Echo Chainsaw Fun - 2016/2018

[Idahonative]

@Four Paws, this is how we got the rounds loaded. We used the barriers I described above and then we just loaded from the bank. Everything we do involves rolling the rounds...we don't lift them. Our plank was actually close to level coming into the trailers. Made it very easy to load and saved us having to roll the rounds up into the trailer. Notice my cousins trailer (second pic)...it is 60" wide.

So after running the 800p on this tree, what is my opinion of the saw? I like it ALOT even with the OEM carb and even with the 36" bar which won't be used very often. Would my opinion be the same if I was cutting hard wood? Maybe not, I don't know because I never get to cut hardwood. I know in the wood we cut around here, the saw maintains nice rpms in the cut and that's all I can ask.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention and I HATE about the 800p is the chain tensioner...it's in the front and a real PITA. Echo, if you are reading this, please put a side tensioner on this saw where it belongs.

 

[Idahonative]

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

Never heard of TST but I've been out the diesel loop for a long time now. Did you dino your truck with that tuner?

 

[mdavlee]

They were making some of the first plug in boxes for theb24 valve 2nd Gen and the most HP for the 3rd Gen.it made 450-460 and 850 with just a clutch and that box. I couldn't turn the torque setting all the way up or it drained the rail

 

[hseII]

Never heard of TST but I've been out the diesel loop for a long time now. Did you dino your truck with that tuner?

So what's your next ECHO Purchase?

A 1201? [emoji57][emoji57]

 

[Idahonative]

So what's your next ECHO Purchase?

A 1201? [emoji57][emoji57]

Oh hell no. I don't need anything bigger than this 800p. I don't ever see me cutting anything bigger than the Red Fir in the vids above and the saw made short work of that. Not to mention, I don't think I'm strong enough to lift a 1201...LOL.

 

[Idahonative]

Just rolled across the scale and the gross weight for truck and trailer was 20,120 lbs. The truck weighs 7800 which would put the trailer and wood at 12,320. I think dry Red Fir weighs about 2800 lbs per cord but this wood will have a little moisture in it so maybe 3200 lbs. per cord. That would put the trailer at 2,720 lbs. empty which is quite a bit heavier than I thought it would be for a 12 foot trailer. Of course the trailer weight is just a guess without knowing exactly how much the wood weighs. Sometime in the future, I'll weigh it by itself to know for sure.

EDIT: Since my wife and I name everything, I think it's fitting to name the new (to me) wood trailer. From this day forward, it shall be called "Tank".

 

[Idahonative]

Worked on unloading today. I think it is interesting how each person has their own technique when it comes to cutting, splitting, and stacking/storing firewood. Thought I would share how we do it.

I know a lot of guys who go after small trees (6-12 inches?) because they say it doesn't work them so hard. I disagree and go after the largest trees I can find. I do this because, IMO, even large rounds are easy to handle with the right technique. Keeping firewood in the rounds makes it much easier to handle at every step, from cutting in the hills to splitting at home. I don't split the wood until I'm ready to replenish the stack for the next winter (usually in late winter or early spring when it's cooler). By that time, the rounds have dried for several years and are easy to split by hand which I enjoy doing.

I pass guys quite frequently in the hills who cut rounds and split and load them on the spot. I think to myself: What a lot of work. And then they have to haul it home and handle every single piece again. Not saying it's wrong...just doesn't work for me.

Here's some pics of a stack that will be burned in the years to come. You can store a tremendous amount of wood in a relatively small space stacking like this (nearly 7 foot tall):

 

[Idahonative]

 

[Idahonative]

I guess I should have added to the above post: If you live in a moist climate and burn wood that takes a long time to season, stacking like I did in the pics above may not work for you. In fact, it may dry so slowly that it promotes mold. We live in the desert and receive an average of 11 inches of rain per year. That, coupled with the fact that pine and fir dry very quickly makes storage in that manner possible. Still need to cover and keep dry no matter what wood you burn.

 

[Idahonative]

I put a row of rounds down the middle on top of the stack and then covered it with a tarp. I've found this works like a truss on a house...it sheds water real well.

