Cord of wood with my new MS270

[dancan]

As for the muffler mod, I used to mess around with vehicles doing stuff like that when I was younger, it always seemed to have a hassle of some kind to it. I have quit that and have saved oney and been perfectly happy as long as I made the right choice.

Alot can be said for that statement .
Keep it simple and dependable , if it's your new and only saw find a good used one and play with it .

 

[7sleeper]

so guys... still loving the saw, but I'm thinking about the muffler mod. My only worry is tuning the carbs after. Last time I tried to tune my old craftsman I screwed it up so bad that it never has run right again.

So...any good carb tuning threads out there?

One other thing: what's the big deal about 3/8" chain? Why would you swap out a 0.325" one for that?

No!

Don't fool around you will save what 2, 3 or 5 sec per cut. Who cares? You take longer to manage and stack the wood than you will really save in cutting time. If you want to cut faster buy a 60, 70 or 80cc saw. You will be in a totally different league. And further get someone who will carry and stack the wood for you, that way you will be the fastest of all!

Oh wait this thread started a year ago!

7

 

[Smokerr]

Frankly I think the MS270/280 saws are the most underrated and under appreciated saws in the Stihl lineup (except by those who own them!)http://www.arboristsite.com/images/smilies/biggrinbounce2.gif.

I think they cut above their raring and levels.

I do not want any more saw or go pup in it. Very happy with it.

Only other one I would think about would be an MS260, and only if I was surveying again as it is lighter.

 

[Cliff R]

Haven't had the opportunity to run a MS270, but I'm hoping it's a lot more powerful than a MS250. My neighbor has a pretty new 250. I had the opportunity to run it recently, not overly impressive anyplace, but serves him quite well as he mostly just trims up limbs that come down in storms, small trees, etc.....Cliff

 

[Smokerr]

I cut at least 8 cords a year with the MS270. I wear out and its still going strong.

Hard frozen Birch, as cold as -25 or -30. Very impressed and happy with it.

Some knock it (Saw Troll) and on the surface his facts are right, but some things perform better in real world than on paper, the MS270 or MS280 are on that list.

Cuts great, and it has a fantastic anti vibration system that is flawless, you have literally zero buzz no matter how long you cut.

 

[MS460WOODCHUCK]

I my 270!!!:biggrinbounce2:

 

[AKDriveSprocket]

I have a older 280 that I rebuilt this spring with a 18 inch bar on it. Most of the trees that i`m cutting are under 18 inches and it is alittle lighter then the MS 361 that I have. I`m glad it is the 280 thou and not a 270, I have two Husky 350 and don`t need another 50cc saw. And yes it is a smooth running saw.

 

[engha_neer]

well, there's no way I'm doing the muf mod on my 270. I have a 250 that my dad gave me that was tiiiiiiirrrrrred, tired. Just wimpy when you got it buried in a log. It's his oldest saw--he rotates three at a time selling wood for a living and he figured this one had seen better days so he gave it to me. Anyway, I had some time this weekend so I get into tearing it apart, figuring it needed a piston and ring. Nope. Everything looked fine, so I meticulously cleaned and inspected everything as I put it back together, bought a new plug and air filter, and finished it up. But before I was done...sitting there with the muffler in my hand I thought: "what the hell, I'll open up the exhaust hole a bit" so I did. It was 5/16" to start with and I opened it up to 3/8". Just a slight change I figured.

Well, here I am, with the saw all back together trying to get the carbs tuned. It doesn't matter what I do, I can't get the saw to idle right. It SCREAMS on top end, but it's either idling waaaay too high or stalling. The "LA" screw (idle screw) doesn't seem to make any difference whatsoever, no matter how far I turn it in either direction. The low adjust "L" will stall the saw if it's turned almost all the way in, but as soon as you crack it out half a turn it revvs right up to what seems about half throttle.

Any thoughts on getting this to run right, now that I drilled out the muffler a bit? I didn't go very far with it--it was just a round hole to begin with and I just made it a bit bigger...

 

[Smokerr]

New muffler? Expoxy?

Yep, people like to talke about that stuff, but then when it goes wrong, you are the one that takes the fall.

 

[Smokerr]

I have a older 280 that I rebuilt this spring with a 18 inch bar on it. Most of the trees that i`m cutting are under 18 inches and it is alittle lighter then the MS 361 that I have. I`m glad it is the 280 thou and not a 270, I have two Husky 350 and don`t need another 50cc saw. And yes it is a smooth running saw.

I seriously thought about the MS280, but at that point I was two sizes above what I and the dealer felt would work fine.

I was sticking my neck out financially a bit, as $400 is not easy to justify, and I was not sure my source of wood was going to be consistently there (it was intermittent two years ago, but came back gangbuster this last year). I simply did not want to get in any deeper if it went away. It would pay for itself that first winter as I had scouted out the wood source and knew it was good for that.

Granted at times the extra go pup of the MS280 would help, but its less than 5% of the time. And its seldom in one spot, its spread out a percent here and there, so there is no more than a momentary frustration factor.

Long term I think the 270 will hold up better just because it has more heft to the output. That’s not to say the 280 wouldn’t last more than long enough to get your moneys worth.
At a real serious cutting rate, the MS270 might last 15 years and the MS280 10-12 years.

Given the money and the understating of the relationship I have gotten from my research since I got the MS270, I would go for the MS280 (for my use) as it would get me that bit of extra hp and at no weight penalty. For my cutting I don't think you would see the difference in life expectancy (I am guessing its good for at least 20 years).

