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Stihl chain saws
I agree completely Art. Although I can't help but wonder if there aren't different EPA standards for commercial two strokes as opposed to consumer-grade stuff. There was nothing mechanically wrong with my vintage McCollough, other than the weight versus arthritis issue (elbows). I thought I was trading straight across for a saw with equal or better capabilities. Well - it may have looked that way on paper, but it sure didn't work out that way in the field.
Then again - since the high rpm/low torque is an EPA thing - I might be a Husky owner wishing I'd bought a Stihl, instead of the other way around.
//greg//
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Greg, with Stihl saws the pro's are lighter!!!!! The Husky's normally are using the same frame for the most part for a saw size grouping.
The real difference comes with the engine porting and way they are built between the pro's and homeowner semi/pro models. The pro's push out a lot more ponies then the home owner series.
To look at them here is a comparision of the 361 which has a 3.6 cu in engine and produces 4.4 horsepower at 12.3lbs compared to the 310's 3.6 cu in engine which produces 4 horsepower at 13 lbs.
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Well, the toll on my arthritis taken by the 12-13 pound McCollough's is what made me decide to retire it. The Stihl 025C head weighed in at 10.3 pounds, but they still managed to squeeze 3hp outa 2.7cc. On paper that looked good; light and comparatively powerful. In the field, it turned out to be light. Period.
//greg//
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Greg, for what you were cutting I'd have sold you a bigger saw if that was all that you were cutting of hickory. There are differences in chain as to a saw's cut ability. We like the stihl chain for all saws although our local oregon dealer who also a dealer for both makes of saws say's I'm missing a profit oppertunity!
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Yeah, hindsight is 20/20 Art. The old 18" McCollough went through that hickory just fine. On paper, it seemed that a Stihl with the same displacement and horsepower and Oregon bar/chain should perform similarly (or better considering the age difference). The only real (external) difference between the two saws was the weight. And of course the comparatively poor performance of the new Stihl against the old McCollough.
I don't section hickory on a regular basis, it just happened to be the job that the McCollough was engaged in at the time I bought the Stihl. I've since simply relegated the Stihl to the roll of trimming saw. A little heavy for trimming, but it beats buying a new saw to replace another (almost) new saw.
//greg//
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Greg, it sounds like the chain is more at fault than the saw is.
There is a HUGE difference in how the chain will cut different types of wood depending on the gauge of the saw chain. Each cutting tooth has, just in front of the sharp part, a little stub that is rounded over back towards the cutting face, this is the depth gauge.
If the gauge is too tall the cutting face is only able to take a small bite out the wood because the depth gauge is holding the cutting face away from the wood more. Conversely, if the tooth is too short, each tooth is able to dig in deeper taking a bigger bite.
If the gauge is not set right, according to the length of chain / wood contact, and the hardness of the wood, then you will either be making just sawdust, and not chips, or the teeth will be really biting in, trying to take too much at once, and bogging the saw down.
We keep a variety of chains with usually two different sharpenings, soft and hard wood, with each saw and change them over as conditions change.
Best of luck.
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Thanks Murf. I understand what you're saying, I've been doing this for 20 years myself. Anyway, I mentioned above that both the McCollough and the Stihl were running 18" Oregon bars and chains. Additionally, the McCollough bar/chains were well used. But the Stihl had a new outa the box bar and 3 chains stated by Oregon to be specifically for the 025C
Specific to the hickory, the old McCollough didn't need much more than it's own weight to make a reasonably straight section. The shiny new Stihl needed almost constant constant down pressure, which actually caused chain stoppage at times. I wasn't impressed. It got so aggravating that I finally I got the old McCollough back out to finish the job.
But I still parted with the old Mac, simply because of the weight factor. Still got the Stihl, I just don't let it get near hickory trunks anymore.
//greg//
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Greg, we have sold oregon chain in the past and it doesn't seem to hold an edge on high rpm saws from we or our customers have told us. The part of having to hold it down tells me that is the bulk of your problem.
We had a fellow twenty plus years ago that worked across the street, he was good freinds with another Stihl dealer and he told me I was twenty dollars to high! It was probably a month later he was in and wanted to buy a bigger saw and knowing what he was cutting I told him something was wrong. I handed him my saw which was one size smaller, I'd actually brought it in to have one of the boys put a fresh edge on the chain. He dropped it into some wood out front and when he came back in he accused me of having it souped up! I asked him why he thought that and he told me he never saw his saw throw as big of chips! I gave him a new stihl chain for his saw to cut with for the next weekend and he came back in and bought several as well as some for his cutting partners. He didn't swap saws just the chain!
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You obviously know what you're talking about Art - and I respect that. But I also think you missed the part where I said the old McCullough outperformed the new Stihl while BOTH were using model-specific Oregon bars and chains.
Or am I the one missing something? Perhaps you're suggesting that the high rpm/low torque difference between two saws using the same chain is the cause. If so, is the answer to switch to Stihl chains? or to something else?
Oh, and I apologize to the OP - I'm afraid I'm guilty of hijacking here. On the bright side, perhaps some of the answers I get may apply to your situation.
//greg//
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I've switched to Stihl chains too, originally because that's what the nearest dealer carries, but they do seem to hold an edge better and the chips are larger compared to brand new Oregon chains I've used.
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