, and they make some that are not so great.

Echo and Dolmar also have a great reputation.

If you're planning to leave the saw at your folks ranch, I would find out who the local dealers are and ask them for a recommendation, and if possible purchase it locally. That will provide you with a local service option, and the should be familiar with the best saw / chain combination for harvesting the local wood.

If you're planning to keep it for yourself, then find out who your best local dealers are and seek their advice.

Arborsite has some good info, as does the Forestry Forum.

Stihl has both commercial as well as homeowner models. Typically the commercial models have a white handle, and the residential models are orange.

Pay particular attention to the type of chain that you buy with the saw, as this makes a difference both in terms of safety (anti-kickback) as well as aggressive cutting.

Also, the single thing that you can do to extend the life of the saw is to always use a fresh oil/gas mix in it. Dispose of any mix that's older than 30 days, and replace it with a fresh blend.

[Bob Wingard]

+1 on the Husqvarna 455 Rancher .. .. strong saw & great balance. This is one of the best they've ever had in their lineup.

[Nathan Hawkes]

Hey folks... my parents still live on the ranch I grew up on in Southern South Dakota. They have a lot of elm tree's that have seen better days. I was thinking about trying to take some cuts home with me to colorado on my next trip there.

I would like to find a nice sized chainsaw....something worth a few extra bucks if need be that can get the job done. I'm not sure if it's "american elm", "red elm" or what....

Thoughts?

Thanks

Travis, you'd do very well with a Stihl MS-441 or Husqvarna 372XP, which are both close but over that $700 figure. Both of these are professional saws and should last a lifetime. They're both around 70cc.

In the sub-$700 range, the Husqvarna 357XP and Stihl MS-361 are comparable saws, and close to 60cc.

EDIT: stihl and husky have pro and homeowner grade saws. In Stihls, look at the 260, 361, 441, 461, 660, and 880. They are the pro models. In Husqvarnas, the "XP" denotes a pro saw. Those are the ones you want to look at.EDIT

There are also a couple other saws that don't get mentioned a lot, which are very high quality german made saws; Solo, and Dolmar.
The Solo 675 is about 70cc and $700.
http://www.baileysonline.com/search....insaw&catID=45

The Dolmar 7900 is another well made german chainsaw,(also marketed by Makita as the dcs7901---the "DCS" part in the makita part number means 'dolmar chain saw') and a little over $700. But, it has 79cc; quite a large saw and the best power to weight ratio of anything in your price range. These are also rented by Homedepot, which is a testament to their reliability.
Check Ebay for the best price on Dolmar saws. You can probably find one for a bit under $700.

I almost bought one, but ended up with a larger Husqvarna because I wanted to mill with it.

If you're not familiar with 2cycle engines, then you need to buy whatever a local dealer can service.

[Jason Roehl]

Nathan has some good info there.

However, I got my Husqy 372XP from southwestfastener.com about 4.5 years ago for around $600 delivered. Unfortunately, the 372XP is a discontinued model (replaced by the 575XP), and they don't have the prices listed on their site any more.

I have probably 200 hours on my saw, and it still runs like new.

[Ed Labadie]

Nathan has it covered pretty well.

I prefer the Husky 372/Jonsered 2171 over the Stihl 441. The Husky is slightly lighter and has a slimmer body, to me, it handles better. Performance between them will be so close it's not even worth discussing.
The Husky/J-red also come with the larger felling dogs and a roller chain catcher, you have to add them to the 441 if you want them.

An FYI on Jonsered, they are owned /built by Husky, same saws internally, different plastic externally. The Jonsered has a straight handlebar, Husky/Stihl are angled.
The red & black J-red just looks better too.

Ed

[Sylvain Deschamps]

I bought Husqvarna model 45 back in 1989 (model numbers have changed since then) and it's stands up to it's reputation. I'm not a pro but I cut an average of 8 16" cords every year for my own use, and I have done at the least 2 dozen lot clearances with maple, beech, birch and under brush. During winter at -30 and in summer at +30, it never let me down. Maintain it properly, change the blade and chain occasionally and use high quality oils and it'll serve you extremely well.

[John Callahan]

Stihl or Husky .......... my choice would depend on the dealer especially if you aren't mechanically inclined. A good servicing dealer is worth his weight in gold- service, parts, and advice. Where I used to live Stihl dealers were rare and Husky was well represented. Where I live now the opposite is the case. My Husky's have served me well over the years. Used to put up 10-12 cord of wood a year- wood was my folks primary heat. Had a 61 and currently a 55 Rancher. Dad's old 40 (brother has it now) is still running strong. Another brother has a 257XP ....... all good. You won't go wrong with either but over the long haul I believe the dealer makes the difference.