MS201T

[squisher]

I can understand muffler mod to keep it cooler, and breathe easier. I just don't see a reason for a money maker to be modded, get the right stuff instead...

I step from a tophandle to a 361 or 460 both of which are modded, and are incredibly faster than stock and are proving to be very durable. Modded saws rule for work imo. Never felt the need with the 200t to do anything other than pull the screen.

 

[arborworks1]

The dude from Arborist site was offering to mod them for 50$. I had to tune my l jet to get the throttle response I wanted in stock form. It seemed to have a flat spot just off idle from the dealer.

 

[squisher]

I have messed with the carb a bit. Definetly a bit of hesitation that can be tuned out a bit, but I have heard too that it's a by-product of these strato engines?

Had you mentioned something about a highspeed stop/limiter thing? If so how'd you bypass it?

 

[arborworks1]

There is a pin that has to be drilled out. Pull the carb and you will see it clear as day.

 

[squisher]

Oh I've had the carb in my hand, when I put the new handle on, I had all the little bits apart. I'll have to look again, I didn't notice anything on the high jet and was wondering what the dealio was. I'll check it out.


Thanks.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I guess a personal thing, but I don't think that you can have too much too much power with a saw, say unless it keeps knocking you on your butt.

 

[HolmenTree]

I can understand muffler mod to keep it cooler, and breathe easier. I just don't see a reason for a money maker to be modded, get the right stuff instead...

I step from a tophandle to a 361 or 460 both of which are modded, and are incredibly faster than stock and are proving to be very durable. Modded saws rule for work imo. Never felt the need with the 200t to do anything other than pull the screen.

I have 2 top handle saws in my truck at all times , one is a Stihl MS200 and the other a Husky 338XPT. I've been running .325 chisel [20LP Oregon] sawchain on them but now have them both switched over to Husky chain H30 -.050 narrow kerf semi chisel [Oregon 95VP]. This narrower cutting .325 chain holds a better longer edge and takes less power to pull compared to the wider chisel .325
Now I hear the latest news is Oregon improved this chain with a different grind with "up to 15% improvement in cutting speed" and now call it 95VPX.

Now to cut the b.s. and onto the muffler mod debate. I really like the ergonomics of the Husky 338XPT[ 335-338XPT design has been around for well over 15 years], it even has 5 more c.c. in displacement then the Stihl MS 200. But my 338 came new with a WEE little exhaust outlet on the muffler, you couldn't even push a pencil through that wee little hole. Compared to the MS200 with the screen pulled it was real quiet. But not near the power of the MS200.

So I drilled a hole big enough in the 338's muffler to accept a inch long 9/16" steel pipe and with my acetelyne torch I silver soldered it in place. Then putting the 338 to wood it cuts as well as the MS200. It might burn more fuel faster now , but it is even in fuel economy to the Stihl. So with this simple mod I have the best of both worlds.

 

[Al Smith]

There is probabley something that can be done to the little Husky trim saws to pep them out a tad .I just haven't found the time to investigate more on the subject .One of the things on my ever increasing "to do " list .

 

[woodworkingboy]

I did some work on the first forerunner of the 338, marketed in Asia as the 333 Lite.. The cylinder and crankcase is a single unit, so I was pretty much in the dark about what could be accomplished. I usually have started out all the mods I've done so far by raising compression by lowering the base of the cylinder, but that is impossible with this series. I did open up the exhaust port a bit and lightened the piston, maybe widened the intake, I don't recall. I also did a muffler mod. I noticed a something gain in power, but for some reason the saw became more hard starting, say around ten pulls or so for it to fire when cold. It is possibly an unrelated carb problem. i don't use that saw much since getting an 020. I like the way the 020 or MS200 run when stock with the screen out. Lightening the piston on those might be something to try, if there is much excess that can be removed.

 

[HolmenTree]

There is probabley something that can be done to the little Husky trim saws to pep them out a tad .I just haven't found the time to investigate more on the subject .One of the things on my ever increasing "to do " list .

Al, I have the same problem with that "to do list". It's nice to dream about though. I have a new insulated 10'x 20' shed for the back yard in the works with a workbench etc for just saws only. Maybe even a bed in the corner when the wife boots me out to the dog house

 

[woodworkingboy]

That's one way to get good at building something, have your bed by your workbench.

 

[HolmenTree]

That's one way to get good at building something, have your bed by your workbench.