Stihl, so happy with the MS270, that its not an issue. More something to keep in mind in that its a way to separate out things in that class saw as far as a decision goes. If the extra money is not an issue, then its a great way to go.

If the money is an issue and or you aren’t going to use it hard enough to justify more money, then the MS270 will not leave you the least bit unhappy.

In the rest of the world they discontinue the MS270 and just offer the MS280. It offers a clearer decision line in the choices apparently. Here, I think it lets them compete with the Huskys better.

 

[Evan]

did you take the carb apart? throttle linkage itself could be hung up and holding the throttle open just on thing to look into.

 

[SawTroll]

I my 270!!!:biggrinbounce2:

I have a older 280 that I rebuilt this spring with a 18 inch bar on it. Most of the trees that i`m cutting are under 18 inches and it is alittle lighter then the MS 361 that I have. I`m glad it is the 280 thou and not a 270, I have two Husky 350 and don`t need another 50cc saw. And yes it is a smooth running saw.

One of the problems with the 270/280 is that the weight and bulk (and price) is too close to the 361, while the power is nowhere close at all.

Build quality is much inferior as well, with a lot more plastic, but they are far from bad saws. Compared to the 290, the 280 shine as a brilliant star......

 

[AKDriveSprocket]

I got the saw in a box in pieces for really cheap, had a bad P&C. I`m sort of a sucker for good deals, if I think I can fix it for cheap. Took me a while to find a used cylinder off of fbay but put a new piston and ring in it. I used the MS 361 most of the time last year. But with the 280 a 1 1/2 lb or so lighter than 361, I thought I would try the 280 out instead of selling it. Smokerr why do you think the 270 will out last the 280? They are the same saw, but the 280 has a little more cc`s.

 

[engha_neer]

did you take the carb apart? throttle linkage itself could be hung up and holding the throttle open just on thing to look into.

I didn't take the carb apart, and the linkage is moving freely. The saw revs willingly, but it's idleing wayyyyy too high--the chain fully engaged and spinning. If I turn the low speed down enough, it will stall. Otherwise, revvvvvvvv....

Any idea why LA doesn't do anything? I thought it should have a stop, but it doesn't seat--it just will turn and turn without bottoming.

 

[Smokerr]

One of the problems with the 270/280 is that the weight and bulk (and price) is too close to the 361, while the power is nowhere close at all.

Build quality is much inferior as well, with a lot more plastic, but they are far from bad saws. Compared to the 290, the 280 shine as a brilliant star......

I will disagree with you on a number of points (all of them actually)

I got my 270 for $385 )18 inch bar). That is $200 less than an MS361 (US anyway). To me for what I do an need, that's a lot of money.

I seriously beg to differ that plastic and build quality have anything to do with each other.

Build quality is a combination of the mechanics, materials and operation. All are very good.

There is nothing wrong with good plastic. I have a cordless drill that I have dropped form 15 feet more than once and it just bounced.

Weight is not an issue. Granted compare to the 361 is not great, but that is the difference between a pro saw and a mid level. The MS260 is a good option if weight is really an issue. At some point the weight is low enough you won't tell of feel the difference.

I have cut all day on the wood pile with the 270, and my arms were fine, frozen yes, back tired form loading the rounds yes, but any issue with carrying or running the saw no.

My take is, its how it feels. I used to have a pair of good mfg, but lousy ergonomic steel toe shoes. I got a set of real good ones (Wolverine SKU 03778 for anyone interested). They felt two pounds lighter. They weighed exactly the same.

I don't know if the weight situation is its the ergonomics, the fantastic anti vibration system or both. Its simply not an issue.

If I was surveying, and carrying a lot more than cutting, then the MS260 would be my choice, but for cutting in a fixed area and off piles, its not an issue.

 

[Smokerr]

Smokerr why do you think the 270 will out last the 280? They are the same saw, but the 280 has a little more cc`s.

I have not been able to find out how they got they got extra CCs for the 280.

Bore makes walls thinner and stroke stresses things more. They got 4.7 more CCs out of it somehow. I like a de-rated machine over a harder run one.

More metal, better heat dissipation and less stress as it is not pushed as hard on the 270. It may not make a lot of difference.

For all the increase in CCs, they only gained 2/10 of a hp.

The MS270 saves money over the 280, and I like the de-rating. You might very well have to run the saw 8 hours a day for 10 years before you saw the difference. Maybe doesn't make any.

More a feeling thing, as well as saving some money as more money didn't gain much.

Overseas they only offer the 280. A tad more competitive hp to weight ratio and so close that two models not worth it, maybe no as budget conscious over there.

 

[engha_neer]

The 270 really is a perfect saw for me. I cut quite a bit of firewood, and take 3 or 4 trees down up to the camp over a weekend and it easily takes care of all the cutting I want to handle. 18-24" birch and maple all day, no problem. It's a great balance between fast enough so it don't take all day to buck up a big tree, and light enough so you can sling it around all day without thinking about it.

love it.

 

[Evan]

there are many bottom ends that carry difrent displacment tops ends like

357/359
044/460/440/441 then big bore kits aswell

372xp/372xpw/365/362

270/280

290/310/390

and im sure many more

 

[Smokerr]

Agreed. I would like to see how they get it, bore, stroke or both.

I may have to send an email to Stihl and find out.

As the MS280 is the only choice for the rest of the world, I expect its pretty solid. I do love the 270 though, and I liked the money savings.