Should I buy a smaller saw for limbing?

[PA Fire Bug]

This is probably the wrong group to ask about buying another saw since I expect that few would recommend against it. I bought a Stihl MS 290 Farm Boss about 8 years ago to cut several cords of wood each year to heat our home. Last year, my father law retired and gave me his Jonsered 2152 C. It has an 18 inch bar, just like my 290 and is about the same size.

Now I have a great problem with having a saw that I don't need. I am considering selling the 290 and buying a smaller saw for limbing. Since I like the Jonsered, I am looking at the Jonsered cS2238 and the Husqvarna 240. Both list for $179 with a 14 inch bar at Tractor Supply.

Is it worth spending money on a smaller saw for limbing? For those who have pruning saws, do you use them or do you find that you use your primary saw for both limbing and cutting?

Thank you.

 

[JimBear]

I would recommend it. I have a Stihl 271 Farm Boss with 18” bar & had a Stihl 011 av given to me it has a 16” bar but am going to put a 14” on it for pruning, limbing & cleaning out fences. The 011 is quite abit lighter & will put low kickback chains on it.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

This is probably the wrong group to ask about buying another saw since I expect that few would recommend against it. I bought a Stihl MS 290 Farm Boss about 8 years ago to cut several cords of wood each year to heat our home. Last year, my father law retired and gave me his Jonsered 2152 C. It has an 18 inch bar, just like my 290 and is about the same size.

Now I have a great problem with having a saw that I don't need. I am considering selling the 290 and buying a smaller saw for limbing. Since I like the Jonsered, I am looking at the Jonsered cS2238 and the Husqvarna 240. Both list for $179 with a 14 inch bar at Tractor Supply.

Is it worth spending money on a smaller saw for limbing? For those who have pruning saws, do you use them or do you find that you use your primary saw for both limbing and cutting?

Thank you.

I had exactly the same thoughts as JimBear. A 14" bar on one of one of the ones you already have. It'll be a ripper, fewer teeth to sharpen, much cheaper.

 

[JimBear]

If you down size the bar on one saw, you will always have the other bar & chains to use as backups if something happens to your primary bucking/felling saw.

 

[jwfirebird]

use my sawsall for small stuff, its just as fast and I don't have to worry about another engine to keep up

 

[Zack R]

I have a small saw for limbing (Stihl MS211 - 35cc homeowner, 16" bar) and a larger saw for bucking (Husqvarna 365 Special - 65cc pro model, 20" bar). After manhandling the 365 the 211 feels like a toy in comparison, making it great for limbing and smaller jobs.

Sometimes I'll limb with the 365 but after a while it tires me out. In addition if one saw hits the dirt and dulls up the chain a bit the other one can be put to use asap.

If you plan to stick with woodcutting for any length of time I'd suggest getting a commercial or pro model saw. Looking back I should have went for a unit that is better constructed than the MS211. Knowing what I know now I would have went for something like a Husqvarna 543xp or Stihl MS241 for limbing and smaller work.

You really can't go wrong with two saws.

 

[Bad LP]

I'm not the right person to ask. I have 3 saws.

 

[Ashful]

An MS 290 is a small limbing saw.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I like the light weight rechargeables for limbing. Or even a sawsall with a limbing blade.

 

[jetsam]

A small saw is great to have. Not only can you use it for its intended purpose (limbing), but it's also a backup in case you have an issue with the big saw. Out in the woods, issues happen!

 

[Sprinter]

I got a Greenworks 40 volt 16" for just such things. I like it for it's simplicity and reliability and ability to just pick it up on a whim and do small jobs. No gas, oil, starting problems, or maintenance other than sharpening. I've cut small trees with it.

Personally, I find the fewer infernal combustion engines in my life, the better. At the risk of offending the "you can't have too many chain saws" guys here.

 

[Dairyman]

I'd keep the 2152 as my limbing saw. Maybe get a 14" bar for it. & get a good 70cc saw for bucking/felling.

 

[duramaxman05]

Limbing with my ms441 was no fun at all. Especially if you had to hold it up over your head. I then bought a ms211. Then upgraded it to a dolmar ps421. The little dolmar gets used a lot more than I thought I would use it. It has a lot of power for a 42cc saw and it fairly light. Can't beat the price of it either compared to other brands.

 

[DodgyNomad]

I've started downsizing and adding some smaller limbing saws to my fleet in the past couple of years. Bad shoulders and getting older makes me appreciate a lighter saw now, and I don't get worn out as quickly.

I picked up a little Hitachi (Tanaka) and a little echo in the past couple of months, as they're both extremely light.

My days of carrying an MS880 into the woods are over, now it's time to go as light as possible so I can work longer.

 

[Ashful]

My days of carrying an MS880 into the woods are over, now it's time to go as light as possible so I can work longer.

Most folks days of carrying an MS880 never begin. That's some serious iron.

 

[computeruser]

Before you buy anything major, jump on ebay and get a 13” bar for the Jonsered and give it a try. I have had good luck with .050 gauge narrow kerf bars with regular chain on saws of that size - 346, 353, 545, 026, etc.

You might discover that you like running a saw that is more a scalpel than a steak knife. I know I certainly found that, and now have all my 40-50cc saws, whether stock or ported, set up that way. They get used for everything that doesn’t require a 7900 Dolmar and 28” bar.