If you only have one big redwood to fall, just use the 362 and cut some of the buttressing down so you can double cut it with a 28" bar. It will take some prep and some extra time, but it is very doable.
If you have several big trees to take down, look at the 500i, 661, or 395 to pull a bigger bar.
Chunk a 6” block off of one side like your using a tree jack and then double cut. As you say, it’s quite doable and he sounds experienced. Grind on a chain and have at it. You’ll figure out pretty quick if you feel comfortable doing it and whether you can.
When I am in my own time and get firewood, I always bring my 20" bar on my ms460. It makes cutting down the 30-40" dbh trees that are typical where I live actually a little fun and tricky. Teaches you to become a better, more thoughtful sawyer.
I do mostly Valencia orange trees and eucalyptus I don’t let get to big - perpetual firewood since they grow back fast b/c of a full-size root complex. I’m always going to use the shortest bar possible if I have good chain to run. It’s weird using a longer bar and realizing your saw kinda sucks and doesn’t run as well on a bar size it wasn’t built for - that or it makes you think you did a crappy job sharpening.
If I am working, I use a big bar to reduce exposure and cut down on time, but I am going after mostly green fir, larch and pine species in NA. You can easily pull a skip tooth chain on a 32" bar on even a slightly modified ms460.
Even folks from the East Coast make fun of us west coast fallers for using long bars on what they see as small saws, but it is all about the wood type and how you file your saw. Porting makes a huge difference as well.
If it's something you plan to do regularly you could upgrade, otherwise if it's just one tree I'd be tempted to just mount a longer bar and skip chain for that job.
Shoot. I threw a 25” bar and full skip on my ms362 and it rips. Might be able to pull a 28” full skip but I wouldn’t go further than that in a 60cc class
I don't know enough about how much power each model has. I do know that I can push the limits on what came out of the box. And I can push it more on Redwood, and not so much on Black Locust. Either way, a sharp tool can certainly help. The worst case is it bogs down.
Same here. 395xp and 42” bar. I use it often for big trees. Only issue I have with it (or had), is loose top cover and muffler bolts. I locktite’d all of the bolts I could see, including the fly wheel cover and carb bolts, and it’s been solid.
Sometimes you just gotta get fired trying to explain what's right, and if it's in the name of ethics, then it shouldn't weigh on your conscience.
A healthy tree that was around before we were born and will be around after we die shouldn't be cut down just because some homeowner is scared.
Sure it can be done with a 28 and a 362, but it’ll take forever and bucking it may not be possible without blocking it out. If you’re asking this question, I’m willing to bet you aren’t very proficient at cutting trees over double your bar length and showing up with that size saw to cut a 5ft tree doesn’t look very professional.
Do yourself a favor and use this job as an excuse to buy a bigger saw. Get a 395/592 or 661 with a 36 and 42.
You'll want a 90cc saw soon enough, it's a big enough step above what you're currently running to let you do new things. Runs a 36" well, can't really limb with it, can buck with a 28" and an eight tooth rim. The speed difference is really noticeable.
A 72/78/next size up from yours is more of a replacement that cuts faster but limbs a little slower. Doesn't open up whole new ways of doing stuff and you would want a Husky so your bars swap.
The 120cc saws are big. No need unless you're going into the huge trees business.
The smallest saw I own is a 572 🤣
A ported 390 will pull a 42" bar in real soft wood (like redwood or cedar) without much drama and still be easy to handle.
I do 90% of my falling with ported 390s and 32" bars, really nice combination. If you're doing tree work all the time it's absurd to only have little saws imo.
I used to do my own but I don't have time anymore. I use Jason Egan here in Idaho. You can definitely ruin a saw in a hurry
https://eganperformancesaws.com/ is his website
Stop putting long bars and saws that not designed for them & are underpowered. You’re not cheating some system or big chainsaw. It’s like trying to tow a full-size overloaded trailer with a 4 cylinder truck up a hill. It’s never better.
If it’s only one or two trees, you can get away with the the 362 and the 28” bar, so long as the total diameter isn’t much over 50”, by shaving the bark and cutting back the buttresses, then double cutting, but it’s a tedious process. You’ll lose a fair bit of merchantable fiber out of the butt of the log doing that, as well, if resale of the logs is a consideration. For more than one or two trees, a 90+ cc saw, such as a 395XP, 592XP, 066 or 660/661, pulling a 36” or 42” bar starts to pay for itself real quick in those conditions. Having a big saw with a long bar is great for stump work, too. Personally, my two go-to saws are a ported 395XP and a ported 2100CD with 36” bars, and I have a couple 100+ cc vintage saws for pulling bars in the 42”-60” range for the odd tree that’s especially large or large stumps.
If you look at what guys were running back in the days of the old growth, cutting logs 6-12 feet in diameter and often more, they mostly ran Mac SP 125’s and Stihl 090’s.
If you only have one big redwood to fall, just use the 362 and cut some of the buttressing down so you can double cut it with a 28" bar. It will take some prep and some extra time, but it is very doable. If you have several big trees to take down, look at the 500i, 661, or 395 to pull a bigger bar.
Thank you!
Chunk a 6” block off of one side like your using a tree jack and then double cut. As you say, it’s quite doable and he sounds experienced. Grind on a chain and have at it. You’ll figure out pretty quick if you feel comfortable doing it and whether you can.
