Stihl MS 310 FarmBoss

Keeps the family warm – Bought to look after an 8 acre property, maintain trees and keep the family in firewood. Majority of trees were Iron bark, started first pull every time out of the back of the fourby. No problem felling and was nicely balanced for working a full day. Show details

Great saw with a lot of power and dependable reliability for decades – A saw I bought when it was the latest model out, so twenty odd years ago? Did use for professional firewood cutting for a couple of seasons but as I cut wood for two or three housholds it gets a lot of use. About the second time I used it, one of the bar studs came loose - took it back and they had it sorted within ten minutes and never had an… Read more

issue with the bar nuts since. Every second year the the fuel line would fail during the summer layup. A new type was fitted some seven years ago and not had a problem since. Starting needs a fast and strong action to spin it up from cold. As there is no decompression on this thing a half hearted attempt will encourage a bite back - when the starter cord gets ripped through your fingers, that stings enough you won't do that again in a hurry... Once started though it idles perfectly and when warm easily starts with a quick flick. I've worn out four sprockets and several bars now, plus many chains. I've always run the Stihl synthetic oils and only mixed up fuel a litre or two at a time. I use Stabil in fuel left in the bottle or the saw - I run at least three chains so I can swap over in the field and worry about sharpening back home. This saw has often spent weeks bouncing around the farms in the back of a ute, left in the rain only to be called on to clear a fence or road and it's never let me down in the most appalling conditions. The saw loves a 20" bar and will chew through some extremely tough wood with the correctly sharpened chain. It loves sectioning up anything from 100mm up to 350mm and of course will cut much bigger than that if you finish cut from the other side. It's a little large for fine work but will cope with trimming the small stuff ok given it's reasonably light weight, but it's not a pruning saw by nature. I fell trees easily larger than the 20" bar and . I reckon the serious wood gatherer already has one of these, or knows of it. While a discontinued model now I would get another one if one comes up second hand as I know this saw will last for decades, it's certainly coped with all the abuse I've been able to throw at it.

best saw ever had – I was a pro logger as a youngster 18, worked KLC biggest logging co southern hemi.we had saws homelite, later i clear felled native bush in NZ, huskys no match, I suffered a stroke, have to cut logs i've felled on my knees. because my back gives in. the key, is EVERYTIME you move with the saw, brake on, flick with knuckles ON if you fall with… Read more

brake off, likely the saw still spins, then you ate mince on toast, 73 yrs old now, felling trees is like riding a bike, you never forget safety, love the ms 310

Fantastic – I bought this saw 18 years ago and have used it heavily on mostly massive Ironbarks. This frigging thing eats em every time. Runs and starts beautifully, every time. I'm now a die hard Stihl fan and won't even look at anything else. Add to this that the Dealer support is fantastic as all they do is Stihl's and they do it exceptionally well with… Read more

many spare parts in stock in the very unlikely event you need them. Anything else is just a waste of time and money.

Excellent, just the greatest – I have three Stihl saws 440..660..and 880 Just love my Saws I purchased these saws to cut firewood which I have done for some 40 years and have found Stihl saws the best. I used to use a farm boss for all my wood cutting, however I found it difficult to match up cuts on very large logs mind you I was cutting White Box trees which are very… Read more

dense (hard) so I decided that I needed the appropriate sized saw for the piece of wood I intended to cut thus I purchased the larger saws with longer blades, I run a 20" bar on the 440, and a 24" on the 660 and a 36" on the 880 which meets my every need I can cut through a 36"log in one cut which saves me time and effort and its much better for my small saws. Now all three saws start on the second or third pull every time, plenty of grunt and low vibration, parts are readily available and service is good. However I do all my own servicing, and sharpening. Now the only wood I cut with them is dry White Or Yellow Box which is very hard, or dense. so the saws do work very hard as I push them through the wood because time is money, Each saw does what is required of it with guts and grunt. Although I paid a premium for the saws I would replace them in an instant with another Stihl regardless of the price its is very true You Get What You Pay For, If you pay for the Best that is what you Get.

