Stihl - Why didn't I do this sooner?

[luvmysuper]

I've had a Stihl MS261C 20 inch Chain Saw I've used for 5 years now and I haven't had to do a thing with it except add fuel, bar oil and clean the air filters.
This winter did a lot of damage to shrubs, bushes and trees on the property so I was looking for some tools to make it easier to deal with the massive amount of work I had to do.
I bought the Stihl Kombi System KM131R motor unit, the 10" Chain Saw Pole cutter, the line trimmer along with a wood cutting chisel blade as well as a brush cutter blade.
The blades fit right on the string trimmer once you pull the string trimmer head off.
Man, let me tell you - I wish I had done this years ago. This is an outstanding tool system and yesterday I cleared 2 inch Buckthorn vines, 3 inch saplings, and all the branches off of fallen trees and brush away from the driveway 4 feet back from pavement in about 4 hours.
That job would have taken me days to do without this system.
I'm hopeful that the longevity and reliability of the tools are comparable to the Chainsaw I have which is a dream to use.
There are a ton of attachments available - leaf blower, trimmers, sweepers, rototiller, pole saw, brush trimmers, string trimmers etc. Almost anything you'd need to do.
With the 2HP motor, it makes really short work of clearing. It has a 24 ounce fuel tank and in the time I used it yesterday, I used up a half a tank of fuel.
I'm impressed.

 

[Quaznoid]

I could use that

 

[luvmysuper]

I could use that

It's a little on the expensive side, but if you consider you're only buying one motor unit and the rest are just attachments - it does save some money down line on individual tool maintenance and cost.
There are smaller motor units available for less cost.

 

[Quaznoid]

I get it

 

[Titleist]

It's a little on the expensive side, but

Probably like you, I've always bought quality over price. Stihl and Husqvarna are probably the top two in that order for these types of tools. I still have my MS290 Farm Boss that I bought probably 20 years ago when I owned land. It sits because I don't need it but I just cannot bring myself to part with it. I also have a very handy Stihl SH86 blower, vacuum kit for leaves. I use that thing all the time.

Congrats on the new tool. I always find myself wandering toward the Stihl displays when I enter a store that sells that brand. It's a magnet for me like bourbon or the gun section.

 

[Mojo88]

Several years ago I decided to go with the Kobalt interchangeable system. Last year it finally gave out and I replaced it with the Dewalt system. All the attachments previously purchased fit any interchangeable system. It was one of the best investments I have made. If I had a bigger lot I would have gone with the Stihl, but for a 1/4 acre lot it was overkill.

 

[Titleist]

This topic prompted me to go out to the garage this afternoon and get the Stihl chainsaw out of it's case. I hadn't started my saw in probably 2.5 years. With the gas that remained in the tank from over 2 years ago in there, the saw started up after the 3rd pull.

I ran it for quite awhile, shut it down allowing it to cool down before taking some time to sharpen the chain.

Now I know I'm not parting with that saw.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

I've used the pole saw & hedge trimmer attachments of the Kombi System, and they were both great. A bit heavy, but if you're doing that type of work, it should be manageable.

 

[luvmysuper]

I've used the pole saw & hedge trimmer attachments of the Kombi System, and they were both great. A bit heavy, but if you're doing that type of work, it should be manageable.

Yeah, the KM 131 R is 9.5 lbs, but with a tool attached it's pretty good balance.
Stihl has a backpack type harness the tool attaches to which looks much more comfortable than an over the shoulder strap if you're going to be at it for hours.

 

[Phoenixkh]

My Stihl gear is mostly decades old.... before the Kombi set-up was available. I did buy a long handle hedge trimmer a while back with the reciprocating blades (4 years ago now). We're in Bali so I can't check the model...two stroke model. It makes short work of clearing out brush along this drainage ditch in back of our place.... .but for the price I paid, I think I could have invested in the Kombi set-up. Live and learn.

