New Stihl Equipment

[cruzenmike]

Hello All.

Just picked up some new Stihl equipment today. After a little bit of research I decided on the following:

- FS 91 R
- BR 450
- MS 271 Farm Boss

A little back story: In 2009 I purchased a Ryobi SS26 string trimmer and a handful of attachments for it including the edger, blower and brush cutter. When I was living in the city, this setup seemed to work very well as I only trimmed around landscaping, had 500 ft of sidewalk edging and only needed to blow grass off of the driveway and sidewalk. I had very few leaves to remove so they were usually sucked up in my HRX bagger. In 2013 I purchased a Poulan PP4218 that I used to dissect a few fallen trees at my Grandparent's house. More recently I would use it to take care of any fallen or unwanted trees on my 3 acre property.

Fast forward to today and my chainsaw has died and my string trimmer is nickle and dime-ing me without it's condition getting back to like new despite what I try. I also have far more fallen leaves on my property now and battle with trying to cut the leaves up with my mower over and over and OVER again. I usually end up with a thick layer of mushy, wet leaf debris at the end of the fall that lines the entire length of my driveway. I also only have a small cement pad for my driveway with most of it being gravel so I have no real need to edge anymore. With more and more trees falling on my properly and my needs around the yard changing, I figured that it was about time to upgrade/replace all of my equipment.

To be honest, I was all over the place when trying to figure out what I wanted to buy. I was adamant that I had all "matching" equipment so I wasn't going to get one brand of chainsaw and one brand of trimmer and so on. Nothing wrong with buying individual tools if each one is the best at whatever it does, but in my case I was willing to accept that I was not buying the best in the class or even the best for the price for the sake of keeping them all the same manufacturer. I had considered going with another "expandable" type system for my string trimmer like the Stihl Kombi, Honda Versattach or Echo PAS, but in the end I new that I would end up with some expensive attachments that I would rarely use. When it came time to seriously shop for the three things that I needed, it was between either Stihl or Husqvarna. This was primarily driven by the fact that they both make excellent chainsaws and both brands were highly recommended by friends and family.

When it came to the chainsaw, I was shopping the MS 271 against the 550 XP II. I know that they are not exactly comparable, but they were the two models of each brand that I was most attracted to. In the end, the Farm Boss, although not as powerful, was still about $200 cheaper. Everything that I read or heard didn't lead me to believe that the Husqvarna was worth the extra $200. As for the backpack blower, I shopped the BR450 against the BT350. For this equipment I only wanted to have something that produced over 600 cfm. What I liked more about the Stihl was the larger, expandable tube. Most of what I was told about blowers from users was that a lot of brands tout high cfm or air velocity but they are often times funneling that air through a small tube. To have a high velocity and cfm through a larger tube will equate to a bigger "wave" of air that will move leaves better. Lastly, the string trimmer was a no-brainer. I was not really impressed with any Husqvarna string trimmers and after using my Step-Dad's FS 70 the last two summers I felt as if my positive experience with his was enough to persuade me towards a Stihl for my trimmer. I decided on the FS 91 R because it was the smallest/lightest unit that I could get that would still accommodate a brushcutter blade. I originally wanted the FS 94 R because of it's "ECOSPEED" throttle which would prove quite valuable with all of my trimming along fences, but in the end it lacked the power and fuel capacity that I would need for all of my trimming around the yard.

All in all I think that I will be quite happy with my selections. One small note, my Wife and I have considered moving sometime in the next year. I really don't know what this will mean for my landscaping equipment needs, but having a decent set of Stihl will certainly put me in a better position to off-load them should I no longer have a need for this type of equipment. While only a small factor in my decision making process, it is always nice to know that something you own will either hold it's value or at least be desirable to others down the road.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

Just a note about the chainsaws. The 271 is what is called a clamshell design which is the low stihl's lower grade of saws. While the pro saw line uses bolt on cylinders. These saws are built for daily use. As a homeownes the 271 should be a fine saw for you but the husqvarna 550 xp is a pro type saw built for daily use hence the $200 difference. Both are good saws but you are correct when you say they are not directly comparable.

 

[cruzenmike]

Just a note about the chainsaws. The 271 is what is called a clamshell design which is the low stihl's lower grade of saws. While the pro saw line uses bolt on cylinders. These saws are built for daily use. As a homeownes the 271 should be a fine saw for you but the husqvarna 550 xp is a pro type saw built for daily use hence the $200 difference. Both are good saws but you are correct when you say they are not directly comparable.

I could have looked at the MS 261 to shop against the 550 XP II but again it was more of what one I "liked" most and when considering price and how much I will use it, the MS 271 was still a better fit than the comparable $400 Husqvarna. I would guess that in the 7 years that I had the Poulan I maybe fell and/or cut up maybe 30 trees. I went through a handful of chains in that time and maybe did one tune up. So yeah, not a heavy user, I just wanted something with a bit more power than the Poulan and to have something that will last me a good decade or so.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

Being the occasional user the 271 should be an excellent saw for you.

 

[Fish]

You can use the attachments on the fs91 trimmer.