I try not to spend any more than I have to on my wood stack. I use pallets that I get from the roofing companies around here. They are glad to give them away by the truck load. The tarps cost $13 at Walmart. They won't last forever but maybe a couple years which makes them pretty cheap.

 

[smokey7]

A real clean way to stack a ton of wood really high up with no supports. I'm still not sure on how much work it is to move big rounds like that . Alot of times we will bust a round in half by noodle to get out of the woods or to get on the splitter. We don't cut or split small or short logs. Also most of what we cut is out of semi loads in a pile. So alot of random sizes so much so we usually have a pile with rejected random weird stuff. We cut them 24" long for the boiler and dad likes big pieces since they burn longer then smalls. Also the bigs are not a issue with a boiler as it has a blower on the fire box . I kinda like this set up. Good job.

 

[Idahonative]

A real clean way to stack a ton of wood really high up with no supports. I'm still not sure on how much work it is to move big rounds like that . Alot of times we will bust a round in half by noodle to get out of the woods or to get on the splitter. We don't cut or split small or short logs. Also most of what we cut is out of semi loads in a pile. So alot of random sizes so much so we usually have a pile with rejected random weird stuff. We cut them 24" long for the boiler and dad likes big pieces since they burn longer then smalls. Also the bigs are not a issue with a boiler as it has a blower on the fire box . I kinda like this set up. Good job.

It's not as hard as people think. I stacked both the stacks above by myself and I'm in my late 40's and 5' 6" tall. Just about every guy I know is bigger and stronger than I am...LOL. I'd say it's 70% technique and 30% strength. Technique is definitely important because, with rounds like that, even the strongest guy will kill himself trying to lift them. Heck, lifting 20" rounds will kill you if you do it enough.

The plank is your friend. An 8 footer will easily allow you to stack 3 layers high (48") as seen in one of the pics above. Once you get to the point that it's hard to go higher, you just re-set the plank on a higher platform. Backing the trailer to the stack helps also as seen in the pics above. The stack closest to the fuel tank was stacked out of the back of my truck. I stacked 3 layers from the ground and the last two out of the bed of the truck. And those rounds were freshly wind blown...wet and heavy as witnessed by the bark still being attached.

The key is to keep it in the rounds so it's easy to roll. I noodle rounds to make them fit tight in the trailer but doing so makes it MUCH harder to handle. Once you lose the ability to roll the round, stacking like this is definitely more difficult. Little things (like a knot) can make it harder as well. All the limbs have to be trimmed flush. It's amazing how, just an inch sticking out, makes it so much harder especially with the big rounds. When you try to roll a big round with a knot sticking out, it not only makes it hard to roll but try's to tip your round over.

The first thing someone says to me when they see our stacks or see the rounds stacked three high in the truck or trailer is, how do you stack those big rounds that high. Like I said, this last tree was unusually big but it's still not that hard with the right technique. I weighed one of those rounds on a platform scale we have. The round was kind of egg shaped...36" across one way and 31" across the other. It weighed 292 pounds. Even at that weight, it rolled very easily. But it's not easy to move once it's down flat on the cut. That's why I try to get it about where I want it before tipping it over. My cousin had the 40" rounds on his trailer and I'm guessing they easily weighed 350 pounds. One of those rounds would heat our home for nearly a week (50 pounds/day) burning in our Blaze King!

As I've gotten older, working smarter has become more important. Keeping the wood in the rounds for as long as possible has made the handling of firewood much easier. As everyone knows, once it's split, handling becomes infinitely greater. The rounds pictured above won't come out of the stack until it's time to split. At that point, they will be rolled to the spot where the wood will be stacked for the winter (after the Fiskars x27 does it's job).

 

[Idahonative]

Leaving in the morning for another trip to the hills. Planning to test my MM'd & tuned 600p against my mostly stock (deflector cut & tuned) 620p. My feeling is that they cut pretty close to the same but I need some vids to prove it. You supposedly get better porting, unlimited coil, double dogs, and mag clutch cover with the 620p but is it worth the extra $80?

