Any of you guys do modifications to your saw? I see threads for "porting" and for muffler "mods". How many of you have done this? Is there a major difference? worth it?
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MS 361 power modifications
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10 to 15 percent with muffler modd.(best bang for the buck) porting is a differnt story just depends how good the port work isjj3500 said:
Some do, some don't do mods, and there are some tradeoffs involved...
Obviously you void any waranty on the saw...
Arguably it may shorten the saws life or have a negative impact on reliability - certainly a heavily modded saw is likely to be fussier about fuel, maintainance, and so forth...
A muffler mod will likely make the saw louder - not a problem if you are out in the boonies, but possibly a big issue if you are in a suburban neighborhood...
Sometimes you may find that a modded saw will have a shift in performance, many mods will give a higher peak output, but a narrower powerband - i.e. if the saw starts to bog it will really fall down, where the stock saw could keep going...
However, there are also people that swear by their mods, and that a modded saw will cut better, faster, etc...
IMHO if you have a solid saw to start with, you don't really need the mods - my 7900 is a great limbing saw in stock trim...
From what I've seen however, just like in sports cars, there are different levels of modifications - ranging from minor tweaks to full-out competition specials... There is a big difference between what you might want done on a competition saw that only has to run for a couple minutes at a time, vs. the saw you want to run all day while cutting up your seasons wood supply... I would tend to suggest that for a "working" saw, you keep the mods fairly minor....
Lastly, it seems to me like more of the guys that do saw mods hang out over on arboristsite, so they might be able to give you more / better advice than you might get here.
Gooserider
Obviously you void any waranty on the saw...
Arguably it may shorten the saws life or have a negative impact on reliability - certainly a heavily modded saw is likely to be fussier about fuel, maintainance, and so forth...
A muffler mod will likely make the saw louder - not a problem if you are out in the boonies, but possibly a big issue if you are in a suburban neighborhood...
Sometimes you may find that a modded saw will have a shift in performance, many mods will give a higher peak output, but a narrower powerband - i.e. if the saw starts to bog it will really fall down, where the stock saw could keep going...
However, there are also people that swear by their mods, and that a modded saw will cut better, faster, etc...
IMHO if you have a solid saw to start with, you don't really need the mods - my 7900 is a great limbing saw in stock trim...
From what I've seen however, just like in sports cars, there are different levels of modifications - ranging from minor tweaks to full-out competition specials... There is a big difference between what you might want done on a competition saw that only has to run for a couple minutes at a time, vs. the saw you want to run all day while cutting up your seasons wood supply... I would tend to suggest that for a "working" saw, you keep the mods fairly minor....
Lastly, it seems to me like more of the guys that do saw mods hang out over on arboristsite, so they might be able to give you more / better advice than you might get here.
Gooserider
I'm gonna drill holes in my airbox, no- I'm gonna leave the airboc cover off. That's for starters, then shave a litle more off the rakers................
the 361 doesnt seem to get any loulder after a muffler modd. but if your somewhere where noise is an issue it doesnt matter if the muffler is ported or not! You cant hide a running chainsaw of any kind.
smokinj said:
True, though an electric isn't going to be too bad... However part of it is a "Public Relations" type gesture - it is a lot harder for people to complain enough to get you shut down if your saw is stock... ("I'd love to be quieter officer, but this is the way the saw was made..") The other aspect of it is that noise tends to be somewhat focused - a muffler modded saw may not sound any louder from behind the grips, but it may still be putting out a lot more noise in front...
Gooserider
This just doesnt hold water ported or not its still a chainsaw they dont look at you In anyway other way(it is what it is) if noise is an issue ported or not they will see you in the same light and the ported saw not making the none ported saw look bad. For example sunday A.M. if I start out with the 260 instead of the 460 the results will be the same! put the 7900 against a ported 7900 there is not enough of a differnce to be an issue what so ever with noise!
The muffler mod is fairly easy, take off the muffler, drill new hole through cover (aim new hole away from where your hand might be), put muffler back together. Take off covers of carb screws (they limit the amount of adjustment) adjust the carb much richer (too lean will eat the piston).
For my 290, after mod - MUCH louder. But does not bog down now, almost ever. I wear ear protection, so do the people I cut with, so not an issue.
Don't do this while your saw in under warranty. If you messed up, you'd have to buy a new muffler.
(broken link removed to http://picasaweb.google.com/Michael.Birney/Stihl290#)
This is my mod, but did not take enough pics, was just trying to get it done.
For my 290, after mod - MUCH louder. But does not bog down now, almost ever. I wear ear protection, so do the people I cut with, so not an issue.
Don't do this while your saw in under warranty. If you messed up, you'd have to buy a new muffler.
(broken link removed to http://picasaweb.google.com/Michael.Birney/Stihl290#)
This is my mod, but did not take enough pics, was just trying to get it done.
jj3500 said:
smokinj said:
I would point out that the louder you are, the further the sound travels, and the more people will notice, increasing the universe of possible complainers... Secondly, the louder you are, the more you will intrude on your neighbors, increasing the odds of them complaining... It is one thing if I notice that "Oh, Joe has got his saw going again" and "Joe's saw is making so much noise I can't hear the TV w/o blasting it" Some noise is tolerable, a lot of noise isn't...
Even if they don't call the cops, it is still nice to be able to talk to your neighbors and say something to the effect of "I hope the noise doesn't bother you, I keep the saw stock so as to minimize the noise, but chainsaws are noisy as they come from the factory..." That can at least minimize the amount of grief they give you, as you are coming across as trying to be a good guy, not the local noisemaker...
In our town at least, there is a noise ordinance that sets the permitted noise levels, as measured by a meter at the property line... The allowed noise levels vary with time / day of week, so yes you do need to worry about when you are operating... However if you are making less than the MEASURED amount of noise, you are legal, if over, you get ticketed. The numbers on a stock saw are such that you would pretty much have to be sitting on the property line to be over the limit, a modded saw would have less margin.
(BTW, reports from Arboristsite suggest that Dolmars get less benefit than most from muffler mods and other minor changes, they are closer to peak performance levels as they come from the factory, so there isn't as much point in opening them up)
Gooserider
big saw ported or not will have the same effect! I cut in the city limmits all the time it is what it is.50cc-80cc makes no differnce at all ported or not. I will knock on doors to tell them whats going on but noise level from ported to non ported is splitting hairs(its the size of the saw is where the noise levelgoing to be). Time of day and what day it is makes all the differnce...
"I keep the saw stock so as to minimize the noise" your not going to hide that 7900 either way. If it makes you feel better good for you but it still like trying to hide an elephant
"I keep the saw stock so as to minimize the noise" your not going to hide that 7900 either way. If it makes you feel better good for you but it still like trying to hide an elephant
I keep getting close to buying another saw and then back to doing a port job on one of the 029supers. Guess projects keep getting in the way....
Sorry, meant muffler mod. I did some reading and you can go 80% if the exhaust port. NOw that I have 2 saws I may try...
burntime said:
029 should have loss exhaust already I may be looking at you #'s backwards but 20 percent over what you got now should be a good gain
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