I am in the market for a larger saw. I have a couple Stihl 026 saws that are great, just a touch small/underpowered for this job. I will be using this saw to cut the larger trees up, as well as once and a while slabbing some pine with an alaskan mill. I understand the milling will be VERY slow, and thats just fine it will not be used very often. I am looking for something the size of a Stihl 036/361/362. I want to run a 2' bar efficiently without being too heavy. What other saws should I consider? I know Husqvarna makes some really good stuff, but just like stihl and the others they make junk too! I really prefer older pre-emissions stuff myself. I like stuff that I can buy parts for aftermarket without paying oem markups.

Thanks,
Jason

Husky 455 rancher is what I have. It has a 20 in bar, probably could run a 24. I had a Stihl 021 that was awesome, but when it came to bigger stuff the 455 would just wear it out.

Almost everybody has the two brands you mentioned. About the only other options in that size are dolmar and echo, but good luck finding a pre-emissions one.

Id buy the 360's series in stihl and be happy with it.

I don't buy the new Saws....I like to find the OLD ones from the 70's and 80's on EBAY and make them run. The Pioneer P41's were very popular and built by Outboard Marine Corp.----Johnson/Evinrude folks. I've got 2 I bought for about $200 each. Only needed the fuel tank cleaned.....new fuel lines....Carb. Rebuild. They are dependable.....all metal....66 CC engine displacement. I've bought McCulloughs and BIG Homelites also....very dependable. All are simple and easy to work on....Parts are easily available.

All I can say for sure is that Husky leaks bar oil. I tried two of them, both of them leaked every bit of bar oil out on my floor. I won’t own another one. I use echo

I run a ms391 most of the time. I really like it

I have the same saw, had really good luck with it, got a 24" bar on it.

Adjust the oiler. Takes 2 sec, no more drippy drippy when saw isn’t running

I have a Husky 455 rancher with a 20" bar and a Stihl 362 with a 25" bar on it. Both run really well, but that Stihl will flat out blaze right through it.

The biggest trees I've cut were some downed poplars that were about 2ft in diameter and it did great. I've run it for 3-4 hours at my Dad's farm on some big red oaks (~1.5-2ft in diameter) and never had the first sign of any trouble what so ever. I changed chains a couple times but it never bogged down once.

I know your not asking about chains, but I always get the commercial grade Stihl chains with the yellow link (not the green one).

Both of my stihl saws leak oil from the caps.

I run a husky 550XP. Absolutely love it.

That's what's in my truck...sorry pos that worked for us swapped it for the 362 we had n I didn't notice till he was done fired...it does good but I liked the 362 cuz it can be rebuilt

Both Stihl and Husky have their pro and homeowner saws. Husky are the XP series but you aren’t gonna find them at Lowes. Husky equal to a Stihl 362 would be the 562Xp. If you have a 026 I’d jump to a 70cc size. Stihl 462 or 576 XP

I would absolutely trust the opinion of this man since he makes a living using a chainsaw.

Thanks for all the help guys. I will just keep looking for a good priced 036/360/361/362 saw. I wont be using this one all that much really, but when you need it size matters. I usually gas up both my 026's an 025 and a ms180 to start they day. As they run out of gas I go down in size. When all 4 are out of gas, I usually am too. This is just bucking up logs for firewood, it will usually take a day or two to split eveything I can cut in one run. Yes, I buy the good stihl chains, I bought bars for everything but the little one to run the same 18" .325/63gauge chains so I dont have to figure out which one takes which chain anymore. Keep a dozen or so sharp ones and touch them up when I start getting low. I forgot, I do have an old echo 570 (I think) saw downstairs. Its a larger saw but it wont keep up with the 036 a buddy has, not even close. I can file the rakes down on that stihl and it had enough HP to keep throwing chips, the echo cant handle more than stock rake height.

Jason

I have an old husquvarna 61 that my grandpa had. It’s early 80s I believe. That joker is heavy but may will it eat.

I run several MS391’s and have zero complaints.

I am still running a BIG Poulan bow saw with a 23" bow. Still whips my butt today too.

I started using the echo × series. They are the best saw for the money bar none. I've used all of them. A new stihl is junk!!

The Stihl MS500i fuel injected saw is a beast. Most powerful and fast saw I have ever used. I just cut some gigantic mesquite trees with one using a 36" bar and a skip chain. It ate them up so fast it was scary. The power and torque of that saw will get your attention and respect. Nice starting too. No choke, just pull the cord 1 to 3 times and it is ready to eat.