My Easy Tacho mount, “I’ll show you mine even if you haven’t shown me yours”.

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

skids-stihls

ArboristSite Lurker
Joined
Jul 30, 2022
Messages
29
Reaction score
17
Location
Canterbury, New Zealand
I hope I get pics and descriptions in the right order, but what I’m trying to do is show both the easy Tacho clips I attached to my saws and dads 1 Stihl, (I don’t work on his others) and the easy mounts for the tachos whether diagnosis is in order or modds been done, or time for milling and want to keep an eye on it.
I’m sure with the general geniuses that are cruising around this forum, that this has been shown before in some way.

I had the issue of some saws needing covers removed just to get enough room to attach the Tacho, then the issue of some having the wire in the way of general maintenance if permanently attached, so I sorted out all the Stihls on the property to be easy at least.
My theory isn’t from laziness, but if doing things the right way is made easier then you’re more likely to do it, even when under the pump.
I’ve only just got my Tachos, after Muff Modding my 3 girls, and the fact I’m not an octopus, meant that I was running out of hands anyway.

So here’s one mounting bracket
4FEA10A9-44E5-47E2-864D-F05C31CA0DA6.jpeg
Made from 0.5mm stainless, the twin sized slot allows it to slip under the hand nut of the air filter cover of my MS’s 270, 660 and 880,
There is a “strap on” bracket behind it, to attach to dads 026 handle, via the Velcro or clamp strap, since he has the 1/4 turn air filter cover27A4789F-D762-49E9-A50F-A6DA04520A59.jpeg
This is so I can carry one tacho for all saws if we go on a mission,

However the second tacho just has the “strap on” available, but is a smaller bracket for when it’s more convenient
8D905CFF-20C2-40F8-AA84-ACAA6A0B79F7.jpeg31EC0ABD-C7B9-4F5C-93B4-5578F5538C2E.jpegE706EDF3-6656-44D1-B9FB-4658094F9ECE.jpeg

I use these Valcro straps in the maintenance department to show what a saw needs or where its up to, as our timings don’t always allow for a conversation about them, different colours for different things, black means work
in progress.

Anyway, then to make for easy hook up I added and routed a wire on each that only requires the air filter cover to come off before hook up, “which I think you should be checking in there before going too far into diagnostics anyway” but also allows for all covers to be removed without having the wire in the way either.

Now I may run out of my 10 attachments, so if I do then, I’ll post this and add the extras in the next reply.

096F870D-42E3-41F3-8907-32B5FC00AD73.jpeg

Ms880

Yip getting confused between thumbnails now. More pics in next reply
 

Attachments

  • BA01251F-85E2-43FF-9DDA-D86D61CD2FCE.jpeg
    BA01251F-85E2-43FF-9DDA-D86D61CD2FCE.jpeg
    1.1 MB · Views: 0
3EF6A1C3-D459-4F2F-BDD2-D90FDD6D8088.jpegB64F5459-27A9-4895-B1AD-5434023D3B73.jpeg
Ms880
4048891E-FE47-46E6-8A1D-016AF87AC53E.jpeg
Ms660
EE048B22-B2FB-4F89-A669-E530DD6EF543.jpeg
Ms270
4C1A0FA5-29F2-4799-8637-D6101C33744E.jpeg
026

The main bracket with air filter attachments is also thin enough to bend around and have so it’s facing up from the top of the saw, or as pictured, or simply turn it before tightening the nut and you can side mount the saw and have the tacho the right way up.

Just tested it for the first time and was easy to read from idle through to WOT on the 270, so, so far so good.

Not trying to reinvent a wheel but I had the bits and now I can easy hook up to all these German girls and read what they’re telling me.
 
Nice post, lotsa pictures too.

I guess nobody told you and I'm sorry but I think its time to let you know...
You are a cyborg, you have a serial number on your wrist mate.
 
Nice post, lotsa pictures too.

I guess nobody told you and I'm sorry but I think its time to let you know...
You are a cyborg, you have a serial number on your wrist mate.
Haha, Thanks, a pic is 1000 words as they say, just a bit hard as only my front phone camera works so had to take lots more to get those few good ones, but we got there.

And Dang, now you’ve seen my make model and serial number you might be able to clone me, one of me is bad enough, Haha.
I don’t think I have part numbers on all my other parts though Haha.
In case anyones wondering, it’s actually my “Medic Alert” details, as the bracelet was dirt weak and it would end up in the car more often than my wrist, so had my friendly tattoo artist sort that out for me. No loosing it now, well not as easy.
6093B4C6-CC49-44F7-8DE2-DC23994510A3.jpeg95CA6F9B-7155-469F-BEA3-24F13F7BF37D.jpeg
 
Haha, Thanks, a pic is 1000 words as they say, just a bit hard as only my front phone camera works so had to take lots more to get those few good ones, but we got there.

