Echo cs490 B&C help

[RedShift42]

Walking thru Home Depot I caught a glimpse of orange on a top endcap clearance shelf, a new cs490– didn’t even know HD carried those!
PH only & missing oil cap, so the manager knocked it down further to $175. Done deal, especially since my Ms260 Pro recently stopped oiling.
However...
It seems the 490 requires a pretty rare bar, which stands to kill my good deal. Bailey’s has their WoodlandPro TimberMax bar & 3-chains on special for $45 in my preferred config 18”/.325”.
Is that the way to go? Love to hear suggestions from those who know this stuff better
Thanks!

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

That's not a bad price. Each loop will run you $15-$20. The bar would be another $25 or so. You're basically paying for the chain and they're all but giving you the bar.

Now, if you want the thing to really rip $h!t up, search this forum for:

• Muffler modding the 490
• Converting the 490 to 3/8 low profile

That combination will put a smile on your face.

 

[Colt Marlington]

Sounds reasonable. Or HD has the powercare 20A 20" bar and chain combo for $45.

Oregon has the VersaCut in 16 or 18 inch. But about $65 with one chain.

I haven't tried it yet, but lots of guys here seem to have no problem modding bars to fit different things.

I'm thinkin the D025 is pretty close. And there are others that are close.

 

[Kostas]

Small mount husky(k095) is a real close match with only a minor gridding on the adjusting holes.Small plastic poulan mount (k041) is a perfect match without any modification required but a liitle harder to find in 18" and .058.

 

[farmer steve]

@James Miller

 

[James Miller]

I run 3/8lp on mine but you need to change the rim to do it right. When I first did the conversion I ran a poulan 2300 bar cause I had it sitting around. I'd go 16" if staying 325. I have the stock 16" 325 bar just laying around I could probly let go cheap.

 

[Jer75]

I went to Bailey's for this 16" bar and 3-loop combo on my CS490. It's 325 as well, but I've not had it in wood yet to be able to give an opinion.

 

[redunshee]

16” bar for sure. I took the plunge and picked up a .325 16” Versacut.

 

[redunshee]

16” bar for sure. I took the plunge and picked up a .325 16” Versacut.

I might add I have the original echo 20" Bar and chain I'll sell cheap.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 149229]

As @Bobby Kirbos said, doing a muff mod and pull carb limiters and retune carb then convert to a 3/8 lp and this saw really screams. @James Miller did this and after I tried it I was really impressed. I use the same bar that’s on my Echo 400, 18”. I just shortened the tail and now I can use the same chains on the 400 and 490.

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

As @Bobby Kirbos said, doing a muff mod and pull carb limiters and retune carb then convert to a 3/8 lp and this saw really screams. @James Miller did this and after I tried it I was really impressed. I use the same bar that’s on my Echo 400, 18”. I just shortened the tail and now I can use the same chains on the 400 and 490.

If you have a local chainsaw shop that will spin a custom length loop, have one made that is 1 drive link longer than the bar calls for. Then you don't need to shorten the tail on the bar. OR, order custom loops from Baileys.

If you want an "off the shelf" bar/chain combo, run a 56 link, 16" Oregon bar, and use a 57 link chain (Echo uses 57 for their 16" bars, so it's an off the shelf offering at the box stores).

 

[cuinrearview]

run a 56 link, 16" Oregon bar

In what mount?

 

[RedShift42]

Some great, useful info, thanks guys.
I’d read about people grinding their other Echo bars, but didn’t know it was as simple as shortening one of the plentiful cs370/400’s.

As for mods, of course it’ll get a MM— c’mon, does anybody who posts here leave anything stock??
But I will stick with .325” just because I don’t want to fiddle with yet another kind of chain/rims/files etc in the garage inventory. Or maybe I just fear change. In this part of Alaska we primarily have smaller, softer trees (spruce, birch, cottonwood, brush alder- that’s it), so a tuned 50cc with an 18” is a fine “big saw” for 95% of firewood work. If hardwoods were the norm, 3/8lp (or another 10cc’s) would be more tempting.
I figure on getting a couple loops of Oregon 20LPX, too, which seems well admired around here.

 

[James Miller]

Honestly I didn't do the 3/8lp conversion for the performance gain. I did it so the 490 would match the 335t and I could have one less file to grab when going to cut. The performance gain was just a bonus. 355t and 490 run 3/8lp ported 590 and 7910 run full 3/8.

 

[Deleted member 149229]

Honestly I didn't do the 3/8lp conversion for the performance gain. I did it so the 490 would match the 335t and I could have one less file to grab when going to cut. The performance gain was just a bonus. 355t and 490 run 3/8lp ported 590 and 7910 run full 3/8.

The gain is great but as James said, reduced chains, nice running same chains on 490 and 400.

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

Honestly I didn't do the 3/8lp conversion for the performance gain. I did it so the 490 would match the 335t and I could have one less file to grab when going to cut. The performance gain was just a bonus. 355t and 490 run 3/8lp ported 590 and 7910 run full 3/8.

I made the conversion because I wanted the performance gain, plus the 490 was my only 0.325 saw. So now I'm running either 3/8 LP or straight-up 3/8 (only on the 245).

 

[James Miller]

I made the conversion because I wanted the performance gain, plus the 490 was my only 0.325 saw. So now I'm running either 3/8 LP or straight-up 3/8 (only on the 245).

I'd bet your saw really picked up taking the 20" 325 setup off. I think you would see even more gains putting a new muffler on and doing the standard 490 mm .

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

I'd bet your saw really picked up taking the 20" 325 setup off. I think you would see even more gains putting a new muffler on and doing the standard 490 mm .

Yeah, what's on it is kinda messed up. The guy I bought it from did it (and has since been banned from here for other reasons). I'm pretty sure it's still better than stock, so it's not high on the priority list right now.

 

[Cliff R]

I'd bet your saw really picked up taking the 20" 325 setup off.

+2

The Echo CS-490 doesn't have enough ars to effectively pull 20" .325.......IMHO. Probably OK if it's your only saw and you just cut a little firewood here and there and on occasion need a little longer bar for some big stuff.

The power of the CS-490 would make it an EXCELLENT candidate for 3/8" LP at 16"........IMHO......Cliff