Stihl FS 240 / FS 240 R

Well balanced brute with a sound pedigree – Bought one of these 11 months ago to replace our 31 year old - yes, 31 year old Stihl FS74. Which incidentally, still runs beautifully! It's a big brush cutter, it's heavy but well balanced, and it's powerful. It's designed for full on jobs, and in our application it's used at a large acreage block, where it absolutely excels. It's hideously… Read more

expensive. There's a matter of context here though ... as far as I'm aware this model is still made in Germany, like that 31 year old stalwart it's replacing. How much are you prepared to spend for a machine which potentially lasts an entire generation??

This model takes 2 stroke fuel, and unlike some of the weird "2 stroke that functions in a 4 stroke environment" models that Stihl, and probably others, are messing around with, is actually a bona fide 2 stroke machine. So, there'll be mixing of fuel, and blue smoke. Been doing it for 31 years. No problem here.

Controls intelligently placed on the bicycle handle model, and all the action's on the right side. Not sure if this is an issue for the lefties out there - I'm not one. The handle itself is adjustable. Comes with one of the best harnesses we've seen, that actually seems made to last. Starts on second pull almost religiously.

Comes with a proprietary cutting head which we're not really a fan of. It's finicky to load with line, doesn't hold an awful lot of line, and the darned thing is frankly too big a diameter. No problem though - easily changed out for an aftermarket speedfeed type. Also easily takes saw blades for managing larger woody weeds and small trees.

The thing loves to rev. I actually have trouble keeping it at half throttle. The power is insane, but the fuel efficiency is terrific. It's hard to lug around, but we knew what we were getting, and frankly we need the grunt there, and that great harness really helps spread the load.

No regrets with this purchase. Our strapping 16 year old son just loves using it, and will often disappear into the paddock with a fuel bottle and spare line for hours on end. Oodles of power and designed in a way that precision cutting is a cinch. 4.5 stars from us mainly due to steep pricing (see the disclaimer) and crappy cutting head.

Review Edited February 2025 ....

This amazing machine suddenly lost power and wouldn't respond to the throttle just over 1/2 way through its warranty. Sparkplug perfect, fuel perfect - we even bought from several different servos with same result, oil high grade full synthetic, airfilter pristine, fuel pickup filter that sits in the tank pristine. Spoke to our selling dealer, they confirmed it would be covered by warranty since no new machine should stop working properly that soon.

At the time we were at our second property a few hundred km away, dealer told us to simply arrange it with local Stihl dealer and they'd sort it out. We did that, explained what our dealer had said, and booked it as warranty work.

When we received the machine we were charged $127, they'd cleaned our air filter (owners manual states this should NEVER be done - airfilter is sacrificial and must only be replaced), sparkplug had been replaced with one not recommended in the manual (we demanded the original one back since it was in perfect condition - they claimed they'd thrown it out and couldn't provide it), fuel pickup filter had been replaced and they'd lubricated the cutting head, which didn't need it. There was no courtesy phone call prior to starting this shocking work. This dealer stated our fuel had "gone stale" and gummed up the carburettor. Notwithstanding that we use the exact same fuel in our 33 year old Stihl FS74 and it's in perfect order.

We complained to Stihl Australia and were given a case number. After a couple of MONTHS they responded that they couldn't do a thing about it because all dealers are privately owned?!?! This is despite this renegade dealer instigating measures which were contraindicated in the owners manual!!

5 months later - still well within warranty - the EXACT SAME THING happens. So this time we took the carburettor off ourselves after getting a good briefing from YouTube. The first thing we see is "made in China" (the machine is advertised as being made in Germany). The gaskets had been squeezed out of shape, and a plastic fastening (yes ... PLASTIC) had a split along it's length. We dutifully cleaned it and when putting it back together the plastic fitting broke in pieces despite gentle handling. What a damned mess!!

Took it back to purchasing dealer. They said no warranty, they ordered in a carb kit and would overhaul it. That was 8 days ago and we're still without our amazing Stihl.

The whole thing is completely unacceptable, and will ensure that we never even consider another Stihl product. It seems we'll need to order in a dozen or two carb kits since it's apparent this machine will only work for a few months at a time. While it's 32 year old brother still runs like the day it left the showroom. Stihl is different now ... RIP