STIHL MS 400

[lehman live edge slab]

Well I always thought a 027, 035, 037, 043, 047, 049, 052 and so on would have been cool

They used 020 twice first time was the o20av and 020avp then the 020t just before a 200t

 

[BTREE]

First time poster
I just wanted to comment on the Stihl 400.
Bought one about a month ago, my goal being to replace my sorta awesome ported husky 562.
Reason to replace - I have tried every update/mod I have seen over the years and never gotten rid of the bog off of idle, and often it dies. Believe I bought this in 2014.
Not an ideal situation when falling or dropping chunks out of a tree from height!
So on the 400 - Added a bark box and foam filter setup and west coast dogs before it cut wood, so have no experience with it as a true stock saw.
Starts great, does not bog or die, and comes very close to keeping up with the ported 562.
Running 28 in bar on these in 22 inch log playing around and I would say the 562 beats it by about a second or two at most. But you have to run the 562 with more finesse- it’s easier to stall in the cut if you try and push it. Where the 400 definitely has more torque and is cutting at a little lower rpm.
Overall- for real work - especially critical work, the Stihl 400 is now my go to saw for chunking trees down and falling the smaller ones.
And the weight is identical when filled with fuel n oil! 400 has the 362 wrap on it and the 562 has the husky wrap on it.
I am sure a ported 400 would be awesome!
Sorry for the long post!!

 

[Skisawyer]

Exactly why I’m buying a 400 and not a 462 for $400 more.

 

[Sierra_rider]

I've got a 400... originally my plan was for it to be my rear handle for climbing. With the wrap handle kit, it's my go-to saw for almost everything now. Besides the wrap handle, I've muffler modded it, foam air filter, 461R oiler parts, and did some minor port/machine work.

At my actual job, I mostly run a 462R. I think the 400 gets compared negatively to the 462 too often. They are similar in weight, but the 400 is still 1/2 lb lighter and feels lighter than that IMO. The power isn't too far off either...until I worked over the 462, my ported 400 was actually stronger.

Mine has no issue with a 28"lwb...it could actually run a 32", but I've got my 500i for that.

 

[Ittybittyfitty]

How hard of a job was it to change out the oiler for one from a 461R?

 

[lehman live edge slab]

How hard of a job was it to change out the oiler for one from a 461R?

Well if it’s a direct bolt in shouldn’t take more that about 15-20 minutes

 

[sawmikaze]

I've got a 400... originally my plan was for it to be my rear handle for climbing. With the wrap handle kit, it's my go-to saw for almost everything now. Besides the wrap handle, I've muffler modded it, foam air filter, 461R oiler parts, and did some minor port/machine work.

At my actual job, I mostly run a 462R. I think the 400 gets compared negatively to the 462 too often. They are similar in weight, but the 400 is still 1/2 lb lighter and feels lighter than that IMO. The power isn't too far off either...until I worked over the 462, my ported 400 was actually stronger.

Mine has no issue with a 28"lwb...it could actually run a 32", but I've got my 500i for that.
View attachment 354872

I don't think people dislike it, I think stihl should have given it a better AV and oil pump considering it has the biscuits for a bar bigger than 20"

After you buy that wrap kit for a 400 you almost bought a 462. And considering you can buy a 462 from the factory with a wrap handle and adequate oiler for bigger bars it's for the most part a better buy over a 400 for a few ounces...plus it has more balls.

There's no ported 400 out there that's gonna pull a 28" like my last 462 Kevin ported, it's ALMOST my ported 461 with a 28" bar.

 

[Sierra_rider]

How hard of a job was it to change out the oiler for one from a 461R?

Pretty easy. I kept my stock oiler housing and 461R control bolt and the rod in...the hardest part is getting the roll pin in/out, which isn't that hard. If you don't mind spending the money, you could just get the whole 461R oiler assembly. I should bolt up and then you don't have to take the oiler housing apart.

