ECHO CS-520 Advice.

[wyk]

I have found an Echo 520 in great condition for cheap. Only one problem - it's an Echo. Will it respond well to a MM? Does it have a rev limiter? I'm looking for a reliable 50cc saw to drag off to europe with me for a bit to work on small trees, etc.

 

[farrell]

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/18569-2.htm

found this thread here has a little info in it for you if you havent read it.

 

[mountainlake]

You won't find a more reliabe saw, they cut good stock but really wake up with a muff modd. My favorite saw out of my herd of 20 or so, most brands. Steve

 

[indiansprings]

Maybe the 520 echo I ran was a lemon but I had a friend that brought one over and wanted to compare it to my 346 and 261.
Imho it was of the weakest feeling saws of that cc class I've ever run.
I tuned the saw as it was running blubbering rich and it helped a little but not greatly. The saw was well constructed and looked like a quality built saw, but it was not even in the same ball park as a 346 or 261. It had a little less grunt than his stock Husky 350. Again, it is the only one I have touched and maybe not a good example of the 520, but based on that particular saw, I wouldn't waste money on one.

 

[wyk]

I'm not too worried about the power if it will wake up to a muffler mod. It will be for small trees and limbs mainly. But, most importantly, it must not be rev-limited. I won't spend a dime on a new coil for it.

 

[mountainlake]

Maybe the 520 echo I ran was a lemon but I had a friend that brought one over and wanted to compare it to my 346 and 261.
Imho it was of the weakest feeling saws of that cc class I've ever run.
I tuned the saw as it was running blubbering rich and it helped a little but not greatly. The saw was well constructed and looked like a quality built saw, but it was not even in the same ball park as a 346 or 261. It had a little less grunt than his stock Husky 350. Again, it is the only one I have touched and maybe not a good example of the 520, but based on that particular saw, I wouldn't waste money on one.

Shouldn't base your opinion one one saw, if I did I wouldn't buy any Stihl or Husky saws either as I've run quite a few that were real dogs including some pro models My stock CS520 cuts faster than my Rancher 55 and 029 Stihl both run good. With a muff modd it's no comparision. Did you see a vid a little while back where a 45cc Echo cut faster than a 56cc 029 Stihl by a good margin, I did. Steve

 

[wyk]

Shouldn't base your opinion one one saw, if I did I wouldn't buy any Stihl or Husky saws either as I've run quite a few that were real dogs including some pro models My stock CS520 cuts faster than my Rancher 55 and 029 Stihl both run good. With a muff modd it's no comparision. Did you a vid a little while back where a 45cc Echo cut faster than a 56cc 029 Stihl by a good margin, I did. Steve

OK, so it's decent? Since it's EPA 2 I assume it's not got a limited coil on it?

 

[pgg]

The Echos are a great choice for females, but you'll find that the chicks who use Huskys Jonsereds or Stihls are always better-looking than the Echo chicks. Apparently the Echo brand is a popular choice amongst the gay community as well

 

[o8f150]

The Echos are a great choice for females, but you'll find that the chicks who use Huskys Jonsereds or Stihls are always better-looking than the Echo chicks. Apparently the Echo brand is a popular choice amongst the gay community as well

i resent the gay cpmment,, i like the 2 echos i have,,not a thing wrong with them,,,
i had teh 530 wyk and the 520 is identical to it just a bit older. like it was said that 520 will be a screamer with a MM and tuned,, If i remember right you will get about 13,000 out of it,, but i may be wrong

 

[pgg]

i resent the gay cpmment,,

Better re-phrase it then to:

"Apparently the Echo brand is a popular choice amongst the gay community as well - not that there's anything wrong with that"

 

[o8f150]

Better re-phrase it then to:

"Apparently the Echo brand is a popular choice amongst the gay community as well - not that there's anything wrong with that"

now i feel better about it now:biggrin:

 

[REJ2]

i resent the gay cpmment,, i like the 2 echos i have,,not a thing wrong with them,,,
i had teh 530 wyk and the 520 is identical to it just a bit older. like it was said that 520 will be a screamer with a MM and tuned,, If i remember right you will get about 13,000 out of it,, but i may be wrong

CS 530 owners manual says 13500 Max WOT.

