Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Lionsfan]

I agree with you completely on the 550. Loved my mk1. I don’t know why they would add weight to a saw that was supposed to be light and nimble with good power in order to add a little power.

I do like the vinal flooring for a work truck!
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You did well in my book. My last two trucks have come with carpet and I'd take the vinyl option any day. I won't get into the Isuzu Duramax vs. Cummins debate, but I will say the Duramax's that I've been involved with were quite reliable and they pulled like a mofo!

 

[djg james]

Well of course! Now I just need a bigger trailer.

Ain't that everyone's problem?

 

[djg james]

... I had meant to ask why you were getting rid of it, maybe they will tell you to just keep it . .....

If you do get to keep it, I'll give you $500 for the 394 . Yea like that's going to happen (lol).

 

[Sierra_rider]

Did somebody mention mk1 550xps? Just fooling around with my ported mk1 this morning...this saw doesn't really translate well to cookie-cutter videos. I've built 50cc saws that can pull higher rpm in the cut, but the stall resistance with this particular saw is pretty amazing for a 50cc saw. One of those saws that you can dog in and just sweep with, without fighting a chain that stalls out in the cut.

I'm running 20" of 3/8...I imagine it would pull better with .325.

I bought my MKI brand new from a member on here when the MKII was just coming out. It was a good buy, but it never ran worth a **** right out of the box. We had a storm come through with some high winds not too long after I bought it, saws were in high demand for guys cleaning up their property, and I dumped it for a minor loss. Bought an MKII shortly thereafter and never looked back.

Mk1s are notoriously temperamental IMO. Mine used to have all starting issues until I gutted the muffler. It's been pretty good, but then just this morning, it almost immediately flooded on a cold start. I haven't had that issue in awhile, got it going with a few WFO pulls.

 

[Sierra_rider]

@Sierra_rider , forgot to say, congrats on the 365 special.
I like the 50mm cylinder with a 268 popup, lot's of power, hardly any work and they can always be swapped back to a standard 372oe piston(or a 371 single ring, which is the preferred piston in oem form) if you ever need to. Then a little light massaging to the ports and it's a great runner that is very easy to start, very easy for a 70.
But you can make them run quite well with a good port job too. I have a 365oe that runs very strong.

Thanks, I do have a soft spot in my heart for 3 series Huskies.

I'm not totally sure which direction I'll go with this one. I might do a 50mm top end. On my 372XT, I went with a 52mm OE-style cylinder on it...of course port and machine work on it. It runs pretty good, but I didn't like where the port timing started out at and I could only get so far with machining. It's also running the XT carb still...decent torque, but the big carb kinda kills the "snappiness" of it. It's a good falling saw, but kinda laggy when buzzing limbs off a pine tree.

 

[chipper1]

Did somebody mention mk1 550xps? Just fooling around with my ported mk1 this morning...this saw doesn't really translate well to cookie-cutter videos. I've built 50cc saws that can pull higher rpm in the cut, but the stall resistance with this particular saw is pretty amazing for a 50cc saw. One of those saws that you can dog in and just sweep with, without fighting a chain that stalls out in the cut.

I'm running 20" of 3/8...I imagine it would pull better with .325.




Mk1s are notoriously temperamental IMO. Mine used to have all starting issues until I gutted the muffler. It's been pretty good, but then just this morning, it almost immediately flooded on a cold start. I haven't had that issue in awhile, got it going with a few WFO pulls.

What are type of wood is that you're cutting.
I don't understand you saying it would pull 325 better of it has the power to dog it in without stalling the chain, unless you don't have the rakers set low enough.
Many of the old school race saws were lower rpm saws, just run a larger drive and increase the chain speed.
From the tests I've seen, if a saw is over 4hp it will generally cut faster with 3/8 in cookies .

 

[Sierra_rider]

What are type of wood is that you're cutting.
I don't understand you saying it would pull 325 better of it has the power to dog it in without stalling the chain, unless you don't have the rakers set low enough.
Many of the old school race saws were lower rpm saws, just run a larger drive and increase the chain speed.
From the tests I've seen, if a saw is over 4hp it will generally cut faster with 3/8 in cookies .

First is ponderosa pine, the second is a fairly dense valley oak.

I just assume it would pull more rpm with a smaller cutter is all I'm saying(also a smaller sprocket size if comparing 7 pin sprockets)...I haven't really messed with .325 at all, so I can't say for sure...the little clone saw I got recently is my first saw in years that runs .325.

As far as the stalling...comparing it to the 261 I built recently, the 261 pulls more rpm in the cut, but is sensitive to raker height...that's what the owner wanted, so he's stoked on it. The "happy spot" on my 550 is at a lower rpm, but it's more forgiving when it comes to rake height, knots in the wood, putting extra pressure on the saw, etc.

 

[svk]

I do like the vinal flooring for a work truck!
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Sweet looking truck. My daily driver looks basically the same but is a 1500.

