Are all of these modded saws reliable, dependable, and will they last?

[Stumpys Customs]

No doubt on the chain. Everyting down south is way better. I own a ported saw but I don’t think running it is a rate gaining step in my industry. How much profit do you estimate you gain (vs the cost of porting and decrease in production life of your saw) from the modified saws?? Does your insurance company know you modify saws for your employees? How many employees and modified saws do you run vs non-modified saws ?? You kinda need to run both to make a comparison. What do your employees think about your saws and the fact that they are modified??

Please give me a real figure on just how much moddin a saw decreases the lifespan. Also is a modified saw any more of a danger than a stock saw?

 

[AUSSIE1]

Cute dodge, but do you know of any pro loggers/tree pros than know how to sharpen a chain, run a chainsaw and still choose to run a modified a saw?? I can count all I know on no hands and I work in the industry. Mods are for homeowners and cookie cutters. Pros?? Please, don’t kid yourself.

It wasn't a dodge Cent, but sarcasm.

OK, don’t look now but you did not answer the question fully. Your answer concerning modified saws is speculative at best and you have given no cost vs. profit data. Yup, them saws go like stink and everybody loves em, is great for the homeowner but businesses work in real numbers. Any other pros have some real data to work on??

Do what you ask of others. Your not exempt here. You ask for data, present your own.

You seem to be on your own going by the responses in this thread so far.

 

[Andyshine77]

A lot of people have talked about more wood on the ground and so on, but I've yet to see one number. Let's be completely realistic here, most ported woods saws gain little in the real world IMHO, and unless you redcoat the cylinder after porting, and somehow the added stress doesn't do any harm, a ported saw will not last as long period.

I like porting saw for fun, but most of my real work saw have a muffler mod and that's it, most of the power gains come from a simple MM anyway, I've even beat a few ported saw with my stock MM saws. A lot of this faster crap comes down to perception, it's loud so it must be fast, if this was so a HD would be faster than a Honda, sorry they're not. Now how many of the fast 372's in the AS build to you think would out cut a stock 372 with a good chain? I have a number for you and it's 0.

 

[Arrowhead]

I believe that a modded saw will last longer if the work is done right. The air flowing through the motor provides cooling, the better the flow the better the cooling. Opened up mufflers get rid of heat. but, there is a point where things start to go the other way and the life of the saw is shortened.........

100000% accurate !!

 

[RandyMac]

Hard to put a "believable" number on increased production with modified saws over the use of stock ones. Yes, I ran some modified saws, at least one of them was just a tad overboard and not as overall usefull. The quick and non-scientific answer is, yes, you will cut more wood in same the time it takes for a stocker.
On the chain sharpening, get a grip, on a file and learn to tailor the chain to the saw and the wood. You will be way ahead of dealer ground blue sawchain.

 

[MacLaren]

A lot of people have talked about more wood on the ground and so on, but I've yet to see one number. Let's be completely realistic here, most ported woods saws gain little in the real world IMHO, and unless you redcoat the cylinder after porting, and somehow the added stress doesn't do any harm, a ported saw will not last as long period.

I like porting saw for fun, but most of my real work saw have a muffler mod and that's it, most of the power gains come from a simple MM anyway, I've even beat a few ported saw with my stock MM saws. A lot of this faster crap comes down to perception, it's loud so it must be fast, if this was so a HD would be faster than a Honda, sorry they're not. Now how many of the fast 372's in the AS build to you think would out cut a stock 372 with a good chain? I have a number for you and it's 0.

Well, if keepin it real, then wouldnt you have to really take a stop watch to determine this faster crap and not how loud they are? Secondly, if a muffler mod is 10% and that accounts for most of the gain then I imagine the saw builder you choose is critical.....Not tryin to be smart here, just sayin, thats all....because some builders do get more than 20% gains. And they are very reliable saws.

 

[Andyshine77]

Well, if keepin it real, then wouldnt you have to really take a stop watch to determine this faster crap and not how loud they are? Secondly, if a muffler mod is 10% and that accounts for most of the gain then I imagine the saw builder you choose is critical.....Not tryin to be smart here, just sayin, thats all....because some builders do get more than 20% gains. And they are very reliable saws.

