Old Dirty Feta and the MS500i--the Hi-Tech Wood Lobotomizer

[markds2]

It did get raffled off...Juan was the lucky winner @ucm931 I got caught up in life stuff and didn't finish this thread.

The final work I did on the 500i was changing the duration on the intake. I have some notes on it, but my book is packed for a move at the moment.


Stock with 25" bar and RS Chain

Modded with 36" bar and RS Chain.

Thanks heaps for the response Dan, appreciate you taking the time. No issues with how that pulls a 36 inch! My plan is to get one here in NZ and at least break it in before sending the cylinder over to the states for some monkey business or extra sausages. Randy and Kevin have both said they don't have any 500i's available at the moment and it is too expensive for me to send a whole saw over Statewise and ship it back. I'm hoping that once of them has a saw on the bench I can send my cylinder over for modding. One question, did you open the muffler up further than how you detailed earlier? I.e did you completely remove the internal baffle?

 

[AlfA01]

Thanks heaps for the response Dan, appreciate you taking the time. No issues with how that pulls a 36 inch! My plan is to get one here in NZ and at least break it in before sending the cylinder over to the states for some monkey business or extra sausages. Randy and Kevin have both said they don't have any 500i's available at the moment and it is too expensive for me to send a whole saw over Statewise and ship it back. I'm hoping that once of them has a saw on the bench I can send my cylinder over for modding. One question, did you open the muffler up further than how you detailed earlier? I.e did you completely remove the internal baffle?

I did open the outlet a bit further. From my point of view, the muffler is the easiest/biggest gain on these saws.

After the vids I posted I ran the saw a lot. It was pretty anemic out of the box. Break in time was needed for the saw to gain also.

At the point I mailed it to Juan, it was singing a song and had torque for miles. You can't go wrong with 'Emu Legs' or 'the Sausage Man'...both build a stout and reliable saw.

 

[ucm931]

Thanks heaps for the response Dan, appreciate you taking the time. No issues with how that pulls a 36 inch! My plan is to get one here in NZ and at least break it in before sending the cylinder over to the states for some monkey business or extra sausages. Randy and Kevin have both said they don't have any 500i's available at the moment and it is too expensive for me to send a whole saw over Statewise and ship it back. I'm hoping that once of them has a saw on the bench I can send my cylinder over for modding. One question, did you open the muffler up further than how you detailed earlier? I.e did you completely remove the internal baffle?

You mentioned that shipping a saw back and forth from NZ to U.S. would be cost prohibitive. Have you priced out what it would cost to have @AlfA01 ship a new one one to Kevin or Randy and then off to you after porting? You MIGHT come out ahead with how expensive saws are in your neck of the woods.

 

[markds2]

You mentioned that shipping a saw back and forth from NZ to U.S. would be cost prohibitive. Have you priced out what it would cost to have @AlfA01 ship a new one one to Kevin or Randy and then off to you after porting? You MIGHT come out ahead with how expensive saws are in your neck of the woods.

I would if I could, apparently neither of them can get one shipped at the moment with Covid but Dan @AlfA01 may be able to chime in on this. I can pick one up here off the shelf from my local Stihl Dealer for approx $1275USD (with a 20 inch light bar) and it is a version specially developed for the NZ market standard with the large 1122 dogs and roller catcher along with a screened muffler. How does the price above stack up, can anyone who owns one chip in?

 

[ucm931]

I would if I could, apparently neither of them can get one shipped at the moment with Covid but Dan @AlfA01 may be able to chime in on this. I can pick one up here off the shelf from my local Stihl Dealer for approx $1275USD (with a 20 inch light bar) and it is a version specially developed for the NZ market standard with the large 1122 dogs and roller catcher along with a screened muffler. How does the price above stack up, can anyone who owns one chip in?

....I didn't account for the covid conundrum. That MIGHT be an issue.

 

[dall]

I would if I could, apparently neither of them can get one shipped at the moment with Covid but Dan @AlfA01 may be able to chime in on this. I can pick one up here off the shelf from my local Stihl Dealer for approx $1275USD (with a 20 inch light bar) and it is a version specially developed for the NZ market standard with the large 1122 dogs and roller catcher along with a screened muffler. How does the price above stack up, can anyone who owns one chip in?

dan has shipped 3 of them to me and 1300 was the price not sure if he can get one right now or not or if the price went up

 

[markds2]

dan has shipped 3 of them to me and 1300 was the price not sure if he can get one right now or not or if the price went up

Was that PHO Dall?

 

[AlfA01]

Was that PHO Dall?

That was the PHO price with shipping to the US included. Not sure on pricing at the moment, but I'll check.

 

[ayoungtexan]

I did open the outlet a bit further. From my point of view, the muffler is the easiest/biggest gain on these saws.

After the vids I posted I ran the saw a lot. It was pretty anemic out of the box. Break in time was needed for the saw to gain also.

At the point I mailed it to Juan, it was singing a song and had torque for miles. You can't go wrong with 'Emu Legs' or 'the Sausage Man'...both build a stout and reliable saw.

How easy is it to open up the muffler. Is it just baffle and diffuser, or is it just an empty can

 

[AlfA01]

How easy is it to open up the muffler. Is it just baffle and diffuser, or is it just an empty can

It's a bit of a pain. Not much room to work to get the baffle out.

 

[markds2]

Well here it is.....I think I got a great deal too $2000NZD inc all taxes and the 20 inch light bar -which is approx $1220USD

 

[Lightning Performance]

That is damn hard hardwood Dan was cutting in those 500 vids.
Hotrods saw felt good for out of the box stock. I ran out of the box and ported 462 saws. They are close when the 500 was box stock and the 462 all ran in. The ported 462 was quick. Me milling I'd buy the 661 first. Wish the 500 came out a decade ago when my big saw had to be a 660. Overall the milling crowd should be able to shed more light on the life of this bottom end. Very curious to see one ported and milling with a good air filter system. It should handle a standard 36" mill wearing a 42" bar.

Thanks for the update guys.