How many of you are running Stihl

[Fatherwheels]

Have a look at 4:15 before you go revving one of them saws.
They are light, not a lot of meat left on them anywhere.
Some info there on making sure it starts again after shutdown, common sense.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

My favorite saw for what I do is the 562xp.
However, 1/4 cord and neither the 357 or 562 are running. They start, stumble with throttle, and stop.
Finished the afternoon with the 500i.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Whinbush: Thank you very much for posting video. Should be extremely helpful with the Husky's and any auto tune, including the 500i.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

562xp.
My start procedure when warm, is to choke/remove choke to set high idle, and to pump primer bulb to cycle cooler gas from tank to carb. Manual says not to use decamp when warm, so I don't.
Shut off procedure is to let it idle down, but I've only been doing it for a few seconds, not thirty or so as suggested in the video.
I'll give it a go tomorrow again.

 

[Big_Eddy]

Sandhill. When was your gas bought? The only time I had a hot start issue on my 2020 562 was the first hot day in the spring. I had winter gas in the saw and was cutting a 36” maple. I shut it down hot and could pump gas into the purge bubble and watch it boil. Took 10 mins to cool enough to restart. Dumped the tank and filled it with fresh (summer) fuel bought that day, and it was fine the rest of the day, cutting the same tree.

My 2014 562 is a bit fussier and often needs fast idle to restart even when warm. The 2020 does not. Different carbs. But I can’t recall the 2014 ever refusing to start with more than a couple of tugs even on hot days. Try one or two without and if it doesn’t start, try fast idle and it does. I might use the purge bulb first start of the day. Never after that. I usually hit the stop button at the end of the final cut, although I do recognize idling a moment or two after is preferred.

Really sounds to me like you need electric start on the splitter and conveyor! I added electric start to my splitter. Huge improvement. I have a stop and start button at the operator station. If I’m not splitting, I stop it, even if it’s just to go collect a few more blocks. Less noise, less fuel, and less hours on the engine. Reset the stop switch, press start and it is running again in seconds. Never going back
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[Big_Eddy]

For interest, I just checked my production log. I used 27.5 tanks through the 562 to cut 27.8 cord this spring. Smaller logs can take up to 2x more saw fuel per cord, (but less splitter fuel.)
I have no idea how the 500i tank compares to the 562.


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[Sandhill Crane]

Fuel is three month old.
Have not cut much since the first week of January, and then it snowed. Mixed gas in early May but did only four plus cord then, some weed whacking, early spring leaf blowing.
Everything, all the fuel cans, are pretty much empty and refueling today. I get 15 gallons of gas, sometimes 20, and five of diesel at a pop. I could have very well been using winter gas for mixing in May.
The quad, snow blower, splitter, conveyor, and PackFix all use straight gas, or recreation fuel.

Is recreation fuel also summer/winter mix?
At any rate, summer/winter fuel is a good point. Had not considered it before.
It's good to be cutting/splitting again.
Today will be new mix and longer idle before shutting down.

By tomorrow I'll be in a new truck load of logs that is much larger than the last load I'm finishing up.
Larger logs load easier on the forks from the pile. The small logs have less weight and are not as clean. The small stuff sometimes has short small branches that catch in the log pile. This sends logs everywhere when backing out of the pile, instead of them rolling forward. It's all part of it. Every load is different. Larger logs have a butt logs that are hollow or punky. They get culled out at the splitter for us to burn. It's not a perfect world.

Appreciate the saw tips.
The larger logs will mean longer run times in the cut.
Right now I'm cutting four to ten inches, which makes for on/off the throttle with a sharp chain.

 

[Fatherwheels]

562xp.
My start procedure when warm, is to choke/remove choke to set high idle, and to pump primer bulb to cycle cooler gas from tank to carb. Manual says not to use decamp when warm, so I don't.
Shut off procedure is to let it idle down, but I've only been doing it for a few seconds, not thirty or so as suggested in the video.
I'll give it a go tomorrow again.

A few seconds extra would be worth trying, it can't harm, it allows the engines to cool too, which
means a lot, am not sure if the tank on the 562 suffers from heat soak, it might well do if its not
seperate from the engine, that won't help with hot starts either.

 

[Fatherwheels]

My favorite saw for what I do is the 562xp.
However, 1/4 cord and neither the 357 or 562 are running. They start, stumble with throttle, and stop.
Finished the afternoon with the 500i.

Is the 357 a manual carb saw, if so then it seems odd that both your Husqvarna saws are having starting issues.
Is your 562 an older saw, has it the modified top cover to let heat escape.
Three month old fuel is not a good thing either.

 

[Johnmn]

I have had 5-6 562's, in my opinion a muffler mod helps the saw run cooler which helps with hot restarts. With a modded muffler I have not had a hot restart issue.

