STIHL ms361 firewood maker

[old-cat]

I like the light weight of the ms361 and I like the fast cutting of the ms440. How much work and cost would it take to make the 361 cut like the 440? Or am I just dreaming? I'm a retired engine machinist (4 cycle) just now learning 2 cycle engines.

 

[Matt J Leppek]

Welcome to the site. Send the saw to one of the site sponsors that do port jobs. The cost is roughly 250 depending on how much you want them to do, opening ports, doing a MM, raising compression. You will see noticeable gains and it will extend the life of your saws. Ifyou want to do it yourself there's lots of how to threads on the subject.

 

[saxman]

I modded the muffler on mine, run a 18" bar with 3/8 RS chain and a 8 pin sprocket. It cuts pretty fast like that without any further modifications.

Steve

 

[Mpbowyer]

This is purely an engineering mathematical reply. It is not backed up by experimentation, and it is dependent on many blatant assumptions.

Based on this ONE video, an MS 362 (post pore / pre-port) made the same cut 6.95/9.45 = 40% faster than stock.

As a mechanical engineer only really thinking of this for a few seconds, I consider making the same cookie as doing the same amount of work. Power is the capacity to do work in a given time, so the ratio of cut times should be the same as (or inverse of) the ratio of power.

Purely mathematically then, assuming a lot of things, the modification would have caused the saw to go from 4.6 to 4.6*9.45/6.95=6.25HP.

I understand that what I'm saying is that a modded 362 will run with a stock 460, which I think is (experimentally) false, but math is math, and this is the conclusion of math.

Come to your own conclusion.

Then imagine what a modded 460 would do :msp_wub:

 

[H 2 H]

Welcome to AS

I'm up in Stanwood if you need help

Start off with a MM and retune you carb will get you gains on your saw

 

[SawTroll]

mpbowyer, what you posted is misuse of maths - it takes much less than a 40% raise in power to make a 40% difference in cutting times - and then there are several other factors than max power involved.....:msp_wink:

 

[diggers_dad]

Welcome to AS!

If you're thinking about modding a 361, I hope your retirement check is substantial and steady. You are heading down the dark road we call CAD, Chainsaw Addiction Disorder. I have spent many hours and dollars in search of the "perfect saw". It doesn't exist. I have settled on 40 or so to meet my meager needs.

Best advice I have is as others have already posted, modify the muffler to flow more, adjust the carb accordingly. There are many threads on how to do that. Adjusting the carb after the modification is CRITICAL. Don't miss that step.

Be safe!

 

[Anthony_Va.]

A 361 with a mean port job will definitely run with a 70cc saw. There's a few guys on here that can help you out with that.

 

[tree monkey]

A 361 with a mean port job will definitely run with a 70cc saw. There's a few guys on here that can help you out with that.

what he said

 

[RAMROD48]

After a couple hours, I cant keep up with how fast my stock MS361 can make firewood blocks...

Admit it, you just want cool factor...:msp_wink:

 

[sbhooper]

After a couple hours, I cant keep up with how fast my stock MS361 can make firewood blocks...

Admit it, you just want cool factor...:msp_wink:

Yep. I am too old to keep up with my mm 361! It is a cutting machine and if I want more, I grab my little 441!

 

[old-cat]

Thanks all of you for the excellent input!

Welcome to AS!

If you're thinking about modding a 361, I hope your retirement check is substantial and steady. You are heading down the dark road we call CAD, Chainsaw Addiction Disorder. I have spent many hours and dollars in search of the "perfect saw". It doesn't exist. I have settled on 40 or so to meet my meager needs.

Best advice I have is as others have already posted, modify the muffler to flow more, adjust the carb accordingly. There are many threads on how to do that. Adjusting the carb after the modification is CRITICAL. Don't miss that step.

Be safe!

After researching alot on this website, I believe this is the best advise of all. I have lots of experience tuning carbs and I also modified my ms290 muffler and removed the H-L limiters.

 

[H 2 H]

After researching alot on this website, I believe this is the best advise of all. I have lots of experience tuning carbs and I also modified my ms290 muffler and removed the H-L limiters.

While get at that MM and show us pic's of it make so both openings 90 to 95% of the inlet of the muffler :msp_smile:

 

[old-cat]

After a couple hours, I cant keep up with how fast my stock MS361 can make firewood blocks...

Admit it, you just want cool factor...:msp_wink:

Are you cutting 4' dia. fir? That's what I'm doing. With an ms 441. I'd much prefer doing it with a lighter saw that I modify MYSELF! That wood be COOL!

 

[John_DeereGreen]

Send that puppy to Stumpy for some Stumpbreaking...it'll wax a stock 440.

 

[BarkBuster20]

If you wanna make it run with a 70cc saw, with bigger bars, your going to have to get the oiler pumping harder, or else your always going to be limited in how long of a bar you can run. May not have a big enough oil tank anyway.

 

[old-cat]

If you wanna make it run with a 70cc saw, with bigger bars, your going to have to get the oiler pumping harder, or else your always going to be limited in how long of a bar you can run. May not have a big enough oil tank anyway.

Thanks for the advice, I've already found that info on this superb website! And I have the parts numbers on my list. It's a little difficult for me to understand though. I bought my ms290 with 20" bar for doing the lion's share of firewood cutting, and I also got a 28" bar with full skip chain for occasional big stuff. Well, I have had no problem at all with the big bar, I just can't lean on it very hard. NO problem with "not enough oil". One chain is almost wore out and the bar still looks almost new. After reading the info here about the 290 not putting out enough oil, I got spooked and quit using the big bar! Someone else said this bar and skip chain will work fine on the 361.
I don't have a 361 of my own yet, that is the first thing on my get list. I don't want one that looks beat up. If it don't run, no problem, no bar, no problem!