husqvarna 460 rancher porting and muffler mod

[sawobsessed85]

Hi everyone, i am new to the sight although have read alot of info on different forums. After much research i recently decided to purchase a Husqvarna 460 rancher with the 24" bar. I am not a commercial guy and had a budget but didnt want to have to worry about having to buy another saw if a bigger project ever came about. The saw performs well in big hardwood. After much research and obsession i am thinking about having it ported and the muffler modded for better RPMs and performance. I am wondering how much this will cost me and if it is worth it for a saw like this. Definitely dont wanna buy another saw and feel i made the right choice, just looking for some input on this subject.

Much appreciated

 

[user 64030]

If you don't want another saw you may have come to the wrong place... CAD is contageous, even throuhgh the your keyboard.


Look up anad PM a few of the port guys on here, one of them may be able to help

dw

 

[sawobsessed85]

Well i can't lie, i can think of a few more saws i'd love to buy right now but just not necessary i guess. This one currently being my fourth, biggest and most expensive saw i'd like to see what i can make it capable of

 

[Stihl n Wood]

I once had a 460 rancher a ways back, I did a muff mod to it and refined it. It had a little more sack than stock. But being a clamshell design and xtorq as well, its not so easy to port. You may want to just mod the muffler and call it good. You can always sell it and add a little more money to buy a pro saw. If you like huskies than shoot for a 372xp. I'm not saying it can't be ported, but even if you dump money into it, your gonna want something bigger. Welcome to CAD Ville!!! You will see what I'm talking about soon..

 

[Andyshine77]

I once had a 460 rancher a ways back, I did a muff mod to it and refined it. It had a little more sack than stock. But being a clamshell design and xtorq as well, its not so easy to port. You may want to just mod the muffler and call it good. You can always sell it and add a little more money to buy a pro saw. If you like huskies than shoot for a 372xp. I'm not saying it can't be ported, but even if you dump money into it, your gonna want something bigger. Welcome to CAD Ville!!! You will see what I'm talking about soon..

:agree2: If you want to have it ported you have to pay $200+ and it will still never be a true pro saw. With the extra $200 you could have bought something like a Stihl MS362 for around $650 or better yet a Dolmar 6400 that would pull a 24" bar all day long.

 

[MtnHermit]

Hi everyone, i am new to the sight although have read alot of info on different forums. After much research i recently decided to purchase a Husqvarna 460 rancher with the 24" bar. I am not a commercial guy and had a budget but didnt want to have to worry about having to buy another saw if a bigger project ever came about. The saw performs well in big hardwood. After much research and obsession i am thinking about having it ported and the muffler modded for better RPMs and performance. I am wondering how much this will cost me and if it is worth it for a saw like this. Definitely dont wanna buy another saw and feel i made the right choice, just looking for some input on this subject.

Much appreciated

Your 460 is a stratocharged engine, by that I mean it has an extra port to inject fresh air into the engine just prior to the fuel air mix from the crankcase. The previous sentence is more than I know/understand. The primary reason for stratocharging is reduced emissions.

I'm sure you're aware that all two strokes are finely tuned beast relying on the dynamic tuning of the intake and exhaust to maximize the fuel/air mix in the combustion chamber at the moment of ignition. Stratocharging greatly complicates this dynamic and most attempts at modding have either been largely unsuccessful or not worth the effort for the minimal gain.

So if it's not too late, return the 460 and get a used non-stratocharged pro saw on CL and mod away. You'll find many modding threads on every pro saw known to man on this forum with pics.

I own a 455 and if I knew 4-years ago what I know today, I would have followed my advice to you.

Welcome to the CAD forum.

 

[Terry Syd]

They're easy to mod and you can do all the work yourself. Muffler mod, widen the exhaust port, add two more degrees of blowdown and match the shorter intake timing to the same timing as the strato timing. That all they need to wake up their potential.

Do some reading of the various porting threads and learn to use a degree wheel. If you don't have a Dremel, you can use an electric drill and some hand files. If it is the first time at porting, go find some worn out jugs that a dealer is throwing away and practice grinding on them before you do your jug.

 

[Andyshine77]

I'm sure you're aware that all two strokes are finely tuned beast relying on the dynamic tuning of the intake and exhaust to maximize the fuel/air mix in the combustion chamber at the moment of ignition. Stratocharging greatly complicates this dynamic and most attempts at modding have either been largely unsuccessful or not worth the effort for the minimal gain.

This is completely false!! the pro strato saws have responded very well to porting. The two cycle engines used in chainsaws are not finely tuned, in fact they are not tuned very well at all.

 

[Terry Syd]

You can make the mods very easy if your not confident on grinding on your own jug. You should use the degree wheel, but you can hack this mod.

The muffler mod - those three mounting tubes that the muffler bolts go in can be converted to outlets. The best mod is to drill in from the outside and open the tubes up on the side opposite the exhaust port, that will keep the muffler quieter. Then you weld/braze a patch on the outside of the muffler where you drilled in.

The cheap and nasty way and which will make the muffler fairly noisy, is to just reach through the exhaust port opening and grind the holes in the tubes.

Also open up the existing opening as much as is reasonable. Finished the muffler mods.

Now the trick of porting without grinding - use the piston. Remove one of the transfer covers and watch when the strato cutaway appears over the bottom of the transfer port opening. Now look at the intake port, it will still be closed. Start trimming the back of the piston skirt until the intake port opens the same time as the strato port. You are finished with the intake mods.

Mount the degree wheel and watch your exhaust timing. Trim the edge of the piston at the exhaust opening so that the exhaust opens two degrees earlier.

Or, nip .5mm off the edge of the piston and call it good. Finished with all mods. Bolt it all back together and re-tune, cut wood.

If you screw it up, all you have to do is buy a new piston.

EDIT: To raise the compression ratio a little bit, purchase a Champion RCJ6Y plug, cut the gasket off of it, make a thin gasket from a beer can. Install.

 

[sawobsessed85]

It definitley seems porting a strato engine is alot more complicated. I just did a muffler mod on a poulan saw i have, havn't got a chance to put it in any wood to tune it yet but the test run in my driveway sure seems like it gained a few more RPMs. I definitley want to at least do a muffler mod on my new husky, sounds like doing that much is worth a shot. I'm not worried bout it being louder, actually i'd like to try n get a lil more of a sound out of it, just like a 2-stroke should. I notice the 3 bolt holes in the front, but not sure of what u mean to drill into them from the outside to make them the outlet. Do i patch the existing top factory port? Is the muffler steel ( able to weld it with mig)? The muffler on my poulan is a multiple piece unit that comes apart, looks like the husky one is a one piece with a crimped flange.

I appreciate the help guys, I love this stuff and can't help watning to beef up everything i get. its been the same ordeal with my dirtbikes. Love the addiction!!

 

[Terry Syd]

Take the damn muffler off. Now that it is in your hands you can look at it. Look inside it, see the tubes going through it? Reach in through the opening and grind some holes in the side of the tubes so the exhaust will go out through them. See the stock opening on the muffler with the deflector on the top? Can you reach under the deflector and grind out the hole any bigger - then do it.

 

[sawobsessed85]

I'm sensing some aggression in that response. Anyways, I was reading some good info on tuning the carb for such modifications and have a pretty good understanding about how to do it. Needing to 4 stroke on WOT and clean up totally in wood. Adjustments all in the h side for that seems like. They were saying that you can't tune a carb on a rev limited saw that way, is my 460 rancher considered a rev limited saw and can i still tune the carb that way?

 

[Hootsmandoo]

I'm a 100% FNG with chainsaws except for using them on and off since I was a kid, but I just rebuilt the carb on my Husky 350 with a basic Zama kit (worked like a charm), then reworked the muffler to get a little more pop-and-growl out of it. I read a few of the posts on here and another site, looked at the pictures, and went to it. I sawed into both sides of the deflector where it meets the muffler body, carefully bent it back as one piece, then drilled out the muffler wall and filed and shaped it until it was about 90% the size of the exhaust port from the cylinder. Cleaned up all the burrs and edges that were bent under (the idea being to encourage flow of gases without obstacles). Then I reshaped the underside of the deflector where I had cut it so it exhaust could flow through easily, and so it didn't look like crap. Bent the deflector carefully back into position so it didn't stress crack (one time back and forth showed no signs of cracking). I'll have a buddy weld in a little gusset on each side if I run into trouble with the deflector getting mashed down in use. Put the screen back in - gotta retain spark control and a bit of back pressure - richened the high side per advice from the saw gurus and BAM! Now that basic 350 really jumps when you hit the throttle and it sounds just gnarly enough.

Probably not very scientific and I'm sure I''ll end up fiddling with it as I use it more, but it sure made a difference.

Total mod time: 30 minutes
Total cost: $0
Level of Difficulty: Basic + Research + Common Sense

 

[sawobsessed85]

Do you have the limiter caps on the carb screws on that saw? Ive been trying to find out if i should/can take them off or if i really even need too.

 

[Andyshine77]

Do you have the limiter caps on the carb screws on that saw? Ive been trying to find out if i should/can take them off or if i really even need too.

Cut the tabs off with an exacto knife. Yes if you open up the exhaust you will need to give the engine more fuel.

 

[Stumpys Customs]

I have seen really good gains out of the stratto saws that I have ported.

 

[Hootsmandoo]

I'm gonna go with Andyshine's opinion considering he's got a list of saws longer than my list of ex-girlfriends. I may even go cut the caps off my Husky right now.

 

[sawobsessed85]

I was looking at some pictures on another thread of the limiter caps on a husky 350 and 455. They are different than mine. Mine are the star shaped w/ a flathead screwdriver slot in the middle and when I took the top engine cover off I still couldn't see the little limiter tabs. There covered all the way to the carb by some black plastic tube or cover. Do I just cut that away too? Or is there a tool I can purchase from husky to remove the limiters? I can take and post pictures if nobody has seen this. I just bought this saw brand new a month ago so maybe its a new design.

Thank You

 

[Terry Syd]

Post a picture, it's always the best way. The type of adjustment screws on the carb may not have limiters on it, it may just be a plastic shield around it.


EDIT: Noticed that your's have the slots for adjustment.

 

[sawobsessed85]

Hopefully I'll be able to get some good pictures and get them on here for you guys tomorrow. Also have a pic of the muffler mod I just finished on my poulan. Only a 36cc 14" bar but that little thing screams