Here's some good and frozen white pine, back to back with a fresh, but built to stock 266xp. It really is an angry little beaver.
I Want To Like My Stihl MS250 Again
- Thread starter jonshonda
- Start date
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I wouldnt put a 350 topend on your Johnny. I have a 346xp and had an 026 stihl. I gave the stihl to my dad. Both ported, both very good runners. The 346xp was the faster saw by a hood margin. Having said that I would happily grab up another 026 without a second though for the rite price.
I have a 350 and I was quite impressed for a 50 cc homeowner saw. If I could just keep it together. One of the bolts holding the isolation block to the crank case broke the other day when the son and I were cleaning up a borer stricken ash in the backyard.
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jonshonda
ArboristSite Lurker
So I had a chance to play with my hand sharpened stock chain, and with the 26RS. The hand sharpened chain does seem to be much improved over the 2n1 sharpened chain.
The 26RS is my first yellow chain, and its definitely a different experience. I am sure I need more time using it, but it surely isn't as smooth as the green chain. Seems like it bites harder as well, and easily stalls the saw if good technique isn't used.
The 26RS is my first yellow chain, and its definitely a different experience. I am sure I need more time using it, but it surely isn't as smooth as the green chain. Seems like it bites harder as well, and easily stalls the saw if good technique isn't used.
Some of that is likely the way that it is filed or shaped, along with depth gauge settings, versus the difference between “yellow“ and “green“. But it’s good that you understand how a small difference in chains can make a big difference in saw performance.
Philbert
Philbert
jonshonda
ArboristSite Lurker
So my new chain and curiosity ended up costing me $500. When we bought our house 3 years ago it was chocked up with oak trees. Now don't get me wrong, I love trees and a wooded lot, but they were so thick and the canopy was so dense at the top, that no light was making it through. Which means no branches until roughly 30' up, and lots of moss and mud.
To date we have had at least 10 trees taken out (not small, all 50-60' oaks, having a few taken out every winter), and a bunch thinned out and trimmed up. Actually, the reason I bought he MS250 was because it paid for itself the very first time I used it by cleaning up the mess myself, vs having the tree service do it.
Well, today I had the tree service come back again to take one more oak down, and trim a fair amount of large branches in an effort to get more light in, and to lower the canopy a bit. They left me a mess again, and I had about an hour to fire up the saw and get to work. That new 26RS chain really does cut like butter through oak. Amazing! It was also fun to see the guy in the lift handling the Stihl MS201. That little bugger can RIP!!
To date we have had at least 10 trees taken out (not small, all 50-60' oaks, having a few taken out every winter), and a bunch thinned out and trimmed up. Actually, the reason I bought he MS250 was because it paid for itself the very first time I used it by cleaning up the mess myself, vs having the tree service do it.
Well, today I had the tree service come back again to take one more oak down, and trim a fair amount of large branches in an effort to get more light in, and to lower the canopy a bit. They left me a mess again, and I had about an hour to fire up the saw and get to work. That new 26RS chain really does cut like butter through oak. Amazing! It was also fun to see the guy in the lift handling the Stihl MS201. That little bugger can RIP!!
I will never sell my remaining 026 PRO. I should never have sold its backup twin a month ago. These saws are truly marvelous and look what is costs to replace them with a new MS261 today. Gasp!
That’s cheap for this site. We have guys who join to learn how to sharpen a chain, or adjust a carb, and end up building a new garage just to hold all their new saws within a few years. Or even a museum!
Philbert
windthrown
361 Junkie
To make your 250 run better, put a 0.050 picco B&C on it. It is an option from the factory. I even run picco B&C on my 260 saw and it runs like a raped ape now. Way better than running .325 or 3/8 std on them. Of course running a 260 will spank a 250. I sold all my 230 and 250 saws when I got a whole series of 026 and 260 saws. No comparison. No looking back.
The muffler mod on the 250 is pretty easy to do. Similar to the 290 muffler mods. Just open them up like the original early model mufflers. Same with the 026/260 saws. They choked those up in 4 different 'upgrades'. Use drills and files. Then be sure to re-tune the carbs to fatten them up again, as they will run leaner with more air flow.
