500i Update:
We've had the first snows of winter in the mountains and there are a lot of trees that came down in the autumn storms, which are blocking the soon-to-be-groomed for snowmobiles, Forest Service Roads. The hunters and 4x4'ers typically only cut the downed trees enough to get their machines through, but that isn't wide enough for a grooming machine to pass. I'd been going out in my 4 seater Talon SxS so that I could carry a 60" Peavey, a pick axe, the 500i and the MS201T along with fuel, oil and tools to sharpen and adjust the chains. And have been removing the fully-blocking deadfalls and the partially blocking ones, too. The snow became too deep for the Talon to negotiate, when the grade became steep enough. So I knew I'd have to use a snowmobile to continue the log removal effort.
I built a small, wooden rack of OSB strand board with 1x2 clear fir pieces screwed to it in just the right places to act as stops to keep the 500i, the 60" Logrite Peavey with log jack, fuel and bar oil containers, positioned precisely on the OSB panel. I used bungie cords hooked to strategically located eye bolts, which were screwed into the 1x2" stops.
The OSB panel is bolted to a 3/16" aluminum plate which has six bolts which pick up the Polaris tunnel accessory attachment rails. Polaris recommends no more weight than 15 lbs. be placed on the tunnel. So I mounted everything as far forward on the tunnel as possible, where the tunnel's verticle sides, which act as stiffners, have a goodly amount of material. Most of the weight is actually forward of the rear mounting point of the running boards. The The running boards are designed to handle the full weight of a 300 lbs. person, standing with both feet on the same running board, while the machine carves a turn in deep snow, so I think Polaris's 15 lbs. tunnel restriction to be conservative. I'm sure the saw, Peavey, fuel and oil weigh 40+ lbs, and I can feel the sled handles differently when it is loaded with the items. I can sense the center of gravity is higher and it feels tippier, like it will roll over easier in a high-speed turn on a groomed trail. So I slow down.
The 500i has worked flawlessy in the cold temperatures, I've been using the blue bottle Stihl winter bar oil. Temperatures have been as low as 15 F, but the saw fires up easily. No icing problems encountered. I use a 20 inch bar as it is rare to encounter something larger in diameter than the 20 inch will handle. And it balances so nicely with the short bar. I am careful to let it come up to operating temperature by letting it idle for a while, and then operating it lower RPM while starting the initial cut. It does cut so quickly, being such a powerhouse, that is just doesn't take long to buck up any tree or for that matter, any number of trees, as many are blown down together around these parts, since they all burned in the fires of 2012; it's the domino effect in action.
The peavey with log stand, is a chainsaver of course, but it is useful too, in prying up trees stuck in the snow. My prior experiences when I had it along in the Talon, had proved its value, so I just had to build the rack to bring the Peavey (cant hook style) along on the sled.
I do have about 12 tanks of gas through the saw now and it does seem to cut a little better than when it was brand new. Of course a lot of that just comes from having a really sharp chain. I use the Stihl 2-1 tool to sharpen and dress the teeth between cutting sessions. The amount of sawdust chips produced by the saw is a sight to behold. The ten-year old dead tamarack trees are a softwood, which cut very easily. Makes great firewood, burns with little ash, but more quickly than doug fir.
I have no "fines" getting by the air filter, so apparently I don't have the filter problem that some 500i owners have reported.
The last picture was taken after sunset, when I finally quit cutting for the day. That's Mt. Rainier in the distance.
We've had the first snows of winter in the mountains and there are a lot of trees that came down in the autumn storms, which are blocking the soon-to-be-groomed for snowmobiles, Forest Service Roads. The hunters and 4x4'ers typically only cut the downed trees enough to get their machines through, but that isn't wide enough for a grooming machine to pass. I'd been going out in my 4 seater Talon SxS so that I could carry a 60" Peavey, a pick axe, the 500i and the MS201T along with fuel, oil and tools to sharpen and adjust the chains. And have been removing the fully-blocking deadfalls and the partially blocking ones, too. The snow became too deep for the Talon to negotiate, when the grade became steep enough. So I knew I'd have to use a snowmobile to continue the log removal effort.
I built a small, wooden rack of OSB strand board with 1x2 clear fir pieces screwed to it in just the right places to act as stops to keep the 500i, the 60" Logrite Peavey with log jack, fuel and bar oil containers, positioned precisely on the OSB panel. I used bungie cords hooked to strategically located eye bolts, which were screwed into the 1x2" stops.
The OSB panel is bolted to a 3/16" aluminum plate which has six bolts which pick up the Polaris tunnel accessory attachment rails. Polaris recommends no more weight than 15 lbs. be placed on the tunnel. So I mounted everything as far forward on the tunnel as possible, where the tunnel's verticle sides, which act as stiffners, have a goodly amount of material. Most of the weight is actually forward of the rear mounting point of the running boards. The The running boards are designed to handle the full weight of a 300 lbs. person, standing with both feet on the same running board, while the machine carves a turn in deep snow, so I think Polaris's 15 lbs. tunnel restriction to be conservative. I'm sure the saw, Peavey, fuel and oil weigh 40+ lbs, and I can feel the sled handles differently when it is loaded with the items. I can sense the center of gravity is higher and it feels tippier, like it will roll over easier in a high-speed turn on a groomed trail. So I slow down.
The 500i has worked flawlessy in the cold temperatures, I've been using the blue bottle Stihl winter bar oil. Temperatures have been as low as 15 F, but the saw fires up easily. No icing problems encountered. I use a 20 inch bar as it is rare to encounter something larger in diameter than the 20 inch will handle. And it balances so nicely with the short bar. I am careful to let it come up to operating temperature by letting it idle for a while, and then operating it lower RPM while starting the initial cut. It does cut so quickly, being such a powerhouse, that is just doesn't take long to buck up any tree or for that matter, any number of trees, as many are blown down together around these parts, since they all burned in the fires of 2012; it's the domino effect in action.
The peavey with log stand, is a chainsaver of course, but it is useful too, in prying up trees stuck in the snow. My prior experiences when I had it along in the Talon, had proved its value, so I just had to build the rack to bring the Peavey (cant hook style) along on the sled.
I do have about 12 tanks of gas through the saw now and it does seem to cut a little better than when it was brand new. Of course a lot of that just comes from having a really sharp chain. I use the Stihl 2-1 tool to sharpen and dress the teeth between cutting sessions. The amount of sawdust chips produced by the saw is a sight to behold. The ten-year old dead tamarack trees are a softwood, which cut very easily. Makes great firewood, burns with little ash, but more quickly than doug fir.
I have no "fines" getting by the air filter, so apparently I don't have the filter problem that some 500i owners have reported.
The last picture was taken after sunset, when I finally quit cutting for the day. That's Mt. Rainier in the distance.
