The MS 881 chainsaw

stihl ms 881 professional chainsawThe new STIHL MS 881 is the world’s most powerful chainsaw in production today. Following on from the highly regarded MS 880 chainsaw, which was a favourite of foresters, the arboriculture industry and saw-mill operatives, the MS 881 was designed with the largest timber jobs in mind.

With the same overall power and weight of the MS 880, it is also still built in Germany with pro-grade materials such as a magnesium crankcase from our own magnesium casting facility. The MS 881 is a chainsaw to rely on for the toughest tasks.

This 121.6 cm3 powerhouse has an output of 6.4 kW/8.7hp and a huge 8.0 Nm of torque, all from a powerhead that weighs 9.9kg, or 12.7kg with the STIHL Rollomatic ES 75 cm/30” bar and STIHL .404″ Rapid Super chain.

the worlds most powerful production chainsawThe STIHL MS 881 system weight (powerhead only) of 1.5 kg / kW puts it in the same performance to weight category as the new MS 400 C-M chainsaw, the world’s first production chainsaw with a magnesium piston, and not far behind the STIHL MS 462 C-M which has an incredible ratio in the 70c class.

It is available in three different bar lengths in the GB market; 75cm/30” or 90cm/36” with a Rollomatic ES bar, and 105cm/41” with a Duromatic bar. Of course, other larger bar lengths such as the 120cm/48” can be fitted to it separately.

STIHL MS 881 petrol chainsawThis is also the only chainsaw in the STIHL line-up to run the sizeable .404” Rapid Super chain, which offers the highest cutting performance of all STIHL saw chains, with a full chisel tooth and low cutting resistance. This makes it perfect for pro forestry and wood harvesting.

With an all-new 2- MIX motor this is the only saw of this power and cubic capacity available today that meets the strict EU 5 emissions requirements. There have also been a number of additional refinements beyond the bold and aggressive design and the new STIHL 2-MIX powerful engine.

After pressing the stop switch, it returns to the starting position so the chainsaw can simply be restarted. You just need to press the decompression button and pull the starter cord.

STIHL professional chainsawCaptive nuts on the slim-line sprocket cover also mean you cannot lose them when you swap the bar and chain. This is a feature that is now standard across our entire professional chainsaw range.

The new oil pump regulates the oil delivery to give the best oil flow for the job at hand depending on the rpm level, which is a must when longer bar lengths are used on professional chainsaws like the MS 881.

What’s more, the new diagnostic socket means the chainsaw’s performance data can be analysed by STIHL Approved Dealers when maintenance or servicing is required. If the worst comes to the worst, any fault can be found and quickly rectified.

The addition of a HD2 filter also increases service life due to its high filtering effect, especially with the fine dust that can be found in a saw mill environment. It is also very simple to clean. You only need to clean it when you notice a drop in performance and you can find out how to clean it here.

With all of these features, if you are looking for the most powerful production chainsaw in the world for large tree removal and timber processing, the MS 881 is the saw to have. For more information, visit your nearest STIHL Approved dealer.

What professional chainsaw are you currently using? Let us know in the comments!

Paul Hicks
Paul has worked for STIHL for six years and is responsible for the range of STIHL products that is sold here in Great Britain, which means he definitely knows his stuff when it comes to all things STIHL.
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