Echo Chainsaw Fun - 2016/2018

[Idahonative]

I've been meaning to do some Echo comparisons for some time now. Got back yesterday from a 9 day camping trip which included some firewood cutting and general chainsaw fun. I was planning on posting this over at AS but I think I'll keep it here since anything said about Echo's pretty much starts a fight over there. Hey, maybe Chris-PA (Poopy Ass) could analyze some of my vids with his Walmart chainsaw app and tell me what my saws are holding in the cut...LOL. Anyway, feel free to post your chainsaw fun here.

There's been quite a bit of talk about the cs-620p with it's unlimited coil and improved porting vs. the cs-600p. Opinions have mostly been in favor of the 620p over the 600p with the price being about $80 more. Without doing any timed tests over the last year, my gut told me there wasn't much difference between the two in the cut. I will compare the 600p and 620p in lightly modified form in the very near future. On this last trip, I compared my MMWS 600p to my mostly stock 620p (deflector cut/tab delete). Keep in mind the 600p is not broke in yet.

The two saws are running the same non-eth premium fuel (40:1), the same 24" b&c, at an elevation of 6500 feet, in 23" Lodge Pole pine.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MMWS Echo cs-600p - Run 3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7PhpjAtKEI

As expected, the ported 600p got the best of the 620p with an average time of 23.7 seconds vs. 28 seconds for the 620p. The 600p was tuned pretty rich at 12,000 rpm WOT (H needle turned 1/4 CCW). The 620p was tuned to 12,500 rpm WOT (H needle turned 1/4 CCW).

 

[Idahonative]

And just for fun, my MMWS Echo cs-500p in the same 23" log. Running the same fuel, a 20" bar, tuned to 12,000 WOT (H needle turned 2 3/4 CCW). Only 5 seconds behind the 620p:

 

[Idahonative]

We found a big Red Fir that I estimate is 44" at the base and somewhere around 180' in height. Cut 15, 30" rounds out of the mid section with the MMWS 600p and 24" bar (all I had that day). Hopefully going back this weekend to finish the job with the MMWS cs-800p with a 36" bar.

This is the 30" mid section:

 

[Idahonative]

When you travel in the burn areas, a chainsaw is a must. Problem is, when you play in the snow and pull a "Dukes of Hazzard" two wheel stunt, things happen. My precious 500p got thrown to the ground (@33 seconds) but only suffered a few scuffs:

 

[Four Paws]

We found a big Red Fir that I estimate is 44" at the base and somewhere around 150' in height. Cut 15, 30" rounds out of the mid section

That's some nice firewood! Looks like great weather for cutting! What did you haul those rounds out on?

Looking forward to seeing the 800P on the butt end of that log!

 

[Idahonative]

That's some nice firewood! Looks like great weather for cutting! What did you haul those rounds out on?

Looking forward to seeing the 800P on the butt end of that log!

I'll agree it's some good looking wood...that tree is a rare find for us and worth the trip to get it. The weather was great for cutting...actually down right cold that morning with the wind blowing (35 degrees @ 6500 feet). Started out cutting with a Cartthart but quickly shed that down to just a sweat shirt. It was still just 47 degrees when we left camp for home at 2pm on Saturday.

I probably shouldn't tell you this since you live in Idaho but those 15 rounds and the rest of the tree are still there...LOL. This trip was more about camping and playing with chainsaws for my wife and I although I helped my cousin cut a load of wood. My cousin had left for home when we found that tree so I decided to cut what I could with the tank and a half of fuel I had left. With plans of going back this weekend with him to bring it home. Risky? Maybe, but you could drive right by it and never know it was there. If someone finds it, it's not the end of the world but I would be a little bummed. That's the chance you take although it is in a pretty remote area.

I've got a plan to get it out. I've got two barriers between the main tree and the skid road (about 40 yards total). Those 15 rounds are sitting at the first barrier (coming down). We will cut the remaining rounds and let them roll down to join them. Then we will cut that barrier and let them roll to the second barrier. We will cut that and then it's only about 25 feet to the skid road. I recently acquired a used, custom made 8 x 12 flat bed trailer with 10k lb. tandem axles that was used for hauling 20,000 lbs. of water. I'm finishing the final touches to get it where I want it for hauling wood. I like the dimensions because I cut my rounds 16 inches and one layer of rounds comes out to exactly 1 cord (221,184 square inches). I plan to stack it at least 3 layers high which would be 3 cords. Similar to the pic below of my old wood trailer that is 16'. That trailer is too long to be taking down skid roads and too hard to turn around at times. This 12' trailer will work out much better I hope.

Yes I'm excited to try the 800p out on this tree although I wish I had the bigger carb installed. Hopefully we can make this happen this weekend...it will be fun.

 

[drf256]

I think many of you guys have seen mine and @Red97 echo 490 builds. I figured this would be fair game to put in the echo thread being it was an echo built in 2016.

Echo 490

Thread
http://opeforum.com/threads/echo-cs-490-porting.1777/page-25#post-90201

Tach video in wood

20" bar and super fat before carb mods

After carb mods:

Oak Block

12" log

Swapped over to 3/8lp

 

[Idahonative]

My cousin and I (and our wives) went after the large Red Fir this weekend that I mentioned above. Before we could do this though, I had to have a better trailer. I've been overloading our 16' firewood trailer for years and the last trip my wife said no more. I've hauled four cord on that trailer and it only has capacity for about 8,000 lbs. I've blown tires, broke shackles, and white knuckled too many mountain roads. She said she wouldn't go with me again until we had a trailer designed to haul the load we were hauling.

