Need my first "big saw" advice on ms46x's?

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Sounds like you got better results from the 661 than I did. With my oiler all the way up, the 25" bar is /ok/. Not great, but it doesn't leave me wondering how bad I'm messing things up. The 36" bar is way too dry imo.
Did you push the pin in? I haven't actually worked with a 661 with the pin pushed in, just my observation of what I did to a saw another company uses that I service saws for.
 
It's because the tech's at Stihl these days have their heads up their azzes!

Both the 084 and 090's had manual oilers allowing the operator to pump enough oil for a 6 foot Cannon bar!

How plenty of bar oil for long bars became outdated's a mystery they need to solve, again.....

Jomo
Are you seriously suggesting we should go back to manual oilers.
 
Buy a misery whip Jomo.
Then you won't have to worry about oilers or mufflers falling off.
 
A manual oiler addon option sounds like a good idea to me. Or they could just make an oiler that adjusts all the way to deluge, instead of playing games trying to see how little oil they can deliver. Let the user decide.
 
@treebilly, what exactly do you mean by letting the saw work while increasing cut speed? Is it a gearing thing where by having 8 instead of 7 that you increase speed and lose torque? So the loss of torque means there is a higher load on the saw to accomplish the job? Also where would I find an 8 tooth sprocket for the 500i? Running the saw today for the first time I am absolutely in love with it. Ran it with the 20in bar. Turned the oiler almost all the way up and I got clumps of poly sawdust around the sprocket cover. Turned it down just a hair and the chain stayed clean and shiny but couldn’t really see any oil.

@lxskllr, on the 500i, there is the little roll pin to stop the oiler from going so far. Haven’t ran the 32in bar yet so I’m not sure if I’ll have to push it in. I’m gonna confirm in the manual and see if anything is mentioned in it about it. But so far with the 20in bar there was more than enough oil and it wasn’t maxed out so I’ll find out eventually whether or not the oiler can handle that bar well enough. Just a thought, I’ve seen roll pins a lot in automotive work. What if the pin was just removed instead of pushed in? Would that make anything loose? If it could be removed with some needle nose pliers then it could always be put back in (probably never would be though 🤷‍♂️
 
Oh and one other question, when trying to find aftermarket parts/upgrades for the 500i. I stumbled across this on eBay. Is there any value/real application to this?

 
What if the pin was just removed instead of pushed in? Would that make anything loose? If it could be removed with some needle nose pliers then it could always be put back in (probably never would be though 🤷‍♂️
I couldn't tell you with 100% certainty, but I believe it's only job is to act as a stop for the oil screw. I don't think there would be any problem pulling it out. OTOH, I don't see much use in it either. If for some reason you turned it too far and got too much oil, it could always be turned back. It's just a hardware stop to limit features.
 
I don't see a lot of use in the skidplates. It'll keep the bottom prettier if you take the plate off, but...? Best use would be if you're a fan of letting the saw rattle around in the back of the truck, but the easy fix to that is give the saw a nice seat. Maybe a wood box with some carpet.
 
Is it a gearing thing where by having 8 instead of 7 that you increase speed and lose torque? So the loss of torque means there is a higher load on the saw to accomplish the job?
Yes, that's exactly that.

Oh and one other question, when trying to find aftermarket parts/upgrades for the 500i. I stumbled across this on eBay. Is there any value/real application to this?

Not fot me thanks. More weight, more edges to catch something. I don't treat rougthly my chainsaws (maybe for Murphy?) and if a smash happens, I don't see this thing saving much on the damages.
Tough, it could be usefull for the loggers in spruce or the like with the 6 steps limbing technique which involve sliding the saw on the bark, IDK
 
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I didn’t think the stihl saws would be built to the point where that plate would be necessary. If damage under the saw isn’t so common to warrant the “insurance of the plate” then I agree @Bermy

so @Marc-Antoine would the saw then not pull a bigger bar as well? How drastic of a difference would it be for a 32in bar? Also where would I find the sprocket
 
@TINYHULK the 8 tooth changes the gearing a little. Should be able to get one at any dealer for about $12 if even that much. I would only use it with the 20” bar. With a 32 on you wanna stick with the 7 tooth. I’m gonna pop an 8 on mine this weekend with the 20 just to try it out since I have one laying in my tool box. I’ll let you know what I think of it after
 
I have a bark box coming for my saw this week and I’m already in shock with how fast this saw cuts with the 20in bar but who doesn’t like faster 8)mopedsmile:
 
When you have a tricky cut to do with some care to achieve correctly, you can appreciate a little gentler saw. It would give you more time to adjust and let the things evolve quietly, at first. Some other cuts you really need all the power and cut as fast as possible.
 
The 500i has the low end torque to support a 8 tooth rim. Sometimes I keep an extra rim handy depending on what I'm doing, so I can swap to a smaller one for running a long bar in hard wood, or a bigger rim for either soft wood, or short bar. A bigger rim will spin the chain faster which makes it see less oil per revolution if I'm not mistaken, so I keep that in mind too.
 
I have a bark box coming for my saw this week and I’m already in shock with how fast this saw cuts with the 20in bar but who doesn’t like faster 8)mopedsmile:
Tiny Hulk,

While you're modding that new 500i I'd recommend checking out the suspension kit from Westcoast Saw. We put 'em on our 500is for our fire crew and it totally took the floppy feel out of the saw. Granted we typically run 28" and up bars but I imagine you'd see the difference even with a shorter bar and it was unanimously a hit with our senior fallers.
Faller's Suspension Kit - https://westcoastsaw.com/products/fallers-suspension-kit

Brandan
 
I run an 8 on mine with a 20" bar in hardwood.
When I put the 36" on to take a big top out, I swap to a 7.
Those are the only 2 bars I run on thTat saw.
Push the stop pin on the oiler in.
It is only there to make those who care more about environment than bar life happy.
 
@bullbrauch thanks for the suggestion on the fallers kit, I saw it online and wasn’t sure how necessary it was for the saw. I’ll probably order one in a few weeks and see where I can quickly get an 8 tooth sprocket so I can do the same thing y’all are with swapping them out with the bar. The 20in will live on the saw until I get into bigger wood so it sounds like running the 8 tooth would be even faster and funner :)
 
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