How many of you are running ported saws

My 028 had the cut out on the side for a handle heater switch, but not a heater. I removed one from a defunct 038 and installed it, an easy thing to do. It fit in with no problems at all, the part that goes under the flywheel and the wiring in the handles....easy peasy and now nice warm.

I can't recall what all I did to my 028 as far a modding it. I know I removed the base gasket and it gave a desirable squish, lightened the piston and opened up the muffler, but for the life of me don't remember if I worked on the ports. The saw was one I scored at the dump, and it took a lot of work to get it up to running before I did anything else, so it's all kind of confused in my mind. :|: It's a real solid runner with very good power for it's displacement, but those are kind of heavy, if something negative could be said.

The 034/036, as Al mentions, has plenty of grunt alright, I'd go far as to say that modding it turned the saw into a torque monster. Picked up quite a few rpms as well. It flies through wood. The relatively light weight makes kickback something to keep in mind when using the tip, as I mentioned, it's very aggressive and easily kicks about. Of all my saws, including quite a bit larger ones too, it's pretty much the only one that I would be hesitant to loan out, and definitely not to someone with only moderate saw experience.
 
Ha. No, I don't normally, but there are one or two guys I would loan to if they asked. People I work with regularly. Fortunately, when they ask for my saws, they want me to come with them. :D
 
Actually, I do have a loaner saw, pretty much for one person that I trade services with, a steel fabrication guy. It's a small old boat anchor Stihl that I wish would go away. He keeps bringing it back, though. Yep, some people can really lunch a chain, that's for sure.
 
MasterBlaster said:
Welcome to the TreeHouse, Stihlbro. Gotta first name? Mine's Butch.

How did you find us?
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My name is Joey, Im new to the chainsaws and such. 14 years ago was cutting firewood with a 026 and 029 super, thats all I knew at the time. ( those saws are still running today) Been increasing the herd for the last 2 years. I have several 3 to 5 cubes and very few are stock. I have a twin brother that is on another level with saws at the moment with trying to compete in local events. We do our own modifying and have bought a few previously done. I enjoy reading post on chainsaws. I've met cut4fun and al smith earlier in the year and had a blast. Skwerl I've been reading your posts for over a year. I found this site searching for 357 parts and found timberwolf modding a 346, you gotta like his post with all the pictures. :) Stihl dealers give strong support in our area.
 
Here are a few saws
0119001129.jpg
 
Used to run ported, now just muffler mods. Wood here is small. Don't need ported for 1 inch limbs and six inch wood. Spent more on gas with no extra return in production. Still play with ported saws.
 
I think the 028 in the shed is a super. It's one of Toms' 50 dollar specials .The thing just doesn't have the guts for a ground saw on a trimmng crew . It won't be a big deal to pep it up some though .

If I recall correctly I threw it back together after he had several thefts of saws and was pretty well down to nothing to work with .It was that one, a Mac 700 ,my 038 Mag and one old style 020Av top handle .Once he got back on his feet again of course he retooled .
 
Cut4fun said:
Art is that what the Redmax 5000 used to cut. Holy cow I bet that was fun if so.
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Yup, it was put together to be the ultimate pulp saw. Only trouble I was too old to keep up with it.
 
Hi guys. New here but certainly not new to chainsaws or chainsaw forums.
At present I have a number of work saws that are ported/modified and reliability has not been an issue. I have also sold a ported MS660 that I only owned for about 12 hours (to a mate that desperately needed a new saw for a tree business after selling his boat anchor 880) and Makita 7901 with BB (I kept the ported top end for my other saws).
They include a 390XP, a 390XPG, 2 x Dolmar 7900's (one with pop up and 200psi), a new MS660 with pop up (bit of a beast), plus a 200T that I "think" is slightly modded (well it runs a lot better than any other 200T's I've used - I bought it 2nd hand). I also have a stock 3120 (2008 build Aussie version with 12,500rpm limiter but fixed high jet :( ), stock 5100-S plus a few other non work saws floating around.
The Dolmars have logged a lot of trees and work hours and haven't skipped a beat. There is no reason for a properly modded saw to be less reliable. If you saw the finish of the stock internals from my last two 2009/2010 build MS660's you'd realise that a good port on those particular saws won't do any harm. The finish on the newer 660 P&C's is a disgrace. Even more disgusting when you compare them to the Husky and Dolmar Mahle internals...
 