Trailers are probably the most common piece of equipment that gets overlooked or neglected (tires) for us amateur firewood cutters. Why I waited to this stage of my life to get probably the most important piece of equipment is beyond me. I'll just call it what it is...STUPIDITY. When you're hauling 10,000 lbs. of wood or more, safety should be a high priority. Actually, safety should be a high priority no matter what weight you are hauling.

I recently found a used trailer on CL. It was custom built to haul a 2500 gallon water tank. It was just what I was looking for in size, at 8' x 12' since (cutting 16" rounds) each layer would equal one cord. My goal was to have a trailer that could safely haul three cords since we are sometimes traveling 4 1/2 hours from home to cut wood. The main beams of the trailer are made of 10" channel, the cross members are 4" channel, the deck is 1/8" diamond plate steel, and it has two 10,000 lb. Henderson axles. I put 32" 10 ply BF Goodrich KO2 light truck tires on it which are rated at 3415 lbs. each. The four tires combine for a gross trailer weight of 13,660...far short of the 20,000 lb. axle weight but still plenty for what we are hauling. I haven't weighed the trailer yet but I'm guessing it is somewhere in the 2500 lb. range. So that gives us the ability to SAFELY haul 11,160 lbs.

I had to make some small changes before our trip. I needed pockets for side rails and heavy duty D-rings for the ratchet straps. I chose to cut the steel decking out and weld the pockets to the inside of the frame. This would look cleaner and also would keep the deck flat in case I want to haul heavy equipment etc. I welded the D-rings onto the decking and then made another pass onto the beam for extra strength.

The trailer isn't where I want it yet but it was good enough to get this big Red Fir home. We loaded the rounds three high (3 cord) and it pulled down the highway at 65 mph like a dream:

 

[hseII]

Enough about the wagon.

More pics of the Goat that's in the 2nd to last pic, and details on the 800 ECHO.

 

[Idahonative]

Enough about the wagon.

More pics of the Goat that's in the 2nd to last pic, and details on the 800 ECHO.

LOL...working on it. I've got some vids of the 800p. I will tell you, it pulled a 36" bar with Oregon LPX chain real nice (even without the bigger carb). 36" full comp is NO problem!

 

[Idahonative]

Enough about the wagon.

More pics of the Goat that's in the 2nd to last pic, and details on the 800 ECHO.

Ok, last post about the "wagon"...LOL:

 

[hseII]

Ok, last post about the "wagon"...LOL:

What about the Other Goat?

 

[Idahonative]

What about the Other Goat?

I guess I'm not following what you're asking???

 

[hseII]

I guess I'm not following what you're asking???

 

[Idahonative]

LMAO...I like your keen eye my friend. That's Charlie, my '92 Cummins, 5 speed Getrag, 2 two drive. Just turned over 190,000 miles and I wouldn't trade that truck for anything. It's old and has rust spots and people make fun of it but I don't care. Didn't use it to pull the trailer but it would...just not as fast. My '05 is set up to tow a load (430hp/804 tq, six speed NV5600 with Southbend clutch, cold air intake, high flow exhaust, jake brake, air bags, gauges...). Here's some pics of Charlie after a day trip last year:

 

[hseII]

At one time, there was 5 of those 1st gen Cummins in various configurations here.

Dad's original finally locked up due to a bad thermostat @ 38x,xxx miles.

Had the thermostat been changed, that truck would still be going as the other 5 cylinders still had the hone makes in from when it was assembled.

We put a junk yard inter cooled in it and used it just on the farm for another few years before finally trading it.

There are still a few of the 2nd & 3 gen Cummins round here.

 

[Idahonative]

At one time, there was 5 of those 1st gen Cummins in various configurations here.

Dad's original finally locked up due to a bad thermostat @ 38x,xxx miles.

Had the thermostat been changed, that truck would still be going as the other 5 cylinders still had the hone makes in from when it was assembled.

We put a junk yard inter cooled in it and used it just on the farm for another few years before finally trading it.

There are still a few of the 2nd & 3 gen Cummins round here.

Those first gens are excellent work trucks even though the body/interior's weren't as refined as Ford or Chevy at the time. They had better tranny's (German made Getrag) and bigger brakes than the 2nd gens, Dana axles (same as 2nd gen), and the beds were built tough like a truck bed should be. My dad had a 2nd gen and I didn't care for the truck as a whole even though the engine and fuel system (Bosch P-pump) were excellent. The third gen's were a homerun IMO and the best (overall) produced to date.

This is my '05 (aka Big Blue). It's kind of a sleeper on the road because it's been de-badged and looks like a half ton but has a mild tune (Smarty Jr.) that puts out 430hp/804 tq. to the ground. It just turned over 100,000 miles and has been an absolutely GREAT truck:

 

[hseII]

Just turned over 100,000?

That thang is still New.

 

[mdavlee]

I really liked the TST box for the 05 I had.

 

[Idahonative]

Ok, here are some vids of the MMWS cs-800p. Running a 36" bar with Oregon LPX chain, 40:1 mix, tuned a little rich for break in at about 6300 foot elevation. 36" of full comp can really throw a $hit load of chips...coming out of the chute (@28 seconds) by the handfuls:

It's fun cutting on the uphill side of the road...rounds come out of nowhere and roll down the hill:

I'll be honest, I have NO experience with a bar that long. It takes some getting used to...this part of the tree is close to 40 inches: