Best 50cc when modded?

[H 2 H]

Having a brand new 346 xl modded up in NE Tennessee. With the increase in torque and HP I wondered why most of the 50 cc saws stayed with the .325 pitch chain. I would never put .325 pitch chain on my modded 371 xp. I feel there are more aggressive full chisel options in 3/8. So going to swap the 346 to the 3/8 sprocket/chain and see how it cuts.

When I pickup my MS 261 one of the first things I did was put a 18" 3/8's b/c on it :msp_wink:

And also bought a 3/8's 20" b/c setup for it :msp_wink:

 

[hotjava66]

How much weight you talking about 6 oz how much does the kick stands weigh that's needed on the husky saws :msp_wink:

I know the difference isn't much but handling them side by side the 261 just "feels" noticeably heavier or chunkier or something, maybe a balance thing IDK.

Having had a 346 I would probably go with the 550 just for something different.

 

[hotjava66]

Does anyone know when the M-Tronic 261 will be out, I heard July?

 

[Officer's Match]

Pro Circuit exhaust?

 

[Stihl Livin]

Does anyone know when the M-Tronic 261 will be out, I heard July?

I was told by stihl it should be released in July. Crossing my fingers as having a ported 441c mtronic to go with a 261c mtronic I think will be an amazing firewood setup.

 

[moody]

I was told by stihl it should be released in July. Crossing my fingers as having a ported 441c mtronic to go with a 261c mtronic I think will be an amazing firewood setup.

I'm not a "Stihl" guy but if they show up in July I'll be looking to test one out.

 

[cheeves]

One saw that hardly ever gets mentioned in the 50cc class is my German made 032 Stihl! One of the best saws ever made IMHO!!
Mine's still cutting firewood after 30+ years! How many of these new saws will be cutting firewood in 30+ years?!!

 

[tdi-rick]

One saw that hardly ever gets mentioned in the 50cc class is my German made 032 Stihl! One of the best saws ever made IMHO!!
Mine's still cutting firewood after 30+ years! How many of these new saws will be cutting firewood in 30+ years?!!

But it's in the modern 70cc class weight wise !

AV is non existent compared to a modern saw too. I like them, built like a tank but I rate Dolmars excellent PS115 from the same era more highly, handles better and has power only a touch below a PS5100.

The 115 was an absolute hot rod in its day with plenty of them still out there earning their keep.
A mate is a fencing contractor and still uses a 115 and 111 almost every day.

 

[Icedogs28]

just my luck i cant find the video now... but somewhere on youtube mastermind has a video of a modified stihl ms261 vs a modified 346xp vs a modifed jonsered 2152. the Jonsered was the fastest saw. it beat the stihl and husky by 1 second on every cut

 

[SawTroll]

So far, it is still the NE346xp.

 

[R1!]

[video=youtube;Z897fnSfxUw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z897fnSfxUw[/video]

 

[diesel-lineman]

I was told by stihl it should be released in July. Crossing my fingers as having a ported 441c mtronic to go with a 261c mtronic I think will be an amazing firewood setup.

I'm not a "Stihl" guy but if they show up in July I'll be looking to test one out.

I'm on the fence right now. I don't know if I should buy the 261 or wait until the 261c comes out. Can't wait to hear some reviews when it finally arrives!

 

[tallguys]

Dolmar PS-5105. There, it's been said. :msp_smile:

 

[Troy G]

Worked over 346XP.

<a href="http://s1300.photobucket.com/user/Cloonius/media/TroysHUSQVARNA346XP_zps5109afd4.mp4.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag86/Cloonius/th_TroysHUSQVARNA346XP_zps5109afd4.jpg" border="0" alt="Troy's 346XP video TroysHUSQVARNA346XP_zps5109afd4.mp4"></a>

 

[1Zach1]

I'm on the fence right now. I don't know if I should buy the 261 or wait until the 261c comes out. Can't wait to hear some reviews when it finally arrives!

If you need it right now, then the 261, if you can wait a few months (not sure how available they will be even if they drop in July), then hold out for the 261C. That's my plan but I'm not in dire need of a saw at the moment.



I just jinxed myself didn't I?

 

[blsnelling]

Imho, the only reason to wait on the 261C is if you're going to leave it stock. I still prefer an adjustable carb on a ported saw, especially the 261. The mods I make to this model are extensive. I'm skeptical how it will adjust. Only time will tell. That's not to say the Auto Tune doesn't work. I've seen some tuning issues, particularly on the low end and throttle response. I'm speaking particularly of the 441C. I've learned to work my way around the issue, but it required some changes in my mods. Had it been an adjustable carb, it would never have been an issue.

 

[1Zach1]

My plan was only to do a MM, I've heard good things about how the 441 takes to a MM.

 

[Hinerman]

In my experience, the 346 trumps the 550 once ported.

This is what I was told by another reputable builder. With muffler mod only the 550 is the way to go. Fully ported, 346 is the way to go. This was several months ago. I know gains have been made on porting the 550 since then (by some of the builders on here).

 

[diesel-lineman]

Actually Brad my plan was to leave it stock for a little while and then ship it to you to have it worked over. Thanks for the input. My dealer has one in stock right now I think I'll go pick it up when I get some free time.

 

[MCW]

I've owned a few 50cc saws over the years. Had a 261, 5100-S, Husky 353, 026, a Sachs Dolmar 115i, and a MM'd 550XP. Both Huskys have muffler mods.
I liked the filtration on the 261 plus the option of decent dual spikes - I still sold it though as stock they are just uninspiring turds. I prefer the 026/260's and out of all the above saws the 261 was my least favourite.
None come anywhere near the 550XP for outright grunt and performance however - not even close. If I could fit the 261's HD2 filter and dual spikes to the 550XP I would never contemplate another 50cc saw in my life.
Brad mentioned major gains on the 550XP with a simple muffler mod - he was right. No 50cc saw should run like this - it is that good I would never contemplate porting one