I would say the people who complain about Stihl, either do not know anything about Chainsaws and how to maintain them, or they have been truly unfortunate and purchased a lemon, which can happen. I can only write from my experience,

A few of years ago I found a 30 year old Stihl no bar and pieces missing, I found the pieces in another box covered in dust and oil looked worth nothing, gave the whole saw a good clean up put in fuel and a new plug, two pulls it sprang into life, four years later its still working as a post borer and still starts on the third pull.

I wouldn't buy any other brand.

Best Ever! – Best chain saw I've ever owned. (And I've had a few!) Had it for 12 years now, and still starts and runs beautifully. I do look after it, though. Great power to weight ratio, and cuts me maybe 10 tonnes of firewood annually without a whimper.

Ex pro logger – I worked for the biggest logging co in the Southern Hemisphere in the 60,s we used Homelite and Canadian After this I took up a contract felling Native in NZ, with a Stihl, it was a good saw In the 80,s 90,s I used a big Husqy But this 310 is the best saw ever owned, it is balanced, very powerful and unbelievably economical The person here… Read more

who gave 2 stars, must not know how to tune the saw

I paid a lot 415 second hand, but there you are, delighted, I just drop gums now, nothing over 16 inches and palms which are hard to saw with a saw which does not oil correctly

It is like a knife thru butter

Terrible – My saw has done less than 2 hours work, the second time I went to tension the chain, the nut and stud kept turning. I rang the Stihl dealer for advice. Easy fixed I was told, 1.remove the free nut and then remove the jamed nut/stud,2. replace stud using two nut tightened together and re-assemble (easy). I tightened two nuts together on the stud… Read more

and proceeded to tighten the stud into it thread (pop) the stud spins freely. I remove the stud and with it the entire (plastic thread) yes! can you believe it plastic! and this is the Farm Boss Im glad I didnt buy the Wood Boss its probobly held in with blutac. I can here all of you Stihl lovers out there "He overtightened it" fair asumption but not the case. I run my own Electrical company, 15 years on the tools, very carefull when tightening nut and bolts, I even have a $400 torque wrench in the truck for the wheel nuts. I read the instruction book cover to cover (this is my first chain saw) no torque settings in the manual (funny about that). Considering this tool is sold as a work horse, surly in a the life of a chainsaw these nuts would be undone and done up hundreds and hundreds of times. This is a design fault and if overtightening the nut could leed to a repair bill of $450 I wouldnt have bought the saw. Not covered under warranty, Wake up Stihl, you havent herd the last of me. I think if I accidently smash it with a sledge hammer I can go a buy a Husqvarna thats a Pro The lack of warranty, Stihl can go and shove there chainsaws where the sun dont shine.

Excellent – I bought this saw over three years ago and although not used every weekend it has suffered its fair share of abuse, cutting through termite laden timber, wandoo, sleepers, mulga and other bits and pieces.I am a first time buyer of a saw like this and when it was purchased the sales agent asked what my specific purpose was. I could have gone with a… Read more ·  1

bigger saw, but was talked out of it. The saw has started every time I have wanted to use it. I have shown it a fair bit of neglect by not using specifically measured 2 stroke mix, used old fuel etc. I have kept bar oil up to the unit and sharpened chains when required and it keeps on cutting. The only time I have had damage incurred was when I did lend it to a mate and he kept cutting with a dull chain and mushroomed the bar so it had to be filed. I have since learnt about lending two stroke implements to mates who don't know how to maintain and don't do that anymore. I have had the saw serviced once by an authorised service centre and accoladed to them all. Just before next winter I will get the saw serviced again. Its orange. Has a lot of grunt and works hard when you put in. Parts readily available almost anywhere but not readily available online :(. The benchmark in chainsaws. Look at Husqvarna or Jonsred if you don't like the Stihl! Mates asking if they can borrow your saw cos its a stihl.

Excellent – I had a McCullogh befor this and it was rubbish. I could not get it to start. Lasted about 1 weekend from memory. Since I have had this one I have never had a problem. I cut wood most weekends in winter for our fire and it has never let me down. Had it about 3 years now. I also leave it out in the weather a lot which I know I shouldn't but I… Read more

just get lazy sometimes and forget to bring it in. It still starts almost straight away anyway. Good powerful saw. Starts well every time. Air cleaner gets full of saw dust fairly quickly.

Excellent – it is good for home use and a must-have tool for around the home.M personal favorite saw is the stihl '66' it is so good for the farm as when you live on a farm there is trees to cut and the occaisinal clean-up after a storm. an '88' (last size) is prehaps the biggest saw and maybe a little to big although there are no critisisms there either.… Read more

still is an extremly good brand of chainsaw and it is a top product i could mention many great thing about this chainsaw but i wouyld have no room left to talk about it in my overall opinion! there is nothing to dislike about this saw.

Excellent – fantastic saw in every way. fantastic fire wood saw, can hadle the big stuff all day long. low vibrations. and with a Stihl its all stihl great power to weight. by far a better saw then the compitors, have used huskys before, no where near the stihl. great dealer backup. cant go wrong shoud have got the ms 390

Bad – This saw is a dog compared to similar size Husqvarna my brother owns. I have taken it back to the dealer twice, and he says nothing is wrong with it except the chain needs sharpening. I have to feather it through logs and go slowly, otherwise it will bog down. My brothers Husky will pull you through the log and keep going. The worst $400 I ever… Read more

spent. Now I have to decide, do I sell it, and saddle someone else with this thing, or dump it and get over it? Maybe I will *accidentally* run over it, and tell the wife I need a new saw! Nice color scheme Very little power compared to Husqvarna

Excellent – Being German-made, this saw is excellent quality, well engineered and reliable. It's not too heavy, is safe and easy to use and vibration is not excessive. I've had this model for about two years now and bought it as it was highly regarded and considered well engineered. Being German-made, I can believe it. I've found the saw to be easy, safe and… Read more

comfortable to use. I cut my own firewood on my bush block so mine gets plenty of regular use. I have it serviced by my local dealer once-a-year to keep it in tip-top condition. I do my own chain sharpening and recommend this to all users as it's quite easy to do and doesn't take long. You don't need special equipment, other than the right type of metal file and given what you can be charged for sharpening from a dealer, a real money saver. When I bought mine, I got a deal where they threw in a plastic carry case, safety helmet with ear muffs a container of bar oil and fuel oil and a fuel container. So, it's worth looking out for such package deals. No complaints.

Excellent – I am a very happy consumer with this one, hoghly recommended, starts easy, runs superb, has just the right balance of power and weight, not too heavy, but still a real chainsaw, that and the fact that it is a stihl, the only chainsaw. Mine is regularly used to collect firewood and has no problem with the larger jobs, and then absolutally creams… Read more

the smaller ones. Very nice saw, very happy. Absolutally everything about this saw is good, I have the 20 inch bar and extra log spikes fitted, and are very happy. The plastic case is also excellent None at all

Excellent – I use this saw alot! It has no trouble with what I do with it! Starts easy. Cuts logs like butter yet is light and nimble enough to get to where you want it! My saw has the 20 inch bar and is just a great all round. All purpose package! I would highly recomend this saw to anyone! It's a great saw to use! Has enough grunt to do what you need. Without weighing a ton! None at all!

Excellent – very good for home use, reliable, stronge and does not really vibrate that much, if you do not have one you should get one. I like the way that it is very easy to start, only on cold starts it might need a few more pulls than normal to start to work, but it is still a very good chainsaw to use aroung the house if you have some unwanted trees that… Read more ·  1

need to be removed or if you want to make some firewood for the winter season. NOTHING!!!!!!!! very good chainsaw, i've had no problems with mine since i bought mine. But make sure you get it serviced every year.

Excellent – wow i just got one of these today and i was surprised that the raw power this chain saw provides i went out today and strait to that annoying tree and bang it was cut in a short amount of time this is truly power tool and really cheap as well the pure raw power

Excellent – This is a really good solid chainsaw, without being too big, it can handle the larger jobs without stress, and still fits into that supurb orange plastic case. I have fitted two log spikes to the front of the saw and they let me get plenty of leverage to cut. This will cope with all of your household choores up to small farm duties. I cannot… Read more

say enough good words about it. It is small enough to allow easy use, and big enough to still look and feel like a man sized chainsaw. Excellent starting, nice weight, easy to handle, great plastic case. The elasto start handle is a huge asset, mine has the 20 inch bar and it is ace Too many greenies telling me to stop chopping down trees