Best Chainsaw for bucking and limbing

[Str8781]

Okay, so you guys live for these types of topics. I am just looking for a list of chainsaws that would be good for bucking and limbing. Here are some vital bits of information:
A) I plan on cutting 5-10 cords of firewood a year (maple, ash, oak, pine)
B) The saw is intended to be used by a 5'11" 155lb 28 yr. old male (in good, but not peak shape)
C) Would also be used by wife (wishful thinking) of similar build and shape (so err on the side of lightweight >10 lbs)
D) Longevitiy is a concern as I will hopefully use this saw for its lifetime
E) Ease of use is key as I will be fairly new (but not totally inexperienced) at woodcutting
F) I am cheap, but understand that a good saw will outlast cheaper versions with less headaches and safer operation

So....have at it.

 

[smokinj]

stihl ms 260 10.6 lbs starts very easy and built proof!

 

[JeffRey30747]

I would look at a 50cc class saw w/ a 16-18" bar & compare based on price, weight and rated HP. If you aren't a hand on DIY type, delaer support is also going to be as critical if not more so than any of the previous three characteristics and will probably limit you to either Stihl or Husqvarna depending on your situation. Pro grade saws are a plus but will cost more.
I noticed an Efco deal in the local Northern Tool flyer for a saw this size under $300. The ad mentioned "limited to stock on hand" like they were closing them out. The same saw goes for nearly $400 regularly.
Myself, I use a Husky 51 for limbing and some of the bucking and feel like it fits the application well but I'm sure a newer, more powerful saw in the same weight class would do better.

 

[HittinSteel]

You'll find nothing up to the task of cutting 5-10 cords a year of hardwood under 10 lbs.

 

[SolarAndWood]

My wife likes the Jonsered 2152 and it works well for most things with a chisel chain on it, painful with a safety chain on bigger stuff. I use it for cutting tops but prefer the Husky 371 for any real production of larger diameter wood. She can only run the 371 for 15 minutes. I tend to agree with HittinSteel that producing that quantity of wood with something she can use will be a compromise.

 

[Str8781]

Guys, thanks for the responses. As far as meeting the demands of cutting 5-10 cords, remember that this is the bucking/limbing portion. For the bigger tasks, I would look for a bigger saw 55+ cc's with a larger bar. Unless, of course, this would seem to be "pie in the sky" for actual application in the woods.

 

[BrotherBart]

Bucking is where the saw does the most work. For your standard run of the mill 70 foot tree one felling cut and five or six branches but then comes 25 to 27 bucking cuts. I use a small Huskie 142 for bucking because I am the same size as you but 62 years old and my 23 pound commercial Poulan/Partner saw is just two heavy for anything but felling anymore. If I was 28 again I would still be using a 50cc or larger saw like I used to do to get that sucker done and over with fast. And bucking with a small saw is mighty hard on the saw as well as taking more time.

I dream of having one of the newer Huskies like the 379XP because they are so light. But Ole Yaller still runs like a big loud top and could rip a Pontiac in half.

 

[wendell]

As always, BB gives sage advice. I would not put limbing and bucking in the same category unless you are working with small trees. I buck a lot of wood that is 24-36" in diameter and it is nice to have 70 cc's for that.

If you are looking at the 50 cc range, I would not go over 16" on the bar.

 

[LLigetfa]

Bucking is where the saw does the most work...

Ditto.
You may even want a shorter bar for felling than what is ideal for bucking. Bucking and limbing are on opposite ends of the spectrum WRT "Best". I don't recall any mention of what diameter trees will be bucked.

 

[smokinj]

Bucking is where the saw does the most work...

Ditto.
You may even want a shorter bar for felling than what is ideal for bucking. Bucking and limbing are on opposite ends of the spectrum WRT "Best". I don't recall any mention of what diameter trees will be bucked.

hes talking about a 10 lbs saw

 

[LLigetfa]

hes talking about a 10 lbs saw

Ja, well... I can't even wrap my mind around that. All I can think of is a Swede saw.

(broken image removed)

 

[smokinj]

hes talking about a 10 lbs saw

Ja, well... I can't even wrap my mind around that. All I can think of is a Swede saw.

(broken image removed)

Yep hes out of thouch with saws unless a 35-50 cc saw is what he is wanting ms 180 or ms260 or maybe a 5100 dolmar but its 11.6 pounds! But that swede saw you may have somthing There!

 

[LLigetfa]

Most of the time the specified weight is for the power head only and you need to add to it for bar, chain, oil, and gas. Here is a comparison matrix for Stihl.

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

And one for Dolmar.

