Stihl disease, best treatment option/solution?

krf1

Greetings from a new member! I am not in the trade, just a regular guy with a father-in-law who has two wood stoves! I help him a lot with felling and cutting firewood, typically oak and maple up to 24" He has a Stihl 039 that runs circles around my MS310 (which if I had known of this forum I probably would not have bought, but oh well!)

Anyway, this is my issue. I need a saw with a bit more oomph; the 310 does OK until you get above around 18" or so; then it just runs out of juice. I also like having two saws for a backup if needed. I have several options available, in possibly increasing cost:

1) repair/rebuild an old 041 (non-AV) that I got for free; use the 310 for backup

2) do what I can to improve the 310 performance (muffler mod?), get a nice 026 for $125 or 029 Super for $200 as a backup (both prices are confirmed)

3) acquire an MS460 with some minor carb issues (hard to start) for around 4 bills and keep the 310 as is as my backup


I am leaning towards the 460, but that 041 is a really cool saw!

Feedback from the experts is welcome; I have a big oak I am helping him cut in a couple of weeks so I want to come prepared to take down his 039!

Thanks!

Eric Frei

I've said it before and I'll say it again ... and I do not give 2 hoots what girlie man gets upset.

029, 310 and 390 all junk! Wannabe saws for weekend warriors.

Man up and buy a 460, then hand the tissues out to the girlie men.

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APSE

Eric is correct,
There is no substitute for cubic inches.....I just wouldn't buy a creamsicle. Although the Best of the Stihl line is the 460.....IMO. It's just that you can get REAL saws made to last for half the price and will out last those orange things, and already have by 20 years to this day. And 20 years from now where will that orange thing be? RECYCLED! Stihl-goggles are just as bad as beer goggles, so what are you gonna wake up with in the mornin?
Ok, I'm over it now....I can help you with a real saw if you want, BTW

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Apocalypsse

Whats a "real" saw then coz Husqvarna's are orange too!

Handsaw>motorised chainsaws.

serialtreekiller

hi mate go the 460 thay are the bomb

nmurph

you have the 310, why not MM it and see what you think. it will pull like the 390 of your FIL. it will never be a 460, but you will have a lot of $$ left in your wallet. and i know of which i speak. i have a MM310 and a shop full of stihl, husky and dolmar pro saws in just about every size. if a MM still doesn't get you what you want, then spend some money. but don't let a bloviating saw snob steer you into buying another saw bf you consider a cheap fix. the 310/390 aren't the fanciest, lightest, or fastest. but they are a very nice saw for the weekend cutter.

stihl makes some very good saws, but you should also look at options. the husky 372 line up are all nice, as are the dolmars, the original german saw manufacturer. you live are fortunate to live in Atl. there is a huge dolmar distributor located in Atl, as well as the HQ for HD, which rents Makita (Dolmar in different colors). i'm sure you could find one of their rental centers that has a 6401 for sale. pop a 79cc or 84cc on it and you will have a great saw that will out-cut a 460, 372 or 576 for less than $400 (and they are as durable as the other brands).
if you ever get to SE Ga let me know, i have a stable full of fun for you to try.

about the 460, it is a great saw. the carbs on those saws do have some problems. they will run at full throttle fine, but will not idle. cleaning them with carb cleaner or running them in an ultra-sonic does not correct this.

don't even consider the 041. it is heavy and slow. i would consider it a step back from the 310.

gooddog

I'm not sure if you want to go bigger or smaller or just cheap. That is a wide range of saws you gave as examples. I too had a bout of stihl disease this winter because I keep looking at craigslist. I bought a very near new ms361 and a near new 029. So, now I have a 026 16", 029 20", 361 20", 460 20" 25". I get oaks up to 48"+ so I needed a big saw. I don't know if you NEED a 460 unless you get lots of 24" trunks to cut. The 460 not starting easy could be as easy as a carb clean or adjustment, or it could be a air leak or needs carb rebuild. I have a dual port muffler cover on my 460 and am running a .70 jet in the carb. I love it.

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I'll be fine if my body holds out.

newguy18

Hey Kevin, this gentleman needs a decent saw,what do you got for him?

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old schooler

stihl kickin

and i thought you was ok! BUY THE 460!

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stihl's 011 036 064 066 ms660 075 084partners 500 5000 plus x2

stihl kickin

funny

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stihl's 011 036 064 066 ms660 075 084partners 500 5000 plus x2

Cut4fun

Which Kevin?

I've been torn about letting my last little baby go. 066 woods ported by Brent Combs that also had woods ported my The beast 084 that was known real well at the gtg's, that runs a 50" bar ripping hardwoods to this day with new owner.

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krf1

Thanks for the good info. I think I will hold off modifying the 310 for now; it will do fine for smaller trees and limbing. I think I am going to pull the trigger on the 460 - can get it for under four bills so I would be dumb to pass. Guy says it starts fine once warmed up so I think that should be an easy fix.

He is running a 16" bar (???) so I will have to fix that! Is there a "sweet spot" for the 460 in terms of bar size? I am thinking a 24" .063 bar would be perfect!

I got the 041 cleaned up - needs a carb rebuild. I think it can sit in my basement for a while...

Keep the feedback coming!

gooddog

A 16" on a 460...wow. Here I thought my 20" was a bit short. I might leave the 25" on my 460 now that I have the 361 filling the 20" spot. With that 16" bar, they may have ran a larger (8T)sprocket on the engine for faster chain speed. If that is the case, you will want to change that(7T) when you move up to the 2 foot bar. My 25" bar is a .050" groove width which is common around here, but it seems it's a regional thing.

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I'll be fine if my body holds out.

