Mod. 488 Shin vs. Mod. 346/2149

[daveb]

2149/346xp

I don't know what you meant, but the 2149 is the same as the 351, not 346xp. BTW I have a 351 and I really like it.

 

[dbabcock]

I think Dennis may be doing mods to a 488. You might ask him as he's also done 346's and 2149's.

 

[chainsawworld]

to be able to equally compare saws you must start with a base line. what i mean is, compare the saws stock first. marty

 

[Jacob J.]

Howdy-

The Shindaiwa rates out with a slightly smaller engine than the Jonsered 2149 or Husky 351, but it's only 2cc's less. The advantage Shindaiwa has is their intake design is superior in most mechanic's eyes, and their cylinders Nikasil treated. Are the Huskies Nikasil treated these days?

 

[tundraotto]

All the Huskies sold today have NikaSil treated cylinders. About the Shindaiwa having a superior cylinder design - I would ask one of the experts since they lose in speed to the husky/stihl equivalents. This makes me believe their (shindaiwa) porting is not superior.

They are a very durable saw and sure last a long time, but they are not as quick.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

14,000 RPM out of my Shindaiwa 488. I set the saw by cutting, not by a tach. I used a tach to see what the RPM's were after. I'd say that's as fast any stock Husky or Jonsered of comparable size.

 

[tundraotto]

husky 346xp - factory rpm is 14'700rpm. Its not all about rpms though, people turn the rpms down for quick cuts - I mean are you saing that your 488 will keep up with a 346, no I dont think so. Like said, good dependable saws, but not as quick

both saws modded the results would be the same.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Originally posted by tundraotto
husky 346xp - factory rpm is 14'700rpm. Like said, good dependable saws, but not as quick

700 RPM difference, splitting hairs IMO. I've never run a 346. But I don't really care. I'm real pleased with the way my 488's have run.

 

[tundraotto]

Originally posted by rich hoffman
I'd say that's as fast any stock Husky or Jonsered of comparable size.

well if you dont care - dont say it then try it out sometime - nobody said your shindaiwa is a POS, just doesnt cut as quick, as long as you like it its great, jeez..

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Originally posted by tundraotto
nobody said your shindaiwa is a POS,

What's quick 700 RPM !!! Whew.

 

[tundraotto]

I dont know, but you're shindaiwa is second when it comes to cutting speed, so I guess it amounts to something. oh well, at least you can keep it in the second place for a long time, since they are durable.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Maybe you got me, tundarotto.

 

[Jacob J.]

By cutting speed are you meaning the RPM range which the saw best develops power under a load? I think that's a lot like comparing apples and oranges. Each saw manufacturer seems to tune their engines differently, regardless of engine size. It seems to boil down to a company's preference or perhaps just the mindset of their engineers. Perhaps Mr. Hoffman's 488 develops the best power and "cutting speed" at a lower RPM range than a Husky 346, however it may be more suited to bigger wood. The 346 with it's high RPM capability is designed for light cutting with a short bar ( factory recommends 16" with .325 chain ).

Other factors to keep in mind is how sharp a cutter keeps his chain, cutting techniques, type of sprocket, and the bazillion other variables involved for each one of us.

 

[tundraotto]

This is what got Rich and I into this discussion in the first place. Like I said before many 346 operators tune their saws down to 13'500 or so for fast cutting. Read back. The rpms arent the all encompassing figure - even though saws today are direct drive.

The point was cutting speed on wood - where the saw develops its top power can easily be circumvented by different technique, raker height etc. The original topic was port design, and how good the port design of the shindaiwa was. We can run both and the 346 will win every time.

 

[rbtree]

It may be a while, but I'll be comparing saws soon, as I finally got my 488 from Dennis. And I'll have a brand new stock 346 with the identical 20 inch .325 pitch set up. Perhaps after its break in, I'll do a bunch of tests, such as switching mufflers with the Greffardized 346. Based on a friend's experience, the modded 346 will be considerably faster than the 488. (His are Walkerized)

As well, I have the Solo 651SP-G to add to the tests, which shares the open port design with the 488.

 

[stihltech]

rpm

What is the actual RPMs when the saw is under load in the wood?

 

[rbtree]

488/346 test

Okay, I ran some quick tests, not accurately timed, but here goes:

20 inch .325 chisel, 7 tooth sprocket on the 346, not sure what is on the 488. (I need an 8 tooth on the 346, it can handle it.)

The wood was some 9 inch fresh cut cherry

346 brand new, stock, 10 min run time- 9 seconds
346XP-G 4 months old, gone through only one chain so far-6 seconds.

488 G, just got from Dennis, one hour or so of run time- 6 seconds. I think it is a tad slower than the 346, but not much. I couldn't find my stopwatch, so these time are appx. Those are impressive times, as that 346 is such a demon.

Great job, Dennis. the 488 really cuts, certainly faster than the Solo/C Man.

372 XPG-W- just under 5 seconds, with 28 inch bar, square filed chisel.

Rich, that's what you've been waiting to hear for ages, now send yours to Dennis!!!

I'll do more tests later, in bigger wood, and timed more accurately.

By the way, I checked the plug color on the 346, it seemed a bit light, so I turned the saw down. it lost some speed, so I nudged it back up, to where it is barely burbling at no load full throttle. The cutting time came back up. The 488 seemed a bit too high, so I backed it off a bit. It still cut great, and should be safer a bit richer. (I'm glad it the old one with adjustable carb.)