Echo CS-310 - Part one

[2lumbarleft]

First off, let me say that I have no brand loyalty, and I "do" experiment. I don't care what name is on the saw, only that its weight, balance, and power ratio is acceptable for the money, and that the saw starts reliably, and the saw lasts a long time. I have some expensive saws, both Stihl and Husqvarna. There is no way that I am going to sacrifice these saws in a brushing operation. I am talking buckthorn. Some small and spindly stuff, while some organized plant systems tower 30 feet. So I purchased a sacrifice saw. The following is a test of the Echo CS-310, 30.5 cc engine. I bought the saw cheap on E-bay. It came delivered to my home for $151.50 with no warranty and no chain. The shipping department had taken photos, and reimbursed me for the chain. They were honest, made a mistake, and there name shall go unlisted.

Before starting the saw, I removed the carburetor limiter caps. If you buy one of these, it is mandatory to do this first step. If you beat a saw like I do, it will probably be shot within six tank fulls if you don't. The saw started easily, but rough with the initial carb settings. The saw was unresponsive to throttle advance, and stopped chain movement in very light wood engagement, as in about 6" on cross cut. I richened the low speed carb setting and the acceleration response improved dramatically. After a second test cut, the high speed jet was progressively advanced until improvements translated into power losses in the cut. Throttle adjustments were necessary periodically to maintain engine rpm. Gas/oil mix was 47:1 and will be progressively enriched to 40:1 unless I see signs of coking or muffler blockage. It was now time to torture the saw. I had about 4 cords of heavy wood outback and started making cuts that no normal individual would make for firewood. This was all about chainsaw torture and evaluating the toughness of this new saw. The original factory 14" bar was replaced with an Oregon double guard bar and chain combo, only because I got it on sale for 19.99, and I had no real need for a safety chain when it comes time to do real work in the field (I just wanted to get rid of it). The story will continue with part 2.

 

[CircusPig]

You're one of the few posting members that I've found who has done the modifications for the cs 310. I just picked one up for a modest sum and would like to mod it out a bit to get some better performance.
Have you done a muffler mod to our saw since your review? Would you recommend one?
I'm gonna pull the limiter caps as soon as I get home. Thanks for your review. Really gives me some confidence in my purchase!

J

 

[2lumbarleft]

The muffler on the CS-310 is the same as on the CS-352. You will see a honeycomb as soon as you remove the muffler. Go through the MM photos and info on this site. Replicate what is done to the CS-400. I would do just one thing different if I were hypothetically going to do this. I would drill straight through the honey comb, opening up about a 11/16" to 3/4" channel, and leave the rest of the honey comb in place for its sound abating effects. Lets face it. This is only a 30.5cc engine, and how much back pressure can there be?. You would then hypothetically remove the spark arrestor and deflector. You would remove part of the deflector. Use a magic marker and a dremel cut-off blade to square out the exhaust opening on the muffler (gives you about a 100% increase in size). Be sure to blow out the muffler very thoroughly with an air hose. Put the modified deflector and screen back in place. You could use stainless screen from a strainer if you liked a bigger screen size. Make sure you are running the saw pig rich and lean up the high speed jet slowly while making cuts. When you notice a drop in power, or threshold of diminishing returns, stop, and re-richen a quarter of a turn. Monitor your spark plug and check your cylinder for any signs of coking. What should you expect? I have sliced up 12" maple rounds with mine, but that is not what I use this for. Primarily, it is a trail saw, cutting small brush. If I have to however, I can bury the bar, but just be patient. You haven't reinvented physics here. I would estimate your power output might be around 2.0 to 2.1 hp. You could now turn a 16" bar, but I wouldn't. You bought this saw because of its weight and utility. No sense messing that up. Need a bigger saw, get the CS-400. Mine cuts like a Husqvarna 350. But hypothetically, it may have been tricked out by elves.