Husqvarna 385xp, 349/395, 3120 for milling

[jstare]

Hello everyone, new guy here and I am looking for some opinions on a saw for milling. I know the 3120 is the biggest saw that Husqvarna makes and is obviously the best saw in stock form. I am considering a 394/395 because I know it will do the majority of what I need to do but I would also rather go bigger and just use the 3120 because it would just take less strain on the saw when milling.

I had heard something interesting on another site, one member suggested that a 385xp with porting, muffler mod and possibly an oversized piston kit would be a better saw than the 3120 for milling. The logic was that with mods it would cut better than a 3120 but with still weighing 6 pounds less in weight. Is there any logic in this? Could the same hold true for a 394/395? I know Bailey's sells an oversize piston kit for that saw too. I am pretty new to all this stuff so I thought I would ask for a more educated opinion, I am sure someone on here can give me a good answer.

 

[mdavlee]

I would go with a 394/5 over a 385 for milling. Better oilers and more torque. Leave the big bore cylinders along if you have a good OEM set up already.

 

[marti384]

Wieght of my milling saw isn't too big of a consideration for me since the mill supports the wieght, not me. Bigger is better in my opinion, more power means more aggresive rakers - bigger bites of wood and faster cutting should result. Bigger saw means you can run longer bars for bigger logs also.

 

[psgflier]

I used a 394 for several years with up to a 36 inch bar, thought it was pretty good until I got the 895 McCullough.
I sold the 394 and bought a 3120 for milling, but my wife bought me a band-mill, and I haven't used the 3120 for milling yet.
I got a deal on the 3120 though, paid less for it almost new than I sold the well used 394 for.
In planes, trains, automobiles and chainsaws there is no substitute for more power

 

[HuskStihl]

Only advantage of the 385 (besides weight) would be the chain tensioner. +1 on the nevah, evah stick a ****** AM cylinder on in place of a perfectly good XP cylinder. You'll lose not gain.

 

[jstare]

Awesome guys, thanks for all of the input. I was kind of thinking the same thing but I wanted more experienced opinions.

 

[BobL]

I had heard something interesting on another site, one member suggested that a 385xp with porting, muffler mod and possibly an oversized piston kit would be a better saw than the 3120 for milling. The logic was that with mods it would cut better than a 3120 but with still weighing 6 pounds less in weight. Is there any logic in this? .

You could also mod a 3120, especially if you could get one that was not rev limited.
If you want a milling saw to last for decent length of time the most I would recommend on a milling saw is a mild or woods port and a muffler mod. To do this properly on a 3120 you may need to increase the size of the main jet because it does not have a variable H jet.

The weight of a milling saw is an interesting one.
a) it spends most of its time riding a log so you don't have to carry it all the time
b) If you mill with the log on a slope extra weight helps push the saw down the go meaning you are not pushing it
c) Any saw weight pale into insignificance compared to the weight of lumber and wide slabs.

 

[psgflier]

What BobL said.
My 3120 was rev limited. The coil went bad and the correct coils are expensive. I got a none limited coil and the saw perked up. I don't rev it up without a load, free running it might have a problem since I can't adjust the carb.
I may get an older carb with adjustable jets, but I've heard you need to change the flywheels to an older on to change the timing to get full effect.

 

[Greenland South]

Run my 3120 on a logosol m8. Have learned I can pretty much disregard raker height. A 395 or 394 on a mill of any kind shouldn't be any kind of hindrance. I don't think porting is required. I did do a muffler mod and the saw does run a bit cooler. Just play a bit and figure it out.