MCW said:
Hi guys. New here but certainly not new to chainsaws or chainsaw forums.
At present I have a number of work saws that are ported/modified and reliability has not been an issue. I have also sold a ported MS660 that I only owned for about 12 hours (to a mate that desperately needed a new saw for a tree business after selling his boat anchor 880) and Makita 7901 with BB (I kept the ported top end for my other saws).
They include a 390XP, a 390XPG, 2 x Dolmar 7900's (one with pop up and 200psi), a new MS660 with pop up (bit of a beast), plus a 200T that I "think" is slightly modded (well it runs a lot better than any other 200T's I've used - I bought it 2nd hand). I also have a stock 3120 (2008 build Aussie version with 12,500rpm limiter but fixed high jet :( ), stock 5100-S plus a few other non work saws floating around.
The Dolmars have logged a lot of trees and work hours and haven't skipped a beat. There is no reason for a properly modded saw to be less reliable. If you saw the finish of the stock internals from my last two 2009/2010 build MS660's you'd realise that a good port on those particular saws won't do any harm. The finish on the newer 660 P&C's is a disgrace. Even more disgusting when you compare them to the Husky and Dolmar Mahle internals...
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Welcome to the 'House, MCW. Sounds like quite the stable full of saws. FYI the Husky 3120 has come with a fixed high speed jet for a long time, I'm not sure if it ever came with a fully adjustable carb. That was one of the reasons why I went with the 880 for my big stump saw, I knew it would need more fuel after having it ported.
 
woodworkingboy said:
I never realized that I bought the anchor before the boat....
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My 3120 is also a boat anchor. Dosn't mean I don't like it though. If I didn't have a mill I'd probably sell it but every now and then feel the need to cut something with a 60" bar and the 660's and 390's struggle a bit with that bar length :)

Skwerl said:
Welcome to the 'House, MCW. Sounds like quite the stable full of saws. FYI the Husky 3120 has come with a fixed high speed jet for a long time, I'm not sure if it ever came with a fully adjustable carb. That was one of the reasons why I went with the 880 for my big stump saw, I knew it would need more fuel after having it ported.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate. Yeah the 3120's did come with an adjustable high jet a while back. I think the US delivered 3120's changed to a fixed high jet before we did. Both our 3120's and 880's have higher rev limits and more poke than your choked back versions. You're probably aware but our 660's also come with a dual port muffler and high output oiler too compared to the US delivered versions.
The big saws have a place, but unfortunately they are only loved by somebody who hasn't swung one around for days on end or those guys that have never used one at all :) Every person that has picked up my 3120 had struggled to get it into their head just how heavy these things are compared to a 660 or 395XP until that point.
 
Boy, you got that right! I've owned my 880 for 6-8 months and I've used it on two jobs in that time. Brian did a great job porting it and it runs like a raped ape but there just isn't much call for it when my ported 395 is right there in the saw box.
 
Most people who pick up a saw and comment on it being so heavy, don't understand that the weight doesn't make much difference once the bar is in the wood.
 
As a strapping 17 year old, the first day I ran a 066 or 064 I thought my arms were gonna fall off at the end of the day. I could barely start it. When I went back to a 044, it felt like a puny little lightweight thing. Never ran anything bigger than a 66 all day
 
I wrestled a 125 Mac once for around 6 hours more or less .That was enough . Fattest soft maple I'd ever seen,54" .It left me ankle deep in chips on each cut using that 48" hardnosed which is on the big Homelite in my avatar . You take around 60 feet of main stem that plump and slice it into 16" firewood length ,you've done days work I'll tell you that .
 
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