ms170 me likey! new pickup

[rippinryno]

Picked up a used ms170 yesterday for $50. Didnt run. Gave it a couple pulls and heard it try to fire on choke. Then it flooded. As i was trying to unflood it the pull cord broke. I've since put a new pull cord on it and plan to pull the carb and give it a thorough cleaning. Overall the saw is in good condition, cylinder and piston look great and the bar has plenty of original stihl paint on it, i don't think it got a lot of use.

anybody run this saw, i'm looking forward to using it as a limb and firewood saw, very lightweight and easy to handle.

 

[Jags]

Have run a friends 170 a fair amount. Nice saw. Light weight and agile for the smaller stuff. If I pick it up after running the 361 for a while, I have to remind myself that the 170 is still a "real" saw and can still bite me.

 

[kevin j]

I've used a 180. light and nimble and keeps up with larger saws in anything under maybe 6 inches. It had narrow kerf chain which I think helped.

I have an adjustable carb for one, so 'someday' put on the carb, open up the muffler a bit (his was quite restrictive) and I think it could be peppy.

clamshell engine, so can't do much else.

 

[rippinryno]

is the adjustable carb a china aftermarket? i saw some on ebay that had adjustments when i was ordering the carb rebuild kit. parts are so cheap for this saw. the rebuild kit is $3.00 shipped! I'm wondering if an adjustable carb for $12 might be the ticket to opening it up, for now i'll give it a few days in the wood and see hwo i like it.

I agree jags, the thing weighs so little it feels like a toy. I have a feeling i'll be reaching for it more often than the other ones due to it's light weight.

 

[DUMF]

Nice trail saw for light blowdowns, light enough for clearing around larger DBH falls, and if the your go-to saw gets stuck or hung up.
16" bar is about the limit as long as you know the limitations of the 170. Some big saw fanatics call it a "girlie saw". But I wouldn't be without it in the arsenal.

 

[Diabel]

The 170 is my go to saw 70% of the cutting time.

 

[woodhog73]

I know someone who bought a 170 to clear buckthorn thinking it wouldn't do much more than that. I guess he likes it because I see him using it for limbing and processing firewood. I have seen him stuff it in a back pack to carry out in the woods. Strange. I know .

 

[Diabel]

My 360 always come for a ride in the woods with me. Often it will not even come out of the trunk.
I get my sawing fix with the 170 quite regularly.

 

[saskwoodburner]

I've used a 180. light and nimble and keeps up with larger saws in anything under maybe 6 inches. It had narrow kerf chain which I think helped.

I have an adjustable carb for one, so 'someday' put on the carb, open up the muffler a bit (his was quite restrictive) and I think it could be peppy.

clamshell engine, so can't do much else.

An adjustable carb for the 170 or 180? If it's the 170, can you point me in the right direction please.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Picked up a used ms170 yesterday for $50. Didnt run. Gave it a couple pulls and heard it try to fire on choke. Then it flooded. As i was trying to unflood it the pull cord broke. I've since put a new pull cord on it and plan to pull the carb and give it a thorough cleaning. Overall the saw is in good condition, cylinder and piston look great and the bar has plenty of original stihl paint on it, i don't think it got a lot of use.

anybody run this saw, i'm looking forward to using it as a limb and firewood saw, very lightweight and easy to handle.

IMHO, my favorite saw... clamshell or not, it's a light, nimble saw that is still a VERY REAL saw. I muffler modded mine and added a carb from an 026 to mine so I can get a fully adjustable carb (for tuning).

I can run mine for hours without tiring. My shoulders/neck start aching really bad (severe pain bad) after doing a lot of lifting etc so the less saw I have to lift the better. The real advantage of a small saw is the max rpm can be quite high due to the smaller reciprocating mass. More rpm means more chain-speed and more chain speeds means quicker cut.

 

[DUMF]

The 170 is my go to saw 70% of the cutting time.

That little baby has its place, but not for serious cuts of > 6" DBH . Great for limbing AFTER the tree is down, for light brush trimming along trails,
thinning heavy softwood growth, and great for backpack trail clearing IF the blowdowns are < 10". The 170 quickly "bogs" in deeper cuts.

Over the years I've dropped down in saw size ( from Stihl 440 and Husky 372 ) and bars as I learned more about how to drop the larger hardwoods ( 16" up to 3 feet DBH ) with smaller bars. Now the go to saw is my 'last' saw the mighty MS261 with a 16" and 20" bar with the muffler "opened". The 16" is used 90% of the time; easier to keep sharp in the field, safer, bore ready, and lighter. Yesterday I did a 25" paper birch with the 16" bar; bore cut and wedges. Fun.

 

[rippinryno]

Quick question about this, I'm going to order a chain but not sure on bar size. The exposed area of the bar while it is on the saw is about 15". This from right out of the head to the tip. Is this a 16" bar? I tried to read it but it's worn off.

Far as clamshell goes for my purposes and uses I've never owned a saw that wasn't a clamshell. Ms290' 390 etc...

I pulled the carb and cleaned it up. Reassembled and it fired right up. I think the needle was hanging up. There was a good amount of dust on the top diaphragm.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Quick question about this, I'm going to order a chain but not sure on bar size. The exposed area of the bar while it is on the saw is about 15". This from right out of the head to the tip. Is this a 16" bar? I tried to read it but it's worn off.

Far as clamshell goes for my purposes and uses I've never owned a saw that wasn't a clamshell. Ms290' 390 etc...

I pulled the carb and cleaned it up. Reassembled and it fired right up. I think the needle was hanging up. There was a good amount of dust on the top diaphragm.

