MS180 vs PS-401 vs G3800AVS

[blsnelling]

Just pulls right off. Cut the tabs off the side of the caps and reinstall. That's it.

 

[blsnelling]

:hmm3grin2orange:

I knew it was comming.

Almost new saw with only 3 tanks of fuel through it. Has a 16" bar. I wish it were 14". I'll have to see what mount it has and get a 14" for it.

 

[UnckieBub]

Just pulls right off. Cut the tabs off the side of the caps and reinstall. That's it.

Oh...you don't just pull em off??

 

[blsnelling]

Oh...you don't just pull em off??

In some cases they must be replace to keep the need screw from vibrating out of adjustment. The 401 has springs on the needles so they're not required. However, they have a little pocket in them that holds the screwdriver tip and makes adjustment WAY easier.

 

[UnckieBub]

In some cases they must be replace to keep the need screw from vibrating out of adjustment. The 401 has springs on the needles so they're not required. However, they have a little pocket in them that holds the screwdriver tip and makes adjustment WAY easier.

Ok ..
Thanks for the tip...again!!

 

[DaddyRabbit]

I think the lesson to be learned here is if it ain't a Husky or a Stihl, well........:bang:

 

[scotclayshooter]

Hey Brad those super lean 180s everyone is on about, My bosses old saw was playing up and wouldnt start so today i checked the compression, 155psi great!
popped the muffler and this thing had been running rich! i had to take a drill bit and clean out the small holes, Low and behold i got it to start and rev out at 6,800 max!
Popped the carb and gave it a good clean and around the choke linkages, Put it back together and now it pulls only 13,500 I never tested this saw with the tach before. But i think this is a little low compared to what you guys have been getting.
Im thinking the choke was stuck on there was so much dirt in there!
The chain was sharpened at 30 deg on one side and i guess 5 deg on the other lol And i doubt the rakers had ever been done this chain only has 2 sharpens left in it!

 

[danrclem]

Just pulls right off. Cut the tabs off the side of the caps and reinstall. That's it.

I left my tabs on and reinstalled them just in case of a warrenty problem. If they saw the tabs cut off that might void the warrenty.

I'm glad that I didn't cut mine because I had to send it back. If I need to fool with it again after one year then I'll cut the tabs off.

 

[blsnelling]

Put it back together and now it pulls only 13,500 I never tested this saw with the tach before. But i think this is a little low compared to what you guys have been getting.

I think mine was around 14,500. I've heard of some as high as 15,000. Personally, I think that's too lean. They don't 4-stroke at all at that RPM.

 

[Trigger-Time]

Hey Brad those super lean 180s everyone is on about, My bosses old saw was playing up and wouldnt start so today i checked the compression, 155psi great!
popped the muffler and this thing had been running rich! i had to take a drill bit and clean out the small holes, Low and behold i got it to start and rev out at 6,800 max!
Popped the carb and gave it a good clean and around the choke linkages, Put it back together and now it pulls only 13,500 I never tested this saw with the tach before. But i think this is a little low compared to what you guys have been getting.
Im thinking the choke was stuck on there was so much dirt in there!
The chain was sharpened at 30 deg on one side and i guess 5 deg on the other lol And i doubt the rakers had ever been done this chain only has 2 sharpens left in it!

Before swapping carbs, my 180 was running 14,800 to 15,000 WOT.

As Brad said about the speed of .043 and .050 Picco, I can't tell a nickle's
worth of difference in the speed of the two chains. I bought my 180
with .050 picco bar and chain (ask dealer to swap when I bought it)
Plus the .050 is a heaver, better built chain and IMO easier to file.

Lot of people sneer at the 180, but I like it..........just not as much as the MS200

 

[wkpoor]

Sm..sm....smmmm.smsmsmsm smellerize it!!!! Brad go for it man.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

It's Friday, time for stupid question of the week:

Brad- have you ever ported a 017/MS-170?

 

[FATGUY]

I've got a Redmax 3800 on the way now. Only 3 tanks of fuel through it and all stock. I'm anxious to compare it to the others.

Great thread Brad, I'm very interested to see how the redmax compares!

 

[blsnelling]

Brad- have you ever ported a 017/MS-170?

Same saw as the 180 only a little smaller bore. They're very difficult to work on because the bore is so small. Also, It's farther down in the bore on a clamshell engine. Never again.

 

[Signoflife]

Brad, did you get the 3800 Snellerizing work started or finished?

Here is another one on Ebay, 139.50 incl shipping with 28 hours left on auction...

http://cgi.ebay.com/RedMax-G3800AVS...3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:1|39:1|240:1318

 

[Four Paws]

Brad,

you ought to step up to the ultimate small saw - a Shindaiwa 377. The small Shindaiwa saws are built like pro saws - magnesium crankcase, nylon tank, recoil and covers. They have an outboard clutch - which I don't mind, but you may. Real nimble with a 13" bar! Great saw to carry trail riding on the dirtbike.

 

[minnnt]

looks like you look after your saws mate!

 

[epicklein22]

Brad,

you ought to step up to the ultimate small saw - a Shindaiwa 377. The small Shindaiwa saws are built like pro saws - magnesium crankcase, nylon tank, recoil and covers. They have an outboard clutch - which I don't mind, but you may. Real nimble with a 13" bar! Great saw to carry trail riding on the dirtbike.

I know how to solve this problem...Brad needs to buy a saw from every chainsaw company in this size category. I know he could sell them for more than he paid after they are snellerized (if that is a word lol). So Brad, it is time to buy an Echo (maybe Red could hook you up), an efco, a husky and a shinny.

 

[blsnelling]

I just got the little Redmax G3800AVS. I ran it against my ported MS180. The times were quite disappointing. So I modded the muffer, pulled the limiter caps and tried again. Still disappointing. I'm hoping a port job will wake this thing up. That may come later this week.

I don't have the .050 bar and chain that my MS180 ran best with before. That chain was good for about a 4.5% gain over the .043 chain that's on it now. If you take that into consideration it gets even more dismal. I know this testing is not scientific and there's some variables involved, but it definately tells you which of these saws is faster. I know the Redmax has a longer bar, but the wood's the same. I also realize that I would never typically use a saw this size in this size of wood. I would have a 50cc saw out. The Redmax has no torque in the cut and pulls down very easily. Much easier than the smaller MS180. The percentages below are after the muffler mod. It was only good for about a 6.5% gain, or 1.0 seconds in the cut.

Here's how they stack up right now using the ported MS180 as the standard.
Ported MS180 = Standard
Stock MS180 = -21%
Dolmar 401 -25%
Redmax 3800 -35%

If you don't take into account that the ported 180 is 4.5% faster with .050 chain, it's down to 28%. Still weaker than the lower RPM Dolmar.

I will add that the Redmax exhaust port is shaped very oddly and leaves a lot to be desired. I'm hoping I can come up with a port job that will bring this saw around.

 

[FATGUY]

and the winner is?