Milling saw no mods

[AaronB]

Would get a Husqvarna 3120xp or a Stihl MS880? If I have no intention of doing any mods, so which would be better out of the box?

 

[BobL]

I have used both and not noticed much difference performance wise.

Other consideration
1) If a standard bar clamping mill is used the chain tensioning screw is better located on the 880.
If a saw "bar bolt" mounting mill is used this is not a problem

2) The 3120 has more oil output than the 880 but you end up having to use an aux oiler anyway because most of the extra oil is spun off before it gets to the cutting side of the bar.

3) The inboard clutch of the 880 means drive sprockets can be changed very quickly.

 

[marti384]

Do you already have bars for one of them? The 3120 doesn't have an adjustable h needle, but I haven't noticed it to be a problem with mine.

 

[BobL]

Do you already have bars for one of them? The 3120 doesn't have an adjustable h needle, but I haven't noticed it to be a problem with mine.

The only time it might be a problem is if a muffler mod is performed and it will need retuning.
The 3120 will need to be retuned using a replacement jet.

 

[Greenland South]

Hey BobL,

Can you elaborate on that comment you made about the muffler mod and a replacement jet. I have a 3120XP with a muffler mod. I keep a pretty close eye on the condition of the spark plug and haven't seen anything that would indicate I need to re-jet. As a side note, I run a 50/1 mix using premium gas and oil.
Thanks.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Hey BobL,

Can you elaborate on that comment you made about the muffler mod and a replacement jet. I have a 3120XP with a muffler mod. I keep a pretty close eye on the condition of the spark plug and haven't seen anything that would indicate I need to re-jet. As a side note, I run a 50/1 mix using premium gas and oil.
Thanks.

A muffler mod allows more air to flow through the engine. More air equals leaner. In order to achieve the correct air to fuel ratio, it's likely that you'll need to add more fuel, which you can't without an adjustable high jet, or boring out the fixed jet that you have. @El Moobs might be able to help you make that carb adjustable.

What are you using the saw for? For milling and long hard cross cuts, like bucking large logs or flush cutting stumps, having a fairly rich mixture (mixture of fuel and air that is) is ideal. The fuel cools the cylinder, so running a lean mixture can cause a seizure.

Also, personally, I'd run an oilier mix. 40:1 at least.

 

[El Moobs]

The 3120 is always real rich stock. Opening the muffler won't make it too lean....even for milling.

 

[BobL]

Hey BobL,

Can you elaborate on that comment you made about the muffler mod and a replacement jet. I have a 3120XP with a muffler mod. I keep a pretty close eye on the condition of the spark plug and haven't seen anything that would indicate I need to re-jet. As a side note, I run a 50/1 mix using premium gas and oil.
Thanks.

It depends what you mean by a muffler mod.
As Elmoobs says the 3120 is already running rich so opening up the muffler a bit won't need any tweaking.
BTW, just opening up the hole in the side of the muffler may not be as much of a muffler mod as folks might think is as there may be internal restrictions that rate limit exhaust flow.
One risk free way to test if a mod is really making a difference is to perform a flow test of the muffler at about the same flow rate (10k rpm = 42 cfm) as the saw. It's not exactly the same because a saw generates pressure pulses but it will give a reasonable indication of any improvement. I should do that on my saw.

 

[El Moobs]

I can add a high speed adjustment needle to the WG carbs. How I configure the circuit depends on what the saw will be used for, and how it's ported. It some cases I'm trying to reduce the amount of fuel, in others I have to increase it dramatically.