Smaller chainsaw

[ADK_XJ]

LOL!

I still run an older, made in West Germany Stihl 044 that is just a beast.

Ok, now you've done it...I also have an 044 (Magnum) and it is absolutely a power-house. I ported the muffler case and it runs a 25" bar like butter through white oak. It's my main felling saw since it can easily bore cut any log on our property and it doubles to make hemlock slabs with my Alaskan mill when I need decking or bridge boards or whatever. Those West Germans, man, they knew how to make things to last.

[ADK_XJ]

Nice! I grew up using an 041 AV Super. I wonder if that's still laying around somewhere at the farm...I think it was pretty wore out, but could be rebuilt by a collector.

Now this is just getting spooky...my first saw (and I still have it) is an 041 Farm Boss, also West German made. I had the "points" ignition ripped out and upgraded for a "modern" electronic one by an incredible saw shop that used to be right up the street from me. The guy just happened to have a full rebuild kit for the 041 sitting on his shelf...lucky me.

Between the all metal chassis and that jug of a gas tank, it's not what you'd call a limbing saw, but I tend to keep it on the tractor or in the bed of the SxS when I'm in the woods because it can get banged around all day and start right up on a single pull.

[littleTapper]

Now this is just getting spooky...my first saw (and I still have it) is an 041 Farm Boss, also West German made. I had the "points" ignition ripped out and upgraded for a "modern" electronic one by an incredible saw shop that used to be right up the street from me. The guy just happened to have a full rebuild kit for the 041 sitting on his shelf...lucky me.

Between the all metal chassis and that jug of a gas tank, it's not what you'd call a limbing saw, but I tend to keep it on the tractor or in the bed of the SxS when I'm in the woods because it can get banged around all day and start right up on a single pull.

I suspect replacing the points for electronic ignition was done on almost all of them

[BAP]

We had several 031, 032 and a 041 saws when I was younger. Great saws and the 041 was a beast cutting big trees. We used to pull the bars and the covers with handle guard off and put direct drive tappers on the clutch in the 70’s and 80’s. They were a little dangerous but man were they fast drilling with a sharp bit.

[BigJon]

The first saw I grab for any thinning/maintenance/limbing is my Stihl MS241. You can carry it all day and never get tired, and it cuts way out of its league for its size. Next up is a Stihl MS261 for anything up to 16”, then a Makita 7900 for anything large. Those 3 saws will take care of anything in the Northeast.

[Ghs57]

I mistakenly let my 026 go after I bought a MS460. The 460 is a beast, particularly with a longer 32" bar. I used it extensively for chainsaw milling lumber, but it's not so great for small around the home work. So I ended up getting an Ego 18" cordless. It's now my goto saw, even for some bigger work. The secret for running cordless is ALWAYS use a sharp chain, and keep the batteries at room temperature. The 460 still gets pliantly of run time though, and is hard to beat for milling lumber (other than a bandsaw mill).

[berkshires]

Well just to close the loop on this conversation, I had the opportunity to use my new Echo CS 4910. After tapping my trees at my sugarbush, I had a few hours to kill before I had to drive back to town, so I figured I'd get a start on bucking up wood to start seasoning for the future. Wow. It was night and day compared to using my old Homelite. I could not believe how fast and clean it was cutting through everything. Got all I could fit bucked and stored with extra time to spare. So glad I made that choice.

Gabe