video of me running my MS660 in Texas

[csx7006]

Here is a video of me running my stihl MS660 in elm in Amarillo. Please critique me on my work and mods for the saw besides the DP muffler which i will get in NC.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsZUL9hl0gg



I wont be on the puter for a few days since i will be heading back to NC and back to the Marine Corps ways again.

 

[ky-homelite]

I'm not the end all and be all of saws here, but it sounds like you need to set the idle up a little on the saw. Back when I got my 660 early in the summer it was the same as yours and would die when I'd set it down to do some work between cuts.

 

[belgian]

Nice vid. A few comments :

- your 660 seems to be a hard starter. I can honoustly say all my saws start a lot better. You should get it tuned.
- I don't know if it's very hard wood or if your chain is not sharp; at least it seems as if your saw is not a good performer. It bogs also down too easily imo.
- when a tree goes over, it's best to haul @ss (escape route), not to stay with the stump.

I didn't know they had trees in Texas either

 

[blsnelling]

Thanks for posting a vid. I wish more people would post pics and vids. I enjoy them. You asked for advise so here's my opinion. Take it for what it's worth.

1. You're dogging the saw way too much. Just let the saw eat and keep the RPMs up where it won't bog. It'll cut faster and put less heat into the engine. Your clutch will thank you as well. It seems to cut quickly when it's not bogging so I'm thinking the chain isn't too dull. Never run a dull chain though. You put a lot of extra heat into the engine when you do.
2. The saw started hard the second time because it was probably flooded. It looked like you choked it again when it did'nt want to start right away. Fast idle would have probably done it.
3. It sound like your saw may be running a little lean. I heard no 4-stroke at all when you revved it up to clean it out. Pull the limiter caps and retune.
4. Careful revving the saw and spinning the chain when you walking, and especially when stepping over logs.

Thanks again for posting. Most are probably too scared of the flack to post their work

 

[csx7006]

I do need to retune the saw but im worried about leaning it so much i cause the engine to sieze up.

 

[blsnelling]

It sounds a little lean now. Try richening it up 1/16 turn at a time until you hear a slight burble at WOT. Spec on your saw is 13,000. Make sure you cut the tabs off of the limiter caps and reinstall them. There are no springs on the needles to keep them from turning after adjustment.

 

[ironray]

Please wear eye protection. It can be very dangerous getting a wood chip in your eye in the middle of felling a tree.

Thank you for your service.

Ray

 

[Wood Doctor]

(1) Your felling wedge was cut way too deep. Had the tree been full height, it may have gone down by itself and on top of you. You only need to cut about 1/4 to 1/3 the way through the trunk--never more than half.

(2) The felling cut (#3) was a little low. Always be sure that it's an inch or two above the point of the wedge to make a hinge. Otherwise, the tree can flip back on you.

(3) Always wear ear and eye protection.

Keep up the good positive attitude!

 

[Evanrude]

Biggest thing I saw aside from the saws performance is you were revving it while stepping over logs and walking around the tree, which is VERY DANGEROUS!!!

Get that saw a DP cover and tune it. It'll be much happier.

BTW, you make that saw look HUUUUUGE!

This is how you learn, dont take these comments badly, we're just trying to help you out.

...AND THANKS FOR WHAT YOU DO FOR THIS COUNTRY!!!

 

[blsnelling]

This is how you learn, dont take these comments badly, we're just trying to help you out.

+1

 

[ENN]

Wow - nice saw

I cant precicely judge the size of the tree - but i think your saw should be cutting faster (dull chain?)

A tuning of your carb would be good i think

I am very worried to lean my saws - and have a hard time determining if they over rew. but i have purchased a Stihl rew counter to help me adjust the saws - it makes it very easy to adjust the mixture

Just warm up the saw - take a short WOT burst reap the max rpm - adjust and try again until you reach the max specified rpm (always adjust the carb to the rich side when adjusting)

I have adjusted mine a litte to rich - so they rum app 500 rpm bellow max rpm - i think that is better since the saws are quite new and not fully broken in

 

[masiman]

The good parts:

chaps
facecut
backcut
fall direction


The parts that you can try to improve:

No hearing, eye, head protection. I doubt your CoC would let you go outside the wire without your battle rattle. Same thing here, you never know when it will hit, so you need to be 100% all the time.

No use of the chainbrake
- When you want to move, get in the habit of setting your brake
- When you set the saw down, set your brake.

Better planning on your cut. You basically did okay, a few mods would have made it better.
- I try to make my face cut and start my back cut from the same side if I can.
- I would have made my face cut lower since the remaining spar was not a big danger. Saves having to make another flush cut later and moving a pretty big chunk of wood without binding your bar.
- I thought the face cut was a little deep also.
- I thought your backcut was too low also.
- It looked like you were throwing sawdust. Also I was expecting your saw to not bog as much given its power. Given this I thought your chain was dull, I could be wrong on that and it may have been technique as others stated.
- Your space around the spar looked cluttered, if you had to get away, where would you have gone? When the spar fell, there is a branch to your right rear that moves. If things had been laying differently on the ground you could have had something popped into you. Plan that escape route and get away from that stump. You need to get away from that ambush zone at all costs.

