Stihl MS391, my first saw, help me accessorize it

[Chris J.]

Accessorizing....lately my wife has been into scarves and has received a lot of compliments. Finding the right colors to go with orange & cream could require fresh eyes, might be a good idea to bring along a friend with good fashion sense.

 

[realitycheck]

Accessorizing....lately my wife has been into scarves and has received a lot of compliments. Finding the right colors to go with orange & cream could require fresh eyes, might be a good idea to bring along a friend with good fashion sense.

So far i've found these to match the orange,

Bailey's - Labonville X-Treme Competition Chainsaw Safety Chaps


I need to change the subject line of my post, lol.

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Lol

It is ok bro We all do it Just be safe out in the wood shed

 

[homelitejim]

X2 on everything you said. I have a 25 for my 391, it can turn the chain pretty good but nothing like 044 will to that chain lol.

***GORE WARNING***

A sharp chain is the best thing for cutting, along with chaps. I recently cut my leg with my 391 and it went through my flesh like butter. Here see for yourself.
Pic 1 After the cut
Pic 2 Waiting for stitches
Pic 3 Next morning. (look closely and u can see where the bumper spikes went into my leg)

I am impressed, those dawgs really dig in before the cut. Is it a factory Stihl dawg? I thought there was going to be something about Al Gore in this post.

 

[CR500]

I am impressed, those dawgs really dig in before the cut. Is it a factory Stihl dawg? I thought there was going to be something about Al Gore in this post.

yeah factory stihl 391 dawg. I can say I have been bit by a dawg once in my lifetime.

 

[redneck09]

No such thing of a full wrap for a MS391 and only performance upgrade u can do for it is pop another hole on the oposite side of the bar and put a deflector on it or pay a machinest to port it. Trust me i got one and thats all i could find after almost 2 years of reaserch and talkin to Pros

 

[kodiakyardboy]

The first accessory you want is a modded muffler

These saws really wake up after a muffler mod. Watch some youtube videos on chainsaw tuning and read up on muffler mods. It has been done many any times with good pictures. You'll need to retune your saw afterwards but it is something everyone with a saw should know how to do. Dual dogs and a metal clutch cover can be added later, but you want to learn how your saw runs and drives first.

 

[redneck09]

It runs really good stock. It eats the wood once u get it broke in. I bought a spare muffler, modified it, and there was no gain at all IMO

 

[redunshee]

I would also say: just run it stock..
Before starting to work let it heat up, so it's on fine running Temperature and if it's worked hard, let it cool down a bit in idle.
Always keep it clean especially cylinder and coolingair intake..

Letting it warm up is new to me.

 

[redunshee]

It runs really good stock. It eats the wood once u get it broke in. I bought a spare muffler, modified it, and there was no gain at all IMO

Maybe you didn't open it up enough. You can go at least 95% of the exhaust port. You also want to circumvent the interior baffle. One way is to drill a large hole directly in front of it, behind the front deflector.

 

[mortenh]

Chain and bar maintenance

Oregon has written a quite good manual about saw chain and bar maintenance (sharpening etc) OREGON Maintenance and Safety Manual

The information is valid regardless of chain/bar brand (except, of course info about Oregon chain specifics).

 

[redheadwoodshed]

I'm amazed, 4 pages and nobody said what a overweight pig the 391 is.They must have ran one, at last. I've been using mine 2 years now and I am still satisfied with it.I wouldn't do a muffler mod until the warranty ran out, however.You never know.There's a couple of chunks gone out of the clutch cover, but other than that, she has been a right good saw.

 

[Pongu]

291 could be called overweight. 391 is only a little heavier than a pro saw and a great saw for its intended purpose. The clutch bearing may be a little on the small side, but other than that it is a very powerful, reliable and enjoyable saw. I'll never forget the grin on the face of the guy who bought my 390, when he tried it out! Sometimes I actually miss it.

