step up from my farmboss

[firemn260]

My ms290 is a great saw but lately it has left me wanting a little more hp. When bucking big rounds of oak or black walnut it gets a little frustrating when I'm bogging it down alot. I have done all the free mods to it and run a sharp full chisel chain on a 20" bar.

I'm a stihl man for life so I have narrowed down my options to the 440 , 044 mag or maybe the ms460?

The 660 is a little out of my price range unless I find one used for a good price.

I'm looking for opinions on the older saws. I see alot of them floating around on Craigs list. Thanks

 

[Jon1270]

Those are all excellent models. I think your decision will come down to the price and condition of whatever you find on CL, and how you feel about the weight you'd be carrying around. They range from the same weight as your 290 (an older 044) to quite a bit heavier (the 660). The 044 hits a sweet spot for me, feeling almost as powerful as a 460 yet noticeably lighter and more compact, but there's nothing wrong with a 460. At one point I had a nice 064, which was fun but felt way overkill for my purposes.

 

[claydogg84]

Any of those saws would be a very nice upgrade. I will say that the 660 is pretty heavy and will be overkill unless you have a real need for a saw of this size.

 

[jeff_t]

Too bad about the Stihl thing. Takes a lot of good saws out of the running.

 

[Babaganoosh]

Unless you are felling large trees I'd skip the 066. I'd go with any of the 044 046 036 and their newer brothers.

I went with a 036 myself. Wanted an 044 but got mine at a great price.

 

[Osagebndr]

Ms361 is a beast alsoIMHO.

 

[TreePointer]

Food for thought:

1. You 290 likely is .325 pitch, .063 gauge, so you you're not going to maintain bar & chain compatibility with any larger pro Stihl saw. If that's the only issue, then you'd be free to consider other brands. I'm a Stihl fan, but that hasn't kept me form other great saws. Regardless of brand, everything I own above 50cc's is 3/8, .050.

2. When I get older and can't handle the weight of a 70cc saw, I'll probably move to a ported 60cc saw. Today's top 60cc saws like the MS-362 (M-tronic) and Husqvarna 562XP are at 4.69 hp and 4.7 hp, respectively. (MS-290 = 3.8 hp.)

3. I'd love to find a good used 044/440, but they don't pop up every day here.

 

[Jon1270]

I'd love to find a good used 044/440, but they don't pop up every day here.

There's been a 440 listed in the suburbs of Pittsburgh for the last couple of weeks. It's in nice shape but the seller is asking $600, which he ain't-a-gonna get for it.

 

[firemn260]

Thanks for all the great imput. I guess my loyalty to stihl is its the only saws I've ever used and I'm confident in their reliability.(plus I gained bonus points with my father in law when I first started dating his daughter for having all orange and white in the tool shed)

I'm open to other saws if a good model can be found for a deal. I will likely keep the 290 and put a smaller bar on for small stuff and have the big saw for when some extra grunt is needed. Weight is really not a issue.

To be honest my 290 does everything I need it to do but as with most men and thier toys, good enough is never enough. Convincing my wife I need another saw has been the biggest challenge so far.

 

[therdlesstravld]

Here's what you do:

Buy the saw and when she sees you with it and starts to yell rev it really loud and yell "i cant hear you over the sound of all the time I'll be saving with a bigger saw"

If she's anything like my wife you'll get a dirty look and she'll walk away but then she'll realize less time spent bucking up wood translates to more chit you can do elsewhere. Win-win

 

[Ashful]

Those are all excellent models. I think your decision will come down to the price and condition of whatever you find on CL, and how you feel about the weight you'd be carrying around. They range from the same weight as your 290 (an older 044) to quite a bit heavier (the 660). The 044 hits a sweet spot for me, feeling almost as powerful as a 460 yet noticeably lighter and more compact, but there's nothing wrong with a 460. At one point I had a nice 064, which was fun but felt way overkill for my purposes.