 

[ericm979]

Really sounds to me like you need electric start on the splitter and conveyor! I added electric start to my splitter. Huge improvement. I have a stop and start button at the operator station. If I’m not splitting, I stop it, even if it’s just to go collect a few more blocks. Less noise, less fuel, and less hours on the engine. Reset the stop switch, press start and it is running again in seconds. Never going back
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A few splitters idle down when you're not working them. A couple Northern Tool ones have that. They call it "auto throttle". I think it's a mechanical linkage. It'd be great to understand how it works and make one for my splitter. I throttle down when I am collecting more rounds but it's going all the rest of the time like when I am stacking what I just split. It won't address the hours issue but would help noise and fuel consumption.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

The 562 is a spring 2020 build, bought in June.. The 357 is 12 years old, manual carb new two years ago. Both saws bought new, one owner saws.
Did not get fuel today. Using up what I had.
Same issues, even with the 500i.
Beginning to sound like a fuel issue.
Phone says it hit 81° today. Slow day, small logs, and dirty. Whiskbroom each one. 1 1/4 cord.
Two sharpening each, on two saws.
I got fresh fuel tonight.
Hit it again tomorrow and start the newer pile of logs.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I throttle down when I am collecting more rounds

It would be interesting to put a heat, or rather a temperature measuring, gun on a small air cooled engine at idle and at working speed to know if there is a difference. Which would be hotter?

 

[Fatherwheels]

It would be interesting to put a heat, or rather a temperature measuring, gun on a small air cooled engine at idle and at working speed to know if there is a difference. Which would be hotter?

Three saws that don't start right after stopping, and you keep on running them, your looking for trouble.
Its better to let the engine sit running for 30 seconds, that helps remove the heat generated in battle.
Did you ever take off the top cover and feel the gush of air coming off the fly wheel, up towards the fins,
that will help you understand just how important it is to let this air flow around the engine so it can cool it.

The opposite of this is, the engine is left to sweat in terrible hot conditions worse than when it was cutting,
with no air to cool it, because you turned it off.

As already mentioned, a muffler mod helps a lot, this gets the heat away from the piston and cylinder
more efficiently.

And old fuel, that is one sure way to cook an engine, it all adds up, a muffler that doesn't flow, fuel that
causes the engine to run hotter, turning off the engine before it has any chance to cool off and a hot day.
And your fully dependent on an autotune system to give your engine enough fuel to run well.

Did you empty all the fuel out of your saws before storage or parking them up for a while, if not this
also causes substantial problems.

Anyway, fresh fuel will definately help the situation, hopefully it will be of the correct octane rating and have no ethanol.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

With the heat gun comment I was referring to ericm979's post about idling small engines for extended periods, and not chainsaws.

Yesterday I did idle the saws for longer before shutting down. I set the saw down, split one piece of wood, and then shut the saw down. The difference was like a cold start on the auto tune, where each initial cut the saw searched for a moment before full power.

I got ten gallons of recreational fuel, ethanol free. I've used ethanal free for many, many years now in all the small engines. $3.699/gallon. I use SeaFoam in one four stroke engine in particular, that accumulates moisture, even with a plastic fuel tank.
I'm told Michigan fuel is higher in cost than some states (and fuel sold at casinos) due to state additive requirements. I have no idea if that is true or not, that additive requirements vary state to state.

 

[Fatherwheels]

Your 562 has a 2 year warranty, maybe it is time to have it sorted by the dealer, I still find it odd
that all of your saws are having difficulty, including a new 500i, fuel is one thing they have in
common, and the same user is the other, is there any way your overlooking something, like starting procedures.

How about oil, everyone's favorite subject, what ratio are you using.
Are the fuel filters clean, did someone let sawdust / fines into the tank,
is there anyone malicious about who could have tinkered with your saws.

 

[lohan808]

I run a 660, 362c-m, and an echo 355t in the canopy. The 660 is a beast. It scares me...and I like it. Chews up hardwood like a pencil sharpener. Got the 362 to replace an old Mac pro650 for bucking. Great little saw. Still on the fence about the echo, but it has been recently muff modded. So we'll see.

 

[sean donato]

Noting Sandhills issues with hot restart, it's pretty normal for me to have to set high idle on my 562xp to hot restart. It's still rocking the old el42 carb though. Muff mod helps tremendously to get heat out of the engine. You should have all the other updates being brandy new last year.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

I run a 660, 362c-m, and an echo 355t in the canopy. The 660 is a beast. It scares me...and I like it. Chews up hardwood like a pencil sharpener. Got the 362 to replace an old Mac pro650 for bucking. Great little saw. Still on the fence about the echo, but it has been recently muff modded. So we'll see.

I generally like my 355t.... it's a bit heavy, but that's kind of how Echo rolls. I don't think it's the best saw for canopy work, but for the price difference, I think the Echo competes for those of us that don't climb professionally.

Starts very easily in the tree, cuts fine for my needs but it's not a super power house, no issues so far.
I did a couple small modifications to the airbox and a small muff mod and it did wake it up a bit. Also needed some tuning out of the box.

 

[sean donato]

I generally like my 355t.... it's a bit heavy, but that's kind of how Echo rolls. I don't think it's the best saw for canopy work, but for the price difference, I think the Echo competes for those of us that don't climb professionally.

Starts very easily in the tree, cuts fine for my needs but it's not a super power house, no issues so far.
I did a couple small modifications to the airbox and a small muff mod and it did wake it up a bit. Also needed some tuning out of the box.

You've never cut with a ms 192/3 if you're saying the echo isn't a power house lol. Buddy just bought a 355t(I think that's the model) besides weight it's way nicer then my 192tc. Better power, starts super easy. Wish I had an excuse to buy one over my stihl.