/Pontus

 

[Whitespider]

Here’s a short list of handy accessories (and extra parts)… most probably ain’t absolutely necessary, but sure can be handy or a day saver at times. I use a sturdy plastic toolbox to keep my “stuff” in… grab and go that way. Over time I’ve added to it as I “learned”.

• A bar scabbard protects the cutters during transportation (as well as protecting the carpet and seat material of your pickup).
• An extra scrench… gawd I hate it when I lose my scrench.
• A couple of cheap paint brushes, one with the bristles trimmed back and reserved for brushing off the air filter, the other for general purpose (such as brushing crap away from fuel/oil caps before opening).
• An extra set of bar nuts… when you drop one, it bounces off your tailgate, and lands (somewhere) in ankle deep leaf-litter you’ll understand.
• A hand sledge and an assortment of plastic bucking wedges.
• An extra spark plug… nothing worse than having one “crap out” on a Sunday afternoon when you’re 8 miles from town.
• Couple of shop rags.
• Some sort of tool for cleaning the bar groove… I use a putty knife with a “hook” ground on one corner.
• ”Strike anywhere” matches.
• Couple extra chains.
• A length of good rope, or cable (wire rope).
• Extra pair of gloves.
• A small first-aid kit, like they sell for backpackers.
• Screwdriver for adjusting the carb.
• A pry bar… can be used to free a lightly pinched saw.
• A second guide bar… you can take the power head off a tightly pinched bar (this is when you’re most likely to drop a bar nut) and use the second bar to cut the pinched bar free (a different length bar gives you options, but you’ll need different length chains). Besides, you never know when a nose sprocket bearing could “go south” on you.
• Your sharpening equipment (of course).
• A hatchet or hand axe.
• I also carry an extra rim sprocket and air filter (used) because I have room in the box… and ya’ just never know.

 

[SawTroll]

Hello everyone, as you can see I am a newbie here. This will be my first saw and I want it to last a very long time. I want to outfit from the get go to make it run right. I am going to put the 20" bar on it. I have been reading about bigger dogs, ceramic roller chain catchers, etc. This is all new stuff too me. So what should I put on the saw to get me started?

Thanks all for your help.

The most important you can do is keeping the chains sharp, and don't bother with any add-ons unless you find that you really need them.

 

[redneck09]

Maybe you didn't open it up enough. You can go at least 95% of the exhaust port. You also want to circumvent the interior baffle. One way is to drill a large hole directly in front of it, behind the front deflector.

Looks like ill try that again

 

[SawTroll]

291 could be called overweight. 391 is only a little heavier than a pro saw and a great saw for its intended purpose. The clutch bearing may be a little on the small side, but other than that it is a very powerful, reliable and enjoyable saw. I'll never forget the grin on the face of the guy who bought my 390, when he tried it out! Sometimes I actually miss it.

/Pontus

I didn't intend to say this, but your post forced me to do it;

There is basically nothing great about the 391, it is a plastic cased saw "consumer" that is way overweight for its power, and has a well known history of air filter issues.
The 291 actually is a lot lighter - but in the same general category.

 

[Pongu]

The 390/391 is intended as a powerful consumer saw, not a pro saw. Although I've noticed that several tree services use it professionally and I don't think they would if there were quality issues with it. If you're a professional logger, by all means, get a pro saw. For average joe cutting firewood and felling the occasional tree, the 390/391 is a great saw. Powerful, reliable, robust. I really, really liked mine, but since I started to tinker more with my saws, I prefer the non-clamshell design because it's easier to get the cylinder off it. I guess you never owned one, so :taped:! :msp_biggrin::msp_biggrin:



/Pontus

 

[redheadwoodshed]

I didn't intend to say this, but your post forced me to do it;

There is basically nothing great about the 391, it is a plastic cased saw "consumer" that is way overweight for its power, and has a well known history of air filter issues.
The 291 actually is a lot lighter - but in the same general category.

What air filter issues?

 

[redheadwoodshed]

Hey, Whitespider, were can you get strike anywhere matches.I thought they were outlawed?I miss them so.