I have run all, and my 064 is still my favorite. I have an 036 Pro for the small stuff, so the 064 is only for bucking big stuff, where weight isn't critical. It is noticeably lighter than the 660's I've handled, tho.

I've read several saying the 064 was the highest hp/weight ratio of any Stihl ever made, but don't know if that's true.

 

[Clyde S. Dale]

Too bad about the Stihl thing. Takes a lot of good saws out of the running.

Yes, like the Husqvarna 372XP

 

[Jon1270]

I have run all, and my 064 is still my favorite. I have an 036 Pro for the small stuff, so the 064 is only for bucking big stuff, where weight isn't critical. It is noticeably lighter than the 660's I've handled, tho.

I've read several saying the 064 was the highest hp/weight ratio of any Stihl ever made, but don't know if that's true.

If I had any way to process big stuff efficiently then I might've kept the 064, but I've got no truck, trailer or hydraulics. The only thing I've really needed a big saw for is a little bit of milling, and for that it's nice to have something even bigger than an 064.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

My ms290 is a great saw but lately it has left me wanting a little more hp. When bucking big rounds of oak or black walnut it gets a little frustrating when I'm bogging it down alot. I have done all the free mods to it and run a sharp full chisel chain on a 20" bar.

I'm a stihl man for life so I have narrowed down my options to the 440 , 044 mag or maybe the ms460?

The 660 is a little out of my price range unless I find one used for a good price.

I'm looking for opinions on the older saws. I see alot of them floating around on Craigs list. Thanks

I went from a 290 to a 440. No complaints.

 

[wildlingabovethebridge]

Here's what you do:

Buy the saw and when she sees you with it and starts to yell rev it really loud and yell "i cant hear you over the sound of all the time I'll be saving with a bigger saw"

If she's anything like my wife you'll get a dirty look and she'll walk away but then she'll realize less time spent bucking up wood translates to more chit you can do elsewhere. Win-win

Haha that's not far off from how it went when I got my husky, except she came home while I was taking it out of the box and putting it together...

 

[t4driller]

I was the same way about stihl saws. My grandparents lived next door to a stihl shop so that's all we ever run. About 4 months ago I got my hands on a husky 385xp 372xp and a 365 special that I bought off a guy that had a saw mill. Needless to say I never grab a stihl anymore when I head to the woods. My stihl 361 still rides along but doesn't get used very much. My go to saw now is the 372. It's very smooth and tons of power. I did a base gasket delete, opened the ports up, and muffler nodded it. It puts a smile on my face everytime I run it. Where abouts in Maryland are you. I'm from somerset county pa. If your not far you can take them for a test run if you want.

 

[TreePointer]

I was a big Stihl fanboy and thought I'd never buy anything but Stihl until I got my hands on a 346XP (50cc new edition). It's balance, chain speed, and throttle response make it a joy to run. As others have stated and I concur, you can't go wrong with a 372XP (any version).

One of the initial things that didn't impress me about Husqvarna was the seemingly cheap looking start lever and separate choke. It isn't as elegant as Stihl's implementation, but it turns out not to be an issue. The smaller chain adjustment screw also didn't seem as nice, but again, it's not that noticeable. Another issue for some has been Husqvarna's outboard clutch on a few models, which can come into play if you need to unbolt the powerhead from a stuck bar. It's never happened to me with an Husqvarna saw, but that's just a good excuse to have a extra saw around!

 

[Hogwildz]

036 or MS 361 would be the next step up, and prolly more than enough for what you need or want. Anything more is really overkill, unless you just want a screaming banshee to go nuts with.

 

[firemn260]

I'm liking what I'm reading about the 372xp. There is one for sale not to far from me for 450. Is there differances with epa emissions stuff between the new and older ones?

 

[firemn260]

I don't think the getting things done faster with a bigger saw bit will fly with the wife. She is the kind of woman who would call bs on me then try and show me that my current saw cuts just fine. But then again she knows I can't live with leaving well enough alone. Overkill is my middle name.

I have to figure another angle to come at her about it.