 

[svk]

Doggie’s gonna luv it

Yeah, they will granted that fabric is a dog hair magnet, ask me how I know lol

 

[svk]

Duel ported the muffler, there way to restricted from factory, you will see the difference right away, and frogzskins air vents to the air box , breathe better . A some WCS dogs those stock ones are a joke

Are you going to do those mufflers for other people? They look really nice.

 

[Squareground3691]

Are you going to do those mufflers for other people? They look really nice.

Na , I don’t mind doing it to my own, but not taking on any .

 

[chipper1]

First is ponderosa pine, the second is a fairly dense valley oak.

I just assume it would pull more rpm with a smaller cutter is all I'm saying(also a smaller sprocket size if comparing 7 pin sprockets)...I haven't really messed with .325 at all, so I can't say for sure...the little clone saw I got recently is my first saw in years that runs .325.

As far as the stalling...comparing it to the 261 I built recently, the 261 pulls more rpm in the cut, but is sensitive to raker height...that's what the owner wanted, so he's stoked on it. The "happy spot" on my 550 is at a lower rpm, but it's more forgiving when it comes to rake height, knots in the wood, putting extra pressure on the saw, etc.

I see.

Thanks, I do have a soft spot in my heart for 3 series Huskies.

I'm not totally sure which direction I'll go with this one. I might do a 50mm top end. On my 372XT, I went with a 52mm OE-style cylinder on it...of course port and machine work on it. It runs pretty good, but I didn't like where the port timing started out at and I could only get so far with machining. It's also running the XT carb still...decent torque, but the big carb kinda kills the "snappiness" of it. It's a good falling saw, but kinda laggy when buzzing limbs off a pine tree.

Me too, but mainly for firewood now, it's hard to deny the advantages to a 5 series or other brands of electronic carb saws in a work environment.
From what I've seen the 51.4 cylinders take a lot of work to make run as well as a 50mm, but I've never done the work myself, so I'm clearly just saying what I observed watching others work. I've had stock 51.4 saws, and the 50mm with a 268 pop-up will smoke them has been my experience. You should try one with the timing advance a bit and a muffler mod and see how you like them. If you'd like I'll send you a few pistons and you can do one for yourself and couple for me and keep the one .
I've got two oe's and have no interest in having them ported with the increases from just the piston swap.
I'm not sure what carb is on my 365oe, it's either the xt carb or a 390, but it beats the monkey ported 562, Kevin did the 365 and he does usually make them a bit spicer than Randy's builds( nothing against Randy's, just how it is).
It does sound like a little more velocity would a long way, maybe less crankcase volume .

 

[chipper1]

Are you going to do those mufflers for other people? They look really nice.

Put me in line .

Na , I don’t mind doing it to my own, but not taking on any .

Sorry, couldn't resist .

 

[turnkey4099]

Conditioning coming along, 3 hours of steady cut/yank/yank/yank toss of thorny scrup today. Finally finished the thorn clearance in that small area. Now to push the cleared borders out from the two brush piles. Still uinable to get the camera to download pictures to the computer. My old computer was simple, plug cambera in and the pictuies were right there.

I'm debating buying a battery power chainsaw for working that thorn stuff. It would save a lot of time spent starting the top handle stihl or Husky. I'll be visiting the Stihl dealer on Monday for a tune up on the MS193T I'll check out their battery saws.

 

[Squareground3691]

Conditioning coming along, 3 hours of steady cut/yank/yank/yank toss of thorny scrup today. Finally finished the thorn clearance in that small area. Now to push the cleared borders out from the two brush piles. Still uinable to get the camera to download pictures to the computer. My old computer was simple, plug cambera in and the pictuies were right there.

I'm debating buying a battery power chainsaw for working that thorn stuff. It would save a lot of time spent starting the top handle stihl or Husky. I'll be visiting the Stihl dealer on Monday for a tune up on the MS193T I'll check out their battery saws.

Those thorn stems can get wrapped up quickly in a saw , Stihl bladed brush cutter maybe

 

[Sierra_rider]

I see.

Me too, but mainly for firewood now, it's hard to deny the advantages to a 5 series or other brands of electronic carb saws in a work environment.
From what I've seen the 51.4 cylinders take a lot of work to make run as well as a 50mm, but I've never done the work myself, so I'm clearly just saying what I observed watching others work. I've had stock 51.4 saws, and the 50mm with a 268 pop-up will smoke them has been my experience. You should try one with the timing advance a bit and a muffler mod and see how you like them. If you'd like I'll send you a few pistons and you can do one for yourself and couple for me and keep the one .
I've got two oe's and have no interest in having them ported with the increases from just the piston swap.
I'm not sure what carb is on my 365oe, it's either the xt carb or a 390, but it beats the monkey ported 562, Kevin did the 365 and he does usually make them a bit spicer than Randy's builds( nothing against Randy's, just how it is).
It does sound like a little more velocity would a long way, maybe less crankcase volume .

