WOW! is all i can say. new chain saw.

[abj1969]

well after killing myself earlier this year with my 42cc craftsman saw i decided to break down and buy a real saw. a tree guy friend recomended the stihl 361. so today i went in the back to cut and split some wood. man that thing is a beast. it has a 16" bar on it and cuts through the 14" diameter oak (that was stalling the old saw) like butter. before my son was waiting for me to get the logs cut so he could split them. now it cuts so fast i get way ahead of him. that old saying is right in this case i guess. you get what you pay for. this thing is gonna really speed things up.


my 4 way splitter really works nice too. really cuts down on the time splitting takes in my opinion.


here are a few pics of my tools

thanks for all the info i have read on this site.

 

[savageactor7]

abj1969 nice toys you got there can you give us the skinny on the splitter? I like those low profile splitters cause that's what I've been using since the early 80's ...I sit on a round and spilt...real easy. But the next gen splitters I've been looking at for that last couple of years are much higher...and I'm not to keen on them. Thanks...and tell me everything...I don't want to play 13 questions and good luck with you new Stihl brother...it won't let you down.

edit.. looks small for a 20" bar? Is it?

 

[abj1969]

edit.. looks small for a 20” bar? Is it?

thanks man....its a 16" bar.

 

[abj1969]

here is the splitter info.

its the regular 516 with the optional 4 way attachment..

http://www.powertek.us/index_files/Splitter.html

 

[N/A N/A]

I to think for the money that saw is the cats a$$....Thought my Husky 162 was a beast...the 361 will cut circles around it..Congrads and take care of it. It should last a lifetime!

 

[abj1969]

I to think for the money that saw is the cats a$$....Thought my Husky 162 was a beast...the 361 will cut circles around it..Congrads and take care of it. It should last a lifetime!

my tree service buddy said the same thing. it should last me a lifetime. i hope so.. it sounds nice and crisp running ..

 

[cmonSTART]

The 361 is a great saw!

 

[pelletfan]

congratulation on a great buy!
I myself own a old Stihl Woodboss since many years.

 

[BJ64]

The 361 is a great saw!

I second that!

I like the splitter to. Mine is a tip over splitter, but today I was wishing we had one of those "push through" units like yours because the wood was real stringy today.

Only thing I might add is get the saw case sometime. They do wonders for keeping a saw looking good, keeping tools and files together, and if you get hit by rain it is a quick place to put it in the dry.

 

[abj1969]

Only thing I might add is get the saw case sometime. They do wonders for keeping a saw looking good, keeping tools and files together, and if you get hit by rain it is a quick place to put it in the dry.

would like one. thought it would have come with one. guess i can get them from any dealer?

 

[BJ64]

Only thing I might add is get the saw case sometime. They do wonders for keeping a saw looking good, keeping tools and files together, and if you get hit by rain it is a quick place to put it in the dry.

would like one. thought it would have come with one. guess i can get them from any dealer?

Yea, I got mine from the dealer for about $40 but you don't have to have one from Sthil. It seems like Sears has a cool saw box with places inside for saw tools, spark plugs, ect.. The main thing is finding one that fits good with room for your stuff. I got one from Sthil for a MS441 and had to modify the case to make it close. The same model case fits the smaller saws great. I have one for the 280 as well, but I think your saw is about the same physical size as the 441. If you get one from the dealer make sure it fits the way you want. I think my local dealer sells them between 40 and 45 dollars. Different dealers have different prices as we discovered in the "bar oil" thread.

Nice saw! I know how great that feels.

 

[abj1969]

cool. thanks. i'll look around.

 

[JustWood]

My advice to you is to clean(tap out the debris) the air filter every cord you cut. This will keep it running like a champ for a long time. Wouldn't hurt to run high test gas either.

 

[abj1969]

will do. manual says 89 octane. guess super would be better huh.

 

[N/A N/A]

My 361 seams to really like the high test stuff..93 octane. I can really tell a difference from the cheaper gas. Also dont forget to take it back to the dealer after you run about 15 gallons of fuel through it, they should do a free tune up on it after its broke in..at least thats what my dealer told me to do.

 

[abj1969]

then 93 octane it is. i will take it back for service then too after 15 gal .

 

[Gooserider]

Good saw, but I'm more interested in the splitter.. I looked at the PowerTek link you gave earlier, and they look like nice machines but the site had no pricing or how to purchase info on it...

What sort of money does one need for their splitters, and how does one purchase them? Do you need to find a local dealer, or do they sell direct on-line?

A "low-rider" like you have is the only way I'd consider a horizontal only splitter, though I'd still prefer one of the H/V units that they show.

