Recent content by pwheel

I volunteer to be the 2-stroke oil crash test dummy :): Mobil E10 91 octane w/ Amsoil Saber @ 50:1 - stock Stihl manual carb 50-77 cc saws tuned with a tach. White oak & white pine up to 36" Ø. Over five years and counting - still nothing to report except that Stihl Ultra left too much carbon...

My local Stihl tech is old school and doesn't care for m-tronic or fuel-injected OPE. Says with a manual carb saw, you can fix just about everything with a screw driver. So in my case, I'm happy to run what the tech is happy to service and that means a manual carb. And a tachometer. And a...

Unless you need to operate in an environment where noise is a problem, why not get a tried & true gas-powered unit?

Good job. Hope the crankcase bearing pockets are ok.

While the tapping noise is concerning, you might double check by moving the rod up & down at different points of the crank rotation. I wonder about the rings tapping against the piston lands.

OEM cranks are expensive and generally tough to kill; are you absolutely positive that there is no vertical play in the bearing, just side/side? The video isn't clear enough.

I have a 4-saw plan, but 3 of them sit on the shelf with Motomix in them as backups. Mostly, I run a 20, 25, & 32" bar plan with a stock ms461 power head. No bending over while bucking & limbing, and my back is much happier for it. Fewer saws to keep track of maintenance. No issues with folks...

If it were me, I'd run the 500i with 25" & 32" light bars as the main saw; 261 with an 18" bar for everything else or if the 500i gets pinched. I don't climb. Skip the cost of a new saw plus the extra maintenance.

The new version is edgier and more recognizable for branding/business purposes. Plus more "character". That's my vote.

Donated my unopened bottles of Ultra to the local Stihl dealer. Thinking back now, I suspect that it's probably just fine mixed @ 50:1, tach tuned right to max rpm's unloaded, & run hard in the cut. Truth be told, I tended to mix & tune rich for the first dozen tankfuls, which is why the excess...

Root system on this poor guy got crushed by the skidder & the leaves went brown a couple of weeks later. Soil is clay with water table less than a 6" below surface now, so the skidder made ruts 18" deep. A danger tree in the middle of a walking trail, so it had to come down sooner than later.

Earlier this year, my low-hour 461 out of the blue decided to die at idle. After re-tuning & scratching my head for a week with no improvement (to either my head or the saw LOL), took the carburetor apart and give it to the Stihl shop to cook in the ultrasonic tank & replace diaphragms. Fixed...

Depends on the neighborhood; when in doubt, ask. Around here, the neighbors have excavators, skidders, backhoes, tractors, skid steers, commercial mowers, and firewood processors as well as chainsaws; it's 7am until after dark when there's work to be done. No equipment operating on Sundays. The...

I saw one today with the bark peeling off near the base - full of ants plus a 1" brown wormlike creature. Full crown of leaves now but destined for firewood sooner than later.

I have enough Ultra to mix 12 gals or so that I can ship to you. PM me if interested...