 

[claydogg84]

I'm liking what I'm reading about the 372xp. There is one for sale not to far from me for 450. Is there differances with epa emissions stuff between the new and older ones?

The newer models are "x-torq". The general consensus on other forums is that people prefer the older, non x-torq models. I have a newer version (2012 I believe), and love it. Pulls a 24" bar with ease. I didn't bother trying to justify any of my saw purchases with the wife as I already knew what her answer would be. So I just came home with them and said it was too good of a deal to pass up.

 

[Jon1270]

I don't think the getting things done faster with a bigger saw bit will fly with the wife. She is the kind of woman who would call bs on me then try and show me that my current saw cuts just fine. But then again she knows I can't live with leaving well enough alone. Overkill is my middle name.

I have to figure another angle to come at her about it.

Your intention to keep the 290 forces you to rationalize the whole cost of the second saw, but I think you'll find that having any of the saws you're considering will mean that the 290 stays on the shelf gathering dust and slowly losing value. Plan to clean it up carefully, take nice pictures, and you can easily sell it and recoup at least half the cost of its superior replacement. That should make the whole idea easier to embrace.

Hogwildz is right that 70+cc saws are more than is necessary for the job you described. An 036/360/361 is right at home with a 20" bar, whereas that length is at the outer limits of a 290, and these saws would be lighter weight as well.

Not to complicate your decision, but as you're browsing the classifieds keep your eye out for any of the following: Stihl 034/036/360/044/440, Husqvarna 365/372/555/562, Echo 590, Dolmar/Makita 6100/6401/6420... hmm, what I am forgetting?

I would not sweat the difference between newer and older versions of the 372. The saw's price and condition is going to be much more important, and the contrast between either of them and your current machine would be night and day.

Perhaps this is obvious, but if you're going to go shopping for used saws then do some reading about how to assess their condition. If you're not prepared to do repair work yourself, then the cost of having problems corrected professionally might quickly have you regretting not buying new.

 

[t4driller]

It all comes down to personal preference though. What feels good in ones hand isn't going to be the same for others. Go to a couple different dealers and handle them and see if you can make a test cut. Then if you can not justify the price of new, watch the classified ads for what you want. Also dealer support is always good to look for and PPE.

 

[firemn260]

Your intention to keep the 290 forces you to rationalize the whole cost of the second saw, but I think you'll find that having any of the saws you're considering will mean that the 290 stays on the shelf gathering dust and slowly losing value. Plan to clean it up carefully, take nice pictures, and you can easily sell it and recoup at least half the cost of its superior replacement. That should make the whole idea easier to embrace.

Hogwildz is right that 70+cc saws are more than is necessary for the job you described. An 036/360/361 is right at home with a 20" bar, whereas that length is at the outer limits of a 290, and these saws would be lighter weight as well.

Not to complicate your decision, but as you're browsing the classifieds keep your eye out for any of the following: Stihl 034/036/360/044/440, Husqvarna 365/372/555/562, Echo 590, Dolmar/Makita 6100/6401/6420... hmm, what I am forgetting?

I would not sweat the difference between newer and older versions of the 372. The saw's price and condition is going to be much more important, and the contrast between either of them and your current machine would be night and day.

Perhaps this is obvious, but if you're going to go shopping for used saws then do some reading about how to assess their condition. If you're not prepared to do repair work yourself, then the cost of having problems corrected professionally might quickly have you regretting not buying new.

Thanks for your insight. My plan is to put a smaller bar on the 290 and just use it for light chores.
I have rebuilt many 2 strokes over the years and a good freind of mine owned a small engine repair side bussiness. I won't shy away from a saw that needs a little work. At least after a rebuild I will know that it is broke in right and not abused from the start.

 

[Jon1270]

Great that you have some repair and maintenance experience, that will help a lot. I remain doubtful that you'll reach for the 290 more than once in a blue moon, because there will be very little advantage to doing so since it's so heavy for its displacement. For the cash value of the 290, there are many better small saws to use as a complement.