One of the guys who frequents the channel sent me this short video....:
Farmertech MS660 Milling.....Durability test???
- Thread starter weimedog
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
What are your impressions of the AM big bore compared to an OEM p&c? I think one issue with AM kits is consistency, you can be lucky and get a good one or not so lucky. Some of the better ones do look nice.
I only have the stock one to compare it to. And I would say the stock was cleaner and held to a better casting job. But other then that all my oem parts bolted right to it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
Jimbo209
ArboristSite Guru
Didn't you say the chain was getting blunt in that video over on the milling forum.
Just thought blokes should know otherwise it don't look quite as good a kit
Just thought blokes should know otherwise it don't look quite as good a kit
This is the plug after milling. It has a brown color to it. The pictures are showing it Grey. But it's a brown color.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
Looks clean, no aluminum melted to that electrode yet! (Or broken electrode to rattle the top end apart ). The ones curious will want to know how it compares power wise to a stocker to which I would say I can't get a stocker for $50 bucks and if I could, it probably wouldn't run! OR even at $50 dollars it still cuts wood! Or maybe... the $50 dollar AM top end is more than a match of a stocker? (Ugly as it is? ) Or can really tell as my stock one isn't on a saw any more?
I'm not really sure how the stock power compares. I only made a couple cut before I accidentally leaned it out to much and burned up it. It was a dog when I first bought it. Which is were I accidentally leaned it out to much. My 461 one would walk all over it until I leaned it out.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
Chain is really important to how you are milling...cutting straight across grain a ripper chain really helps. There was a thread several years ago discussing that with some real interesting approaches. I found a skip chisel was good enough but on the hard wood I wouldn't cut straight across perpendicular to the wood...too much dust. I sacrificed surface finish and did the "rocking" thing maybe to 30 degrees each side. On the ash I was cutting at the time it seemed to help.. or maybe it was just therapy to the impatient operator on the saw! Milled enough ash and hard maple to build 7 horse stalls in the barn. Hard maple for the top rail and vertical, ash every where else.
Funny how that works! And if you were doing normal work, I would crank it to 13K on the high side. And yes..it picks up even more power playing that game AND you can pull a 8 pin in most wood. BUT you are milling. Different priorities. Different tune. Survival is as important as speed.
That was the other thing I didn't know when I bought the saw (it's been quite the learning experience so far) they had an 8 pin on it. I have switched back to a 7 pin now. I think that's where I was feeling the bog and was trying to adjust for. And in turn went to far.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
Not unusual to see 8 pin sprockets on those saws when they were used in 20inch wood or soft wood. Picked up chain speed and actually used the extra displacement. BUT milling is a different game as you well know. 7pin. little less focus on peak power and a little more on survivability. Hench the little fat 12400-12500 tune.
And that plug says that's a good move. BTW my 56mm build is more saw than a stock 660. Much to the chagrin of a friend with nothing but Stihl's.....he likes to say its the chain, but I point out he's a pro and has been filing chain for longer than I've been alive...well not quite that long but it makes for a fun conversation. (He's now retired and refuses to let the conversation go to video, a shame because he's a character)BTW my 56mm wears a 8pin, 20inch light total bar, and is set to 13k in the winter, ends up around 12800 in the summer.
Quick update. I have now put 1.7 hours of chainsaw milling on the saw. According to my tachometer.
I have noticed one thing with saw. If your running wide open milling then let right off the throttle it will stall. But you give it a quick burp of the throttle on idle down its fine. And every once in a while if you let it idle to long it will stall. It's almost like it floods itself. I think I just need to retune it some.
But on the other then that it seems to be running stronger and stronger every time I run it.
Here's some pictures of my milling setup. I'm running my 25 in bar right now. It will have the 32 in bar on it soon for some cherry.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
I have noticed one thing with saw. If your running wide open milling then let right off the throttle it will stall. But you give it a quick burp of the throttle on idle down its fine. And every once in a while if you let it idle to long it will stall. It's almost like it floods itself. I think I just need to retune it some.
But on the other then that it seems to be running stronger and stronger every time I run it.
Here's some pictures of my milling setup. I'm running my 25 in bar right now. It will have the 32 in bar on it soon for some cherry.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
Quick update on the saw. I'm at 2.2 hours of milling on the saw now. It's running awesome. The only thing I have done since the initial tune is to bump the idle up to 2850 and I had to make a very small H and L adjustment. Bumping the idle 100 rpms has made it much happier there.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
This is good stuff. I still think these things are the most saw power per dollar on the planet. I put a 20 inch light Total bar on mine and removed a bucking spike....and now its getting almost as much use as my 562 which bumped the 372 52bb out of the "main saw"pocket. I just love the power. Makes things happen so much easier...a debate power or the lighter less vibration 562....I can tell you 5 years ago the power would have won hands down. I had a rough patch this last few years health wise and the 555/562 was the end result. Feeling better this summer...and that 100cc monster is getting more time.. Doesn't have hot start issues either, ( But neither does my tweaked 562 BTW ). Just enjoying both and really appreciate your posting as well.. I don't feel quite as crazy now because I like those hybrids. Thank you for these posts..I have to say it again. It just keeps running better and better each time. I have probable put 2 gallons of gas through this saw so far. And yesterday was hot when I started it was in the Upper 70s low 80s. It never missed a beat after I bumped the idle up. It stalled once after I changed the idle.
I would say I don't regret spending the $35 on the BB Kit and I would have no hesitations recommending to someone. But if I where to change one thing. I would probably take the time to clean the intake port and exhaust port up some. My intake port isn't the most symmetrical thing. But It runs fine. So It might be just wasting time. This is a picture of my intake port.
I will have a real test for it soon. I'm almost to my 2 big cherry logs (I have 2 more logs to mill). I will at minimum be sporting a 32in bar for those. I may put the 36in on. Haven't decided yet. both logs are 10 foot long the big one is 21in on the big end 18in (maybe 19 can't remember) on the small end. And the little one is just a smidge smaller. There the two base logs from the same tree.
I would say I don't regret spending the $35 on the BB Kit and I would have no hesitations recommending to someone. But if I where to change one thing. I would probably take the time to clean the intake port and exhaust port up some. My intake port isn't the most symmetrical thing. But It runs fine. So It might be just wasting time. This is a picture of my intake port.
I will have a real test for it soon. I'm almost to my 2 big cherry logs (I have 2 more logs to mill). I will at minimum be sporting a 32in bar for those. I may put the 36in on. Haven't decided yet. both logs are 10 foot long the big one is 21in on the big end 18in (maybe 19 can't remember) on the small end. And the little one is just a smidge smaller. There the two base logs from the same tree.
I did "work" the ports to make them symmetric on mine. Have to be carful NOT to touch the "floor" of the exhaust for free port issues will result. But the intake had a "lip" I took off and I did widen it really because I had to make things symmetric. Also worked the base of the transfer mainly to clean them up as well...so no "porting" just cleaning things up is all I did. I have no idea if it made a difference other than to make me feel better about them...guess that's worth something! My biggest performance gain was putting on a Walbro .. Idle issues disappeared.
Idle issues disappeared.
