The STIHL 050 AV is one of the popular Series 1111 chainsaws, which also includes the 051, 075, and 076.
It only had a short production run from 1968 to 1972, so you don’t see many of them around today.
The 050 is an excellent saw for those who love using these old dinosaurs. They’re heavy, clunky, loud, and will shake you half to death, but they’re awesome.
We shared this comment in our STIHL 075 review, but it also applies to the 050:
The 1111 series (050/051/075/076) saws are a bit heavy and primitive, but they can usually be found for a reasonably good price.
The main problem with these, in my experience, is that they were often used (and abused) commercially, so you really have to watch out for saws that are just completely worn out.
Look for makeshift repairs, stripped bolt holes, missing bolts, gouged pistons, etc. The difficult-to-find parts are the muffler, NOS jugs, and pistons. However, Stihl made a BUNCH of TS760 cutoff saws; these take the same jug and piston, so I’ve bought a few of these.
Anyway, because of the weight and parts availability, it’s not a great saw for lugging around in the woods if you’re cutting daily, but lots of folks use them for milling.
The standard or base-model 050 is the 050 AV.
There is another much rarer version, the STIHL 050 Super.
Wayne Sutton shared this STIHL 050 AV Super, and posted:
I have only seen 3 of the Super variety 050’s. Each has been slightly different, which I attribute to the damage that pro saws normally see. Some parts have been replaced etc. I was not involved when they were current models, and they may have been only regionally available.
I think that the big item which I noticed was a removeable head on a larger bore jug. There may be and is no doubt other things which I did not notice but I had one old sawshop owner tell me that they were the test platform for the 075.
This one is the best condition one I have seen but it has a blown-up motor.
STIHL 050 AV specs:
- Displacement: 89 cc / 5.42 cu in
- Power: 5.8 hp / 4.3 kW
- Bore: 52 mm / 2.05″
- Stroke: 42 mm / 1.65
- Weight: 11.4 kg / 25.1 lbs
- Bar: 21″ – 30″
In a thread on FB about parts interchangeability, Johnsie said:
051 and 050 parts are interchangeable; most parts are also interchangeable with 075/076.
[To see if the saw is genuine] take off covers and check for the parts number inside shroud. Should start with part number 1111. I don’t think copies have part numbers on them.
Both 050/051 are the same displacement. 051 was the replacement. I have both and can’t see any difference. 051 has electronic ignition, unless it’s one of the early ones.
As to whether or not it’s a rare chainsaw, Jason said:
The 050 AV is not a very rare saw. I have 2-3.
Not really a test saw for the 075 either. That was the 050 Super, which is rare. Had a 2 piece cylinder and a single ring piston. I have a Super, but someone has swapped the piston and cylinder 🙁.
So, if you’re collecting rare chainsaws, look for the 050 AV Super.
There are no 050s for sale on eBay at the time of writing, which is a sign that while it might not be the rarest chainsaw, it’s not that easy to find them.
Do you have an 050?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. And visit @chopper_ruiji on Instagram to watch videos of the pictured saws in action!
