Makita 6401 questions

[Mark Roe]

i get the feeling the CFO will be getting more expense requisitions!!!!!

Shhhhh. Current and future purchases are all justified with Red Fir running $200 a cord. Cut on our property and it is "free". I will have to run a little psy ops on her to keep her from mentally running a $ total and balancing it against what wood is cut. Anniversary in 2 days so, Operation OEM 79 is in effect.

Mark

 

[biggenius29]

Here is a good link for tuning

http://www.madsens1.com/saw carb tune.htm

Being the saw is rev limited, it is harder to tune by ear.

I would shy away from the BB kit, and go with the OEM. Thats what I would do.

For porting, alot of guys on here do it, I have one ported, and it is a blast to run. But, if you get it ported be ready to go threw alot of fuel. Ported saws love gas.

 

[wendell]

I have the 6401 upgraded to the 7901 and love it but I hate to be blasphemous but with what your cutting, maybe the 6401 with the LGX will be all you need ?

 

[Mark Roe]

I have the 6401 upgraded to the 7901 and love it but I hate to be blasphemous but with what your cutting, maybe the 6401 with the LGX will be all you need ?

Ouch...you used the "N" word. I have gotten so excited about the possibility of making saw bigger, faster, stronger that I am pretty sure that I am past need and have arrived at have to have. It is however, always good to have a grounding voice. I will probably wait until next cutting season to add the 79cc OEM jug to it.

Thanks,

Mark

 

[wendell]

Sorry to rain on your parade. I used to live in CDA. You live in a VERY beautiful part of the country!

 

[Mark Roe]

Here is a good link for tuning

http://www.madsens1.com/saw carb tune.htm

Being the saw is rev limited, it is harder to tune by ear.

I would shy away from the BB kit, and go with the OEM. Thats what I would do.

For porting, alot of guys on here do it, I have one ported, and it is a blast to run. But, if you get it ported be ready to go threw alot of fuel. Ported saws love gas.

Thanks for the link. I misspoke, if I upgrade it will be with the OEM 79 kit.

Mark

 

[Mark Roe]

Sorry to rain on your parade. I used to live in CDA. You live in a VERY beautiful part of the country!

No kidding CDA? I live just north of Sandpoint in the woods. It really is beautiful country here. We did it the right way - moved from the Midwest to here. Couldn't imagine moving back east. Haven't missed it a single day, especially during the fall.

Mark

 

[rms61moparman]

Wendell is 100% right!
For what you are cutting and the amount you are cutting a 6401 and 24"-28" bar are all you will ever need.
A lot of people want to minimize these saws and point to "power to weight ratios" but they are great saws that run a lot stronger than their size.
The 6401 will have NO problem pulling a 28" bar in the softer woods like those you mention. (Despite what others here will tell you)

Mike

 

[Mark Roe]

Wendell is 100% right!
For what you are cutting and the amount you are cutting a 6401 and 24"-28" bar are all you will ever need.
A lot of people want to minimize these saws and point to "power to weight ratios" but they are great saws that run a lot stronger than their size.
The 6401 will have NO problem pulling a 28" bar in the softer woods like those you mention. (Despite what others here will tell you)

Mike

I think I will see how this season goes with the new 24" bar and LGX chain. Has to be a huge improvement over the 20" and the homeowner super anti- kickback chain. I guess if I run into anything that bogs things down, then maybe the 79cc OEM route is the way to go. For now....get a tach and learn how to tune myself !!! Thanks.

Mark

 

[shwinecat]

Do yourself a favor and buy the 7900 OEM, 24 inch Sugi bar with good Oregon chain and smile. Awesome saw, awesome weight. You really want to have some fun go to relatives or friends where they are cutting down a couple of trees just to help.

They will all have a puzzled look at the blue saw trying to figure out what it is and then watch their jaws drop when you cut her loose.

Where I am located no one has hardly heard of the Makita or Dolmar for that matter. Most have Stihl and love to brag how great of saw they have.

I Love Stihl saws, own several and would not trade them for the world but the Blue Makita has humbled several Stihl owners. On their behave they are mostly running non commercial type saw with the safety chain in the 390 to 290 range.

Bottom line! Don't ever run a 7900 or 6401 with upgrade because you will buy the upgrade the next day and never look back.

 

[cheeves]

there are two ways to increase the power of a 6401. the OEM P/C will bump it to 79cc for about $180. there is an aftermarket P/C that will bump displacement to 84cc. i have both versions and, while i don't have a lot of run-time on the BB kit, i can't tell any appreciable difference in the two. the quality of the 84cc (BB) is nowhere near the quality of the OEM. to me, it is worth the extra money for the OEM P/C. either way, it really changes the attitude of the 6401.

i don't think the HD filter is necessary for most users. if you are not getting a lot of fine particles past the stock filter, then i think it is a waste of money. if needed, it is a very nice set-up.

muffler mods are largely unnecessary for these saws. the significant gains are seen when the saw is ported.

for the money and weight, there is nothing close to a 7900.

As usual a wealth of information. I was clicking around trying to learn and decide what to do with my 6401 when wham there you are.

I saw the picture of the buckshot muffler mod. What do you think of that? I could order the NWP p/c kit tonight but the wife might have a problem with the OEM. She's happy with the 111/2 cords of wood out back though all split and stacked. Took her 10yrs to get me to stack wood. So Maybe the OEM. J know how you feel about them. Again thank you for the wealth of information.

Happy as hell so far with the 262. Bob (cheeves)

 

[nmurph]

Don't cheap out. That top-end will last many years and you will pay less per year that what a hamburger cost.

As for MM, I am not a fan of them on stock 7900's. From what I have read, they don't do a whole lot for power.