Hillbilly son I've ran saws from every builder you know of plus a few you don't, and if I remember correctly the man that builds your saws told me in person that he prefers most of his work saws to be stock as well.

 

[Anthony_Va.]

Hillbilly son I've ran saws from every builder you know of plus a few you don't, and if I remember correctly the man that builds your saws told me in person that he prefers most of his work saws to be stock as well.

You havent ran one built by me yet.

Prolly cause I've never built one. I have no horse in this race but it's making for a heated argument. I have a ported saw here I'm running for a fellow right now and it is peppy. I would'nt know how to put numbers on it though but it is faster than stock for sure.
A sharp chain does make alot of difference. I actually ran some square chain today (thanks Mike) for the first time that had just been sharpened. I could tell the difference right away, and I'm pretty decent at filing round chain. Square chain is the shizznit. Now I just need to learn how to file square.

Maybe they will run a bone stock 372 at the GTG and compare the times. Would be interesting, considering they are all using new chain from the same roll.

 

[Andyshine77]

You havent ran one built by me yet.

Prolly cause I've never built one. I have no horse in this race but it's making for a heated argument. I have a ported saw here I'm running for a fellow right now and it is peppy. I would'nt know how to put numbers on it though but it is faster than stock for sure.
A sharp chain does make alot of difference. I actually ran some square chain today (thanks Mike) for the first time that had just been sharpened. I could tell the difference right away, and I'm pretty decent at filing round chain. Square chain is the shizznit. Now I just need to learn how to file square.

Maybe they will run a bone stock 372 at the GTG and compare the times. Would be interesting, considering they are all using new chain from the same roll.

Anthony the 372's really respond well to even the simplest port work, the difference in trimmed cuts will be quite large.

What I'm trying to get across is the fact they're just too many factors that come into play when working with a saw. Just because this saw cuts this much faster over stock in a race, doesn't necessarily mean it will do the same in a work environment.

 

[Anthony_Va.]

Anthony the 372's really respond well to even the simplest port work, the difference in trimmed cuts will be quite large.

What I'm trying to get across is the fact they're just too many factors that come into play when working with a saw. Just because this saw cuts this much faster over stock in a race, doesn't necessarily mean it will do the same in a work environment.

Yea, I know what you're saying man. I cut for a small logging company for over four years. Never with a modded saw though. The actual cutting is a smaller part of the deal IMO. Driving wedges, planning the fall, etc., takes up alot of the time. Then it's just zip zip zip, and the tree falls.

I'm not disagreeing with any of the fellows here either though because I have no basis for argument. I'm just saying what I do when I am felling trees and the cutting is a smaller part of it. I mean, it takes seconds worth of actuall saw in the wood cutting to fell a 20" or even 30" tree with a 660.

 

[Andyshine77]

Yea, I know what you're saying man. I cut for a small logging company for over four years. Never with a modded saw though. The actual cutting is a smaller part of the deal IMO. Driving wedges, planning the fall, etc., takes up alot of the time. Then it's just zip zip zip, and the tree falls.

I'm not disagreeing with any of the fellows here either though because I have no basis for argument. I'm just saying what I do when I am felling trees and the cutting is a smaller part of it. I mean, it takes seconds worth of actuall saw in the wood cutting to fell a 20" or even 30" tree with a 660.

By the end of the day any good stock 70cc saw will have a lot of wood on the ground, more than I can handle anyway.

 

[MCW]

If it is in your operation or you need a modified saw to make up slack, you all need some serious help.

You shouldn't generalise with comments like "your operation". There are many different professional use scenarios involving chainsaws far different to what you're used to.

Mods are for homeowners and cookie cutters. Pros?? Please, don’t kid yourself.

You need to get out more. I'd bet my left nut that nobody around you uses modified saws because nobody around you has had the chance to. Guys like Simon, Tree Sling'r, Brad, Eric Copsey etc etc make money selling modified saws to professional users.

OK, don’t look now but you did not answer the question fully. Your answer concerning modified saws is speculative at best and you have given no cost vs. profit data. Yup, them saws go like stink and everybody loves em, is great for the homeowner but businesses work in real numbers. Any other pros have some real data to work on??

