New saw, MS-290
- Thread starter Stihlmike
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clemsonfor
Minister of Fire
That was mastermech. He is posting on this thread. That's a wireless tach that he was useing to set rpms. You can tune by ear too. Not a. Accurate but good enough.
Wish I was better at engine repair and fixing saws, that bad boy would be on its way to PA right now.
clemsonfor
Minister of Fire
If I had the cash and was not building a 372 I'd have it, maybe? I want something 460+ on stohl side now.
There are numerous mod'd muffs on FeeBay. May not be any for a 290? But from the 346XP up to the 395XP, and lots for Stihl Pro saws also
clemsonfor
Minister of Fire
Yea there more for pro saws. I knew what he meant. Most folks who don't know what there doing don't have $800-1000 saws!
You sound like me about a year and a half ago. Although I didn't bother modding the muffler on my MS290, I just sold it and put that money into an MS261. Now that M-tronic is available on the 261 I am having the same thoughts. I highly recommend the MS261. Mine is still stock - I haven't worked up the nerve yet to send it to one of the AS guys for porting. We'll see what happens when I get the 261c.
That sounds a lot like my "tuning a stock 460" video.
Did the guy have 80s hair metal blasting in the background? Was he a handsome devil?
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/chainsaw-carburetor-tuning-101.106774/
Gasifier
Minister of Fire
Congrats on the new saw there StihlMike. I have the MS290 and like it just the way it is from the factory. I also went with the 18" bar. I think you will really like it. Happy cutting man.
NortheastAl
Minister of Fire
NortheastAl
Minister of Fire
NortheastAl
Minister of Fire
That's where I saw the tach in the video. Great job.That sounds a lot like my "tuning a stock 460" video.
Did the guy have 80s hair metal blasting in the background? Was he a handsome devil?
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/chainsaw-carburetor-tuning-101.106774/
That is the video where I saw the tach.
Let me tell you, I am glad that the 230 had so many issues. This 290 was awesome yesterday. I dropped two standing dead trees that were side by side in about 4 minutes. Then got both trees cut to fire wood in about a half hour. It took longer to load the trunk of the neon than it did to cut the trees down.
I will need to get a truck for sure because the car will definetly not keep up to the Farm Boss. I had to leave a ton of wood up in the woods because of not having a truck. I will be borrowing my dads truck tonight to go pick up the rest.
I am very happy with my new saw. It popped after 2 pulls, and started on the third. Very easy to start this saw. It never shut off, until I ran it out of gas. The only time it had bogged down was want it dug into the wood hard and pulled the bar deep into the wood. I had to lift up on this saw instead of apply any pressure down. I would describe the whole experience as smooth. I didn't even notice the weight of the saw while cutting. I did nick a rock that was unseen, and will be sharpening the chain later. Glad I got a back up chain.
Just hope that this flawless run continues and I don't have any issues for a while. Now that's a saw! I don't think I would be able to handle a saw bigger or more powerful than this...........for now
Let me tell you, I am glad that the 230 had so many issues. This 290 was awesome yesterday. I dropped two standing dead trees that were side by side in about 4 minutes. Then got both trees cut to fire wood in about a half hour. It took longer to load the trunk of the neon than it did to cut the trees down.
I will need to get a truck for sure because the car will definetly not keep up to the Farm Boss. I had to leave a ton of wood up in the woods because of not having a truck. I will be borrowing my dads truck tonight to go pick up the rest.
I am very happy with my new saw. It popped after 2 pulls, and started on the third. Very easy to start this saw. It never shut off, until I ran it out of gas. The only time it had bogged down was want it dug into the wood hard and pulled the bar deep into the wood. I had to lift up on this saw instead of apply any pressure down. I would describe the whole experience as smooth. I didn't even notice the weight of the saw while cutting. I did nick a rock that was unseen, and will be sharpening the chain later. Glad I got a back up chain.
Just hope that this flawless run continues and I don't have any issues for a while. Now that's a saw! I don't think I would be able to handle a saw bigger or more powerful than this...........for now
clemsonfor
Minister of Fire
Yea the 290 is a good saw. Cutting the amount you did you don't notice the weight. You do when you been xutri g for hours or in 90 F heat. Or when clearing brush or lots of topping, then they feel like a boat anchor.
