Recently purchased a husky 346xp thanks to all of the info I gathered here , anyway I just realized I'm only using the cheap stuff ( 87 ) and was wondering what you guys are using ? Would 89 be good enough or should I be using 93 , not to worried about price as I'm only cutting firewood and don't go through enough gas in this one saw to hurt the wallet , I'd rather burn whats best for the saw . The manuel says use a min. of 87 and just says higher if doing alot of limbing at hi rpm's .
What octane are you using ?
- Thread starter chugbug
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Bowtie
Gearhead
87 isnt going to burn up your saw, but in my opinion, higher octane will serve the saw better. I use 91 octane, as its the highest octane pump gas available her without going to av gas. The rental service business I work for uses 87 on all their 2 stroke mix oil, and havent had any problems.
jburlingham
Addicted to ArboristSite
The gas station closest to me doesn't offer a 91 Octane, so I use 93.
lower octanes are more prone to knocking, I don't think 89 is going to damage your saw but at cents a gallon difference with the minimal consumption rate of a saw it should break the bank to go with the good stuff.
lower octanes are more prone to knocking, I don't think 89 is going to damage your saw but at cents a gallon difference with the minimal consumption rate of a saw it should break the bank to go with the good stuff.
danbeg
ArboristSite Lurker
Read the manual
I don't get it... you just bought a killer-rippin' hot-rod Lincoln lil' chainsaw for no small amount of $$, and you don't know what octane to use in it? Have you read the owner's manual? I believe Husky recommends 91 octane. I would also heed their advise on mix oil... use synthetic. Best stuff you can find. Don't scrimp on these, keep your chain sharp, bar straight, air filter and plug clean, and turn up the oiler. It ought to perform for years on end.
Bottom line: These machines are designed by engineers who really know chainsaws better than anyone else. Sure, there are plenty of folks who can squeeze tons of poop out of a saw, but how long will those saws last? Personally, I love production. It's what pays my bills and those of my crew. I love saws that perform day-in day-out. That means stock machines... or at least 99%... maybe tweak the exhaust A LITTLE by drilling the baffles A LITTLE. #####in' saw, the 346XP! I have a couple.
I don't get it... you just bought a killer-rippin' hot-rod Lincoln lil' chainsaw for no small amount of $$, and you don't know what octane to use in it? Have you read the owner's manual? I believe Husky recommends 91 octane. I would also heed their advise on mix oil... use synthetic. Best stuff you can find. Don't scrimp on these, keep your chain sharp, bar straight, air filter and plug clean, and turn up the oiler. It ought to perform for years on end.
Bottom line: These machines are designed by engineers who really know chainsaws better than anyone else. Sure, there are plenty of folks who can squeeze tons of poop out of a saw, but how long will those saws last? Personally, I love production. It's what pays my bills and those of my crew. I love saws that perform day-in day-out. That means stock machines... or at least 99%... maybe tweak the exhaust A LITTLE by drilling the baffles A LITTLE. #####in' saw, the 346XP! I have a couple.
Bowtie
Gearhead
Drilling the baffles makes it not stock dude. quit being a hypocrit. By the way, I bet ya my modded saws cut faster and last much longer than your "stock" saws.
Vangellis
ArboristSite Guru
Hi Chugbug.
Nice saw. Where in N.E. PA. are ya. I'm about a 1/2 hr. north of Scranton.
Kevin
Nice saw. Where in N.E. PA. are ya. I'm about a 1/2 hr. north of Scranton.
Kevin
Don't be a fool....Like my father in law....God love 'im!
Use Ultra and synthetic oil. I buy it 5 gal. at a time (the gas that is). It isn't expensive like if you were to fill your F-350 with it! An ounce of prevention....No pun intended!
Can't get 93 UL (no corn fed) anymore, 100LL AV gas!!!