Your saw was difficult to restart. Others have more knowledge than me on this.



I thought you did well. I salute you for your service and for an honest video posting. It's easy to be a critic, much harder to do the actual work. Even harder to put yourself out there for critique. I have never posted a vid of me but I should subject myself to this same trial.

Do well in the Corps, we are all supporting you!

 

[peter399]

:agree2:

Good post above.

My comments:

- No ear, eye, head protection! Always use helmet!
- Face cut too deep. Stop the face cut when you have reached 80 % of the diameter, normally not more than 1/3 of the way in.
- Too small angle on the face cut. Aim at getting it 60 degrees. Bigger angle of the face cut will guide the tree all the way down. Small angle will cause whats left to break halfway down and the trunc can bounce in either direction (towards or on you).
- The saw bogs easily. This can have to do with it being a MS660. A 395XP would have been a more powerful saw... Or you chain is dull... Or you are pushing too much. Never put weight on the saw, that means your chain is dull. A sharp chain will eat it's own way through the cut.
- Saw seems to be badly tuned and hard to start warm as the others have mentioned.

 

[Chris J.]

I'm not the one to speak (others with more experience have offered good constructive criticism), but one thing I definately would've done was clear the area before you started on the main trunk. Too easy to trip over something & get hurt, especially when you're not using the chain brake when walking around with the saw, & even with it idling on the ground. Not to mention having a clear escape route.

Take care of yourself, soldier.

 

[Tzed250]

:agree2:

Good post above.

My comments:

- No ear, eye, head protection! Always use helmet!
- Face cut too deep. Stop the face cut when you have reached 80 % of the diameter, normally not more than 1/3 of the way in.
- Too small angle on the face cut. Aim at getting it 60 degrees. Bigger angle of the face cut will guide the tree all the way down. Small angle will cause whats left to break halfway down and the trunc can bounce in either direction (towards or on you).
- The saw bogs easily. This can have to do with it being a MS660. A 395XP would have been something to use if you wanted to lift a lot more weight and tighten loose fasteners the whole time you were running it... Or you chain is dull... Or you are pushing too much. Never put weight on the saw, that means your chain is dull. A sharp chain will eat it's own way through the cut.
- Saw seems to be badly tuned and hard to start warm as the others have mentioned.

:monkey:

 

[Tzed250]

CSX,

I know you will get the hang of it, but pay attention to the constructive comments above.

Try both cuts of your face cut from the same side, it will be easier to make the corners meet.

One very dangerous thing I saw you do was let go of the front handlebar while cutting. Never do this. If the tip of the bar were to contact something there would be nothing to stop the saw from rotating right back into you. Always keep your left hand on the bar with your thumb wrapped around the bar.

Keep it safe Marine, and for my Dad, Semper Fi

 

[RiverRat2]

I'm not the one to speak (others with more experience have offered good constructive criticism), but one thing I definately would've done was clear the area before you started on the main trunk. Too easy to trip over something & get hurt, especially when you're not using the chain brake when walking around with the saw, & even with it idling on the ground. Not to mention having a clear escape route.

Take care of yourself, soldier.

He is not just a soldier,,,,!!!!!!! he is a Warrior!!!!!!!!

Yep,,,, get the dual port,,,, retune the carb,,,and like Brad said,,, sharpen the chain!!!!!!!

Use the Chainbrake when moving,,,, as peter suggested open your face cut angle a bit and use 1/3 diameter notch rule for the depth of the face cut,,,,

and as Roland said do not stay with the stump,,,, ever,,,,, even if you have a rope on it,,,,,, plan your exit before you bring in the back cut and use it everytime!!!!!,,, also use two inch minimum rule for the back cut height,,, over the horizontal face cut,,,2" above,,,,, the bigger the tree go even higher,,,,, this insures the spar will have some stump shot to keep the spar moving forward as it commits to the fall

If you want,,,,, send me your saw just before you leave and I will remove your limiter caps & tune it with a dual port,,,, and sharpen your chain so it will sling chips like this,,,,

 

[Longwood]

Nice Saw, thanks for posting the video and your service.

 

[Brownpot Deaton]

semper fi..

first of thanks for your service...

second agree with everything said, but add 2 tihings/possibilities...

(im just guessing what might be going on here)either you are pushing the chain in hard or the chain is so agressive its pulling the saw in the boggin, but either way the dawgs definantly help

(personel preference)and as for me, i NEVER walk on the same side as the face cut just as a precaution, unless i have to, but i dont think it mattered here ....

also, take Rat up on his offer, youll never meet a greater and more helpful person.

God Bless!!!

p.s. where in texas was this....most likely around sea level id imagine, so if you do get it tuned while here, make sure altitude isn't a big diference when you go back....and get Rat to show you what 4-stroking is incase altitude is a problem

 

[peter399]

:monkey:

Tzed: I just had to wrap in a line about the 660 vs 395 in the text for plain fun, but as always the Sihlhead's eyes were open :hmm3grin2orange: