440 with an 8 pin is a NO GO

jeepyfz450 · Mar 5, 2011

Everybody on here rants and raves about 8 pin sprockets. I threw an 8 pin of my Muff Modded 440 today with a 20'' b/c and buriied it in some maple.........nope no thanks definately not enough balls. I ran an 8 pin on my 046 in the same 20'' wood and it seemed to pull it ok but i am still very skeptical. I guess i will have to just save the 8 pins for the 660......

anybody else run 8 pins on stock saws?

drill.daddy · Mar 5, 2011

i run an 8 pin on my 044, nothing special just a dual port muff cover, it pulls a 28 inch bar just fine . Im cutting soft wood too tho , mostly pine .

kevin j · Mar 5, 2011

yes, dolkita 7900, 8 pin 20 inch works great. Fast and slings the chips
have not tried on 24 and up, used 7 there

MS460WOODCHUCK · Mar 5, 2011

IMO 8 pins are for 8'' cants or 5ci saws with 20'' bars. At least this is what I've learnt in hardwood.

jeepyfz450 · Mar 5, 2011

ms460woodchuck said:
IMO 8 pins are for 8'' cants or 5ci saws with 20'' bars. At least this is what I've learnt in hardwood.

yeah i am gonna have to agree with you there.

STIHLTHEDEERE · Mar 5, 2011

is your 440 a little soft????? i run an 8 pin/.325/16" on my 026, 8 pin/.375/18" full skip on my ms261, 8pin/.375/25" full skip on my ms460r, 8pin/.375/28" fullskip on ms660 all run very well. i like the extra chain speed you get. i have checked rpm in the wood and they are right there w/the 7pin readings. i dont stand on my saws when cut either,always let the saw self feed(light pressure).

jeepyfz450 · Mar 5, 2011

STIHLTHEDEERE said:
is your 440 a little soft????? i run an 8 pin/.325/16" on my 026, 8 pin/.375/18" full skip on my ms261, 8pin/.375/25" full skip on my ms460r, 8pin/.375/28" fullskip on ms660 all run very well. i like the extra chain speed you get. i have checked rpm in the wood and they are right there w/the 7pin readings. i dont stand on my saws when cut either,always let the saw self feed(light pressure).

well its basically brand new. it cuts great with an 7 pin but has no balls with the 8. i guess i need to try some timed cuts.

oscar4883 · Mar 5, 2011

I run 7-pins on everything. Much more forgiving IMO, and therefore faster over the course of the day. It really depends on how heavy handed someone is too. Personally I've never been a fan of switching sprockets unless they need to be replaced. If I was dealing with a specific set of conditions on a daily basis, i.e. timber falling, I might reconsider, but for general work conditions it seems to me to be not worth the fiddling.

komatsuvarna · Mar 5, 2011

I ran a 8 pin on my 372, just muff modded a little. It pulled a 20'' just fine in bar long hard wood. You couldn't dog it in and jerk up, but it pulled it great I thought.

Have you checked the tune on the 440?

wigglesworth · Mar 5, 2011

I have never found an 8 pin and a 20" bar to be a problem on a 440/044. In fact, that is my preference on them, stock or not. In fact, I have ran an 8 pin on them up to a 25" bar without a hitch.

To the OP, how does your chain look? What are your raker's set at?

jeepyfz450 · Mar 5, 2011

komatsuvarna said:
I ran a 8 pin on my 372, just muff modded a little. It pulled a 20'' just fine in bar long hard wood. You couldn't dog it in and jerk up, but it pulled it great I thought.

Have you checked the tune on the 440?

yeah she is tuned good. like i said its great with the 7 pin and a very impressive saw. i really enjoy felling with it. i think the 8 is just a little much when you are used to the 7

jeepyfz450 · Mar 5, 2011

wigglesworth said:
I have never found an 8 pin and a 20" bar to be a problem on a 440/044. In fact, that is my preference on them, stock or not. In fact, I have ran an 8 pin on them up to a 25" bar without a hitch.

To the OP, how does your chain look? What are your raker's set at?

rakers are stock its basically a brand new chain

NPKenny · Mar 5, 2011

Recently went with an 8-pin on my 361 when I dropped to an 18" bar. By the end of a truckload of wood, I was convinced that 7-pin was certainly better gearing.

I had a slightly ported 7900 that was great with an 8-pin with 28" or shorter bars.

I have an 8-pin on my 660 with a 25" bar and think it spins the chain too fast to feed into the wood effectively. Of course, the chains are stretched too much right now to drop a 7-pin on for a comparison.

This is all hardwoods, including osage orange.

ropensaddle · Mar 5, 2011

Its a MS stihl problem and I'm sticking to it

wigglesworth · Mar 5, 2011

jeepyfz450 said:
rakers are stock its basically a brand new chain

Hmmmm.... I dont know then.

Id be checking the tune. I have a stock 044 and a stock 440 in the shop, and they both pull a 20" RSC or LGX fine with an 8 pin.

I will back peddle a bit though, if one uses the dog's and likes to apply pressure in the cut, then yes, an 8 pin is a bad idea, and a 7 will do a much better job. But, If you have a properly sharpened chain, rakers set right, and let the chain do the cuttin then an 8 pin will work well.

wigglesworth · Mar 5, 2011

ropensaddle said:
Its a MS stihl problem and I'm sticking to it

LOL...u sure are persistent. :laugh:

Arrowhead · Mar 5, 2011

jeepyfz450 said:
well its basically brand new. it cuts great with an 7 pin but has no balls with the 8. i guess i need to try some timed cuts.

How new? Is it broke in fully? Have you done a comp test? My 044 runs an 8 pin 20" bar, it's ported though.

jeepyfz450 · Mar 5, 2011

wigglesworth said:
Hmmmm.... I dont know then.

Id be checking the tune. I have a stock 044 and a stock 440 in the shop, and they both pull a 20" RSC or LGX fine with an 8 pin.

I will back peddle a bit though, if one uses the dog's and likes to apply pressure in the cut, then yes, an 8 pin is a bad idea, and a 7 will do a much better job. But, If you have a properly sharpened chain, rakers set right, and let the chain do the cuttin then an 8 pin will work well.

i guess i should make a few timed cuts. When felling i like to be able to dog in hard and manuver with some pressure. today i was just bucking firewood.

Do you think a heavy handed cut with a 7 pin is much slower than a 8 pin no pressure cut?

jeepyfz450 · Mar 5, 2011

Arrowhead said:
How new? Is it broke in fully? Have you done a comp test? My 044 runs an 8 pin 20" bar, it's ported though.

naw its not close to broke in fully. its only had 5 tanks through it. that could be part of the problem.

ropensaddle · Mar 5, 2011

wigglesworth said:
LOL...u sure are persistent.

I have a great coach

440 with an 8 pin is a NO GO

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