(broken link removed to http://www.dolmarpowerproducts.com/productcatalog/category/3/index.html)

 

[smokinj]

Most of the time the specified weight is for the power head only and you need to add to it for bar, chain, oil, and gas. Here is a comparison matrix for Stihl.

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

And one for Dolmar.

(broken link removed to http://www.dolmarpowerproducts.com/productcatalog/category/3/index.html)

Then the only saw thats going to work is the one you posted pic's of

 

[Str8781]

Well, aside from a couple of people, this has been helpfull. Brother Bart, you made some very good suggestions and symantic clarifications which most people are clinging to with intense pessimism. As for the bucking, I can see where the load energy placed on limbs could definetely warrant the use of a more powerful saw. So let me ask this, what saw do you guys use for the majority of your cutting?

 

[Str8781]

I should also point out that BrotherBart (who is widely respected on hearth.com) said that he used a Husky 142 for most of his bucking. Now this is a 40cc, 10# chainsaw. This is pretty much what I'm looking for. The Husky 435 or 440 seem to be in this category, but they are box store models that are prone oil problems. So now I am back at the "dealer support" taking up a large concern.

 

[smokinj]

Well, aside from a couple of people, this has been helpfull. Brother Bart, you made some very good suggestions and symantic clarifications which most people are clinging to with intense pessimism. As for the bucking, I can see where the load energy placed on limbs could definetely warrant the use of a more powerful saw. So let me ask this, what saw do you guys use for the majority of your cutting?

77.5 cc saw ms 460 80% of the time

 

[Str8781]

SmokinJ, I take that you sell your firewood -- as in cut for some profit, friends, or family? I would have a hard time seeing 10 cords being used in Indiana for one's residential purposes. How much will you cut in a year?

 

[smokinj]

SmokinJ, I take that you sell your firewood -- as in cut for some profit, friends, or family? I would have a hard time seeing 10 cords being used in Indiana for one's residential purposes. How much will you cut in a year?

from season to season 50-60 cords

 

[SolarAndWood]

So let me ask this, what saw do you guys use for the majority of your cutting?

71cc with a 20" bar chisel chain 95% of the time. However, my wife can't use it and she is anything but a wimp. She did a half-ironman yesterday and paddling a canoe with her is a pleasure. The 52cc saw with a chisel chain gets the job done just not nearly as fast.

 

[smokinj]

So let me ask this, what saw do you guys use for the majority of your cutting?

71cc with a 20" bar chisel chain 95% of the time. However, my wife can't use it and she is anything but a wimp. She did a half-ironman yesterday and paddling a canoe with her is a pleasure. The 52cc saw with a chisel chain gets the job done just not nearly as fast.

use the smaller knerf set up with a muff modd. and it will be as fast as you want to go! (50cc)

 

[BrotherBart]

Normally I use the 65cc Poulan Pro 405+ for bucking hardwoods over sixteen inches. When I am just too worn out to lug it I use one of the Husqvarna 142 40cc little saws and run the crap out of it. I can afford to do that just because when I noticed that Lowe's had made a pricing mistake and listed the saw for $99 instead of $199 two different employees kept treating me like a fool and insisting the price was right. So I said the heck with it and bought two of them. I use the little Poulan Woodshark mostly to free another saw when I get it stuck in a tree bucking or felling. The little Poulan cuts great but the vibration difference between it and the little Huskies is daylight and dark. The little Poulan will shake teeth loose.

Of course sometimes just for the hell of it I will do something crazy with the 142.

 

[SolarAndWood]

So let me ask this, what saw do you guys use for the majority of your cutting?

71cc with a 20" bar chisel chain 95% of the time. However, my wife can't use it and she is anything but a wimp. She did a half-ironman yesterday and paddling a canoe with her is a pleasure. The 52cc saw with a chisel chain gets the job done just not nearly as fast.

use the smaller knerf set up with a muff modd. and it will be as fast as you want to go! (50cc)

if I'm going to mod something, it will be the 71

 

[smokinj]

So let me ask this, what saw do you guys use for the majority of your cutting?

71cc with a 20" bar chisel chain 95% of the time. However, my wife can't use it and she is anything but a wimp. She did a half-ironman yesterday and paddling a canoe with her is a pleasure. The 52cc saw with a chisel chain gets the job done just not nearly as fast.

use the smaller knerf set up with a muff modd. and it will be as fast as you want to go! (50cc)

if I'm going to mod something, it will be the 71

Thats the way i look at it as well

 

[LLigetfa]

I use a 65cc saw with 16" bar and full chisel chain. It weighs a tad more than 10 pounds. I wouldn't trade it for a wimpy saw even if it I couldn't lift it anymore.