 

[wyk]

Well, I went and took a look at it. It was in decent shape. It was also a dog. I tried to walk away, but the guy kept goin down in price. I finally got a somewhat lightly used cs-520 for $100 from a very nice old fella.

Here's what I have found so far:

It has a freakin 20" bar on it. Yeah, I thot that may be a bit much, then I looked at the bar and chain: It has 3/8s on it! It is a Windsor Speed tip bar and you can still see most the paint and some of the writing. So not only is it a 20" bar, but it isn't laminated, either. So, for a 50cc, this thing has a bit of weight. Easily a lb more than my 250. The chain is a full skip Oregon full chisel, brand new, 70 linker.

I cleaned it out, trimmed the tabs, removed the screen, and messed with the adjustments. It was insanely lean. And is it just me, or does the low adjustment on the 520 seriously affect the idle? I had to richen the L up a lot to get it to idle decently. I set it to 4 stroke on the top end pretty well. It does sound like about 13.5 mebbe 14. It is not limited - I had it screaming before I richened it up.

So, ok, I take it and the MS250 - both with sharp chains, to the fir wood pile. The 520 absolutely buried it. It pulls this 3/8 70 link chain through fir better than a bud's totally stock 346XP does it with a 325 chain. I need to make a video of this thing before it explodes. No camera until tomorrow, though. I'll have more video tomorrow. Me and sawfun9 will be cutting on some big Fir.

 

[indiansprings]

Now you've done it, all the 346 xp users will want to run and trade there saws for echo's...................can't wait to see Saw Troll's comments or Sawing Redneck's.

 

[wyk]

Bear in mind my buds 346 is bone stock. I adjusted it a bit, but it just isn't a very strong runner. His 026 has more guts than his 346 does. It isn't really broken in yet, tho. SO we'll give it some time.

Another thing I just noticed is this oiler is very generous. I looked on the bottom and saw no adjustment. Am I stuck with full blast then? It keeps the 20" very wet.

The chassis seems well sorted. All metal body, the plastics parts are as good as on my 372. It has a nice filter for a 50cc class this old. It is no light weight. I just held it next to my MS250 with the laminated 18" bar and I would say it has 2lbs on it. It also cuts like it has 2lbs on it, tho.

I'll put it next to an 026 or a 346 tomorrow in a video if sawfun9 is up for it. We'll do a shootout. I don;t think this 520 has the grunt to bury all this bar in that 36" fir, but that isn't gonna stop me trying.

OK, mail box is back open now.

 

[wyk]

Now you've done it, all the 346 xp users will want to run and trade there saws for echo's...................can't wait to see Saw Troll's comments or Sawing Redneck's.

I dunno. Those guys might not be so insecure enough to mimic pgg's attempt to question our sexuality for buying a saw. There's maybe some other things I can assume are directed towards ladyboys - saws don't seem to be one of them.

50cc shootout video tomorrow. Not gonna mess around, either. It's gonna be 15-20" alder.

 

[Justsaws]

520 is a decent saw.

Echo leaves a lot of "safety" margin/wiggle room in the engines and the oilers are the best on the market for output.

 

[wyk]

520 is a decent saw.

Echo leaves a lot of "safety" margin/wiggle room in the engines and the oilers are the best on the market for output.

Just found the oiler adjustment earlier. Starting to like this little saw. We'll see how she does tomorrow.

 

[mountainlake]

Now you've done it, all the 346 xp users will want to run and trade there saws for echo's...................can't wait to see Saw Troll's comments or Sawing Redneck's.

Get over it, those CS520 saws cut good when tuned right. Steve

 

[mountainlake]

The Echos are a great choice for females, but you'll find that the chicks who use Huskys Jonsereds or Stihls are always better-looking than the Echo chicks. Apparently the Echo brand is a popular choice amongst the gay community as well

No comment, nothing will stop between your ears. Steve