And 661 is 3 lbs heavier than the 500
I've only had a couple of saws that i knew i wasn't going to own for very long. Not that they were problematic, or anything like that. They were one's that i ran into such a good deal that i was about guaranteed to make money on them. As for the 500i, it seems to be the king of the heap of the 80cc displacement saws. A quick google search of my 066 says that with my dual port muffler cover it's supposed to be 7.8 H.P. a fair amount more than a stock 500i @ 6.7 H.P.
.404 is for big saws.
I run .404 RM on my ported 395 and ported 3120 for production cutting and milling because I get logs dropped off and they have some sand in the bark. .404 puts a lot of load on a saw, but it has a bigger cutting tooth which stays sharp longer (especially the semi-chisel).
So you “can” run .404 on a 500i, I‘m just not sure why you’d want to.
.404” is indeed “slower” than 3/8”.
I was on a .404” kick at one time for my 90cc saws but I’ve scaled that back/ swapped the tips on a few bars to 3/8” & learned better.
I’ve got (1) 12mm bar left, 36”, that will probably stay .404” just for stumping dirty butts.
This 41” bar now has 3/8” half skip on it rather than the .404” full skip. Much smoother as well as faster.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Oh, i do have to admit all of mine is all full comp, and all hardwoods. So all of this might be useless to you, if your running semi or full skip and cutting softwood. And i'm only cutting firewood, so yeah that 3 lbs. could be a deal breaker for someone carrying it all day long.My 461 (6.0 HP) runs the 32" B&C just fine. It's not like the 0.404 is so much bigger. I've little doubt the 461 could pull a 24" B&C with a 0.404 chain just fine. The 500i with a 28" 0.404 B&C seems like a logical step up in capability.
I'll 2nd that ...Cheers !Pulp is a marketable product I’d put it above firewood any day.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Absolutely correct in my mind , unless Stihl bottom ends are inferior to my 50 + yr old Pioneer Girls !My 461 (6.0 HP) runs the 32" B&C just fine. It's not like the 0.404 is so much bigger. I've little doubt the 461 could pull a 24" B&C with a 0.404 chain just fine. The 500i with a 28" 0.404 B&C seems like a logical step up in capability.
Apparently you have not run any Pioneers in your time.I have a 32" .404 bar for my 066. It works pretty good, and i think the semi chisel's ability to stay sharp is worth some cutting performance. I had a 32' .404 bar on an Echo 800P it was more than it wanted. I wouldn't put it on anything smaller than a 90cc saw.
The above description sums up this firewood hack’s experience which is the main reason I have kept the .404 on my old 82MAC. Chain speed isn’t everything.Here are some of my thoughts from my timber felling days ... I preferred the wider kerf of the .404, finding I got stuck in a pinching cut significantly less often than with 3/8ths chain. Over the course of a day, week, or cutting season, those fewer minutes and less aggravation wedging a pinched bar out of a misjudged bucking cut or rotating limbing cut ... .
The 500i is no better in any way than a Dolmar 7900, which was designed more than 20 years ago.I wish the 880 didn't have the large bar mounts. I recently picked up a 24" 0.404 and would love to run it on the 461.
And I thought the 500i was suppose to be this new lightweight powerful saw. Is it just that it is new and has the novelty of EFI? I might have to wait and find one I can operate. Most peeps here buy new saws like I buy socks. If it isn't for decorating the shop wall space, it is for porting and bragging and reselling a year later, when there is something else being hyped that becomes a "must have".
I have no use for waste product.[emoji1]Pulp is a marketable product I’d put it above firewood any day.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Pulp in Upper MI is often yellow birch, oak and hard maple. All make excellent firewood.I have no use for wast product.[emoji1]
I'm just busting balls, some of these guys get way too worked up about a freaking tool.Pulp in Upper MI is often yellow birch, oak and hard maple. All make excellent firewood.
To split hairs the 500I has 1 more HP and is almost a pound lighter.The 500i is no better in any way than a Dolmar 7900, which was designed more than 20 years ago.
But western soft wood cuts like butter. Even Larch and Douglas Fir, which is about the best firewood the state of MT has to offer.I'm just busting balls, some of these guys get way too worked up about a freaking tool.
I've cut professionally almost all my adult life and not everything makes so much sense..404 is for big saws.
I run .404 RM on my ported 395 and ported 3120 for production cutting and milling because I get logs dropped off and they have some sand in the bark. .404 puts a lot of load on a saw, but it has a bigger cutting tooth which stays sharp longer (especially the semi-chisel).
So you “can” run .404 on a 500i, I‘m just not sure why you’d want to.
The current 7900 is down on power and up on weight compared to the original version, which was a conservative 6.3HP 14lb 13ozTo split hairs the 500I has 1 more HP and is almost a pound lighter.
I hadn't thought of a 7900 in years. I bought one back when they first came out and was surprised when I just looked up the specs.
Enter your email address to join: