sawsaw

Out of interest is it ok to mix any regular brand 2 stroke oil with Aspen 4 ?. I cannot justify the statement but I have a lot of confidence in Stihl Super (green). Are there any disadvantages or advantages to doing this over using Aspen2 ?

Yes agree, but the service manuals are hard to come by. Plenty of user manual downloads. I find it sad that you cannot purchase either the service manuals or parts diagrams direct from Stihl or their dealers. They refused point blank when I asked - against their policy to supply such items to the public!!

Came across this link recently - they hold most of the Stihl service manuals: https://www.tradebit.com/G/manuals

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

I want to drain and flush out the oil tank on my Stihl saw. There is a lot of conflicting advice on how to do this online ranging from using petrol to diesel as the 'solvent', temporarily blocking the oil pipe etc. I will be replacing the filter at the same time. Grateful for any advice. Many Thanks John

LS are excellent as above as are DL Small Plant. They carry a good range of spares and also Stihl special tools. Garden - Stihl Chainsaws - D&L Small Plant

Seems to me to be a fine line between oil mixture ratio/ type of oil/ carb tuning. I am no expert but I would hazard a guess that provided the oil mix ratio is 'sensible' the most critical of these factors would be the carb settings. I have always set the carb as stated in the Stihl manual ie number of turns. I came across this article the other day re setting the carb using a tacho (complete with sound effects) which has got me thinking maybe this is the way to go. Grateful for thoughts on this and any tacho recommendations. Carb Adjustment on Pro Chainsaws Info

Interesting, I have read this before as an issue when using fully synthetic oils. Maybe the semi synthetic eg Stihl Super is a reasonable compromise. As it contains, I think, a fuel stabilizer I may give this a go

Only have used the stihl red, use a fuel stabilizer and pretty much follow Stihls recommendations as reproduced below and have had no problems. Interesting their comment about using the HP Ultra oil with E10 petrol: If the proper precautions are taken, however, gasoline containing a 10% quantity of ethanol can safely be used in your STIHL products. • Use a minimum of 89 octane gasoline and always use fresh fuel. Only buy enough gasoline that you can easily use up within a two month period. • For air-cooled, two-cycle engines, use a quality mix oil that meets the engine manufacturer’s recommendations. All STIHL oils are designed to readily mix with gasoline containing 10% ethanol. STIHL HP Ultra Oil is especially suited for use with E10 gasoline. • Shake your gas can well when first mixing the oil to thoroughly disperse the oil in the fuel mixture.

Thanks guys appreciate your comments. I have a tendency to over-tighten particularly with the low torque settings so is useful for me and helps me personally get a ''feel' for the right torque whether I use one or not. Fully accept Spuds point though probably not necessary for the more experienced 'spanner man' and would add to time/ cost.

A quote from the Stihl service manual (ms231): "DG and P (Plastoform) screws are used in polymer and light metal components. These screws form a permanent thread when they are installed for the first time. They can be removed and installed as often as necessary without impairing the strength of the screwed assembly, providing the specified tightening torque is observed.For this reason it is essential to use a torque wrench" 95% of the quoted settings are in the 1-20 Nm range so I have treated myself to a 1/4 sq drive wrench to cater for this stuff. Just curious to see whether members use a torque wrench or just wing it?

As a further thought these saws sometimes come the Tungsten Carbide chain as a standard fit - replace with the conventional chain imho. Also the tool - less chain tensioner is available as an option - which has not given any problems but just adds cost and weight and makes flipping the bar over to even out wear a little more time comsuming. I would go for the standard bar nut option.

I have had the ms231 with 16" bar and have felled some quite large trees with it as well as general logging/ firewood. It has been a cracking little saw and it has done a lot of work over the last few years and has never given a problem. A very reliable saw. It is a little miserly (like many stihls) on chain oil but keep the bar groove/ oil hole clean and it is not an issue. I find the 16" bar (whatever saw you decide to use) to be an excellent all rounder.

The ms271 is on my shortlist - it has received some excellent reviews although I have not had the opportunity to use one. The ms271/291 are classed as a mid range 'farmers saw' and I think in the US known as Farm Boss. What is interesting is that the ms271/291/261 are all pretty much of a similar price. The ms261 is classed as a 'professional' saw but as far as I can tell the primary difference is the electronic engine management system, better anti vib and the HD air filter. I am assuming the 261 has a better power to weight ratio but like you I am not sure I want electronic gizmo's in my saw - prefer simple, rugged reliable. I too would be interested in members views on the ms271/291 vs ms261. I have had the ms271's smaller cousin the ms231 with a 16" bar for a number of years now - it has done an incredible amount of work(much more than intended for a domestic saw of this type) and never missed a beat. I tend to use a chainsaw on average a couple of days a week.

I don't have the equipment for a TC chain and couldn't find anybody local to do it. In the end I just binned them when blunt - it was not economic for me to buy electric grinders, special discs etc. I looked for a small diamond rotary stone for use in a dremel but couldn't find that either at least not in the uk. In any instance I prefer the conventional chain and sharpen regularly with a file.