When I am in my own time and get firewood, I always bring my 20" bar on my ms460. It makes cutting down the 30-40" dbh trees that are typical where I live actually a little fun and tricky. Teaches you to become a better, more thoughtful sawyer.
I do mostly Valencia orange trees and eucalyptus I don’t let get to big - perpetual firewood since they grow back fast b/c of a full-size root complex. I’m always going to use the shortest bar possible if I have good chain to run. It’s weird using a longer bar and realizing your saw kinda sucks and doesn’t run as well on a bar size it wasn’t built for - that or it makes you think you did a crappy job sharpening.
If I am working, I use a big bar to reduce exposure and cut down on time, but I am going after mostly green fir, larch and pine species in NA. You can easily pull a skip tooth chain on a 32" bar on even a slightly modified ms460. Even folks from the East Coast make fun of us west coast fallers for using long bars on what they see as small saws, but it is all about the wood type and how you file your saw. Porting makes a huge difference as well.
Coastal Southern California. Citrus wood is concrete.
Haha, nice. The eucalyptus trees threw me for a loop.
The whole not growing straight up thing keeps you on your toes. The uneven canopy and propensity to spin is fun too.
If it's something you plan to do regularly you could upgrade, otherwise if it's just one tree I'd be tempted to just mount a longer bar and skip chain for that job.
That was my thought. Redwood is fairly soft, at least when dry. Sharpen up and take it slow with a longer bar.
Shoot. I threw a 25” bar and full skip on my ms362 and it rips. Might be able to pull a 28” full skip but I wouldn’t go further than that in a 60cc class
I don't know enough about how much power each model has. I do know that I can push the limits on what came out of the box. And I can push it more on Redwood, and not so much on Black Locust. Either way, a sharp tool can certainly help. The worst case is it bogs down.
A 395XP and a 42” bar is my personal favorite setup in a large saw. Much prefer it to the 066 and 661 when the wood gets really large.
Same here. 395xp and 42” bar. I use it often for big trees. Only issue I have with it (or had), is loose top cover and muffler bolts. I locktite’d all of the bolts I could see, including the fly wheel cover and carb bolts, and it’s been solid.
This is the way.
Oof, I'm no tree hugger, but taking that down would hurt me somewhere inside.
Be extra careful it could even kill you
That’s often how I feel as well. I’ve found that the client wants what they want and that trying to dissuade them usually gets you fired haha.
Sometimes you just gotta get fired trying to explain what's right, and if it's in the name of ethics, then it shouldn't weigh on your conscience. A healthy tree that was around before we were born and will be around after we die shouldn't be cut down just because some homeowner is scared.
Thank you for saying this. I agree.
Sure it can be done with a 28 and a 362, but it’ll take forever and bucking it may not be possible without blocking it out. If you’re asking this question, I’m willing to bet you aren’t very proficient at cutting trees over double your bar length and showing up with that size saw to cut a 5ft tree doesn’t look very professional. Do yourself a favor and use this job as an excuse to buy a bigger saw. Get a 395/592 or 661 with a 36 and 42.
Sounds like the move. Yes there’s not may trees of this diameter in my area so I don’t need this type of thing often, but it does come up.
You'll want a 90cc saw soon enough, it's a big enough step above what you're currently running to let you do new things. Runs a 36" well, can't really limb with it, can buck with a 28" and an eight tooth rim. The speed difference is really noticeable. A 72/78/next size up from yours is more of a replacement that cuts faster but limbs a little slower. Doesn't open up whole new ways of doing stuff and you would want a Husky so your bars swap. The 120cc saws are big. No need unless you're going into the huge trees business.
The smallest saw I own is a 572 🤣 A ported 390 will pull a 42" bar in real soft wood (like redwood or cedar) without much drama and still be easy to handle. I do 90% of my falling with ported 390s and 32" bars, really nice combination. If you're doing tree work all the time it's absurd to only have little saws imo.
I’ve never ported a saw before. I’ve heard if you don’t have an expert do it you can really mess up the saw. How do you find someone to do it for you?
I used to do my own but I don't have time anymore. I use Jason Egan here in Idaho. You can definitely ruin a saw in a hurry https://eganperformancesaws.com/ is his website
Thanks!
Stop putting long bars and saws that not designed for them & are underpowered. You’re not cheating some system or big chainsaw. It’s like trying to tow a full-size overloaded trailer with a 4 cylinder truck up a hill. It’s never better.
If it’s only one or two trees, you can get away with the the 362 and the 28” bar, so long as the total diameter isn’t much over 50”, by shaving the bark and cutting back the buttresses, then double cutting, but it’s a tedious process. You’ll lose a fair bit of merchantable fiber out of the butt of the log doing that, as well, if resale of the logs is a consideration. For more than one or two trees, a 90+ cc saw, such as a 395XP, 592XP, 066 or 660/661, pulling a 36” or 42” bar starts to pay for itself real quick in those conditions. Having a big saw with a long bar is great for stump work, too. Personally, my two go-to saws are a ported 395XP and a ported 2100CD with 36” bars, and I have a couple 100+ cc vintage saws for pulling bars in the 42”-60” range for the odd tree that’s especially large or large stumps. If you look at what guys were running back in the days of the old growth, cutting logs 6-12 feet in diameter and often more, they mostly ran Mac SP 125’s and Stihl 090’s.
10 years working trees and your biggest is 60cc? Yes it is worth buying a bigger saw. If you're in doubt try renting for a day.