346xp brand new questions

[My2cents]

I am getting ready to purchase a 346xp. My question is It comes stock with a .325 pitch chain. Is this good for max performance?
Also as far as setup go's should I check and set the carb settings with a tach? Can I count on the factory setting to be good enough till I break it in. P.S. I don't trust the dealer in my area tinkering with the saw. I just assume to recieve it in the box untouched.

 

[timberwolf]

Get a dealer you trust!

Are there any dealers you would trust in your area, I have observed many cases where the qualinty of service is a more importaint factor than what color the saw is.

At least with the Stihl 260 the .325 seams to have an edge on 3/8, given that the 346 is maybe even more suited to high engine RPM the added load of 3/8 chain would likely hurt preformance.

Sharp, full round filed chisel! at least for clean cutting of normal woods.

Timberwolf

 

[dbabcock]

My woods-modified 2149G seems to perform about the same with .325 and 3/8. Since it has more power than a stock 346, I would tend to agree with those that say that you'd probably be better off with .325 because of the high RPM where that saw makes its power.

 

[My2cents]

There are 3 dealers in the area. They all have Husky/Stihl saw displays within 3 feet of each other. Are you implying that I have picked Husky because of its nice matching red color? If color was the issue I would have went to Wally World and purchased the "Wild Thing".

 

[Crofter]

Chain for 346

I set up my 260 stihl with 16" bar and 3/8 chain and 7 tooth sprocket. it does ok. It feels better when the depth guides are getting a bit higher. 30 thoo. is not good, felt rough and grabby. I picked up a .325 bar and chain to try and it definitely felt less vibration. It may be slightly faster and if Santa brings me a stop watch I will see what diff. there really is if any. If you have other saws using the same chain go with that. No big handicap either way.

Frank

 

[timberwolf]

Wasnt tring to imply anything, just that when I was saw shopping I found that the range of service varied between shops in my area.

The motor sports stores in the city could get you pretty much any saw you wanted, they might have had some good mechanics. but there focus was on sales especially snowmachiens and lawnmowers.

The Husky shop in my area was also not a shop with saws as there primary line of bussiness, I think they sold fire wood, colectables and antiques. The guy was not upfront with his pricing that seemed to come from a magical ball he kept in the back room.

There was a Johnsered dealer but again the the shop only realy side-lined a few saws and was mainly a rental center.

The 2 Stihl shops in the area were better, one a clean front end store with good stock and standard pricing, the other was a family run saw repair shop, there primary bussiness is chain saws, and their pricing was competative and honest.

All of these manufacutes make good saws that would have suited my need, but in my area Stihl was going to be the best bet for pricing and service. 50 miles down the road or where you live it could well be totaly different.

I'm happy, when ever I stop for a chain or other odd parts, the mechanic gives my saw a quick check while I wait for them to make the chain up or find the parts. (they likely get a fair bit of work doing preventative checks like that, also keep equipment in top order and customers happy.)

Timberwolf

 

[mikek711]

I'm running a 16 in bar with a 3/8 chain on my 346.I put a clutch cup with a spline on it to accept rim sprockets.(7 tooth with 3/8)The only reason I did this is because I have quite a bit of 3/8 chain and I really dont think it makes that much difference in the performance of the saw either way.....At least any that I can tell.
I've been using my saw for a few hrs a day, every day for the last week with this set up and love it.
Enjoy.........

 

[Tony Snyder]

My2cents, I was confused by the nice matching red color on Husky thing.

 

[Ryan Willock]

i have a stock 346xp, i run a 16'' bar w/ .325 simi chisel and it cuts fast as long as you keep it sharp!! (duh) i like the .325 on it and wouldn't run anything else on it.

 

[woodsjunkie]

With 2149G it dosen't seem to make a lot of differance with a 18" bar.
I have set up a couple of stock 2149's IMO the best set up is 16" 3/8 ,with Muffler mods they cut real good.
I will be doing some testing this week with Dan Henry to see if I am correct (Dan says .325 will be faster Will see)
Later

 

[glens]

.325 vs 3/8

I have not performed any tests, but subjectively I'd say the .325 is generally "smoother" to use.

