Modding the Dolmar 420

[blsnelling]

Some things you can't tell by watching these videos is just how strong this saw is in the cut. The fastest cut times are when you push on the saw, even with the .325 chisel chain. Also, cut times get shorter the more cuts I make. That's an indicator to me that perhaps the saw is still a little rich and is running better with a little more heat in it.

All in all, I love this little saw. There's not much that can be said about it. Yes, it's quite a bit heavier than your 35-40cc saws, but this saw not in that league. This is a whole different level. This would make an excellent saw for the average homeowner that only wants to own one saw. You saw my comments about its weigh in the other thread, but it's performance has totally canceled that out. I highly recommend this saw now that my testing is complete.

By Saturday this saw will be cleaned up and on it's way back home. I want to thank Steve at the Cutting Edge for giving me the opportunity to test this little gem of a saw. You should do well selling this model.

BTW, I'd love to see how this saw does up against a bone stock 5100S and MS260. I'm not saying it's faster, but it would be interesting none the less.

 

[Termite]

.325 chisel works well on a 401 also.

 

[RNeurath]

Naive question.
Are the side walls of your finished ports parallel?It looks as though there's not much room to remove material before you run into the bolt holes on the outside of the flange.

 

[Cliff R]

Brad, great test results. I will never know where you get the time and energy for these things?

I was introduced to the 3/8 lo profile chain as it was stock on our CS-360T and CS-370T. The CS-360T is a really high rpm fast cutting saw. The CS-370 is more of a mid-range cutting saw, with a lot, and I mean a LOT more torque than one would ever expect from 36cc.

Anyhow, I noticed some similiarities to the Dolmar. It also uses open transfers, and combines this with some very strange porting. Echo calls it "Vortec Boost", and most folks probably just write that off as some sort of sales pitch propoganda nonesense. Not sure if there's anything to it, but the engine just LOVES to be lugged down in the cut. The harder you push it, the better it runs.

It doesn't seem nearly as fast or powerful as our Shindiawa 488, Echo CS-510, or the Husqvarna 55. Even so, if you read the testing I did a few days ago, the little high torque CS-370 cut FASTER than the larger 50cc saws, in the same log. The only difference is that it uses a 14" bar, so I had to drop down to 13" material, where the 50cc/18" bar saws had to cut thru 16" material.

When the little Echo powered thru 5 cuts 10 seconds quicker than the larger saws, I had to repeat the test to make sure I didn't make a mistake, like only making 4 cuts, etc.

In any case, if I were to evaluate the testing without a stopwatch, simply by the sound of the saws and how aggressively they pulled thru the log, the little Echo would have been at the bottom of the list. This says something for high torque engines that are still able to carry some rpms in the cut, when you can bear down hard on them and they don't fall out of their power range.

Anyhow, I'm going to add one of those little Dolmars to my "wish list", thanks again for taking the time to do such an extensive evaluation for us.....Cliff

 

[Termite]

I agree with Cliff. Thank you for doing excellent testing and sharing your results.
Brian

 

[Fastcast]

Nice work Brad!....I always thought this saw was going to be a hit for Dolmar.....Regardless of its extra girth.

 

[blsnelling]

Thanks guys. I enjoyed the challenge.

 

[excess650]

Excellent work! I'd rep ya if I could!

The chain comparison was an eye opener for sure!

 

[04ultra]

Brad all I can say is ..............................I like mine a lot !!!!!!






Good job !!!




.

 

[HEAVY FUEL]

Nice work Brad! Even those "chubby" saws need lovin!

 

[windthrown]

Faster with low profile than .325. Same as is the case with my MS 250. Though no one here believes me.

Nice overall job!

Now, yah gonna Darth Snellerize thar tasty 346XP/NE?

 

[blsnelling]

Now, yah gonna Darth Snellerize thar tasty 346XP/NE?

Already did. All that's left is installing the 357XP carb.

 

[cram]

Excellent thread.Very interesting. Thanks a lot.

 

[blsnelling]

The chain testing really opened up my eyes. I never would have expected the .325 chisel to keep up with the LoPro. I guess the chisel is just a way more efficient cutter. The .325 NK was very disappointing but uses the less efficient semi-chisel cutter and taking a wider kurf than the LoPro. I suppose that makes sense.

The results of the porting didn't surprise me. That's pretty typical for gains from a port job.

 

[windthrown]

Already did. All that's left is installing the 357XP carb.

Man, that thing is gonna scream! If only it was a clear model...

 

[Edge & Engine]

The chain testing really opened up my eyes. I never would have expected the .325 chisel to keep up with the LoPro. I guess the chisel is just a way more efficient cutter. The .325 NK was very disappointing but uses the less efficient semi-chisel cutter and taking a wider kurf than the LoPro. I suppose that makes sense.

The results of the porting didn't surprise me. That's pretty typical for gains from a port job.

Was it 20LP or 20LPX that you used (LPX has blued cutter)

 

[blsnelling]

I'm not at home right now but I'm almost positive its 20LP.

 

[Metals406]

Great thread and work Brad!

 

[Termite]

No surprise to me that .325 chisel is the best. Now try Woodland Pro.

 

[ECHO-Echo-echo]

The results of the porting didn't surprise me. That's pretty typical for gains from a port job.

So....my question is where is the 420 saw now and how is it running/holding up? An update if possible would be nice.
Thanks so much.