MS 440 Magnum Vs. MS 460 Magnum

[bvaught]

A few weeks ago I bought an MS 440 Magnum. My thinking at the time was that it would have enough power (95% of my cutting is firewood) and possibly greater reliability than the MS 460 Magnum. Ever since I have wished I bought the more powerful MS 460....or maybe I should have bought the MS 660 ....or maybe the MS 880. I cant seem to be satisfied...but I digress.

In an effort to justify my decision I researched the part #'s of the MS 440 Vs. MS 460 crankshaft, con rod, piston, wrist pin, etc. Hoping to find that the MS 460 was essentially the same chainsaw with a 2mm larger bore. Unfortunately I cant find any "real" information on these parts. The crank has a different part #, but I hope it is just a larger counterweight not different alloys. The con rod is not listed as a seperate part #. What are the pistons made of(type of aluminum and manufacturing process)? Luckily the wrist pin is the same. And yes I hear you all yelling moot point.

The other issue I have is the Dual Port Muffler that has been mentioned on this site repeatedly. Does anyone have actual experience putting one on an MS 440. It is actually a part for the MS 460. Are you trading low end torque for high end horsepower? Or do you gain all around.

Stihltech I would love to hear from you, your posts are the highest quality so far.

 

[TonyM]

The MS460 is not just a MS440 with a different piston/cylinder, so if you're wondering if you can simply upgrade to the MS460 by buying a couple parts, I don't think so. With that said, the MS440 should have plenty of power for firewood duty. How many tanks of fuel have you run through the saw? You will notice quite a difference between a new saw and one that has about 10-15 tanks of fuel run through it. Give it time to break in, and then if you are still wanting more power, the dual port muffler would be a good place to start. If you still want more power (like who doesn't), send your saw to one of the resident saw builders. Only draw back I've found to running modified saws is that they're loud!

 

[WoodTick007]

Wrong Operator?

A few weeks ago I bought an MS 440 Magnum. My thinking at the time was that it would have enough power (95% of my cutting is firewood) and possibly greater reliability than the MS 460 Magnum. Ever since I have wished I bought the more powerful MS 460....or maybe I should have bought the MS 660 ....or maybe the MS 880. I cant seem to be satisfied...but I digress.

In an effort to justify my decision I researched the part #'s of the MS 440 Vs. MS 460 crankshaft, con rod, piston, wrist pin, etc. Hoping to find that the MS 460 was essentially the same chainsaw with a 2mm larger bore. Unfortunately I cant find any "real" information on these parts. The crank has a different part #, but I hope it is just a larger counterweight not different alloys. The con rod is not listed as a seperate part #. What are the pistons made of(type of aluminum and manufacturing process)? Luckily the wrist pin is the same. And yes I hear you all yelling moot point.

The other issue I have is the Dual Port Muffler that has been mentioned on this site repeatedly. Does anyone have actual experience putting one on an MS 440. It is actually a part for the MS 460. Are you trading low end torque for high end horsepower? Or do you gain all around.

Stihltech I would love to hear from you, your posts are the highest quality so far.

Perhaps you could share with all of us your disappointments with the Stihl 044/ms440. What size wood did you intend on cutting with the saw? The 044/ms460 will easily pull a 28 inch bar. This would allow the opertator to cut wood to 60 inches or 5ft. Are you felling and bucking trees in excess of 5ft?

 

[stihltech]

ms440

In hardwood, most of our operators feel a 440 with a 20 inch or 460 with a 24 inch bar works well.
Get it broken in first, get the vented muffler cover AND richen the carburetor internally as well as externally. Match the exhaust gasket and muffler inlet while your at it.
If you are still not happy with it, the only cure will be more power.

 

[Toneman]

..... AND richen the carburetor internally as well as externally.

What do you mean by "internally" and "externally" ?

 

[bvaught]

Trees over 5ft!!?? I havent cut anything over 16" diameter yet! The saw works fine, and I realize I have more saw than I need.

Stihltech, what do you mean "internally" I assume you mean I should tune the saw with the H and L adjustment screws (externally) and use a bigger fixed jet (internally). If so how much bigger should I go?

I was also hoping someone might know some very specific differences between the MS 440 and MS 460 in terms of the metallurgy used in each. In other words is the construction of the 440 crank,con rod, piston the same as the MS 460 with just a 2mm smaller bore? Or is the 440 a weaker cousin (read cast vs. forged parts).

I have only run about 5 tanks of aviation fuel through her so far. The reason I use avgas is that I work at the airport on weekends so its easy to get, the shelf life is longer, and generally it is a much higher quality fuel than cargas. No to mention it makes the chainsaw smell like an airplane or race car (take your pick).

 

[glens]

The 044 is a long-time work-horse in the industry and in no way other than displacement does it play second fiddle to the 046.

 

[bvaught]

Thank you glens... I feel better now.

 

[WoodTick007]

Trees over 5ft!!?? I havent cut anything over 16" diameter yet! The saw works fine, and I realize I have more saw than I need.[/COLOR]

Sooooo then. What is the point of this post?

 

[Lobo]

Sooooo then. What is the point of this post?

I interpret it as he had buyers remorse and was having second thoughts about his chosen model. He did buy a great saw however.

 

[bvaught]

Sooooo then. What is the point of this post?

Yes, I may have more saw than I need, but not more saw than I want or can handle.

Its not really remorse, I made a good decision. I bought a saw that I can brag to all my friends that I have the biggest saw in the neighborhood, and it may well last a lifetime.

In the future I will make my posts more of a question and less of a story telling session.

 

[Sylvatica]

The 440 is very good at performing the work it was designed to do.
All the operator has to do is use it correctly, and given that, I can't see a reason to feel anything other than satisfied with that saw. I can accomplish the majority of my work with a 200T, a 346XP, and a 440/372.
But if you find yourself pushing the limits of the 440 (and you are not yet) then you need another saw, as stihltech said.
If you want us to tell you it's ok to buy a 660....then go ahead!

 

[Ekka]

Yeah, I can just imagine how your arms would feel after a day of slab'n up firewood etc with a 066.

Horses for courses, that's why most of us own an array of saws and generally speaking we will use the lightest one with sufficient power to get the job done.

I have a 044 and 046 because there is a difference in weight and power. And over the period of a day all those hundreds of cuts and tanks of fuel add up. Not only do you have the extra weight but the extra tension when operating the various saws. The 046 will shoot out of a pinched log real quick while the 044 may not. And the 066, well hang on tight because if you give that baby an inch it will take a mile.