Hey Kevin , I'm a bit south of you down near Benton or just north of Bloomsburg .
danbeg ,you must have scanned through my message in a hurry !! The manuel says to use a min. octane rating of 87 but if your limbing alot and running hi rpm's to use a higher octane but doesn't say what rating to go with . I was wondering if a higher octane makes the saw run hotter and maybe to hi of a octane could actually be a bad thing .
danbeg ,you must have scanned through my message in a hurry !! The manuel says to use a min. octane rating of 87 but if your limbing alot and running hi rpm's to use a higher octane but doesn't say what rating to go with . I was wondering if a higher octane makes the saw run hotter and maybe to hi of a octane could actually be a bad thing .
danbeg
ArboristSite Lurker
It's spelled "Hypocrite" you dufus!
I said 99% stock. And I'd bet any amount of money any saw you modify will not last as long as a stock saw. Sure, your's will outperform mine, but when you're tweaking your's, mine are making me money. Oh, by the way, I've got roughly 48, maybe 50 saws or so amoung our 4 crews. Of those, 2 (both are Husky 353s) have exhaust baffles drilled SLIGHTLY. Try that with hot saws!
If you're going to bash someone, learn to spell. Butchering the English language may be something you do well... perhaps similar to what you do to saws?
What a jerk.
I said 99% stock. And I'd bet any amount of money any saw you modify will not last as long as a stock saw. Sure, your's will outperform mine, but when you're tweaking your's, mine are making me money. Oh, by the way, I've got roughly 48, maybe 50 saws or so amoung our 4 crews. Of those, 2 (both are Husky 353s) have exhaust baffles drilled SLIGHTLY. Try that with hot saws!
If you're going to bash someone, learn to spell. Butchering the English language may be something you do well... perhaps similar to what you do to saws?
What a jerk.
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91 is as high as you can get where I live, unless it's an ethanol blend. I've recently switched from 87 to 91 in an MS180 and a Husky 44, and it resulted in a notable improvement in the performance of both saws.
By all accounts on this board, ethanol is to be avoided. So as you search for higher octane fuel, make sure it's not a blend. If it is, it should say so somewhere on the pump, though it may be pretty small & hard to find.
By all accounts on this board, ethanol is to be avoided. So as you search for higher octane fuel, make sure it's not a blend. If it is, it should say so somewhere on the pump, though it may be pretty small & hard to find.
John Henry
ArboristSite Lurker
My 385XP/390XP manual recommends 87 minimum octane, though also suggests higher octane "when working with continuous high revs (e.g. limbing)". Recommends Husky mix oil. That's not a synthetic, I don't think, is it? Could be, but don't know.
It's probably a good idea to use the higher octane, since as others mention, it's just a few cents a gallon, which is now a lot cheaper than it was 6 months ago (I blame speculators, by the way).
mtfallsmikey
Addicted to ArboristSite
I use 93 octane Shell, no ethanol in it. I'll start using Ultra when my existing stock is gone.:greenchainsaw:
Bowtie
Gearhead
OK,:newbie: :bringit:
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PA Plumber
Addicted to ArboristSite
100 Octane LL Aviation Fuel.
Great smell. Oh, and I have a feeling it might not be too bad for the saws.
Great smell. Oh, and I have a feeling it might not be too bad for the saws.
clayman
ArboristSite Operative
I'm of the opinion that if the manual says use regular gas there is no benefit in using hi test. There is a general assumption that if a gas costs more it must be better when it really is just different. The purpose of hi test is to avoid pre ignition in really high compression engines. It is mostly just a less volatile mixture.
Even in todays computer controlled car engines there is really not much advantage in using hi-test in cars that call for it's use. The engines automatically adjust themselves to use regular gas if it's put in. In modern cars the worst thing that happens is the loss of a few horsepower. This is true even if it's a hot Porsche.
But if it make you feel better to use high test in your saw; I've nothing against feeling better.
Even in todays computer controlled car engines there is really not much advantage in using hi-test in cars that call for it's use. The engines automatically adjust themselves to use regular gas if it's put in. In modern cars the worst thing that happens is the loss of a few horsepower. This is true even if it's a hot Porsche.
But if it make you feel better to use high test in your saw; I've nothing against feeling better.
limelakephoto
ArboristSite Operative
I always use 89-91 octane. My manuals say" Minimum 89 or Higher octane, using lower may cause overheating, poor performance or engine damage." Remember also, gasoline looses octane value as it gets older ! For an extra 10 cents a liter i'll keep using higher octane gasoline.
