You all need to recycle your carburetor based chainsaws and get the 500i

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I will never understand the need to dog in a saw and lean on it.
Grew up running 242's and 254's, without even so much as a bumper, dogs just get in the way. But my background is pulpwood, and even firewood around here is very light on bark.
Dad was on a saw for pulpwood production from 1954-1998, one of his rules was, if you have to lean on it, it isn't sharp enough. I have a feeling I wouldn't be disappointed in these new generation saws, but I can't justy the price, especially when I have enough 2 series alone to last my lifetime and I don't make my living running them.

6e4eff754ec27b578abd1a9cc83e4575.jpg

Stuff like this is why you need dawgs they allow you to sight, line up cuts as well as taking strain off the operator. That said the west coast dawgs on these saws suck for most anything other then young timber where the bark isn’t very thick.


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Thanks. I am usually not far from the truck or tractor. However, I am also shot by the time I get done cutting and making two trips though short to carry everything wears on me.
Ron
 
Your buddy out in Cali was trying to blow up a saw? A500i? He went all season cutting fire damaged, charred trees without cleaning his filter? Anyone who has ever cut fire damaged timber knows how nasty, dusty, and dry, ashy that stuff is, I am a big fan of maxflow oiled filters but lets just say this I would have to see personally to believe it.
well he did buy 5 500is so he wasn't worried about it lol. but i called him and he said it was 6 wks before he cleaned it.
 
No way to treat a saw, that's just ignorance and lazy. Not brought up to respect tools!
he had 5 more just in case, plus Stihl did that too during testing, they gave them to loggers and told them to just run them and not clean the filters. yes charred trees are way more dirty than regular cutting but still.
 
If you ever start running maxflow filters on your Stihl you will have a hard time going back to a flock filter. Lots of times the filter will be really dirty and you can pull it down an inch or so and it will be spotless. It amazes me how much stuff gets under the hd2 after only a couple trees.
 
The Pic that Skeans shows in post #141 prompted me to display this one I took five years ago that shows my logger buddy and his MS660:
1641240730898.jpeg
Cottonwoods get pretty big around here. I bought this saw from him and he turned around and bought a pair of 661's. Then last year he traded those in on a pair of 500i's. He loves the new technology. I still have this MS660.
 
But it also weighs 14 -15 lbs instead of 20 lbs. Like you said different classes.
500i weighs a little over 14 pounds (PHO) dry weight. My 038 mag with full wrap and 28" light bar weighs 20 pounds with fuel and bar oil. The 500i and 038 mag power heads weigh the same which I thought was interesting. 500i is 7cc bigger of course.
 
The Pic that Skeans shows in post #141 prompted me to display this one I took five years ago that shows my logger buddy and his MS660:
View attachment 953431
Cottonwoods get pretty big around here. I bought this saw from him and he turned around and bought a pair of 661's. Then last year he traded those in on a pair of 500i's. He loves the new technology. I still have this MS660.

fbad0a1fab995453e71e4e49e40c0756.jpg

cdcfd28dd79c01b3b8f77be67781b5ee.jpg

Here the stump across the hinge of that girl, bar was a 36 and of course it had to be right before lunch it never fails.


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I haven't cut anything over 3' with my 500i yet. But I have no doubt as to its ability given its performance to date. As stated previously. I believe it will outperform my 82cc McCulloch 800 which is no slouch.

Large red oak snag I bucked with my 800 in 2013 (6' 4" at the base cut).
IMG_2970.JPG

McCulloch SP125C I used to fall the snag.
IMG_2950-001.JPG

Group shot - SP125C and PM800.
IMG_2971.JPG

This is why I bought the 500i - my 500i with 25" lite bar, full fuel and oil only weighs 1# more than this little 036Pro with a 20" regular bar. (Couple of the rounds rolled on it crushing the plastics but no serious damage.)
IMG_2966.JPG


Ron
 
Your buddy out in Cali was trying to blow up a saw? A500i? He went all season cutting fire damaged, charred trees without cleaning his filter? Anyone who has ever cut fire damaged timber knows how nasty, dusty, and dry, ashy that stuff is, I am a big fan of maxflow oiled filters but lets just say this I would have to see personally to believe it.
I have cut in fire areas, and you are right it is a dirty dusty business. I did not like it.
 
The Pic that Skeans shows in post #141 prompted me to display this one I took five years ago that shows my logger buddy and his MS660:
View attachment 953431
Cottonwoods get pretty big around here. I bought this saw from him and he turned around and bought a pair of 661's. Then last year he traded those in on a pair of 500i's. He loves the new technology. I still have this MS660.


That's a 661.
 
That's a 661.
You may be right. I think this is the 660 Pic and I showed the wrong one:
1641317458388.jpeg
Pic date on this one is 2014 and I think his 661 arrived later. The tree is about the same size. Pic date on the one I showed in post #150 is 2017.

A few months later the 661 was run over by a huge rolling log. I rebuilt it with $500 in parts. Here's what the tank housing looked like:
1641317932080.jpeg
Somehow the engine still had compression. That saw runs today.
 
500i weighs a little over 14 pounds (PHO) dry weight. My 038 mag with full wrap and 28" light bar weighs 20 pounds with fuel and bar oil. The 500i and 038 mag power heads weigh the same which I thought was interesting. 500i is 7cc bigger of course.
Hell absolutely no…my 038 super and my 500i, one in each hand and I can feel no doubt at all that the 500i is lighter. Maybe the 038 mag is lighter than the 038 super?
 
As men lust for greatness from a saw
Weight less but horses much more
We we port, we advance
Tune by the seat of our pants
Working to get that screaming roar

But sitting so briefly on shop shelf
is a cutting demon that just sorts itself
No tuning guesses it makes
No high screw mistakes
Just fast from north to south

"it aint no 090" I hear the cries
"I cant wrench that if it dies"
"I miss carbs and points
"and my once younger joints
"and when I could catch a pretty girls eyes"

this new girl will cost you less
it eats wood faster than you can dress
it wont care if your wrinked
or that you slow tinkle
Its alway in sunday best.

The 500 will weaken your knees
This one just outright screams
Part tie fighter, part stuka
Hits like a bazooka
War winner against any trees

I still love my 242
the 346 and 066 to
but the new girl is tight
and ever so light
whats an old feller to do?
 
Well, he's from Montana where men are men and the calves apparently are smart to run away as fast as they can when they hear a chainsaw start up. Actually, I've spent a fair amount of time there and never saw that reaction. I was in the eastern part of the state however.
Gives new meaning to cutting wood.
 

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