 

[Ittybittyfitty]

Pretty easy. I kept my stock oiler housing and 461R control bolt and the rod in...the hardest part is getting the roll pin in/out, which isn't that hard. If you don't mind spending the money, you could just get the whole 461R oiler assembly. I should bolt up and then you don't have to take the oiler housing apart.

Cool bud. I’ve built and modified lots of pew pews in my days which require roll pin install and removal. As a result I have some roll pin punches which should help so long as I have the right size. How much did you spend in parts for the oiler upgrade?

 

[Sierra_rider]

Cool bud. I’ve built and modified lots of pew pews in my days which require roll pin install and removal. As a result I have some roll pin punches which should help so long as I have the right size. How much did you spend in parts for the oiler upgrade?

It was several months back that I did the oiler upgrade, so my memory is a little fuzzy...IIRC the parts were only $40ish, but I could be off base on that.

 

[Funky sawman]

With what I can come up with based on my experience, the only reason I would pick a 462 over a 400 is if the 462 had a standard carb on it

 

[Stihl Potlicker]

I ran a stock 400 at the PA GTG ... felt pretty good for a stock saw!

I like the 462 also, but I don't think that anyone who saves a couple of hundred bucks buying a 400 will regret it.

i actually have been grabbing 400 or 400R lately LOL

Done yet?...

should be getting mine back from Tree monkey any day now.

 

[Semotony]

I don't think people dislike it, I think stihl should have given it a better AV and oil pump considering it has the biscuits for a bar bigger than 20"

After you buy that wrap kit for a 400 you almost bought a 462. And considering you can buy a 462 from the factory with a wrap handle and adequate oiler for bigger bars it's for the most part a better buy over a 400 for a few ounces...plus it has more balls.

There's no ported 400 out there that's gonna pull a 28" like my last 462 Kevin ported, it's ALMOST my ported 461 with a 28" bar.

And my 460 speaks better than a stock 661, with muffler mod internal and dual port cover on my smaller cc saw. My ported 661 is whole nowhere deal lol

 

[sawmikaze]

And my 460 speaks better than a stock 661, with muffler mod internal and dual port cover on my smaller cc saw. My ported 661 is whole nowhere deal lol

I didn't follow you at all on this one, Pilgrim.

 

[farminkarman]

I didn't follow you at all on this one, Pilgrim.

Sounded a bit like Kenny...

 

[TreeLife]

I didn't follow you at all on this one, Pilgrim.

Pert near had a seizure trying to read it.

 

[Semotony]

I didn't follow you at all on this one, Pilgrim.

A man with a 661 was not as fast in the cut, same size bar, as my 046 with muffler mod. On the other hand I want to show him the ported 661 hehehe lol. spellchecker took nother into nowhere. I forget to check up on spell check before posting

 

[Woodpecker]

A man with a 661 was not as fast in the cut, same size bar, as my 046 with muffler mod. On the other hand I want to show him the ported 661 hehehe lol. spellchecker took nother into nowhere. I forget to check up on spell check before posting

What size bar?

 

[MustangMike]

Years ago, my modded 10mm 044 embarrassed a modded 066 that the pro tree guy bragged "was not stock". We were both running 28" bars in soft White Pine that did not slow my 044 at all. There was a very noticeable difference in how fast my 044 went through the rounds.

I think my chain sharpening skills were better than his, and IMO his muffler mod did not look to be well thought out.

But he was bragging up a storm about how strong his 066 was before the cutting started, and got real quite after the cutting began, as we were often working side by side. My brother had hired him, and he told my brother that I did not have any saws that would compare to his 066.

I understand that a longer bar +/or harder wood would favor the 066, but you go with the task in front of you. For this project (we had to clear a path for a bridge over a stream) my 044 was hands down the better saw.

The vast information on sites like this give us a leg up on a lot of professionals who never go on sites like this and never learn what we know. I'll bet he did not even know what square file was!

 

[Semotony]

What size bar?

24/25" the muffler on my 661 is hollow, the 5/8" hole under the screen is opened up to a picture window along with about30 1/8" holes scattered on front for free flo