 

[cruzenmike]

UPDATE:

I have used the BR 450 backpack blower a few times and I have to say that it does a pretty good job of moving air around. My only complaint about this machine is that it is NOT very comfortable to wear. I have been using a Husqvarna 350 BT or something like that at my Mom's house and that thing is very comfortable and easy to wear. There is just something about the harness on the Stihl that makes it less than desirable. Maybe there are better harnesses that can be put on these, possibly from a different model?

This really isn't a deal breaker for me as I will only use the blower for about 5-10 minutes a week during the spring and summer months, and maybe for a few hours here and there in the fall for leaf cleanup. If I was a mowing professional having to use it multiple times throughout the day, day in and day out, I would certainly have to get something else.

I also got the chance to use the MS 271 Farm Boss chainsaw yesterday and it was AWESOME!! I will admit, I did not really thrown anything difficult at is, as I was only cutting down a partially rotted stump so that the remainder of the stump could be ground down. The saw started with an "ease" that I don't think I every saw with my Poulan, even when it was new. The saw even sounds like a chainsaw!! What I mean is that the exhaust sounds like you would expect a chainsaw to sound, like chainsaw sounds like in horror movies. The Poulan always had a very "muffled" sound and revved much slower than the Stihl. The throttle response on the Farm Boss is quick and the exhaust is nice and clean! Once the leaves fall I typically go out and clean up any mess left over from the Spring and Summer storms. I look forward to cutting up a few fallen trees and felling a couple that I don't want anymore. I did pick up an extra chain and I already have the Stihl chain sharpener. I stuck with the standard sem-chisel chain, but after speaking with others I think I am going to look into a full chisel chain.

Rain today has delayed my plans of getting the FS 91 R out to string trim along my fences, but I am quite certain that this machine will not disappoint at all. I will also be throwing the saw blade on it next weekend to start clearing out the small saplings that shot up this past year.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

Save the semi chisel for dirty wood. The full chisel will cut faster but dirty wood will dull it quickly. When the point gets dull it won't cut wirth a darn. The semi chisel with the radiused cutter will stay much sharper longer in wood laying on the ground with dirty bark. Non saftey chain will cut a little better if you are comfortable with pro non anti-kickback chain.

 

[cruzenmike]

Save the semi chisel for dirty wood. The full chisel will cut faster but dirty wood will dull it quickly. When the point gets dull it won't cut wirth a darn. The semi chisel with the radiused cutter will stay much sharper longer in wood laying on the ground with dirty bark. Non saftey chain will cut a little better if you are comfortable with pro non anti-kickback chain.

I have been using chainsaws for a decade or so but typically used only what came with the homeowner grade saw, so I can safely say that I have never used a full chisel chain. I get the whole "safety" aspect of low-kickback chains, but under what conditions would a full chisel chain kickback and how bad are we talking?

 

[Hammermechanicman]

Ok.... chainsaw chain 101.
There are basically 2 types of chain not counting ripping and milling chain. Those two types are full chisel and semi chisel. Inside that each type can be either be safety (low kickback, anti kickback) chain or non- safety chain. The term "pro" is use by some to refer to full chisel and by some people to refer to non-safety chain. If i get a chanch i will go out to the shop and get pictures of each. Some shops refer to semi chisel saftey chain as homeowner chain. People who cut wood for a living usually use full chisel non-safety chain because they know how to avoid kickback and prefer the cutting speed of full chisel and ease of sharpenig. Some safety chain can be a PITA to sharpen. Semi chisel is more forgiving when hitting a little dirt or dirt filled bark on downed trees. It will stay sharper longer than full chisel chain. Semi chisel chain is also called chipper chain but they are not exactly the same.

 

[cruzenmike]

T

Ok.... chainsaw chain 101.
There are basically 2 types of chain not counting ripping and milling chain. Those two types are full chisel and semi chisel. Inside that each type can be either be safety (low kickback, anti kickback) chain or non- safety chain. The term "pro" is use by some to refer to full chisel and by some people to refer to non-safety chain. If i get a chanch i will go out to the shop and get pictures of each. Some shops refer to semi chisel saftey chain as homeowner chain. People who cut wood for a living usually use full chisel non-safety chain because they know how to avoid kickback and prefer the cutting speed of full chisel and ease of sharpenig. Some safety chain can be a PITA to sharpen. Semi chisel is more forgiving when hitting a little dirt or dirt filled bark on downed trees. It will stay sharper longer than full chisel chain. Semi chisel chain is also called chipper chain but they are not exactly the same.

Thanks for the info. 90% of what I am cutting is already dead ash, most of that which is on the on the ground. We have a high water table and once the trees die out it only takes a couple of years for the trunks to rot and the wind to bring them down. This is also helped by thick, heavy vines that grow up the trees and pull them down.

Since I have been known to get my bar into the dirt every once in a while, it may be worth it for me to stick with the semi-chisel chain as to prevent rapid dulling. I would find that my chain would end up dulling after about one tree. I started keeping a round file in my pocket to run along the teeth whenever I started to feel the chain dull. I will say that finally getting a set of files was the best decision I ever made. It used to be that a dull chain would shut me down for the rest of the day until I could get them up to be sharpened. And don't even get me going on the cost of sharpening. At one point it was over half the cost of the chain to get it sharpened.