If it has a chain on it currently count the drive-links, that is how you order chains. Make sure it's the right gauge and pitch too.

 

[rippinryno]

Ain't nobody got time for that. Jk I'll do that just wondered. I typically order chains based on saw brand, model, and bar length. Far as I know this ms180 has only 1 size pitch and gauge right?

 

[dougand3]

An adjustable carb for the 170 or 180? If it's the 170, can you point me in the right direction please.

Search ebay - stihl ms170 carburetor. Can be had for $8. Adjustable H & L.

 

[woodhog73]

Far as I know this ms180 has only 1 size pitch and gauge right?

If it's stock probably true. Unless someone switched it to .325 guage I'd imagine the pitch is 3/8 low profile or " pico" as Stihl calls their 3/8 low pro chain. I think the guage on that stuff is .043 but I could be wrong.

Too bad the writing on the bar is worn off. Does Stihl paint those numbers on their lower end bars ? I'm used to seeing them engraved so they don't wear off. But if it measures roughly 15 inches it sounds like it's a 16 inch bar.

 

[rippinryno]

So the smaller stills are a different pitch? My ms290 is .325. Doug post a link because when I search that in eBay I don't see any adjustable ones. Sounds like one guy was able to put an adjustable from a different model on his but I don't see a ms170 adjustable carb. Hook us up with a link!

 

[woodhog73]

So the smaller stills are a different pitch? My ms290 is .325

Yes saws 40cc and less work best with 3/8 low profile. It's super narrow chain and robs the saws power the least. The idea is that the saw has such little power to begin with not to tax it with heavier chain

But with a used saw someone could have put a .325 chain on which would require new bar and also new spur sprocket. And the saw would be worse off from it. I've got to imagine it's probably stock

 

[CountryBoy19]

That little baby has its place, but not for serious cuts of > 6" DBH . Great for limbing AFTER the tree is down, for light brush trimming along trails,
thinning heavy softwood growth, and great for backpack trail clearing IF the blowdowns are < 10". The 170 quickly "bogs" in deeper cuts.

All my wood was cut with my MS170 the first 2 years I burned. That's 2 years plus 3 year stockpile, plus a bit extra, grand-total was just north of 20 full cords. Largest tree I recall cutting was a 28" DBH locust tree with (16" b&c) and IMHO, that little saw surprised me with how much it could pull without bogging.

As a matter of fact, the only reason I picked up a bigger saw wasn't because the MS170 was prone to bogging etc, it was because I had the desire to make cuts on larger wood from 1 side instead of 2...

Disclaimer: my MS170 is modded as I mentioned; that likely contributes to not bogging as easily.

Ain't nobody got time for that. Jk I'll do that just wondered. I typically order chains based on saw brand, model, and bar length. Far as I know this ms180 has only 1 size pitch and gauge right?

It should be unless somebody has swapped out the B&C at some point. That is why I don't ever trust what a book says my saw should take. I verify for sure... First thing I did with my MS170 was get rid of the B&C and put some low-pro semi-chisel on.

 

[dougand3]

MS 170 carb:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...170.TRS0&_nkw=stihl+ms170+carburetor&_sacat=0

 

[CountryBoy19]

FWIW, to "carb-mod" the MS170 with a fully adjustable you need to do several things. #1 properly locate and drill the adjustment holes through the cover & handle of the saw. #2 Most importantly, you must plug the hole in the air-filter assembly where the "auto-adjust" port is. If you don't it will be direct dust intrusion point into the clean side of the air-filter and carb/engine. I turned a custom-fit delrin plug on my lathe and pressed it into the hole.

 

[rippinryno]

All my wood was cut with my MS170 the first 2 years I burned. That's 2 years plus 3 year stockpile, plus a bit extra, grand-total was just north of 20 full cords. Largest tree I recall cutting was a 28" DBH locust tree with (16" b&c) and IMHO, that little saw surprised me with how much it could pull without bogging.

As a matter of fact, the only reason I picked up a bigger saw wasn't because the MS170 was prone to bogging etc, it was because I had the desire to make cuts on larger wood from 1 side instead of 2...

Disclaimer: my MS170 is modded as I mentioned; that likely contributes to not bogging as easily.

It should be unless somebody has swapped out the B&C at some point. That is why I don't ever trust what a book says my saw should take. I verify for sure... First thing I did with my MS170 was get rid of the B&C and put some low-pro semi-chisel on.

Swapped out with a different size stihl brand chain and bar? How will I know by looking at the bar or chain what the pitch and gauge is? I know I can count links but how do I confirm the rest. Also not knowING for certain that this chain works with this bar how do I know that? I mean it cuts but it could be mismatched for all I know.

Does stihl make different pitch and gauge bars for the ms170? NOw i'm really confused, i really just wanted to buy a chain but nowi 'm worried. I think this chain is pico chain. It's got shorter cutting lines and when i was sharpening it, i noticed it to be different. I'm going to order the replacement stihl pico chain for a ms170 and i'm just going to hope the bar that is on this saw is original, i'm rather positive that it is.

 

[saskwoodburner]

MS 170 carb:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...170.TRS0&_nkw=stihl+ms170+carburetor&_sacat=0

That would fit the bill nicely. Thank you.

 

[D8Chumley]

Love my 170, cut a lot of wood with that little saw

 

[rippinryno]

That would fit the bill nicely. Thank you.

i will have to try one of these carbs out, but i'm not positive since many times sellers use stock photos and you get the actual replacement carb which would not be adjustable. Has anybody ordered the first one in the link that was posted or are we assuming it's adjustable based on the stock photo?