On my 390 and the bigger saws you can not only let the weight make the cut bit also lean on the thing!
On my 390 and the bigger saws you can not only let the weight make the cut bit also lean on the thing!
going to go up to get the other wood i left lay today, i just hope no one steals it. Found 3 more in the same location. I have one tree down that looks to me amazing wood but it is leaning into another tree. Going to get it this weekend. I cut it with the craftsman and it got a bit hung up in the center and rotated a bit when it fell.
I did notice a bit more kickback on this saw once it is burried in a log. I need to remeber to lift out and away when cutting a log that if flush to the groud. Other than that no issues yet.
One question though,The dealer filled the tank with Stihl motomix, When that tank ran out i put my mixed fresh 92 octane and Stihls upgraded oil. When the saw first started with the new gas it die twice when I hit the throttle, but after that it ran fine again. Do saws do this when you put new gas in the tank that is cooler than the gas that was in the saw before, or does it take it a few seconds to get the gas into the engine.
I did notice a bit more kickback on this saw once it is burried in a log. I need to remeber to lift out and away when cutting a log that if flush to the groud. Other than that no issues yet.
One question though,The dealer filled the tank with Stihl motomix, When that tank ran out i put my mixed fresh 92 octane and Stihls upgraded oil. When the saw first started with the new gas it die twice when I hit the throttle, but after that it ran fine again. Do saws do this when you put new gas in the tank that is cooler than the gas that was in the saw before, or does it take it a few seconds to get the gas into the engine.
Bogging is a non issue.
It only bogged because you ran the tanl dry. Once started, it took a second to get fuel back through the line. No worries. If you can, tilt the saw and note the fuel level. Right when a saw is gonna run out of gas, it can create a Lean condition. Better to refill before its completely empty. Some may always run empty, but I dont like too.
Congrats again..
If you ran the saw totally out of gas then I won't worry much about it. It's most likely due to air in the carburetor and the lack of a purge primer.
You will get a feel for how long you can go on a tank of fuel. Also you will learn to stop as soon as the saw begins to lose power rather than attempting to wring the last drop out of it. If you do run out, you haven't hurt the saw one bit. It's not lean long enough to hurt anything. The danger from running lean is when it's got enough fuel to run under load for more than a few seconds. Definitely not the case if the tank is empty.
Yeah i figured that it was a non issue, and it was due to the lack of a primar.
Do you guys carry a smaller saw with you when cutting standing dead. I thought that the ideal situation would be to have the 290 for the cuts, and get the 015 L fixed and take out the limbs with that. The farm boss did the job with easy, but figured that the little guy would save some wear on my new saw, and my arms.
Only down fall would be that I would have to carry two saws into the woods with me. I want to have the 290 for a long time and want to do everything I can to extend its life, but not sure that taking off a few limbs will hurt anything.
Do you guys carry a smaller saw with you when cutting standing dead. I thought that the ideal situation would be to have the 290 for the cuts, and get the 015 L fixed and take out the limbs with that. The farm boss did the job with easy, but figured that the little guy would save some wear on my new saw, and my arms.
Only down fall would be that I would have to carry two saws into the woods with me. I want to have the 290 for a long time and want to do everything I can to extend its life, but not sure that taking off a few limbs will hurt anything.
I limb with a 62cc saw... 
Then use a 71cc or 76cc saw for bucking 
I normally have a few saws on hand. But I also do most cutting at home now. So I dont have to go far 
Then use a 71cc or 76cc saw for bucking I normally have a few saws on hand. But I also do most cutting at home now. So I dont have to go far I wouldn't do that if I were you. They will cure the common cold before they cure CAD. Chainsaw Acquisition Disorder. Known to be fatal once the spouse sees where the money is going.
LOL I did get the "So did you just get the same saw?" I said "No I traded up" and that was it. SCORE!! I bet she would flip if she knew that I spent 172 extra on the saw. I already had my comeback in mind. "Look I can cut quicker and be home sooner"....
The only known cure is submission.
Once you have at least two sizes in each displacement category, symptoms have been shown to abate, particularly once you try running an MS880 for eight hours a day
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