I do think it's unique that this is the first low-rider style splitter that has a reasonable tonage rating, all the others that I've seen are only rated for low power, under 10 ton, which IMHO is a second strike against them.

Gooserider

 

[abj1969]

Good saw, but I'm more interested in the splitter.. I looked at the PowerTek link you gave earlier, and they look like nice machines but the site had no pricing or how to purchase info on it...

What sort of money does one need for their splitters, and how does one purchase them? Do you need to find a local dealer, or do they sell direct on-line?

A "low-rider" like you have is the only way I'd consider a horizontal only splitter, though I'd still prefer one of the H/V units that they show.

I do think it's unique that this is the first low-rider style splitter that has a reasonable tonage rating, all the others that I've seen are only rated for low power, under 10 ton, which IMHO is a second strike against them.

Gooserider

it was close to 2k to buy early this year (sure its gone up now like everything else) i'll have to find the reciept. a local dealer recomended it to me . its a place we have gone for years and i trust the guy.so i bought it from him. i'm not sure if they sell direct or not. it seems to be built nice and heavy. it splits the 14" dia. oak i have here like nothing. even put a piece of about 20" dis oak on it yesterday and it went right through it nicely with the 4 way on it. i can get some video of it in action if ya want.

 

[Gooserider]

Well, $2K is pretty much out of my price range... I can get into a 30 ton HF unit for about $1500, or a ~20 ton from HF or TSC for about $1200. I've also found a few MTD variants for about the same range or a little more... Cost is a definite object in this purchase, and I can't see where a $2K splitter is that much better...

I'm also not that much into videos - I find they tend to be marginal on my older system - sometimes they play, and sometimes they hang things up and make me restart the application.... (I could probably do things to improve this but am not that interested, and some approaches would involve installing proprietary software, which I don't like doing if I can avoid it...)

Gooserider

 

[abj1969]

Well, $2K is pretty much out of my price range... I can get into a 30 ton HF unit for about $1500, or a ~20 ton from HF or TSC for about $1200. I've also found a few MTD variants for about the same range or a little more... Cost is a definite object in this purchase, and I can't see where a $2K splitter is that much better...

thats fine. i looked around and wasn't too impressed with what i saw at depot,lowes,sears, harbor frieght, john deere dealer,tractor supply. just didn't feel comfortable with them. i saw this one and it was recommended by some by someone i trust so i felt comfortable buying it. would the others do what i need them to do? maybe, but i felt more comfortable after seeing this one so i grabbed it. was it worth it? only time will tell i guess.

I'm also not that much into videos - I find they tend to be marginal on my older system - sometimes they play, and sometimes they hang things up and make me restart the application.... (I could probably do things to improve this but am not that interested, and some approaches would involve installing proprietary software, which I don't like doing if I can avoid it...)

Gooserider

a simple don't worry about it would have done.

 

[Gooserider]

Appreciate the time you took to respond to me... While it doesn't look like that splitter wouldn't work for me, I certainly hope it works well for you, and helps others looking for that style machine... It fits a slightly different niche, I don't recall seeing any other low-rail splitters in the 20+ ton class - which wasn't what I'd been looking for, but would have considered if it had been "the unsung bargain machine"...

For those that want a splitter of that style I'm glad we were able to get a picture of it, as it may make it easier for them to find it.

Certainly it looks like the PowerTek machines have good quality, but I think I can do better on the price - just a matter of different strokes for different folks I guess...

Gooserider

 

[Jags]

Welcome to the 361 club.

If you think she runs good now, wait till ya get her broke in. Yeee-hawww! On occasion I have a need to slap the 24" (25" according to the bar) bar and chain on it. She pulls that fine too. It ain't a 880, but for occasional use, it works pretty well.

p.s. I like the way your 4 way wedge is attached on your splitter. I may have to review my splitter (home built) and see if something like that will work for me.

 

[smokinj]

well after killing myself earlier this year with my 42cc craftsman saw i decided to break down and buy a real saw. a tree guy friend recomended the stihl 361. so today i went in the back to cut and split some wood. man that thing is a beast. it has a 16" bar on it and cuts through the 14" diameter oak (that was stalling the old saw) like butter. before my son was waiting for me to get the logs cut so he could split them. now it cuts so fast i get way ahead of him. that old saying is right in this case i guess. you get what you pay for. this thing is gonna really speed things up.


my 4 way splitter really works nice too. really cuts down on the time splitting takes in my opinion.


here are a few pics of my tools

thanks for all the info i have read on this site.Great saw!