ms 391. i have a feeling this was a bad purchase.

[CR500]

yep thats the same bar i have. i do not know why on stihls website it says to only run a 20 in bar. all the 391's i have seen have had the 25 in bar.

Cause it is rated as a homeowner saw.

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Saw chain

Safety chains sold by stihl have a green side strap, the non safety side strap is yellow. Safety chain has alot of extra pieces near each cutter, The non safety has only the cutters.

 

[Arrowhead]

arrowhead can you pm me with some ideas. im 2 1/2 hours away but thats not an issue. and yes im a dumb@$$ when it comes to knowing things about saws but how do i tell the difference between a safety and non safety chain? im just running whatever it came with.

If your willing to make the drive, I'll do a muffler mod and retune it for you. (no charge of course)

Your saw will run a 25" bar. I believe a 20" is more suitable. A friend has a ms390 with a 25", I muff modded it and it does pretty well. When the bar is buried, you need to let it cut at it's own pace and not lean on it.

I have a 20" bar you can try out in some wood here. I can show you the different chains... safety, semi-chisel, chisel, skip etc.

I like as small as a bar as I can get the job done with. I run a 25" on my ported 460 and a 20" on my ported 044. Less weight and less cutters to sharpen.

I'll be chasing turkeys around the next few days.... season open tomorrow. I'll pm you my phone number.

 

[CR500]

Whats this I hear about using a skip chain on the 25'' bar??? This has got me thinking I should maybe try one on my 391 I have been using a full comp chain on both bars.
Not to hijack but what would be better half or full skip ? I want to say that full skip is faster because it keeps chain speed higher. Also how many teeth are there to sharpen on both styles I know on the full comp it is 84 teeth.

 

[Arrowhead]

A lot of testing has shown the skip to be faster than full comp in larger wood. :msp_thumbsup:

Of course there are many variables, but worth checking out for yourself.

 

[CR500]

A lot of testing has shown the skip to be faster than full comp in larger wood. :msp_thumbsup:

Of course there are many variables, but worth checking out for yourself.

I would like to buy both a skip and half skip from ebay in case I do not like them but they are hardly on there. I guess my local dealer is going to get some more business lol all he has is full comp on the shelves but I am hoping that he is able to make a half and a full skip twice because it is buy 1 chain get 1 free where I go. What would be better for felling because I do like to use this saw for felling some trees, or should I just stick to the skips for woodcutting?

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Saw Chain

Semi skip is a compromise between full house and Full skip :msp_smile:
Semi Skip is a good choice for a falling and buckin and swapin, it is not real grabby like Full Skip. It has about a 1/4 of the cutters of Full House.
Full Skip is a good choice for a falling and buckin and is not as goood for swapin, it is real grabby unlike Semi Skip. It has about a 1/2 of the cutters of Full House.

 

[Cedar Ed]

yep thats the same bar i have. i do not know why on stihls website it says to only run a 20 in bar. all the 391's i have seen have had the 25 in bar.

A co-worker has that saw new and came w/25in bar.
It is a mid range use saw has more power than the pro ms261 about the same price.
he is also thinking about needing more power and i keep thinking its the chain but ...:msp_mellow:

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Saw chain

The chain can be a major reason a saw has limited power in the cut. A sharp well maintained chain can make saw work easier or harder.

 

[Cedar Ed]

maybe try a 16"b/c = less bogging:confused2:

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Not realistic

maybe try a 16"b/c = less bogging:confused2:

The bogging of a modern saw is mostly they are all speed and limited torque. The carb being improperly adjusted can cause a saw to have limited power.

 

[Cedar Ed]

The new saw dealers say carb adjusting say from working at sea level,then to high elevation like 10,000 feet.

 

[RacerX]

Check out this link.

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/90984.htm

Thanks Arrowhead.

 

[SDB777]

Yeah, I think my first "mod" would be a 20" bar and chain. 25" is a lot for that saw. After a few gallons of fuel, it should be running good.

Wierd? I run a 28" on mine....definitely not too much bar/chain.



Scott B

 

[BigMoneyGrip]

Wierd? I run a 28" on mine....definitely not too much bar/chain.



Scott B

A more experienced cutter can get away with stuff a rookie can't. This may not be the case, I don't know. With the home owner saws, one has to be careful because the saw doesn't have the power to blow through a chunk of hardwood, you have to take your time and let the saw do the cutting.

 

[realitycheck]

You guys must be use to running monster saws. Lol

So what is the best way to make that saw run better and cut faster?

 

[SDB777]

I keep extra chains on hand that are sharp....

Change them out at the very first sign of getting dull....



Stay away from gas with corn squeezin' in it!!





Scott B

 

[Sport Faller]

I keep extra chains on hand that are sharp....

Change them out at the very first sign of getting dull....



Stay away from gas with corn squeezin' in it!!





Scott B

Amen, at the saw shop I frequent they have a big string of completely trashed pistons that were taken out of saws that had ethanol run in them, it's scary what that crap will do to your saw

 

[homelitejim]

I keep extra chains on hand that are sharp....

Change them out at the very first sign of getting dull....



Stay away from gas with corn squeezin' in it!!


Scott B

I also run a file over my cutters every time I fuel up, it gives me a chance to take a breather plus keeps the chain nice and sharp with out changing it. Most premium 2 stroke synthetic oil has a preserver in it to help combat the evils of ethanol, premium gas also helps.

 

[SawTroll]

i generally only have a couple of smaller saws that dont get used too awful much just the occasional storm cleanup and a few loads of firewood a year. anyways a couple weeks ago we had a few windy days and i lost a largish tree roughly 23 in dia. none of the other saws i have were big enough and id been wanting to get a bigger one for a while i just hadnt done my research.............. needless to say i went to the local powershop and the biggest he had is the ms 391 so i picked it up and have proboably ran 2 gal of fuel total through it and dont have any complaints other that i was expecting more power. is there anything i can do such as muffler upgrades? ive only ran the moto mix in it, could it need richened up a tad? its still at factory specs on the carbs. or is this thing just a pile and i should go trade it in and get a 440 or 460? btw the guy told me it was out of the pro line up...typical salesman.

Just get rid of it, it is way too heavy for its power!