The muffler mod on the 250 is pretty easy to do. Similar to the 290 muffler mods. Just open them up like the original early model mufflers. Same with the 026/260 saws. They choked those up in 4 different 'upgrades'. Use drills and files. Then be sure to re-tune the carbs to fatten them up again, as they will run leaner with more air flow.
windthrown
361 Junkie
Yes. Build quality is the same, and many 261 saws are m-tronic with the new BS. Factory rated power 261: 3.8 BHP. Factory rated power original 026: 3.5 BHP. Not quite the same, but a good 026 can be had for way less money.
jonshonda
ArboristSite Lurker
Windthrown thanks for the info! I found an older 025 muffler to use on my MS250, figure $15 ain't bad to play with. Will plan on having it tuned after the mod. But for now I am very happy with how the saw performs with the 26RS chain. I really don't use it enough to invest in the Picco setup, so for now I will concentrate my efforts on proper sharpening.
You really don't want to know which of that trio cost the most then. I really suck when it comes to those three saws... Yes, the near one is a red lever...
I haven't had a Pro in quite some time, but there really isn't enough difference to matter.
SteveSr
Addicted to ArboristSite
Stihl 26RS is full chisel chain and cuts fastest in CLEAN wood. Gets dull faster in DIRTY wood... Your wood may not be as clean as you think!... or you may hit the ground more than you realize! :-( May also require a lot of material removal to sharpen (won't last as long).
stihl 26RM is semi-chisel and doesn't cut quite as fast a full chisel BUT it will stay sharp a whole lot longer in less than optimum wood or usage.
This is very important. If you are hitting dirty wood regularly you want to run a semi chain. The last two times I went for wood I hit something with the chain on the ported 026 within 5 minutes of taking it out of the truck. Not fun I tell you RM would have held up better in those situations.
jonshonda
ArboristSite Lurker
Listen buddy!! My wood is the cleanest around, just ask my neighbors wife!
Next chain will be the 26 RM! Thanks for the tips guys
windthrown
361 Junkie
I have had one or two 026/260 saws myself. Over a dozen in all? If it were not for my collection of 361 saws, I would still have more of them.
windthrown
361 Junkie
Cost for a Picco (low profile) B&C&rim for a 250 saw is pretty cheap. Small mount bar, easy to get as well stateside. Unlike the picco bars and rims for the large mount 026/260 saws. They sell them in Europe but not here. Cutting with Picco cuts a lot less kerf, so they cut faster. .325 cuts nearly the same kerf as 3/8 std, and hence they are no better. Its about the wood that you remove, not the cutters or sharpness.
West Coast used to have small mount Stihl GB Bars and chains for those 1123 saws for dirt. They are out of business now. I bough a half dozen of them in 14 and 16 inch for a series of 180c power heads that I bought from a contractor and fixed up. They are still pretty cheap on Baileys and Ebay though. I run more aggressive Stihl non safety full chisel round filed picco chain on all my smaller Stihl saws. I also have semi-chisel loops for the cruddy wood cutting. The 180c, 020, 211 and 026/260 hybrid all run great with it.
West Coast used to have small mount Stihl GB Bars and chains for those 1123 saws for dirt. They are out of business now. I bough a half dozen of them in 14 and 16 inch for a series of 180c power heads that I bought from a contractor and fixed up. They are still pretty cheap on Baileys and Ebay though. I run more aggressive Stihl non safety full chisel round filed picco chain on all my smaller Stihl saws. I also have semi-chisel loops for the cruddy wood cutting. The 180c, 020, 211 and 026/260 hybrid all run great with it.
I like the 23RS Pro .325 narrow kerf stuff, but if you are running .063 it won't be a whole lot cheaper than going to Picco.
.050 is the norm up here so it was literally just the chain for me.
It comes in RM Pro as well
.050 is the norm up here so it was literally just the chain for me.
It comes in RM Pro as well
SteveSr
Addicted to ArboristSite
It can be done by ear if you know what you are doing. If not, a tach would come in handy. First thing that you have to do is to disengage the current "H" limiter cap by pulling it out about 1/8". With a new/clean air filter tune it a bit on the rich side. Move the limiter cap ONLY full CCW if it isn't already there. Push the limiter cap back in and now tune the saw by turning the limiter cap CW (leaner) until the tune is correct.
