wisecobandit

Now this could turn into an epic post but bear with me as this could become a bit of a "Remember when" thing So there I was driving down a country lane today thinking about time these bloody road hedges got cut and it triggered.... Being a farm boy as a young un it brought back memories of cutting hedges with an old finger bar mower on the back of a tractor , then picking up the hedge parings by hand throwing them in a trailer and dumping them in a field to burn them there. Lots of smouldering piles loitered the area with bonfire smoke.. Then there there was also the stubble burning, plough around the perimeter of the field several rounds and then chain an old tyre to the back of a tractor and throw diesel or oil on it to drag around the field to get a good field burn. So then I started thinking what the earliest tractors we had on the farm, ford 4000's 5000's and an international 574 and a county for when 4 wheel drive was needed. We also had a tracked field marshall "putt putt" which was old even back then, crank handle start or a pelletless shotgun shell would fire that beast of a single cylinder engine up (hence the putt putt name as they where called) but boy that thing would drop a chisel/mole plough 4 ft deep in the ground and pull it. Back then farms only really had 1 4wd tractor due to implements being much smaller and John Deeres hardly existed or had a good reputation. As a wee whipper snapper I would watch the old man milk cows by putting a chain around there neck to solid post and fill milk churns up. No bulk tanks and automated systems back then. The first milking parlour when they came out was duly bought and fitted and would milk 6 abreast at once! now its normally a 12/12 herring bone milking 24 at once! The school holidays where mainly spent baling and dreying hay before the the corn started. Again we had the latest technology a new Holland 1540 combine with a 14ft head which was the bees knees after the old allis chalmers that would cut 8ft! 5 tonnes trailers where pretty much the biggest back then...Now 18ft+ can be the norm alongside 8-10 tonne trailers sometimes bigger. The local bobby would pop into the "always unlocked" farmhouse for a cuppa and slice of fruitcake "in lieu" of turning a blind eye of seeing my brother or I driving up the road with trailers of hay/straw and corn from about the age of 10. Small bales where the only way to bale, having to stack them in 6's or 8's to allow the old perry loader on the massey 35 to load them up onto a trailer. Every farmer had a blue danarm chainsaw before stihl really came around. Strimmers?? what where they... Every rotovator you ever saw was a huge orange howard gem. Buy a petrol mower and it was always a mountfield. First computers where the applemac/bbc micro or zx spectrum 48k! What was a mobile phone? Back then it was a whirly gig house phone not push button. 3 tv channels and massive excitement when channel 4 came out. Trying to find it on the wooden cased t.v with a windy dial and then realising it only came on after 6PM. Think the only thing they used to put on was "Flash Gordon" and that was in black and white and always fuzzy. I could go on and on but hell im only 43 but how times have changed and you realise how much you've actually seen advance on the technology stake. So what stands out in other peoples memories? Im sure the above may "jog" a few peoples memorys :lol:

1122 640 3201 £33.41 + vat is the stihl part number for the 1.15mm oil pump Dual port stihl cover is 1122 140 0800 but £39.64 Both available from l s engineers (google search it) Hyway do a good dual port exhaust aftermarket job . "Stihl as good" does them on ebay for £24 with free delivery

Its already fitted with a dual port muffler and high output pump before its even fully built or had an ounze of fuel thru it

I agree with Agg. Nothing other than .404 It has the torque to pull it and as said remember the torque monster saws run slower chain speed etc so putting on 3/8 will prob run slower. Ive never ran 3/8 on the 075 and never entered my head. Personally I prefer .404 provided the saw is capable of running it and even run it on a 394. You also find you wont need to sharpen it as much, less trapped bars due to the wider kerf and its still widely available.

Bingo yeah that's exactly the same as this one. Now ive found the reason out. Stihl actually list 2 different brake levers for the ms660. It depends on what handlebar you have fitted. Fitting the other brake handle sorts the issue out for us if you feel its an issue cost is £21 + vat from stihl. JON Its actually a new 660 ive almost built up from parts hence the issue of not realising there where 2 different brake handles fitted. Ones slightly straighter and higher than the other which is what I need.

Yeah they do which is why a lot have been changed/replaced. However this one is still like new (the brake handle) and isn't deformed in any way, (that doesn't mean to say it hasn't been made correctly although it looks reasonable quality)

Just after some basic info Roughly at what distance from the handlebar does your hand/safety brake engage? Ive got one here and the brake handle literally has to touch the handlebar before it engages Its almost at the point where your fingers around the handlebar would actually stop the brake handle actually engaging unless you have very feminine hands! Just seems wrong to me as I would expect a couple inches away atleast yet obviously theres no adjustment etc. On inspecting the handle I can see no writing or stihl part numbers so im suspecting maybe an aftermarket brake handle given past problems with the the brake handles on the ms660 and wandering if that's the cause possibly

Just had a thought Eddy. The bolts on the x-torq carbs aren't straight across like the old 372 series. Now whether this helps or not I know to fit a newer x torq carb to the old 372 series you need to use the boot off a 385/390 (prob due to the nearly 2mm wider venture) but also the arm from the 390. Now as the arm fixes by the bolts of the carb and the 372 ie 90 and 270 degree and the x torq a different angle im thinking that could be the issue. On the conversion of of fixing the later carb to new model the arm must be changed so I think that's the issue and the reason why.