If you do the math you'll see that although the same number of drivers wrap the output sprocket at any given RPM with either .325 or 3/8 and at 7 teeth, there will be a mechanical advantage against the crank throw of about 15% for the .325 setup.  (1.45 vs. 1.67 mean pitch diameter)

That advantage results in a proportionately lower chain speed but is offset by having a greater number of teeth in the cut (by the same proportion) at any given time.  It seems to me that whatever the cause may be for a chain to become dull, the 3/8 would do so approximately 15% faster in any given circumstance, but then that's offset by the greater amount of time it takes to sharpen the more teeth on the loop.  The .325 loop should last longer than the 3/8 too, but costs more.

Probably in the long run there is really not that great a difference between the two.  However (and again, this is entirely subjective on my part) the .325 does seem smoother and I've seen posts here where times have been shown to be quicker with the .325 as well, in certain (perhaps more usual for a smaller saw) situations.

I wonder what the difference would be between 3/8-7 and .325-8 which are very close (3/8 being 1% greater) in output sprocket pitch diameter.  The chain speed and mechanical advantage against the crank would be virtually the same for both, but the .325 would have 14%(?) more teeth in action.  If the engine could handle it (probably not a box-stock 346 or 026/260?) the combination could yield a smooth screamer.

 

[artwood]

Doesn't the narrower kerf on the .325 ( less resistence) come into play as well?
Eric

 

[jokers]

I have a Walkerized 346 that many here will say is not much more powerful than a stock 346 and it will pull a 20" loop of 73LG(3/8 pitch) on a seven tooth rim very well. At the suggestion of Jeff Sikkema I started running an 8 tooth .325 rim, with a different bar of course, and there is no stopping this thing. I would recommend running 34LG or 21LP from Oregon or an equivalent from one of the other manufacturers. The 346 is my second favorite saw, my KD372 will probably always be first. So my point is, stick with the .325, and if you feel it is underworked, put an 8 tooth rim on it, if it doesn`t pull it to your satisfaction, you`re only out a few bucks. Sawracr recommends tuning the 346 down to 13, 500 or somewhere in that area, search the archives for 346xp and you will probably find the thread. It gave his reasons for doing so and running richer may also give you more top end power. My 346 wants to run at least 14,500 or the plug is black and almost wet. I did crank it back a bit though in defference to Jon`s (Sawracr) experience. I do keep a very close eye on it to nip any carbon buildup in the bud. I also run 40:1 on the fuel/oil ratio in all my saws because I do believe they don`t get lubed as well at those rpm. The 346 is a very responsive saw and a real pleasure to use. Russ

 

[Crofter]

The .325 would make the narrower kerf but if you were starting to get into a bit bigger wood the 3/8 would have better chip clearing abilty. For brushing I think the .325 would be be nicer.

Frank

 

[jokers]

Hi Frank, somewhere back in the dark recesses here at AS are a couple of pictures that I posted of 34LG, 21LP, and 73LG showing the size of the different chains, relative to each other. The 34LG is smaller like most .325 is, and would be more likely to have the chip clearance problems, but the 21LP is almost the same size as the 73LG, with a nice big gullet. It has a ramped bumper link but it has not given me any indication that it hampers performance. You can even bore with it. Russ

 

[sawtooth]

Personally I think the 3/8 chain is a tad much for an out of the box 346xp. However as Russ said the Oregon 20/21/22'LP' chain is one of the better .325 chains, very aggressive cutter and even though it almost looks like safety chain it doesn't cut like it. Very nice chain. Sounds perfect for the 346.

 

[Crofter]

The .325 Oregon I picked up is quite dinky. I thought i had seen something a few years ago that was closer to 3/8 tooth profile. This stuff is more like 1/4 chain cutters. So you can have a choice in .325? I will have to do some more looking before I buy the next loop. Thanx,

Frank

 

[Newfie]

Will the 346 run regular .325 without changing the microlite bar? Oregon claims you must run the narrow kerf 95vp on the microlite bar that comes standard on the saw. I can't say that I have any complaints with my stock 346xp. I tried some 33LG on a 20" bar. It wasn't anything spectacular but it pulled fine.

Santa bought me a 372xp for Christmas!!! Can't wait to get at that baby.

 

[glens]

.325 kerf

I went out with a flashlight and a tape measure to the woodpiles a while ago to inspect the damage done by "deburring" some newly-filed chains in days gone by.  While there is a very slight difference in the kerf widths, both Stihl 26RS and 33RS are about 5/16-inch.

 

[My2cents]

Thanks for all the info on the .325 chain!

As far as carb tuning go's I have alway used the conventional "ear"method for all my 2-cycle motors. I think I'll start off this way running a little rich, and then check with a tach.