Same here...my 372 and my 044s usually just sit in my toolbox in case I come across a tree down in the winter. If I'm out doing side work, it's either the 400 or the 500i for falling saws. My one front-line adjustable carb saw is my 2511t, but IMO the weight advantage lets me work faster compared to running my 201tcm. Some people think it's silly that I'd prefer a lighter saw when talking about a 9lb Stihl top handle, but they've never climbed with a 5lb top handle that cuts as fast or faster than a stock 35cc saw. The only time the 201 gets pulled out anymore in a work environment, is when I'm doing a removal on a broad tree, with less cuts than wrecking out a tall pine tree. The added grunt of the 201 is also nice for those hardwoods.

Your offer is tempting...I might just mess around with the 48mm cylinder for now, assuming it's in good shape. I haven't spent much time grinding on quad port Huskies, so I'm still making a few tweaks to how I do the transfers. Timing the uppers is a bit different from how I do front-fed, quad-port Stihls.

On the hybrid pistons that have room to cut them, I've been doing a lot of taper cuts and domes on pistons. It's not something you do on a saw where being able to swap in a stock piston is important, but they work well on spicier builds. The compression bump is probably negligible compared to a pop up, but IMO they have a performance advantage over a flat top...probably in how the piston edge interacts with port flow. Domed pistons are kinda the "thing" now in performance 2 stroke applications like dirtbikes.

I'm not a full time saw builder like those guys, basically it's just a way to pay for my tools and to increase my own knowledge of 2 stroke tuning. I've got some spicy builds and then some more mundane stuff...I'll go a little crazy on some of my own stuff, but I won't do anything that requires custom parts on a work saw that's getting used every day. Most people don't want to have a special piston made just to rebuild their 500i lol.

 

[Sierra_rider]

Conditioning coming along, 3 hours of steady cut/yank/yank/yank toss of thorny scrup today. Finally finished the thorn clearance in that small area. Now to push the cleared borders out from the two brush piles. Still uinable to get the camera to download pictures to the computer. My old computer was simple, plug cambera in and the pictuies were right there.

I'm debating buying a battery power chainsaw for working that thorn stuff. It would save a lot of time spent starting the top handle stihl or Husky. I'll be visiting the Stihl dealer on Monday for a tune up on the MS193T I'll check out their battery saws.

If I was in the market for a battery top handle, I'd have a long look at the Echo 2500t. I dunno what the power is like, but the advertised weight is pretty attractive...I think only 7-ish lbs with a battery, that's still lighter than most of the gas top handles. I think the battery powered Husky top handle is advertised at 6lbs, but that's w/o battery...I think ready to cut, they're around 11, but I could be wrong.

 

[Squareground3691]

Same here...my 372 and my 044s usually just sit in my toolbox in case I come across a tree down in the winter. If I'm out doing side work, it's either the 400 or the 500i for falling saws. My one front-line adjustable carb saw is my 2511t, but IMO the weight advantage lets me work faster compared to running my 201tcm. Some people think it's silly that I'd prefer a lighter saw when talking about a 9lb Stihl top handle, but they've never climbed with a 5lb top handle that cuts as fast or faster than a stock 35cc saw. The only time the 201 gets pulled out anymore in a work environment, is when I'm doing a removal on a broad tree, with less cuts than wrecking out a tall pine tree. The added grunt of the 201 is also nice for those hardwoods.

Your offer is tempting...I might just mess around with the 48mm cylinder for now, assuming it's in good shape. I haven't spent much time grinding on quad port Huskies, so I'm still making a few tweaks to how I do the transfers. Timing the uppers is a bit different from how I do front-fed, quad-port Stihls.

On the hybrid pistons that have room to cut them, I've been doing a lot of taper cuts and domes on pistons. It's not something you do on a saw where being able to swap in a stock piston is important, but they work well on spicier builds. The compression bump is probably negligible compared to a pop up, but IMO they have a performance advantage over a flat top...probably in how the piston edge interacts with port flow. Domed pistons are kinda the "thing" now in performance 2 stroke applications like dirtbikes.

I'm not a full time saw builder like those guys, basically it's just a way to pay for my tools and to increase my own knowledge of 2 stroke tuning. I've got some spicy builds and then some more mundane stuff...I'll go a little crazy on some of my own stuff, but I won't do anything that requires custom parts on a work saw that's getting used every day. Most people don't want to have a special piston made just to rebuild their 500i lol.

You ever use Wiseco pistons , in ur builds ?

 

[chipper1]

Big orange STIHL decals?

I like the way you think!
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Well sort or, a nice reflective orange stripe down the side, then at the back "stihl" .

 

[Sierra_rider]

You ever use Wiseco pistons , in ur builds ?

Not on saws, but I used to run Wiseco pistons on one of my bikes. I tried to get a Wiseco for the 500i from CCC, but they were back ordered...that's the reason I machined a 660 piston to fit into the bore. They both reach the same tuning goal I was after, but a forged Wiseco would've likely been a much easier swap.