The autotune dilemma

[Dave27483]

Ok so one of the saws I work on most and service most is the autotune husqvarna saws, which I belive are really great saws if kept serviced, just like any other brand...
But there is a problem I have with one thing and that is the nylon air filters that can be supplied with the saw, you see here in Australia all our saws are supplied with felt style air filters as they are supposed to filter down finer which I can totally back that up to be true.
The point of my story is though there are many arborist that import saws from the USA as they can get them cheaper (and why not) but.... and a BIG but they run them with with the crap nylon filters that are supplied with the U.S. spec models which then suck dust to the point where the carby jets get partially blocked and the saw runs like an absolute dog, this has become such a big problem here that it's really tainting the husqvarna brand which is really sad.
What I can't get my head around is WHY does husky insist on making these nylon filters, they just are not good enough.

 

[Dave27483]

And to ad to that I know what the problem is, but all the arborist blame the autotune, grrrrrrr

 

[ArcticOverland]

The problem is the user. Autotune is great, but it doesn't make a saw idiot proof.

Just like tuning a saw for differences in air density or picking the right chain and bar for the job at hand, the user should be configuring the saw correctly by picking the type of filter the operating environment demands.

Nylon filters work great for most people I imagine, with notable exceptions such as milling or cutting dry dusty hardwoods in the bush, but who could reasonably complain if they buy something from outside their region without trying to see what's different?

We're back to the first part. The problem is the user.

 

[ArcticOverland]

Something I left out is that the nylon filters aren't crap. They're just not suitable for the saw being used in specific conditions. My 1997 254 which is VERY well used still wears its original piston and cylinder and has only ever had the original nylon filter fitted. It shows that a nylon filter works perfectly well. I think the pictures below should show that clearly. My 242XP is just the same and it doesn't have 'air injection' prefiltration. So just be careful saying something is crap when that's simply not true.

 

[Andyshine77]

The nylon filters are useless in most conditions! I'm sure they work fine in Finland. However Husqvarna products are sold elsewhere, and for some reason the big wigs at Husqvarna don't seem to understand this fact.

 

[ArcticOverland]

I can only go on my own experiences. 242, 55, 254, 543, 560 and 576 all do perfectly well with nylon filters, 40 and 80 micron types.

Nylon filters are standard equipment and not only in Finland, nor only on Husqvarna saws. Stihl are also supplied out of the box with nylon filters, as are most other saws supplied here.

The fact remains that it's a users fault if he doesn't set up his tools correctly for the work he's doing.

 

[Chris-PA]

Like everything else, the filter material selection is going to be a compromise. Something that removes much smaller particles is going to clog sooner and likely be more restrictive to air flow, which means it must be cleaned more often and likely needs more surface area. If the filter is bigger then that impacts on the physical design/packaging of the saw, and possibly weight. Air filtration is clearly one of the things saw designers have struggled with.

 

[blsnelling]

Stihl are also supplied out of the box with nylon filters, as are most other saws supplied here.

What models would that be?

 

[ArcticOverland]

What models would that be?

I had a look at a 361 which had a Stihl mesh air filter at a dealer here in Helsinki a few years back. I commented at the time that it looked more coarse than I was used to on the Husky saws. It stuck in my mind for that reason and I've never had any need to question what I was told. Am I misinformed? Could be and would be thankful to be told if so!

EDIT - I should clarify, I'm writing about Stihl saws here in Finland. Flocked filters may be standard in the USA, but I wouldn't know that or be able to make any such observation. I CAN observe that most any Stihl saw I've seen used here has a nylon mesh filter, including a new saw I inspected with a view to purchasing it at a Stihl dealers. So don't beat me up for making sweeping generalisations!

 

[CR888]

The user has some responsibility to correctly set up his saws especially if he does it for a living. l hate the nylon filters and always replace them. They are next to useless in our country and should not be sent here but its common with brands outside of husky too. One reason my daily 50cc saw is a porded ms261 is due to its air filter setup. I have solo's with the husky style intake/filter setups and they are not anywhere near as good as the round auto style hd2. But knowing this also means with some oil and adjustments you can make pretty much any saw do what it needs too. I am not sure what the AT system has to do with filter quality?

 

[ArcticOverland]

Here is another good example, an 023C with a mesh filter. I cannot find so many being advertised used here where they show the filter but trust that it's the common configuration...

http://www.tori.fi/keski-suomi/Moottorisaha_sthil_023c_19966767.htm?ca=19&w=3

 

[Dave27483]

Personally I would never ever recommend a nylon filter except maybe on a top handle as they don't operate in as dirty conditions.
Belive me the nylon filters are causing a massive issue here in Aus.
I agree with arcticoverland in the fact that a person should set it up for the conditions but most of us on this thread are enthusiast and always find the best way to set up a saw. But a lot of the users I'm talking about just buy a saw online run it till it stops and than bag the hell out of the product online and are so darn ignorant to the fact that if they had botherd to do a little bit of research they could have a saw that would never fault.

 

[sunfish]

I ran a nylon mesh filter on a 346 for over 10 years here with no issues. Saw still runs fine, real fine.

 

[Dave27483]

The user has some responsibility to correctly set up his saws especially if he does it for a living. l hate the nylon filters and always replace them. They are next to useless in our country and should not be sent here but its common with brands outside of husky too. One reason my daily 50cc saw is a porded ms261 is due to its air filter setup. I have solo's with the husky style intake/filter setups and they are not anywhere near as good as the round auto style hd2. But knowing this also means with some oil and adjustments you can make pretty much any saw do what it needs too. I am not sure what the AT system has to do with filter quality?

Sorry I was not targeting autotune saws it's just a few people online keep talking crap about how bad autotune is but I know it's because they run the nylon filters. And beacause they don't service there equipment right... Same old story it's always the products fault

 

[KenJax Tree]

I've never had a problem with the nylon Husky filters, just tap them out every fill up or so. The fines that got past the filter have never caused a problem.

 

[sunfish]

I run mostly felt filters now.

 

[Dave27483]

I ran a nylon mesh filter on a 346 for over 10 years here with no issues. Saw still runs fine, real fine.

What timber do you mainly cut ?
Some of our real dry hard woods here put off such fine particles it seems to pull straight through the mesh. I once was using a 562xp on some old hard wood and after about 4 hrs of cut time I could not start the saw again. I then removed the nylon filter and to my horror the inlet was filled with debries

 

[sunfish]

What timber do you mainly cut ?
Some of our real dry hard woods here put off such fine particles it seems to pull straight through the mesh. I once was using a 562xp on some old hard wood and after about 4 hrs of cut time I could not start the saw again. I then removed the nylon filter and to my horror the inlet was filled with debries

I cut Oak, Elam, Walnut, Hickory mostly dead wood. Semi dry and dusty, but nothing near as bad as you guys have down there.

 

[Big_Wood]

I ran a nylon mesh filter on a 346 for over 10 years here with no issues. Saw still runs fine, real fine.

how many tanks a year? . around here the nylon filters work fine as long as you stay out of dead cedar or fire kill. all the other soft woods standing green or on the ground crispy sling big enough chips even the black nylon filter works. with my chains anyways LOL

 

[Ronaldo]

I cut a lot of standing dead Elm and some dead Oak, some green wood too. Have felt filters on the 371 and 555, but my Jonsered 2152 came with a nylon type and I greased the seam where the filter halves snap together because of a small amount of fines and it does just fine now.
The nylon filter is working great and is much easier to keep clean.....as long as it works like it has been, I will continue to use it. I have seen many posts about the extremely dry and hard wood you cut in Australia and have to assume that we just dont have that type of situation here very often.