So true, Jay.
Reminds me of a movie starring Anthony Hopkins called "The Worlds Fastest Indian". A true story of New Zealander Bert Munro who had a bed in his shed and for years modified a 1920 Indian motorcycle. Even forged his own pistons by hand. Being set in the 1960s he takes a boat trip with his bike across the Pacific to the Bonneville salt flats in the U.S. For years later he'd set world speed records.
For anyone who hasn't seen this 2005 movie I strongly recommend you to watch it. Very very cool movie. The ultimate gearhead movie. You can google trailer clips of it on YouTube.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Yes, that was an awesome film

 

[cory]

The break in procedure is critical on these saws if you ever want any power out of them. You need to fire them up and peg the throttle right off the bat, and hold it pegged for about 60-90 seconds. Then rev it a few times and cover different RPM ranges for another 30-60 seconds. Then peg it again for another 60 seconds. Dial the 200T in at 14K rpm. If you baby it on the initial break in then it will always run weaker.

I had two 200Ts I bought at different times from a local dealer and both were weak for their entire lives. Last week I pulled out a 200T I had bought brand new in the box, not assembled or set up by the dealer. I broke it in as stated above and it runs like a scalded ape right from the get go. On its first job I was cutting 12" oak with it and it ripped through the cuts better than my other, two year old 200T.

I'd still like your further input here, Brian, re this radical sounding break in procedure. Just had 3 cherry 0200s ripped off so I'll have to break in some 201s right away.

 

[Burnham]

Ohhh, that is a sad thing to read, Cory.

 

[SkwerI]

Cory, I don't know about the 201s. I haven't run a 201 yet, I was just posting what I've learned about the 200T over the last 10 years. I've seen several dealers do the initial firing up over the years and most of them do it similar to how I posted. They usually do it back in the shop out of sight of the customer since most people would flip if they saw some guy wailing on their brand new saw that hasn't even cut a stick yet. I also had one dealer that thought he knew better and didn't run in the saws hard enough. He sold me the two weakest 200Ts I've ever owned.

 

[Reddog]

My dealer did the same thing with my 440, 441 and 192 when I bought them that Brian is describing.

 

[cory]

I also had one dealer that thought he knew better and didn't run in the saws hard enough. He sold me the two weakest 200Ts I've ever owned.

Makes me wonder why couldn't you, later that day or week, do the hardcore break in so that you'd be where you wanted to be with the proper break in.

So I wonder what I should do re 201 break in. My dealer seems pretty knowledgeable, guess I'll see what he thinks.

 

[SkwerI]

Cory, once the saw has been run for 5 minutes it's too late. The rings and piston are already hardened and 90% of the ring seating is already complete.

Think about when you hit a saw chain with a grinder. The instant heat hardens the tooth so if you go back later with a file it's really hard to sharpen it. I'm no expert but I'm guessing a similar hardening happens when you first fire up a new saw with virgin metal in the rings and piston. You want to make sure the rings wear in as well as possible in the first minute, because once they are heated and cooled then you won't get them to wear any more. The better they seat in during the first minute then the better compression you'll have.

 

[SkwerI]

You said you have a couple to break in, were they put together and adjusted by the dealer or did you get them still in the boxes? If they are assembled and fueled then the dealer already did it.

If they are still dry in the boxes then maybe you could do a little test. Grab two identical saws and mark them for ID, then break one in like I stated above and break in the other one as easy and gentle as you please. Come back in 3 months and tell me which one is stronger.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Wow, Cory, sorry to hear about your saws.

I guess all you can figure is that with the break in method Brian describes, there is better shaping of the ring to meet the cylinder wall, so higher compression? (Missed Brian's earlier post)

 

[cory]

Pretty interesting stuff. Still scary for me to imagine holding a saw wide open for that long with no load on it like that, but I'm no expert.

I do remember back when I started in '77, the loggers said it was very important to cut wide open with a new saw so it would break in correctly.

 

[cory]

I haven't bought the new ones yet, I have 2 spare 0200s and a little echo to get me thru for a few days.

Thanks for the condolences on the saws, guys!!!

Let me throw out this question: As stated, I'm under the assumption that running a saw wide open with no load could cause it to "blow up." Am I wrong about this in general? If so, then Brian's break in procedure is all the more palatable.

 

[woodworkingboy]

It would seem that with the proper carb adjustment, there is a lot of tolerance before a saw would suffer damage. If there was excessive heat, guess it could blow.

 

[Reddog]

Lean is what blows saws up, air leaks, carbs not adjusted properly, no oil in the mix. Those things all allow scoring and heat to build up, also may allow it to go over the max rpm rating for the saw.