I need a good chainsaw

[heaterman]

I would strongly recommend looking at the 5 series Husky saws. Power to weight ratio can't be beat. They start with the 550, then 555 then the pro version 562 which has to be used to be believed. I have to admit I'm a little biased toward Husky from a very long time ago. Raced 'em in various configurations from stock to full mod with alcohol, stroked cranks, expansion chambers etc. ........those were the days. Had an old 77 that won the under 5 cube class at the worlds in Green Bay back in the day and dang near got my face kicked in for a smart remark I made to an old timer that I beat......... lol

Anyway, if you are looking a a serious 3.5-4.0 cube saw you won't go wrong with a Husky. The 562 as I said is unbelievable for it's size and weight. Sink the full length of a 20" bar in a piece of oak and just flat get it.

Send me a PM. I still have some pretty good connections in the saw industry and if you're looking for a deal I can help.

 

[Benchwrench]

Just did my MS260. Meteor makes a good kit. Or you could just go OEM. Either way is fine. IMO.

You will need to check the serial number . To see if you need a 44 mm or 44.7 mm piston and ring. A whole kit (cylinder, piston, rings, wrist pin, circlips, etc) isn't to bad, price wise..

Getting the saw for free, I would definitely put some good parts in it. And if it shows signs of being hot, I would replace the seals also. No need to put good money into the saw, only to have an air leak and fry it again (may be why it happened to begin with?).

Cheers.

I have the shop manual in a .pdf, however I would like to ask you about any special tools needed and how far do I need to strip this saw down just to do a top end job?
BTW, are you talking about crank seals?
Thanks Dex.

Bench

 

[DexterDay]

Yes. Crank seals. They may still be o.k... But they are cheap and there are several good videos on YouTube that show how to do it. Or you can do the top end and have it pressure tested to check. But if there bad, you will be tearing it back down.

To make it easier to work on, I separated the handle/tanks from the motor /case. Made wrenching on it pretty easy
You have to take apart the 3 A/V joints and disconnect the 2 wires near the coil and loosen the boot to the cylinder.
This was a response I got. Also shows the model # in which the bore size changed.

You already ordered but in case this helps someone in the future. These are some responses I got years ago when I was in a similar boat.

44.7mm's came in higher serial numbers (262xxxxxx)

The other way is that the 44.7 piston is domed slightly; the 44mm is flat. The 44.7 was fitted with a heat sheild beteeen the muffer and cylinder, so if you have one of these, it's probably not a 44.

Hope this helps.

 

[jonwright]

Full wrap handle on a MS250C...... love it.

Ok, ok. After felling a 20"+ oak today with a SHARP chain for a change I rather see your point. Bogging it with the 18" bar was easy.

Did fine on the limbs.

 

[StihlHead]

Eureka!

I just wanted to share what I found and let you guys know what happened in my quest for a chainsaw.

My neighbor GAVE ME a MS 260 Pro!

Cool beans. They are great saws, and they absolutely spank the 250s. They can also be modified really easy.

You do not need to worry about it being a 44mm or 44.7mm, either P&C set will fit either a 026 or 260 saw with no modification required. I have both, and I even have one late model 026 chassis with an upgraded 260s P&C. The crank and saw body will accept either one. Just make sure you get the matched set, and I would go with the newer MS260 44.7mm as that is a poor man's big bore on the 026 and has slightly more power. Though if you can get an 026 44mm for cheap, I would get that. I would strongly recommend the Mahle OEM P&C, and the Meteor kits a distant second. Reason being that the OEM engines last about 2x as long. There was a guy on ArboristShyte selling new OEM 260 P&C and ring sets for about $100 a year ago. He had a lot of them, but I do not know if he has any left. You can live without the decomp button if the replacement engine does not have it. The 260 is not that hard to start (I drop start all my saws though, with the saw remaining in both hands).

Two most likely reasons that the saw was fried:

1) They used straight gas w/o premix oil in it
2) They leaned out the H jet on the carb and it overheated

 

[StihlHead]

What have you done to mod these? Exhaust?

