Is there such a thing as too much saw?

[j7art2]

[ETA: I see someone else has a similar scenario, but I don't want to derail his thread with my stuff.]

A unique scenario has crossed me.

I've got a buddy who is a professional logger. He gets new saws every year, regardless of condition and told me he has two saws for sale right now. He wants $325 each for them.

A 562XP that was used as a skidder saw. I don't know what that means. He said it's missing some paint, but runs great.

A "well used 390XP with lots of life left". Yeah, you read that.. a 390XP for $325.

He said in spring he'll have a few 372's up for sale, but I don't know how much. Nor do I want to pass up this potential opportunity. I just bought my 455 Rancher, but a few times have wished I had a bigger saw.

Obviously the 390 is twice my saw, and I plan on running an 18" bar on whatever I get.

The question is, is there such a thing as too much saw?

 

[Chrisnow86]

I have a 575 xp with a 24" bar I love it.. It's really how much weight do you want to carry around. My father a a 372 xp with a 20" bar and a 350 with a 18" bar for small work around his land.. It's nice when getting into cord wood to have a saw with some balls to get the work done.

 

[duramaxman05]

It depends on what you are going to do with it. Block up wood, a big saw would be ok but go with at least a 20" bar. If you get a big saw and the bar is too small, it throws the saw out of balance. Same s you get too big of bar. If you were gonna drag a big saw through brush and cut tops with it, yes you can get a saw too big and they just wear you out faster cause of the extra weight. The skidder saw is usually just a saw that rides on the skidder most of the time. Its used for cutting limbs if you dont get them all in the woods or if you get a saw stuck. This is what my fathet in law does too. He also cuts timbet.

 

[j7art2]

I find myself cutting some fairly big rounds. Some 24" diameter. My Rancher will do it and will do it fairly well, at least compared to my Homelite. Lol.

Then again, going from that thing to the Rancher was like upgrading from a bicycle to a crotch rocket.

 

[Clyde S. Dale]

If you buy the 390xp and only use it for limbing, yes that's too much saw.

 

[j7art2]

It depends on what you are going to do with it. Block up wood, a big saw would be ok but go with at least a 20" bar. If you get a big saw and the bar is too small, it throws the saw out of balance. Same s you get too big of bar. If you were gonna drag a big saw through brush and cut tops with it, yes you can get a saw too big and they just wear you out faster cause of the extra weight. The skidder saw is usually just a saw that rides on the skidder most of the time. Its used for cutting limbs if you dont get them all in the woods or if you get a saw stuck. This is what my fathet in law does too. He also cuts timbet.

Does a skidder saw typically see less use since it's in the skidder? Just curious.

 

[duramaxman05]

I do also cut quite of big stuff. I have a stihl 441 with a 20" and 24" bar. I try not to use it unless I have to. I have my little 421 dolmar that I use all the time. A big saw definitely has there place. It depends on how big of stuff you cut too. I dont cut 40" blocks with the little dolmar with 16" bar. I do end up cutting quite a bit of big stuff. I get cut offs and some cull logs from my father in law. And my dad also does demolition work in st louis and he said its cheaper to bring trees to the house than the land field. He brought home a ash that was 4' on the stump and 40" on the little end and that was at 20' long. Needless to say we sold it as a log instead of making firewood. If you are cutting alot of 24" and smaller, the 562xp with a 20" bar would be perfect

 

[duramaxman05]

Does a skidder saw typically see less use since it's in the skidder? Just curious.

Generally yes, but like my father in law, he uses the smaller saw more when he can. He say there is no need to back a big saw around if you dont need it. I guess it depends on the logger. That guy may not hardly use the skidder saw at all. Its worth asking anyways

 

[Ashful]

The question is, is there such a thing as too much saw?

Only if it's your sole saw. I usually carry three saws when I go out cutting, 35cc/14" top handle, 63cc/20", 85cc/28" or 36" (skip). They just go in the trailer or loader bucket, so it's no sweat to carry more than one saw, and I'm always able to grab / use the lightest saw for the task immediately at hand. I use the top handle saw for all limbing, and marking off of large logs in 20" increments (using a marking stick). I use the 63cc saw for bucking anything 20" and under, and the 85cc saw for bucking anything larger.

You can buck > 20" with a 63cc saw, but it's not very fun or fast.

 

[j7art2]

You can buck > 20" with a 63cc saw, but it's not very fun or fast.

I do that with my Rancher all the time. Lol.

I think I'm starting to lean toward the 562. The 562 is still a considerable upgrade to my 455, no?

 

[Clyde S. Dale]

I do that with my Rancher all the time. Lol.

I think I'm starting to lean toward the 562. The 562 is still a considerable upgrade to my 455, no?

Yes, the 562xp is a pro grade saw and the 455 is a homeowner/rancher saw.

