Is Echo 490 OEM chain the fault?

[sofasurfer]

I bought a Echo 490. I like it a lot. However, when cutting the chain seems to grab sometimes and stop the saw. I also noticed that the face of the cut is quite rough. I'm wondering if this is the fault of the chain since manufacturers tend to ship with the cheapest chain they can get away with. I have always read that people replace their oem chains with a better chain.

 

[ammoaddict]

Is it a brand new saw? If it is, it will take a few tanks of fuel to get broken in. The chain that came with it should be fine if it hasn't gotten dull from hitting the dirt.

 

[Karrl]

Pictures of the chain and cut would help, my 490 came with a safety semi chisel so it wasn’t too grabby. What size and kind of wood are you cutting? A 20 in bar buried in oak isn’t a good fit for a 490, for example.

 

[sofasurfer]

Is it a brand new saw? If it is, it will take a few tanks of fuel to get broken in. The chain that came with it should be fine if it hasn't gotten dull from hitting the dirt.

It is a new saw. Have only run about one tank so far. Does break-in really make a big difference in how it runs?

 

[Philbert]

Echo used to come with Oregon chains (labeled ‘ECHO’). Hard to know if that has changed.

‘Grabby’ chains are often from aggressive sharpening. Stalling out a gas chainsaw is pretty severe, unless the chain is especially dull or damaged, or the wood is extremely dry or hard.

+1 on posting chain pics.

Philbert

 

[sean donato]

It is a new saw. Have only run about one tank so far. Does break-in really make a big difference in how it runs?

Depends on the saw, most take a few tanks. My new ms400cm keeps pulling harder the more I use it (tank 4 should be through it here soon.) I'm told 8 is the magic number for my saw. I'm no fan of safety chain, but they are smooth cutting compared to a full chisel non safety chain, and typically won't just stall the same out unless your dogging the crap out of it or something is wrong with the chain.
I also can't say manufacturers put the cheapest chain on new saws. All the saws I've ever purchased new (same dealer) had stihl or husqy chain on them. I typically request a non safty chain, but this ms400 I forgot to say about the chain and didn't bother taking the sheith off before I left..... it cuts well enough.

 

[sofasurfer]

Pictures of the chain and cut would help, my 490 came with a safety semi chisel so it wasn’t too grabby. What size and kind of wood are you cutting? A 20 in bar buried in oak isn’t a good fit for a 490, for example.

The manual says the recommended chain is 20BPX78CQ which is apparently an Echo product. I found websites that call it a micro chisel, a mini chisel and a small chisel chain. I also think its a low kickback chain. I'll get a photo and look for some ID marks tomorrow.

 

[Chevboy0167]

https://www.oregonproducts.com/en/search?q=20BPX78CQ+

 

[Woodslasher]

What wood are you cutting? You can take a brand new chain and make a cut in softwoods with it and the face will look rough while you could use the same chain to make a cut in hardwoods and the face will look smooth.

 

[buzz sawyer]

If the saw is running high speed but the chain is not moving, the clutch is slipping. Putting too much pressure on the bar into the wood can cause this, regardless of saw and chain condition and it's more apt to do this in hardwood vs softwood. Are you letting the saw feed itself into the wood?

 

[Karrl]

It is a new saw. Have only run about one tank so far. Does break-in really make a big difference in how it runs?

My 490 “woke up” after 10-12 tanks and muffler mod/ carb tune up. There’s plenty of threads on this site that will show you how to do it if you’re interested. Don’t expect it to become a screamer though, the 490 was designed for reliability over pushing for performance.

 

[mountainlake]

Keep in mind you can stop the chain on a 90cc saw if it's sharp and you push it too hard. The CS490 takes a long time to break in and power will improve quite a bit. Steve

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

Never ran a stock 490. But reading pretty gutless stock. Need at least the muffler side opened up.

Took this one on trade and already had a big pipe in side which isnt needed for the muffler mod on these. Also was already ported. It is my go to light trim saw now.

Painted muffler black just because it wanted to identify as a 4910 but with orange covers.