The 310 has a Europ muffler mod on it and richened up H jet (after slicing off the limiter tab). Not much else that you can do on a clam shell engine. I polished up the exhaust port though. Several upgrades on the 026/260s. They all have Walbro WT-194 carbs that are fully tunable, they are the best carbs for that saw. One of my 026s is a later model 026 with a 260 engine on it. Poor mans BB kit. Not a lot of power boost. It has an early model muffler (fully ported) and tuned H jet. One 260 is mildly ported: drilled out muffler, tuned carb, slightly opened up and polished exhaust port, no port timing changes or changes in squish. The other early 026 is woods ported with an original open muffler, tuned carb, opened and polished exhaust port, opened and left rough intake port, port timing adjusted to match the squish which was done with emory paper on glass to remove some height of the cylinder. This saws simply screams, and I have the WOT RPM set to max +500 RPM. That saw has the revs to keep pace with the 310, but not the torque. I run all 3/8 std B&C on my large mount Stihl saws. If I had a picco setup on this saw it would beat my 361. Those large mount picco Stihl bars are nearly impossible to get though. Someone has come out with a NK .325 B&C for large mount Stihl saws someplace though, and that would likely also do it justice.

 

[WoodPorn]

I'm getting off topic..sorry to the OP
SH, you have any advice on light mods for my Husky 365??

 

[ditchrider]

how do I pick which chainsaw to buy?
I have a small cheezy 16" 32cc. "Craftsman" branded (McCulloch/ Poulan) chainsaw, but I need a "real" saw that is just a bit more powerful as I am always "massaging" the thing to cut.
I am looking for a "all around, use all the time" type of chainsaw.

I live in Stihl country but I'm not sure they're better than Husky's, I just want a real good professional mid-size saw that can be used most of the day for bucking and limbing.

Anything come to mind? thanks.

Ford, chevy, dodge. Husky, Stihl, Partner,(discontinued) pick a color and get some advice. I have Huskies, but I have choices. If I lived in Stihl country, I would go with that and decide on a model that takes care of my needs. Parts, service, parts, advice. Did I say parts? Having said that, I won't make a recommendation on a model. My advice is Stihl. Lots of good comments here.

 

[StihlHead]

I'm getting off topic..sorry to the OP
SH, you have any advice on light mods for my Husky 365??

Nope, sorry. I have never done any porting in the Husky saws that I have owned: a 346xp later model, 372xpw second generation, the 395xpw, or the 576xp. I have only modified Stihl saws, a couple of big old Macs and an Olympic that I had for years, and my Homelite blower and Red Max trimmer. I ran a fully ported 346xp later model at a PNW GTG a few years ago (ported by a guy that goes by the alias of 'Tree Slingr" in No. Cal.) and that saw absolutely screamed. I would have kept my 346 except for the outboard clutch.

I would imagine that opening up the mufflers would be similar, as well as re-tuning the carbs. Porting is very similar on any 2-stroke by opening up and polishing the exhaust ports, opening up the intake port and leaving it rough, lowering the squish, and then opening up and polishing the transfer ports. You can also mess with port/mechanical timing and lightening the piston, but that gets into some more complicated stuff and often times the saws become 'less better' as a result at that point. I ran a 361 once that was loud and fully ported and really ran no better than one of my stock ones. For the most part modified saws do not command a permium over stock ones on the used market (though I have found that lightly modified saws sell very well around these parts; usually they sell themselves .

 

[WoodPorn]

Thanks for the info, I've been lurking over at Arborist site and I think I'm gonna give a Muffler mod a try.

 

[StihlHead]

Yah, there are a few good guys on arboristshyte that have done some great series about saw mods, and I have bought and sold saws and saw parts from several of them. Some of the flame wars are not so good there though, and it can be a very tough crowd to war with. I have been banned there for getting into it with the 'Big Kahuna'. Not that it matters...

 

[WoodPorn]

Life goes on.....