Durability check on the MS500 and MS462 how are they holding up?

[Oldsawnut]

So I have been on the fence about buying either the 462 or 500 for a while now.... Both seem to be well reviewed saws. I'm looking for opinions on how well the hold up to abuse and long term dependability... I prefer to work on my saws and don't really want to buy any expensive diagnostic equipment. I have had luck with the mtronic saws I have but perhaps the injection is more dependable long run. Not worried about the price difference and don't really need either. I do like my saws to work when I need them. So who out there has really seen these saws put through the ringer. BTW I really don't like primer bulbs but its not a deal killer either. I'm sure some TS500 owners might be able to chime in and perhaps someone who can say they do in fact share the majority of primary parts. Again I am mainly interested in dependability and ease of maintenance.

Thanks,
John

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

I don't use mine professionally, but I know a couple of guys that have been running the 462 daily at their tree removals and they love them. 3 of them that I know of. All of them have been around a bit over a year at this point and I don't know of any of them going down so far. Lots of mid-sized bucking. In tree work on big spars. They still run the 661's on the real big stuff, but anything that a 28" bar can handle, they pretty much run the 462's.

 

[Skeans]

Been running a 500i in production falling application for a while and it’s been great it’ll run a 36 without issues.


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[Crispexx]

Not myself but one of the guys on my fire crew, he has ran a 462c for about 18ish months by now and has about 125 +/- hours on it. We had a pretty killer fire season here in California last summer and we ran that saw into and through the dirt, still held up fine. Biggest thing is my guy knows what he’s doing and how to maintain a saw. We just got a 500i but it probably has 10 hours on it so not much to say about that one yet.


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[Oldsawnut]

Thanks for the replies guys .. Anyone here work on both much? Either one vastly simpler than the other or pretty close.

 

[madosta]

Curious how the 500i would handle the dirty cutting in burned wildfire conditions and how the air filtration holds up vs the 462.

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[farmer steve]

Can't help much on the 500 but have ran my 462 a good bit. All just firewood cutting but lots of noodling. Only issue I had was on a real hot day and ran out of fuel I had a hard start issue but that might have been my fault for not catching it before I ran out. Only running a 20" bar on it.

 

[Skeans]

Curious how the 500i would handle the dirty cutting in burned wildfire conditions and how the air filtration holds up vs the 462.

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A few guys I know are cutting with the 500’s out in the burn haven’t had an issue or failure as of yet.


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[Crispexx]

Curious how the 500i would handle the dirty cutting in burned wildfire conditions and how the air filtration holds up vs the 462.

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For the little amount of time we’ve ran the 500 (tree felling, not fire line cutting yet) we’ve noticed some super fine materials do seem to be getting past the filter on it. Possibly our fault for not securing the filter properly? I’ve seen people use the 661 max flow filters pretty successfully, might give that a go.


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[lone wolf]

Can't help much on the 500 but have ran my 462 a good bit. All just firewood cutting but lots of noodling. Only issue I had was on a real hot day and ran out of fuel I had a hard start issue but that might have been my fault for not catching it before I ran out. Only running a 20" bar on it.

Thats a winter gas issue i think you had.

 

[farmer steve]

Thats a winter gas issue i think you had.

It was early August. Fuel doesn't stay around here that long. I was noodling and might have ran it pretty low trying to finish a cut.

 

[lone wolf]

It was early August. Fuel doesn't stay around here that long. I was noodling and might have ran it pretty low trying to finish a cut.

Well maybe the gas was old when you bought it, with Covid now its been sitting a lot because people are driving less? Or something like that.

 

[bayard]

i have a 462 with a 36 bar on it. i have run 20 tanks with it. great saw,

 

[thomasinvancouver]

I had an apprentice sawyer drop my 462 on a bridge deck. No damage. He was trying to save it, but I was more worried about him. I can buy parts for the saw with much less effort than carrying him 3 miles to the trucks.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

Spent today falling, limbing, and bucking 10 walnuts, 2 boxelder, and 1 ash. 462 ran perfectly like it has always for me. 28" Tsumura full comp hand filed Archer chain...love this setup.

 

[MS500i R]

Own both, run both mostly cutting firewood (a log truck at a time). 0 issues, I follow the Stihl maint schedule.
Ps if in western WA, Ace in Lake Stevens has a 500i R model sitting on the shelf.

 

[KarlD]

My 500i has been flawless with daily use. Same with two other firms I know that run them. Mine has already earned its money and even if it went pop tomorrow it wouldn’t matter. I think it’s going to run and run though

 

[Oldsawnut]

LoL that's funny they are both just too good. I keep waiting for someone to say anything negative about one or the other but you just don't hear much about failures or annoying quirks of either.

 

[Oldsawnut]

Does anyone ever just prime the bulb a couple times in the morning or do you always do it all 8? on the 500

 

[Crispexx]

LoL that's funny they are both just too good. I keep waiting for someone to say anything negative about one or the other but you just don't hear much about failures or annoying quirks of either.

We did have one 462c that ran for a couple hours then just wouldn’t start again, turns out the carb had an issue. So technically not the saw lol.


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