ms290 power up

[bbdropshot]

I was thinking about buying a new saw to get somemore power, but I think i'm going to save my money, and maybe try to get more power out of the one I got. I have a ms290 with 16" bar .325 chain 7pin sprocket. Thinking about a muff job, so if i put a 8 pin sprocket with that muff job would that get me the most cutting speed out of that saw. I cut oak firewood.

 

[Wildman1024]

I was thinking about buying a new saw to get somemore power, but I think i'm going to save my money, and maybe try to get more power out of the one I got. I have a ms290 with 16" bar .325 chain 7pin sprocket. Thinking about a muff job, so if i put a 8 pin sprocket with that muff job would that get me the most cutting speed out of that saw. I cut oak firewood.

Welcome to the site. I would continue to stick with a 7 pin on that size saw if it were me. A good healthy muff mod, tuning and sharp chain should get you a noticeable increase though.

 

[isaaccarlson]

I run an 8 pin rim on my ms390 with a 20" bar

If you had a rim sprocket it would be easy and cheap to find out but they don't come with rim sprockets....you might get away with it with a good muff mod and a good tune and SHARP chain. I sure would try it... this coming from a guy who runs a 28" bar with FULL comp chain....on a 390!!!!

 

[bbdropshot]

It's got decent power with the 16" bar, so that's not too much of a problem, i would think if i was to muff mod it, it might have about the same power with the 8 pin as it did with the 7 pin stock. Is 10% increase pretty easy to get? Is the stihl rsc the fastest cutting chain, i'll be cutting green oak, i don't know what people consider dirty wood, but i think live oak would be fairly clean. I saw someone say a .325 8 pin is the same size as 3/8 7pin and they use them with a bigger bar and say they cut good, is there version of cutting good different than some of us.

 

[mountainlake]

So your going to muff mod it to gain 10% then put a 8 pin on it to lose 10%? The only way to really find out is to try both side by side in wood you normally cut, if your cutting 15" hardwood a lot use that, if your cutting 4" softwood use that. Steve

 

[bbdropshot]

That's proboably what i'm going to end up doing, have someone time me with it the way it is, then with the muff mod, then with a 8 pin rim. I don't know anything about how much power you lose with a 8pin over 7pin, but i figured if it gained much i could put the 8pin on and gain chain speed, i guess that extra chain speed would inturn bog it down easier since the teeth are cutting that much more.

 

[bbdropshot]

Went to pick up my new sprocket today and they sent a 8pin instead of 7 pin, he said they didn't make a 7 pin for that saw anymore, so i went ahead and took it home took the old one off and come to find out the saw came with a 8 pin, i thought it was a 7 pin, my bad, so looks like i would be going to a 9 pin if i wanted to gear it up from what it was stock.