Wouldn't be the best idea I agree. The ideas right but if the teeth are far out then it could cause all sorts of injury. I would try and fix a pencil or marker at a right angle on the sawbed to come in contact near the tip of the tooth and spin the blade and try leaving a marker line on each tooth and try and compare them. Its not something ive done but it may or may not work to give you an idea of the rogue ones.

Sounds to me like the arm may need changing for the other. IF the end of the outer sheath(when fitted in the arm you have) is closer to the carb than what the other arm is then that would amount to not having enough travel to give you full throttle and having a slack cable.

Lol. Theres nothing wrong whatsoever with a 390 and its a good choice. For yourself it sounds the 390 is ideal as you want the 36" bar as/when you may need it and not as a permanent 36" barred saw but if it was likely to be kept more often than not as a 36" barred saw your better going for the 395 in my personal opinion I tend to do a fair bit of big hardwood mainly oak and beech and have a reasonable choice of 9 saws to choose from (4 being 394/395's) so each have there dedicated bars so I don't need to worry about swapping out bars etc.

I would check to see if the arm part numbers are the same. It maybe the same handle/tank but remember it is a different carb between non xtorq and the x torq versions and they are different.......

Hmmm strange. Silly question but you are pushing the outer sleeve into the trigger unit? I assume so as that would give you a tight throttle not a loose one. Maybe the plate under the carb is different? I know they are on the 394 to 395. On the 394 the outer sheath locates in the carb box plate but in the 395 it goes thru and locates in a black bracket that fits around the boot. Yet both cables are the same part number/length

The ao41 is for 3/8 lp and the ko41 is for the .325 Rob Its exactly the same mount but the heel of the bar is reduced slightly to allow clearance of the 3/8 lp chain on the ao41 bar to allow the chain of the sprocket a clear line into the groove of a bar Rob. (hope that makes sense)

Not out tomoz as working. Will be out on Saturday tho but by that time the geese will have been shot at and take a different flightline. So far from what ive seen the duck situation is pretty poor mallard wise and I don't tend to see much in the way of teal or wigeon until the end of November.. Good luck to everyone out tomoz.

just a case of fitting it to the trigger first before fitting the handle, feed it up thru the hole underneath the carband leave it hanging in there loose, fit handle then connect to the carb I find is the best way.

If it is the ao41 its the same also as the smaller echo's and the cheaper saws like Ryobi b and q and gardenline.

I take it your talking about the 4-mix and not the 2-mix which the carb quote is about? I think your right regarding the 4-mix in terms of people/dealers/stihl not knowing or keeping quiet about the exact requirements of the machine in regards to maintenance and up keep. Im sure if dealers told you you had to use expensive 2 stroke, valves need adjustment every 135 hours and you had to use the decoke solution to do so as per the stihl service procedure and no doubt charge a few hours labour each time then it probably would have put people off buying them in the first place, especially those that put lots of hours on them in a short amount of time. In fact it makes you wander if the dealers/stihl even knew themselves or if it was a guinea pig situation almost like the ms661 chainsaw

I was meaning in handleability and weight. The outboard clutch is for more cooling efficiency so less likely to slip especially in heavier working conditions. I would debate the power difference tho, after a muffler mod especially. Ms660 v 390 on a 36" bar would be a very close call match in big wood. Stick a 395 with a 36" bar against either of them in big wood and the 395 will be a clear winner without a doubt. Below 28" there probably wouldn't be a great deal in all 3 of them. Also the 395 running a 36" the oiler setting is minimal, the ms660 would need maxxing out and struggles to supply enough oil and the 390 would be on a highish setting. In my eyes its like towing a trailer with a vehicle which will just about do it but when you come to a hill you wish you had something bigger...

The 394/395 is a favourite of mine. They are certainly more like a 390 than a 3120. Weight wise they are much lighter than a 3120 and not much more noticeable than a 390 altho I think the later 394> and 395 hightop versions make it look more bulky than it due to having a taller filter housing to house the larger filter but in fact its probably only 150grams heavier. The 390 shares some parts like clutch, exhaust etc with the 372. Im not knocking them, the 385 is exactly the same as the 390 apart from a 1mm smaller piston. The 395 is a tried and tested saw, a muffler mod on a uk version is the only difference compared to the u.s versions and adds the 1hp difference that Husqvarna list in there figures. If your of the slighter build or have health issues or weight bothers you than go for the 390. Being a farm boy and 6' 4" ive got no worrys throwing around 395's.

The 404 cuts a wider kerf compared to the 3/8. As a 36" will be near the top end of a standard 390's range the less resistance/narrower cut will help the saw cut a tadge faster/little less effort.

Still not at my local dealer. They've also outted all stocks of the ms660 and only thing available in that range in stock was a new ms650. Scarily I checked the d.o.m and the year was 2011 and that's all stihl could supply them with to put on the shelf!

I run .404 on 36" and 3/8 on 28/30" on the 394/395's I have and 3/8 24" on the 385. I actually like the .404 but possibly on a 390 I would err with 3/8 running a 36".

Fair comment. I think the check valves go by over zealous pumping of the primer bulb rather than actually faults with the carb. Bit of a b*gger you cant change them in the later carbs.

My thoughts to. Personally I would even recommend the 260 or 360 over the 1 series. Good allrounders, parts always available at sensible prices and within days if out of stock. Although im a Husqvarna preference person I don't rate the 550/560 in the reliability stake and parts can be a pita sometimes taking weeks and more expensive.