 

[ColtRevolver]

The Stihl 4-Mix engines are nice. They are much lighter than 4 stroke engines with an oil crankcase. I have a FS-90R brush cutter it has been trouble free for about 10 years.

 

[luvmysuper]

The Stihl 4-Mix engines are nice. They are much lighter than 4 stroke engines with an oil crankcase. I have a FS-90R brush cutter it has been trouble free for about 10 years.

Yeah, I mentioned that it is 9.5 lbs, but considering it is 36cc and 2 hp, that's pretty reasonable.

 

[Hairy Callahan]

Ah yes, one of my most under-used landowner investments. But when I need it, it's there. Got the brush cutter, hedge trimmer, weed whacker, pole saw, and extension attachments. Don't use this system often and as such, I only use the canned gas mix. When I bought it, it was literally first run of the 4-mix engine. Even the dealer I was buying it from said "stay away from this thing". But I hauled it home. No regrets. Doesnt' get much use. But when I need it, it's never failed. The pole saw, with the extension bar, is for an athlete to run. It will whip an old guy pretty quick.

 

[luvmysuper]

Ah yes, one of my most under-used landowner investments. But when I need it, it's there. Got the brush cutter, hedge trimmer, weed whacker, pole saw, and extension attachments. Don't use this system often and as such, I only use the canned gas mix. When I bought it, it was literally first run of the 4-mix engine. Even the dealer I was buying it from said "stay away from this thing". But I hauled it home. No regrets. Doesnt' get much use. But when I need it, it's never failed. The pole saw, with the extension bar, is for an athlete to run. It will whip an old guy pretty quick.

I have the chisel wood cutting blade on the weed whacker head. It takes some thought about object size before digging in.
A thin one inch or less, no worries. But 2 or 3 inch saplings takes a bit of thought on which area of the saw to use.
The wrong side and you definitely will get some whip around.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Stihl, like me, good German stuff....

 

[Proper Irish]

Stihl is the best, imo.

I used to do Arbor work, we had saws and equipment from a number of different brands, from cheap to very expensive.
Stihls were consistently the first ones to start in the mornings and the ones with the least amount of issues. Basically the Toyota truck of chainsaws. They’re reliable, dependable and they just flat out work.

In contrast, the Husqvarnas… they were a bit like high performance race cars.
Finicky, picky, needy, always working on them or tuning them to get em running right. But when they ran, they would smoke everything.

 

[Doc4]

I wish I had done this years ago.

I'm stihl waiting to get one.

 

[borwish]

With the 2HP motor

Is this correct? I'm looking at getting the 131 brush cutter which also has a 36cc engine and I'm under the impression that it takes 33cc to get to just 1 hp. Stihl lists both as having 1.9bhp. Is this marketing lies like used to sell shop vacs and impact guns or real world usage?

 

[luvmysuper]

Is this correct? I'm looking at getting the 131 brush cutter which also has a 36cc engine and I'm under the impression that it takes 33cc to get to just 1 hp. Stihl lists both as having 1.9bhp. Is this marketing lies like used to sell shop vacs and impact guns or real world usage?

Horsepower and cubic centimeters have no fixed relationship. They are measuring different things. BHP is a measurement of power, and CC's is a measurement of volume only.
For example: The Bugatti Chiron engine (8000cc) is 1500 hp.
The Caterpillar 3512B tractor is also 1500 hp, but the engine size is 51,800cc.

 

[borwish]

Horsepower and cubic centimeters have no fixed relationship. They are measuring different things. BHP is a measurement of power, and CC's is a measurement of volume only.
For example: The Bugatti Chiron engine (8000cc) is 1500 hp.
The Caterpillar 3512B tractor is also 1500 hp, but the engine size is 51,800cc.

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Yes I understand that things like compression mean that there is no direct translation of volume to power. My question is more along the lines of do you believe the power rating? Products like shop vacs and impact guns are notorious for using specialized, non real world set ups or initial current in rush to lie about the performance of their tools---a shop vac isn't going to make 6 hp when you vacuum out your shop. Do you feel like Stihl is being honest?