stihl 261 and 362 crank problems
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They are still having the crank issues where the clutch bearing rides but after a couple accidents they have started enforcing the company policy of:
standing or taking 2 steps or less= chain brake set
more than 2 steps= saw must be shut off till they are ready to cut again
with that policy in place and being enforced i cant see excessive idle time being the problem.
standing or taking 2 steps or less= chain brake set
more than 2 steps= saw must be shut off till they are ready to cut again
with that policy in place and being enforced i cant see excessive idle time being the problem.
Not very well. They never got to run it. They took it with them all excited about having a saw to try out and after a couple weeks they returned it. Safety director had to get involved to verify it passed all safety standards then it went up the food chain to get approval for a trial run. They originally came back with they couldnt run a saw they didnt own. I offered to sell it to them with a receipt for a penny and buy it back when they blew it up. Pay for all repairs in between. Final ruling??? Something about their contract with Stihl prevents them from owning/running anything else. The Foreman still wants to try one out but cant get it approved.
WOW! Bureaucracy.
Philip Wheelock
Finis Origine Pendet
I've heard power line trimming crews on our land running their saws WOT in brush. Suspect that kind of abuse leads to crank/conrod bearing failures in a hurry. Regarding clutch bearings, the lubrication, whether grease or 30W oil, dries up pretty quickly, at least on my saws, and I'm routinely removing the clutch drum to clean and lube the bearing. PITA, but I can't see anything but trouble happening when you're running a hot, dry bearing.
Justsaws
Addicted to ArboristSite
What you are seeing is fairly common with easement crews, it is a hard life for the saw. Those saws are run freaking hard until they die. Use the info like a litmus test for the quality of the tool. The newer Stihls still have a lot of bugs to work out. Ask your customer about the 361 and 310(1127 series). They should not be running any m tronics or auto tunes(different company), and take the business happily, do not short yourself on your costs. These folks are always looking for a place to do rebuilds, obviously. Keep your paperwork up to date, watch the billing like a gun toting hawk.
Excellent customers, as long as you are surviving.
Have any NG/Oil field easement crews yet?
If you are allowed to keep the cranks save them up and weld up a three dimensional stihl sucks sign, if the husky guys show up save those also. A trendy 372 and 390 husky blows sign would look good.
If the newer Echo chain brake flags are double posts that is the brands these crews should be running, the Dolmars will not hold up any better than the non M tronic Stihls.
Excellent customers, as long as you are surviving.
Have any NG/Oil field easement crews yet?
If you are allowed to keep the cranks save them up and weld up a three dimensional stihl sucks sign, if the husky guys show up save those also. A trendy 372 and 390 husky blows sign would look good.
If the newer Echo chain brake flags are double posts that is the brands these crews should be running, the Dolmars will not hold up any better than the non M tronic Stihls.
We had the NG and power line clearing crews through last fall. They ran 461's with no trouble except clutches.
361's are still holding up fine for this crew that is killing 261/362 weekly. We are continuing to patch up some pretty rough looking 361's just so they can keep them as long as possible. Same with the 200t. They ran 270/290/310 couple years ago and said they were worse than the 261/362 troubles. Mtronic is causing more headache than the carb versions for what it's worth.
Oddly enough both foreman own Echo for their personal equipment.
361's are still holding up fine for this crew that is killing 261/362 weekly. We are continuing to patch up some pretty rough looking 361's just so they can keep them as long as possible. Same with the 200t. They ran 270/290/310 couple years ago and said they were worse than the 261/362 troubles. Mtronic is causing more headache than the carb versions for what it's worth.
Oddly enough both foreman own Echo for their personal equipment.
Justsaws
Addicted to ArboristSite
Aside from the occasional ignition coil failure the 361s were legendary compared to the others. There are some rough 361s still in service. The control range of the M tronic and A tune is too narrow, seems to work well for typical felling bucking but easement/slash work it does not seem able to compensate. Personally think that easement work is harder on the saw than milling, at least milling the load is fairly constant.
Echo seems to have a couple good saws out there these days, lots of happy owners. Really wish they would change the brake setup on the two largest saws.
Echo seems to have a couple good saws out there these days, lots of happy owners. Really wish they would change the brake setup on the two largest saws.
IMHO the saws being strato charged has more to do with it than the Mtronic system. The few strato cranks and top ends I've seen were dry, discolored and the underside of the pistons had plenty of glazing. Not to start a oil thread, but I also believe ethanol and 50:1 plays a big role when it comes to cranking failures, especially with strato engines.
When it comes to other OPE like blowers and trimmers, Echo products are out lasting the competition right now, and is what most of the local lawn care crews are running theses days.
When it comes to other OPE like blowers and trimmers, Echo products are out lasting the competition right now, and is what most of the local lawn care crews are running theses days.
Well all this talk of newer Stihl's and the Mtronic system are making me rethink my most recent saw purchase. Picked up a very low use 261-C a couple of weeks ago for a good price. I have avoided the Husky Autotune because of all the problems that I read about. Had read very little bad about Mtronic, until I buy one!
I do not use ethanol, mix @ 40:1 and very rarely use my saws in an easement type clearing situation, and even if I do it is a pretty short deal, not an all day thing. Most of my saw use is felling, limbing and bucking.
So I ask. Will the 261-C handle my type of use and provide a good long service life, or should I sell it while it still looks like new?
I do not use ethanol, mix @ 40:1 and very rarely use my saws in an easement type clearing situation, and even if I do it is a pretty short deal, not an all day thing. Most of my saw use is felling, limbing and bucking.
So I ask. Will the 261-C handle my type of use and provide a good long service life, or should I sell it while it still looks like new?
I think it will last just fine. What I have posted is coming from line clearing crews that are hard on saws. Inexperienced, uncaring operators running these saws 8 to 12 hrs a day cutting brush. These guys are using saws in an extreme way that few people will come close to matching.
What do you see the 200T coming in with broken?
361 and 200T even with their age just keep on ticking. they are usually crunched or jsut wore out when i see them. That is what makes me ask so many questions about the 261/362 issues. If it was all on the environment or operator then i should be seeing the same failures on all saws. Strato and overall quality of materials used play a factor in the high failure rates of the 261/362....I THINK. Other local shops are seeing the same problems from these line clearance crews but they just pass it off as operator error. You arent hearing about crank failures from private small trimming crews or firewood hacks which can be explained ...1. less total hours on the saws 2. less operator abuse and misuse but that doesnt explain the 361 being indestructable. trying to learn and figure out a way for these guys to get more hours out of their saws. most are dead before the machine marks are off the pistons. They have recently switched to 40:1 against the advice of Stihl reps and we will see how they hold up like that. He also commented about the mtronic saws seem to run better on 40:1. I like the work and the money that comes with it so i really should jsut keep my mouth shut and fix em.
is it my imagination or is there less crankcase displacement in the newer strato saws ?
maybe its just where the displacement is and I can't see the area ?. seems like stuff is jammed in a smaller space ?
smaller space = less lube ?
sorry for the "out of left field" question.
maybe its just where the displacement is and I can't see the area ?. seems like stuff is jammed in a smaller space ?
smaller space = less lube ?
sorry for the "out of left field" question.
Storm, I think you will be just fine with your 261 C, I really like my 362 C.
Angelo, I must respectfully disagree. If the same volume of fuel is going through the case, the less surface area will result in more lub per sq inch.
I like 40:1 in my saws. Use the oil you like, but I'm happy with the AMSOIL Saber. No problems so far.
Angelo, I must respectfully disagree. If the same volume of fuel is going through the case, the less surface area will result in more lub per sq inch.
I like 40:1 in my saws. Use the oil you like, but I'm happy with the AMSOIL Saber. No problems so far.
Nate,
what do the bearings look like when the cranks are bad ? guessing that might be an indicator of "lube" ?
what do the bearings look like when the cranks are bad ? guessing that might be an indicator of "lube" ?
There's a lot more to than that. Like dwell time, and the fact less fuel/oil is in fact going through the case. We also have oil free air traveling through cutouts in the piston, causing drastic temperature differentials. I've also found it nearly impossible to tune a strato engine even slightly rich, without the engine getting into a wild air fuel imbalance.
Stihl and a few others are on the right track getting away from strato engines IMHO. Again this is more of a fundamental design issue with strato engines than anything else. For most it's not an issue as mentioned above, in the tough professional environment it's weaknesses rears it's ugly head.