APSE

Woops! missed a couple days!
Everybody has an opinion on this of course,(wasn't hard to fire up the Stihl guys,huh?) I think that Dolmar/Makita makes one of the best saws on the market today. Durable, strong cutting, reliable and parts are available. Choice 2, Echo, either one of these brands are well built saws, and the Echo in particular with some modifications will really surprise you. Echo's can be had for substantially less, and they use needle bearings on the cranks of the pro grade saws, while the OTHER brands that advertise so much use ball bearings on the cranks. Also look into the warranty periods that each of the brands have available, particularly warranty for the commercial user, this will tell you a tale all by itself. I have seen CATASTROPHIC failure in both of the well advertised brands multiple times, and in the pro-grade class. Not all of these failures can be contributed to user error, more often "engineered obsolence" is the factor. THE #1 choice of all currently available is the Makita/Dolmar 7900 saw, I think it has the best power-weight ratio on the market today, lightweight saw, with big saw power.
Allright, I'll give in just a little.....the 460 is a good saw, it is the ONLY one that Stihl produces currently that I will say that about, though. And the other Orange one gets no accolades from me at all.

Something Magnesium, Loud, Overbuilt, and Obnoxious, is still MY choice...Yeah, even the orange ones.

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Vintage Chainsaws, Parts, Restorations, Custom Work, Special Saws on Request and Much More.
Please visit our webalbum:
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Email:apse-llc@live.com
Phone:720-260-0157
Business Hours: Tuesday Through Friday 9-6
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If ya got sumthin' ya can't find we'd be glad to try and help ya!
Brian and Tina
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Eric Frei

Between 20" and 25" bar goes well.

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krf1

Well, I went to look at the 460 today. In short, it looked like it had been "rode hard and put up wet"! Cracks in the casing, everything really dirty, bar and chain in bad shape. Couldn't get it to start even with (chainsaw-approved) ether directly in the carb. Got to talking to the guy - he said he had had it a while, bought it used, replaced the worm gear, chain brake not working real well, etc., etc. I had to say thanks but no thanks!

I'm gonna keep looking - 1 year old Makita 6401 just caught my eye - may need to make another trip

Thanks for all the feedback so far!

newguy18

If you can find a 460 great,if not the 440/044 is okay,and the 372 xp from husky can be a beast.

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old schooler

Scooterbum

Check out the 064. Tad more in weight but will cut circles around a 460.

Do your research and you'll find it has the best power to weight ratio going, and you'll find very few that can say a bad word one about it.

Can be had at a reasonable price.It's been my goto saw for a long time now.

Saw Dr

It has been over a week since your original post. You could have modded the 310 muffler in about 25 minutes. Get that 310 dialed in, and keep on the lookout for a 460. Should you find a 046,044,440,441,372,7900, or Solo 680 around, you might want to have a look at those too.

krf1

You are right! I am keeping my eyes open for a bigger saw. In the meantime I am getting the old 041 running (Stihl still carries the gasket kit, fuel lines and filter) and am talking to a buddy of my FIL's who has modded some saws.

Saw Dr

If you are on the west side of ATL, I could set you up with a modded 310 muffler, and make sure you have the carb dialed in.

krf1

I live in Marietta, but have family in Hiram/Dallas. I am about an hour from Temple. I am definitely interested; cutting up a 30" oak this week so the saw is interested too! I can't PM so let me know the best way to get in touch with you (maybe an admin can help?)

Saw Dr

I'm pretty busy this week, and the to-do list in the shop is longer than my arm. With that said, I'll mod up an 1127 muffler and we can meet up sometime. We'll just swap out your muffler and re-adjust the carb. 10 minute job. You're going to be cutting that big tree on stock power, though. I can't get to it until later in the month. You should be over 10 posts by then, and be able to PM. 1128 saws pass through my shop often. Who knows, I may turn up a 460 that needs a new home by then.

krf1

Sounds good. I found Windthrown's mod thread - we'll see how frustrated I get this week!

superfire

KRF! couple questions. Which bar and chain combo you running? Also have check your local craigslsit? Sometime a good saw may pop up.

superfire

There is pawn shop near KRF with aMakita dsc6401 28" bar for $399. It would be a great buy.

krf1

Hello Superfire - thanks for the queries.

Re: bar/chain - 18" Rollomatic bar; not certain of chain type (not a reduced-kickback one)

Re: Makita - yeah, I saw that one. I also found a lightly used one from July 2009 for $325. I know it is an awesome saw; I am going to check some of the local Home Depots (there are 100 of them in Atlanta!) for some lightly used ones for less $ while I keep on the lookout for bigger saws. One benefit of living in a large metro area is a very active Craigslist!

newguy18

I might have a 460 I can let go later this week if you wanna drive down to central Florida. A good friend of mine is getting out of treework and giving me quite a few new to me toys.

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krf1

Thanks very much, Newguy - very generous of you. My current WAF level for this saw "bug" is pretty low right now - I think a suggestion of a 1000 mile, 16 hour trip to buy a saw could put me on the living room couch! I think my plan to bring my 041 back to life, possibly mod my 310 and stay local for a bigger one is the safest one for now!

(BTW, a Still 088 just listed on ATL CL - $1000! Not going there!)

thanks again

superfire

Here is my under a 100 saw chip solution:

Step :

1) Open muffler 20% and 4 storke the Carb
2) Install a 24" Bar and Semi Skip Non Safety Chisel chain on the MS 310
3) Repair 041 and install the 18" ( From the MS 310) bar on it and add a New Non Safety Semi Skip Chisel Chain
4) Think about the Dolmar,They have a lay away plan ( Less Likely you will be sleeping on the couch )