chain question on MS260, 346XP, and 488 Shindaiwa

[MikE2]

I'm looking for the biggest power and highest speed I can get in a saw that weighs 10.x pounds.
I have narrowed my choices down to a 346XP, MS260, or a 488 Shindaiwa. The Stihl has 3.2 horses, the Husky has 3.4, and the Shindaiwa had 3.5
All are at about 10.5 pounds
I know all these saws are good runners, but my #1 priority is I want speed in a light weight package. Which one is the fastest? I have always liked the Husky's high rpm power, so I'm leaning towards the 346XP, but the 488 Shindaiwa has .1 more horsepower and "extreemley fast chain speed" as they call it. Any ideas on which one will cut through 6" logs the fastest?




Another thing I would like to do is, would it be possible to put the skinny little bar and chains (like my MS170 uses) on any of these saws?
I'm thinking with a 3.5 horse engine and that little chain it would cut fast!
Any thoughts on that? And even if it means I'd have to put a sharp chain on every time I fill up the gas tank thats fine with me.



Thanks for your expert opinion

 

[Timberhauler]

346XP....I'm not often impressed by smaller saws,but this one dropped my jaw the first time I ran one....I'll now have one from now on

 

[Lakeside53]

Spend 1 minute on the MS260 muffler cover to take it back to 1998.., and you'll be back to 3.5hp... Crank it up to 14,500, and you'll get more..


6 inch logs? That's not a log, and you don't need 3.5 hp to drive a chain though it, so... fastest? The saw with the fastest CHAIN SPEED, put on a 16 inch bar, square ground 3/8 RS skip and and 8 or pin sprocket - all you're cutting is twigs

 

[frankyslog]

wich saw ?

out of the three you mentioned i would highley recomend the shindaiwa ,i own several and have put them to work with fire wood crews. they have put some serious houres on these over the years. excellent tourqe witch translated to consistent chain speed. very good build tolerances also. however in the weight class you have described . pick up a red max 621 avs very light very powerfull!!! or consider dolmars little stick of (tnt)ps 5100s. these saws will keep up with the best and then some ! the little dolmar acts way bigger in the wood. any of these should keep you smileing for a very long time.

 

[SWE#Kipp]

Can't speak of the Stihl or Shindaiwa ,, but I love my 346xpg

 

[blis]

Can't speak of the Stihl or Shindaiwa ,, but I love my 346xpg

+1 My vote goes to 346xp(g) its simply the best saw in this class...

 

[SawTroll]

According to an independent German dyno test, the 488 put out quite a bit less power than adverticed, as did a larger (70cc+) Shindaiwa tested at the same time........

The Huskys, Dolmars and Stihls tested at the same time, performed about as advertised......

The complete test report is somewhere in the archives here. It is not a good test report for several reasons, but there is no reason to not believe the actual dyno results.

 

[MikE2]

6 inch logs? That's not a log, and you don't need 3.5 hp to drive a chain though it, so... fastest? The saw with the fastest CHAIN SPEED, put on a 16 inch bar, square ground 3/8 RS skip and and 8 or pin sprocket - all you're cutting is twigs

Well whatever you want to call them then...
The majority of the wood I'll be using this for is 6" in diamater, with maybe 10% going up to 12". I have bigger saws for anything bigger then that. I'm just looking for a light weight saw that has a very high cutting speed to it.

 

[Lakeside53]

To optimize any of the saws for small wood you should increase the size of the drive sprocket. Stock saws of this class assume bigger wood and have sprockets set accordingly.

 

[HiOctane]

The fastest is the 346 for sure.The 488 is slower revving than 346,at least it feels that way,but its an excellent and reliable saw like the 260.

 

[MikE2]

To optimize any of the saws for small wood you should increase the size of the drive sprocket. Stock saws of this class assume bigger wood and have sprockets set accordingly.

Never heard of doing that. I understand what you're saying though....bigger sprocket, higher speed...if you don't need the power


Where or what would I get one from? Do saw manufacturers make them in different sizes for the same saws?

 

[blis]

To optimize any of the saws for small wood you should increase the size of the drive sprocket. Stock saws of this class assume bigger wood and have sprockets set accordingly.

Yup, thats why i run my 353g with 8 tooth...

 

[GASoline71]

All these hp numbers your chuckin' out look great on paper...

You could buy any one of the saws you listed and they would rip through the branches your cuttin' with ease.

Gary

 

[SWE#Kipp]

All these hp numbers your chuckin' out look great on paper...

You could buy any one of the saws you listed and they would rip through the branches your cuttin' with ease.

Gary

Good point !!!
Hmm,,, must spread it says

 

[brent denny]

The 346 has the best ergonomics and rpms for limbing and cutting smaller wood. The 488 has more torque and is lighter. Can't really comment a whole lot on the stihl. Don't believe all the specs and dyno results you read. In the test sawtroll is talking about, the husky shows more hp on paper but the shindaiwa posted a faster cut time.

 

[blis]

Never heard of doing that. I understand what you're saying though....bigger sprocket, higher speed...if you don't need the power


Where or what would I get one from? Do saw manufacturers make them in different sizes for the same saws?

you could get bigger/smaller sprockets from your dealer, the standard size on almost all saws is 7 tooth, 8 tooth is also common, 9 and 10 are more rare but there really isnt many saws that work well with 9 or 10, but it all depends on several factors (wood size, bar lenght, chain etc...)

 

[Just Mow]

Well whatever you want to call them then...
The majority of the wood I'll be using this for is 6" in diamater, with maybe 10% going up to 12". I have bigger saws for anything bigger then that. I'm just looking for a light weight saw that has a very high cutting speed to it.

Get the MS200 rear handle and let er rip

 

[WACutter]

MS 260 Muffler Mod

Andy, you said that there is a very quick mod you can make to the 260's muffler for a bit more performance. Can you elaborate on that a bit, please?

Thanks

Ron

 

[OLD SKOOL]

I have a 488 and I like it a lot. Runs good with good power and speed. I was looking it over today and was impressed with the quality of the saw as well. It is a well built saw. I have a Redmax 621 that I really like too. It feels good and cuts like crazy!

 

[Poley4]

It is not a good test report for several reasons, but there is no reason to not believe the actual dyno results.

These are possibly accurate dyno numbers for a saw right out of the box, but I have never used a saw that took as long to break in as my 488 did. I wasn't impressed with it at first, but after several tanks of gas, I will put it up against any un-modded 026, and I really like the 026.