And Dang, now you’ve seen my make model and serial number you might be able to clone me, one of me is bad enough, Haha.
I don’t think I have part numbers on all my other parts though Haha.
In case anyones wondering, it’s actually my “Medic Alert” details, as the bracelet was dirt weak and it would end up in the car more often than my wrist, so had my friendly tattoo artist sort that out for me. No loosing it now, well not as easy.
View attachment 1008728View attachment 1008729
Well that certainly explains it, about your tac mount I love it.
And I like that you have not made a more permanent attachment, because after a while you have learned the sound and behavior of your saw at which rpm, and so in time - you dont need it anymore.
Very informative until that happens though, you would not know the truth without it:cheers:
 
Thanks, yeah I wanted a little better than Velcro only, but only see the need for anything more permanent if milling and letting someone else use my saws, which doesn’t happen often except dad and I, also I’ll be the only one on it with the Alaskan so…..
Also a permatach would probably be more of a distraction on a working saw for someone who’s not use to it, eg if I said “lean sound or above xyz rpm, then shut off” the poor bugger would probably be watching that instead of what they should be watching.

I’ve just muff modded all my girls which was the main reason for the tach purchase, and may have some more mods in mind for the future, but the muff mods meant my already failing industrial hearing couldn’t be relied upon without some sort of confirmation and peace of mind. The hearing is my own fault, when felling I prefer to listen out for cracking during back cuts, top snaps from above and warning yells if there’s a spotter. So when a natural tool fails a bit I had to confirm it somehow.
 
So I was going over the 270 with the tach the other day to get some reference numbers eg rpm and screw turns after the muff mods and this happened https://www.arboristsite.com/thread...-likely-a-dumb-question-to-go-with-it.361978/
Still waiting on the screws to fix that so gave the 880 a turn with the tach tonight. The tach bounced round a bit more as it sits on the closer slot for the big saws but it was still readable, video (if I can upload it) was from just a minute or 2 into idle from cold start, didn’t have the technology (second person) to video while doing a cut, but I got the idle settled a bit better, got it cutting pretty good, but a 24” bluegum log doesn’t really test the big b$@(# even with the 42” bar and 8 tooth sprocket on .404 chain, pretty sure I’ve still got it way rich, but will need to try it out of the barn on a decent log as the echoing won’t help my ears. The tach obviously goes ape crap when the limiter hits on no load WOT, but I went rich enough to not reach it, then leaned out a little to just reach it, then tried a cut. Being too scared to lean her over far to far I left it at that for the day, but I was getting between 8500-9500 in the cut, although 24” doesn’t give long to read it, and barn echoes worse than I thought for tuning purposes.
I have a coil here that I’ve tested for spark on a drill with the 880, will fit it tomorrow and see if I still have a limit, may help with a start point, then hopefully the old fella can bring a decent butt back from his wee windfall job at the neighbours soon so I can bury that 42” nose deep and see how she goes. She’s not hit wood since the miff mod till tonight, so it all sounds (great) but harder for me to be sure of correct sounds now that it sounds different and needs tuning in the cut especially when limited.
Sounds like a beast though, I liked it before but now just 😏
And Nope, says my video is too large for the server, I may have to shorten it or find somewhere else to post it and then post a link instead 😔
 
Mine is a cheap one from Amazon. It's a small rectangular box ith an LCD screen on it. You're supposed to stick a wire on the back, but I've found that if I lay it on the side of the cover near the sparkplug wire, it works just fine. I've thought about putting a small patch of velcro on the tach and the saws, but I don't normally need to retune my saws so I haven't bothered.
 
Mine is a cheap one from Amazon. It's a small rectangular box ith an LCD screen on it. You're supposed to stick a wire on the back, but I've found that if I lay it on the side of the cover near the sparkplug wire, it works just fine. I've thought about putting a small patch of velcro on the tach and the saws, but I don't normally need to retune my saws so I haven't bothered.

Kinda wish I’d checked this first, turns out my el cheap o la tacho also works just by being laid near the spark lead, even with the wire for it pulled away for a reference check. So that’s handy to know, thanks for your input. Unfortunately though, all my dreaming and positive thoughts have not yet turned me into an octopus, so the mount will still have its uses. But for quick checks here and there I now know that both tachos read the same while one is near the spark lead and the other is physically wrapped around and fixed to it.
 
This is the taco permanently mounted on my milling 880.
This one has a white insulated wire that wraps around the spark plug
The blue thing is an RC temp gauge.
Tempmon1.jpg

This is on my smaller milling saw (441)
It doesnt have a wire - it slides into the felt lined holder when needed
closeup.jpg
 
Back
Top