If I could scan about 50 pages of my notebook where I've logged over 8,000 trees comparing the same saw stock to modified you'd get a surprise. The numbers of trees per hour I felled went up around 20%. If you're not familiar with the work I do it is simple felling/dropping with some limbing at ground level. Anywhere up to 130 trees an hour on 18" or less or 520 odd trees a day ranging from 12" to 42" diameter. Over 8,000 odd trees my average felling speed was 37.5 trees per hour. Up from around 33 trees per hour with a stock saw to high 30's/low 40's with a modded saw of the same model. The speed increase came on the larger trees where the modified saw pulled a 32" bar with full comp WAY faster than a stock saw could pull the same bar with skip.
Most loggers and tree crews I've met still get their saws serviced by the local dealer, even down to simple things like changing a rim sprocket. Not the sort of IQ level that I'd think would even know what a modified saw was.
The other thing not mentioned here is weight and balance vs. power - why would you run for instance a stock 660 when a modified 460 will outcut it and prove just as reliable in a work scenario? How many loggers ever actually wear a saw out instead of just wrecking it?

I hold absolutely nothing against operators running stock saws, in fact I actually enjoy running the odd stock saw like my 200T (they don't run like a stock saw!). What may make you laugh is that 2 years ago or thereabouts I was against modified saws too. Then I bought one (with some hesitation but had some spare cash) and started running it in a paid situation. I don't like to call myself a pro, as that is putting tickets on myself and many people that call themselves "pros" are far from it, however I am paid to fell trees, both domestic and commercial, so some would call me a pro although I am not comfortable with that term.

No hard feelings with what I've said mate, it's just that I think you need to broaden your thoughts. For a pro logger felling, for example, 10-20 large, high value trees a day then I can't see the point of a modified saw, but there are situations where a faster, modified saw will pay for itself many times over. Mine was one of them and it is still ongoing.

 

[RandyMac]

Wait until you have hung a big inch saw over the side of a log, the size of a bus and was happy someone dug up a few extra beans for it.
Those extra minutes saved really add up in a hurry.

 

[MCW]

Wait until you have hung a big inch saw over the side of a log, the size of a bus and was happy someone dug up a few extra beans for it.
Those extra minutes saved really add up in a hurry.

Hah hah. You crack me up!

While you had one hand on said saw were you scratching your nuts with the other or rolling a smoke?

 

[RandyMac]

Hah hah. You crack me up!

While you had one hand on said saw were you scratching your nuts with the other or rolling a smoke?

Well, yeah, some of the bucking cuts took awhile.
I used to crouch down, put one foot on the full wrap, left thumb on the trigger and right hand pushing on the end of the rear handle. Some of the big Homelites would barely change tone, my boss said I was too tall to be a good bucker.

 

[David (saltas)]

Hah hah. You crack me up!

While you had one hand on said saw were you scratching your nuts with the other or rolling a smoke?

There is a lotta relief to behad in said sratching

 

[tdi-rick]

Hah hah. You crack me up!

While you had one hand on said saw were you scratching your nuts with the other or rolling a smoke?

Randy'd be scratching his nuts as he wouldn't have a rolly, he'd be drawing back on a Habanos

 

[RandyMac]

Bark dust on a sweaty sack, good Lord save us.

 

[MCW]

Bark dust on a sweaty sack, good Lord save us.

I'm hearing ya. No matter how much compressed air I use blowing the dust etc off my clothes my undies still seem to be able to store a few pounds of stealthy woodchips. Not game enough yet to stick 120psi down the front of my jocks. Might end up with something resembling a snake that's eaten half a dozen ostrich eggs and there ain't no Doctor gonna lance that...

 

[RandyMac]

I'm hearing ya. No matter how much compressed air I use blowing the dust etc off my clothes my undies still seem to be able to store a few pounds of stealthy woodchips. Not game enough yet to stick 120psi down the front of my jocks. Might end up with something resembling a snake that's eaten half a dozen ostrich eggs and there ain't no Doctor gonna lance that...

LMAO!!!
Let's see that Mousecalculator beat that.