550 XP Mark II or MS 261

[Duce]

I'll pass on seafoam (aka snake oil). Keep your saws clean and run fresh mix.

 

[redneckhillbilly]

the more saws you own the more you have to be aware of, I only have 4 saws and its always in the back of my mind what saw has sat the longest and how can i get it some run time. today im going to use a 592 on a 16 inch fir tree because it hasnt been used in 2 months and I need to cycle some fresh fuel through it, its not the ideal saw for the task, but I dont want any issues with it so I will use it instead of just let it sit for who knows how long and risk having problems.

i saw pretty consistantly from april through december, when I am putting them up for the year I dump my 40:1 dominator out and fill with canned husky mix and run them for a few minutes to assure the canned fuel has fully made its way into the carb. than I hang them on the rack and let them sit, thats been my recipe for a few years now and its has worked fine, no issues what so ever.

 

[bwalker]

I like the size and balance of the 261, but the HP/torque award goes to the 550XP mk2. The 550 was substantially cheaper for me too from HL.

 

[dangerousatom]

Both saws are ideal for a wood burning home owner who likes to cut.

The 550 responds exceptionally well to a muff-mod, gasket delete and porting out the casting angles in the lower bit of the cylinder along with opening up the beginnings of the stratos. I have 2 and one has a pop-up piston. The pressure gauges says its 10-15psi more then the other but I cant say its noticeably different/better then a stock piston.

Just a muff-mod and foam air filter upgrade will be a noticeable gain.

 

[Bill G]

I am amazed at how many folks are in areas that do not have ethanol free fuel. Here we have plenty of choices.

 

[bwalker]

I am amazed at how many folks are in areas that do not have ethanol free fuel. Here we have plenty of choices.

View attachment 464639View attachment 464640

I've never seen non ethanol 87. Never had a problem buying premium non ethanol.

 

[sawmikaze]

I talked to a trucker that was filling the tanks up at a station a few weeks ago and he told me the only true ethanol free gas is 90 octane. Is that true ?

 

[farminkarman]

I talked to a trucker that was filling the tanks up at a station a few weeks ago and he told me the only true ethanol free gas is 90 octane. Is that true ?

In some parts of the country they sell "Rec 90" which is 90 octane e-free. Where I live, you can get 91 octane e-free at most stations. There are a few places we can get 87 and or 89 octane e-free. The only 93 octane available has corn juice in it.

 

[dangerousatom]

There’s only one place within 40-50 mile of me, so its easier n cheaper ( E-free is like $1 more a gal. ) to just take the ethanol out with water. With Amsoil Saber mix and a small dose of boostane per gallon I've never had any issues.

 

[Ketchup]

87 E-free is all we have here unless you go to the airport. There’s no oxygen either, so high octane just makes saws slower.

 

[Sloughfoot]

In some parts of the country they sell "Rec 90" which is 90 octane e-free. Where I live, you can get 91 octane e-free at most stations. There are a few places we can get 87 and or 89 octane e-free. The only 93 octane available has corn juice in it.

Yeh, in general all octanes are ethanol free here. I believe there's one company named Propel that sells ethanol. I'm sure if there was as much corn grown in the state as there is oil pumped ethanol gas would be all you could find.

 

[Tor R]

Really stupid discussion topic 550 mk2 vs 261.
Both are good, but different, in fact there have always been significant differences between Stihl and Husqvarna in the 50cc class.

You pick the one you feel fits best in your hands ergonomically, and the most important thing is to buy from a serious dealer who has skilled mechanics on staff.

 

[Bill G]

I've never seen non ethanol 87.

I guess you live in a strange area.

 

[Bill G]

Really stupid discussion topic 550 mk2 vs 261.

I do not see it as stupid at all.......

 

[Bill G]

87 E-free is all we have here unless you go to the airport. There’s no oxygen either, so high octane just makes saws slower.

Last winter one of my sons bought a place across from the private airport and crop dusting company. They fly a good sized fleet of what I thought was old planes all summer. I talked to the owner about 100LL and he said all their planes run Jet A. That surprised me

 

[Tor R]

I do not see it as stupid at all.......

This debate has been many times, how many times do we have to beat a dead horse?

 

[dangerousatom]

........Probably until the Admins lock a thread about it or ChuckNorris gives his official opinion.
.
.

 

[Outback]

 

[Bill G]

This debate has been many times, how many times do we have to beat a dead horse?

Why would anyone beat a horse.... especially a dead one?

Well come to think of it years ago the neighbor used a little Homelite to saw the legs off a horse that died in the barn then froze like a rock

 

[Tor R]

It would be a topic of discussion if one of them had undergone some major upgrades.
If not, there are a bunch of threads from before, 550 mk2 vs 261, and contain the same information that this thread has / will have.
But by all means, people are of course free to do as they wish.