 

[2PistolPacker]

I don't know about too much power, but too long a bar could be my problem. I've been cutting with my Stihl w/16" bar for so long, I've almost put my 24" Husqvarna in the dirt a couple of times. I'm stepping down to a 20" on it after Christmas and save the 24" for the really large rounds. Maybe I'll save the expense of sharpening the 24" chain before it's time.

 

[j7art2]

Other than putting out more power per cc, what does that exactly mean, home owner vs pro grade? I see that on a ton of different sites doing research.

Say I took a small pro saw and pitted it against a large home owner saw. Same horsepower in theory. Shouldn't they be identical in performance? I guess I'm showing my ignorance here; I honestly don't know.

 

[Ashful]

Yes, the 562xp is a pro grade saw and the 455 is a homeowner/rancher saw.

Well, they're almost the same displacement, but the 562xp is generating more horsepower:

455: 56 cc, 3.5 hp, 12.8 lb, 66 fps, 0.27 hp/lb
562xp: 60 cc, 4.7 hp, 13.0 lb, 70 fps, 0.36 hp/lb

If you're solely cutting stuff under 20", then I'd consider swapping the 455 for a 562xp. However, if you want to cut larger stuff, I'd put my money into a bigger saw (i.e. > 80 cc) first, and get around to upgrading the 455 sometime later.

... or you could do what a lot of pro's do, and just split the difference in one saw. A lot of guys just carry a 75cc saw and a 30cc top handle, and that's it. Plan to have a buddy around with a spare saw to cut you out, if you get yours stuck.

 

[duramaxman05]

Pro grade are better built and offer a better power to weight ratio. They are also designed to be used on a daily basis. I have a dolmar 421 with a 16" bar and I consider it prograde. Magnesium cade and so on. Now that saw is only 42cc. My dad has a 029 super with a 18" bar. It is a 55cc saw. It is a farm and ranch saw. When we cut side by side, my little domar wins everytime. We can cut a 24" piece and the little dolmar will finish first. It wont cut all the way through but from top to bottom. And that quite a bit of engine size difference. That was also the first couple tanks I ran through it. Now I have gutted the cat. The more I run, the stronger it feels since its getting broke in.

 

[Ashful]

I have a dolmar 421 with a 16" bar and I consider it prograde. Magnesium cade and so on. Now that saw is only 42cc. My dad has a 029 super with a 18" bar. It is a 55cc saw.

Little motors will get the job done... eventually. Use what you got, eh.

 

[Chrisnow86]

the first thing you would notice on a pro saw is the aluminum case and oiler tank.. and remember too when the cc's go up the rpm's go down.. so when bucking up a tree zapping limbs off the bigger saw wont cut threw as fast, it wont have all the revs.. never mind throwing a heavy saw all over the place

 

[j7art2]

My (other) buddy brought up a good question. One of the big mods for the 455 is the muffler mod. If I were to muffler mod a 562xp, would the auto-tune auto adjust for it? I don't plan on modding it since I have an idiot old man neighbor, but he's considering getting one and doing it to his saw since he cuts on private land and has no one around to bother him.

 

[j7art2]

Little motors will get the job done... eventually. Use what you got, eh.

This is me on my dirt bike by the way.. lol.

215lbs, and I ride a 250 4 stroke. People laugh at me for having a little bike, but I keep up without an issue, and it gets me up the biggest hills in my state with no problem!

 

[Bassmantweed]

I prefer a professional saw but smaller in size. After a long day the weight of the saw can take its toll.

 

[jeff_t]

If I were to muffler mod a 562xp, would the auto-tune auto adjust for it?

Yes.

 

[j7art2]

Cool, thanks.

He said he's buying a NEW one today now. I'm jealous.

 

[duramaxman05]

If you decide to get the 562xp, send it in to get a woods port. But dont tell your neighbor you had it done. Then go cut wood with him. Then he will be like WTF? And you just smile and say, its the same saw you have. Lol

 

[Ashful]

the first thing you would notice on a pro saw is the aluminum case and oiler tank.. and remember too when the cc's go up the rpm's go down.. so when bucking up a tree zapping limbs off the bigger saw wont cut threw as fast, it wont have all the revs.. never mind throwing a heavy saw all over the place

This is not correct, at least in this size range. In fact, if you just look at the spec's I gave in the prior post, the larger saw is 10% faster on chain speed and RPM.

It is true that when you get into true "big saws", the RPM's drop. I used a Stihl 084 (135 cc) for a while, and it was MUCH slower than my 85 cc Stihl 064, but we're talking an entirely different class of saws here. More than twice the displacement of j7art2's moped.

There is no consistent rule to say there's an inverse relationship between displacement and RPM, in the mid-size saws being discussed.

 

[salecker]

Does a skidder saw typically see less use since it's in the skidder? Just curious.

It lives it's life bouncing around in an metal enclosure.Then once in a while it gets started and cuts some ends off and tossed back into the compartment to rattle around until needed again,maybe today or next week.
Thats what iv seen.
Thomas