sawsaw
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Everything posted by sawsaw
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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 ?
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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!!
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Came across this link recently - they hold most of the Stihl service manuals: https://www.tradebit.com/G/manuals
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Thanks guys, much appreciated.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I have used the rapid duro chain quite extensively, but as previous posts the issue is with the sharpening. All chains (including TC ones) start to dull from the first time you use them and because of the cost of replacement I found my self hanging on to them longer than I should with the net result I was cutting with a chain that although acceptably sharp does not match in any way a newly sharpened conventional chain. The net result I stopped using them and have gone back to using ordinary chains which I sharpen 'little and often'. It may be my imagination but I never felt that the TC chain even when new was as sharp as the conventional chain. The other issue with them was that if you cut into a hidden nail or whatever I found the teeth have a tendancy to chip which can wreck the chain. I probably need to get out more but I find chain sharpening quite therapeutic !!
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It was suggested in an earlier post that a fuel stabilizer greatly increases the life of regular fuel. This was a new one for me but having done some research on this and read reviews the the shelf life of the fuel increases to 2-3 years and it also appears to negate many of the negative effects of ethanol. It has received some very positive reviews. I have no experience of using either stabilizer or aspen so difficult for me to compare but worth a look imho.
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Agree with that. In relation to axes specifically there is a free 68 page publication issued by the US Forest Service called 'An Ax to Grind' which is well worth a read and is a good reference on sharpening angles etc. You can also find the video version on Utube. The pdf manual should be on the link below: http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdfpubs/pdf99232823/pdf99232823Pdpi300.pdf
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The X15 is an excellent general purpose axe that I like to use for small limbing, plastic wedges and removing some of the general clutter around the trunk etc. Can also be used for small splitting although I don't use it much for this. It is very similar to the X27 in design (although lighter and smaller (1.5 kg about 60 cm overall length). The heads of Fiskars cutting range is similar to the wedge shape of the X27 but not so pronounced which is aimed primarily at splitting. I just find it a useful size and handy to have around. It is a shame they are discontinuing it.
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Use a flat file plus final honing on 400g wet and dry stuck to a flat piece of plywood for final honing. Use this for all axes including the excellent X27 (which needs to be sharp imho) Incidentally the purchase of the X27 sold me on Fiskars axes and I also use the x15 as a general woodland axe. The X15 is the largest of the Fiskars chopping axes sold in the UK but is being discontinued (they seem to be concentrating on small hatchets or the larger splitting axes). The X15 is again excellent in my opinion and if you are quick you can find them on ebay for circa £25 including post which is a bargain.
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Thanks for your comments guys,much appreciated - didn't realise it was such a hot topic! The info on fuel stabilizers was a new one for me and could prove very useful for the lesser used machines. Interestingly the local garage sells Esso Supreme which according to the web is Ethanol free except for Devon and Cornwall - very strange !!!!!!
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I came across an article which stated it was best to use premium grade petrol (as opposed to regular) in a chainsaw.Said to be cleaner on the engine. I have until now used regular with no issues. For the amount of fuel I use cost is not a factor (length of storage time is more important). Interested to hear what you guys think/ use - the stihl guidelines are on the link below for info. Minimum of 89 octane and less than 10% ethanol ( for whatever reason!) are recommended. John http://www.stihlusa.com/WebContent/CMSFileLibrary/Gasoline_Guidelines-1.pdf
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Thank you yes I agree - I will stick with ordinary chain for what I do. I may have a go at trying to touch the TC with the Dremel and aluminium oxide sharpening stones but I suspect they will be too soft - nothing to loose !!
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It came as standard with the saw - Stihl MS231 !! I replaced it with a standard chain as soon as it became blunt - the TC been sitting there ever since. If I had the gear to sharpen I would but I am not sure it is worth the hastle. The only upside I can see is that it went a very long time without needing sharpening maybe 10x longer than a standard chain.
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Thanks for all your replies - much appreciated. I'll think I will just stick with the ordinary chain. I enjoy the hand sharpening and it the chain seems to cut a little faster than the TC version even when new. I always carry a spare sharp chain with me rather than sharpen 'on site' - I find that works quite well. VMT John