One of the real draws to the 600p is what they can be bought for on Ebay. In the winter months, it's not unusual to find them in the $400-450 price range. I just don't see the 620p's being sold at discounted prices. So if it proves that the 600p cuts real close to the 620p like I think it will, buying one in that price range would prove to be a real bargain.

 

[Idahonative]

Leaving in the morning for another trip to the hills. Planning to test my MM'd & tuned 600p against my mostly stock (deflector cut & tuned) 620p. My feeling is that they cut pretty close to the same but I need some vids to prove it. You supposedly get better porting, unlimited coil, double dogs, and mag clutch cover with the 620p but is it worth the extra $80?

One of the real draws to the 600p is what they can be bought for on Ebay. In the winter months, it's not unusual to find them in the $400-450 price range. I just don't see the 620p's being sold at discounted prices. So if it proves that the 600p cuts real close to the 620p like I think it will, buying one in that price range would prove to be a real bargain. Vids in 9 days.

Back with vids comparing the 620p and the 600p. Both saws used the same 20" b&c for testing at 6500 ft. elevation. The 620p has had a tab delete and the 90 cut out of the defector. The 600p has had a tab delete, 90 cut out of the deflector, and six small holes drilled into the muffler (around main pipe). Mods to both saws are definitely mild.

The 620p was tuned to 12,800. The 600p was running a little rich tuned at 12,000 but with the H turned out only 1/8th, I didn't want to go leaner. The 620p feels like a faster saw with higher revs and slightly better throttle response. But the testing proved there isn't much "real world" difference between these two saws in the cut where it matters. They cut so close together that I consider it nearly a tie with both saws cutting in the 18-19 second range. If there is a difference in cutting speed, it is so small as to be irrelevant:

I've said it many times and I'll say it again: I would not pass up buying a 600p especially considering the great prices I've seen new ones sell for. Even in stock form, they can put a lot of wood on the ground in a hurry. In ported form, they will cut with any 60cc work saw out there.

 

[T.Roller]

That is one thing I don't like on my 395 is thefront tensioner. Gotta make sure I have my smaller hhusqvarna chainsaw tool or its a real biatch

 

[RI Chevy]

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:

Nice saws. just a couple of things that may make it easier for you when cutting long trees on the ground. Get yourself a couple of plastic wedges and as you cut about half way tbrough the log, bang the wedge in the top and finish your cut. The wedge will help prevent the saw from binding up and help prevent the bar from getting stuck.
As for your wood drying, I find that the wood dries better after it is split, so I always split the wood before stacking.
Just me. Anyway, good luck with those Echo's. They are nice saws.

 

[CoreyB]

Looking good. Ya the 600 does sound a bit rich. I would love to add a 620 to the stable some day. I think they are neat saws.

 

[Idahonative]

Nice saws. just a couple of things that may make it easier for you when cutting long trees on the ground. Get yourself a couple of plastic wedges and as you cut about half way tbrough the log, bang the wedge in the top and finish your cut. The wedge will help prevent the saw from binding up and help prevent the bar from getting stuck.
As for your wood drying, I find that the wood dries better after it is split, so I always split the wood before stacking.
Just me. Anyway, good luck with those Echo's. They are nice saws.

I agree on the wedges...used a fair amount on that tree. The largest part of the tree was pretty high off the ground which made it a bit tricky:

 

[CoreyB]

I agree on the wedges...used a fair amount on that tree. The largest part of the tree was pretty high off the ground which made it a bit tricky:

I would not want to be on the down hill side of that thing if it roled!

 

[Idahonative]

Well guys, my summer time fun is coming to an end since our seasonal work starts to get rolling in August. With the exception of bringing a load of wood home, we spent from June 28th until yesterday in some of the most beautiful mountains Idaho has to offer. During that time, we had all kinds of weather thrown at us. Rain, hail, snow, wind, thunder and lightning...we had it all this year. On July 10th, we had a snow storm come through that left 5 inches on the ridge above our camp (can't download pics).

We found and cut some nice Tamarack but this site won't let me download pics for some reason. I do have this vid of the rounds being rolled to the road:

And this vid of my helper who is dog tired from being in the mountains for nearly a month: