Solo 651p

[bwalker]

I got a chance to run a 651 the other day. Needless to say I was not impressed. I did not feel like it made any more power than my 026 and maybe less. It also looked and felt crude when compared to a stihl or a husky. Is Solo lubeing us on the advertised power of this model?

 

[max2cam]

Originally posted by bwalker
I got a chance to run a 651 the other day. Needless to say I was not impressed. I did not feel like it made any more power than my 026 and maybe less. It also looked and felt crude when compared to a stihl or a husky. Is Solo lubeing us on the advertised power of this model?

Crude in what way?

I wouldn't call my Solo 690 crude.

Heavy yes.

Crude no...

 

[bwalker]

Crude in what way?

IMO the anti-vibe isnt as good as husky or stihls and the unit just looks unrefined when compared to the previously mentioned brands. It appears as though it is a box stroe or sears saw.

 

[TonyM]

To each his own I guess. My O26 Pro was quickly sold after getting a 651? Does your O26 have the fixed main jet? Mine did and it ran like crap half the time. You should really do some timed cuts in various sized logs to get a better feel. I think the O26 runs slightly higher rpms, and therefore will probably outcut the 651 up to a certain diameter, but after that I think you'll see the Solo start to pull away.

And yes, the Solo 651 does "seem" kind of cheap feeling (mostly the air filter cover and somewhat the controls) compered to the Stihl, but it holds up just fine. The vibration dampening is not as good though and the rubber isolaters have a lot of give. Also I miss the side chain tensioner.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

I just picked up a 651p about 2 months ago, along with 4 or 5 other saws. I only ran it once so far. I was more than satisfied with it performance. Granted, this saw is a far cry from my PP346XP. I also don't think that 651p owners are having the fixed jet nightmare that the 026 owners are having. I think that Solos 4 hp figure may be a bit high though. The 651p seemed to run about the same as the 026 that I had some 5 years ago. As far as the crude thing goes. I didn't notice anything!

 

[bwalker]

Does your O26 have the fixed main jet?

Mine did have the pos fixed jet and ran like crap all the time with it in place. My dealer gave my a full adjust carb for it free of charge and it ran like a scalded ape ever since. Dennis has the saw know so there is no way to do a direct comparision, but I would bet money that it would not touch my 026 before it was modded.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Originally posted by bwalker
but I would bet money that it would not touch my 026 before it was modded.

Maybe the 026 would have a slight edge, very little. But to say it would not touch it is a little overboard!

 

[ClearH20Scott]

I really like mine, I was cutting with it again today. It has become
my go to saw for all the small stuff up to about eight inches or so.
Ken Dunn did a bang up job, nail the primer four times, and you're
off. It cuts faster than my Walker's 346, and I really like that saw
also. I just think they're different. The Solo is very Stihl like. The
346 is very, well, Husky like. I don't notice a difference as far as
vibes go. Gas consumption is about the same. The Solo gets the
oiler nod hands down, the 651 actually puts oil on the chain.
The air filter on the Solo sucks, I am going to order a couple of
spares from Jeff S. soon, it needs attention about every tank of
gas, too much for me, and yes, my chain is sharp. Inboard
sprocket is cool, but not too big of a deal. Front chain adjust is OK,
again, no big deal. Gas, oil fill, on/off switch, ergonomically equal
to my 346. It feels right in my hands, and that's why I bought it in
the first place. I did not like it stock, but at that time I had my
2171 from Dennis, and was already getting a little jaded about
stock saw performance. Just my take.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

At this stage of the game I think Stihl saws are lacking. As far as the 026 goes, with all the bad reports on them you couldn't give me an 026. What is left in the same class: Solo 651p, Shindaiwa 488 and the Husky 346. Funny thing is I own all these saws and am quite happy with all of them!

 

[bwalker]

Rich, I general I agree with you. I love my 440, but my next big saw will be a dolmar 7900. In the small pro saw class the waters muddy though. The 346 is a promising saw, but it has a outboard clutch which I dont really care for, the 488 is down on power compared to the others, the 260 has a crappy carb(although this is suppose to change) and the 651 imo isnt up to the standards of the 346 or 260. So basiclay imo the choice is between the 346 and the 260. Since the 346 is cheaper and responds to mods well it would be my first choice. I hope stihl starts to feel the heat and comes out with something new and I dont meen a crappy 029 wannabe like the 270 and 280.

 

[rbtree]

I've had two 026's (old ones with good carb). Reasons why I'd never have another: Anti vib system too soft. Crappy master control lever...the spring can easily get tweaked. Poor filtration, same as all Stihl's. Power is adequate. Most other features are OK.

I currently have a 346XP-G, Shin 488-G, and CMan/Solo 651 SP-G.

The 488 cuts only marginally slower than the 346, the 651 lags quite a bit. However, Ken Dunn modded Clear H2O's SP, see his old thread, the cut times were cut nearly in half!!!

Rich, I have two problems with the 488, ever run into them?:

The brake doesn't hold...I can't tell why from cursory examination, and cleaning did not help.

And it seems to be dulling chains...how I can't tell...I checked the metal bar plates, they seem awfully close, so i bent them a bit. Problem still seems to be occurring. I need to cut some wood in the dark and check for sparks, I s'pose. Plus I need a new or good used bar, 20 inch .325--0.50, do you have one? I forgot to ask Bailey's if they can get them, I'm sure they can.

 

[Stumper]

RB. Check the positioning of the brake band. I've got a Dolmar 120si that was dulling chains-the band was cocked in its recess allowing one edge to contact the right cutters-dinged the sharp corner on every right tooth! That might account for both of your problems. On the Dolmar I put the brake band back the way it was supposed to fit and never had any more trouble.


P.S. Baileys definitely carrys the bar you are looking for-They have the narrow kerf ArborPro bars for about 20 bucks.

P.S.S. Oh duh?!.. I was talking about the Dolmar and forgot that you are looking for a Shindaiwa mount-you are right-you'll need to ask.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Originally posted by bwalker
Rich, I general I agree with you. I love my 440, but my next big saw will be a dolmar 7900. In the small pro saw class the waters muddy though. The 346 is a promising saw, but it has a outboard clutch which I dont really care for, the 488 is down on power compared to the others, the 260 has a crappy carb(although this is suppose to change) and the 651 imo isnt up to the standards of the 346 or 260. So basiclay imo the choice is between the 346 and the 260. Since the 346 is cheaper and responds to mods well it would be my first choice. I hope stihl starts to feel the heat and comes out with something new and I dont meen a crappy 029 wannabe like the 270 and 280.

Ben, you pretty much nailed it on this one. The outboard clutch on the 346 doesn't bother me. The 488 is choked at the muffler big time! I tried again to open up the muffler on mine and this time it worked. I picked up a lot more bottom end!

Stihl needs to get their act together. To stifle a nice stock saw like the 066 is a crime! Companies like Dolmar are passing Stihl right by!

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Originally posted by rbtree
Rich, I have two problems with the 488, ever run into them?

The brake doesn't hold...I can't tell why from cursory examination, and cleaning did not help.

And it seems to be dulling chains...how I can't tell...I checked the metal bar plates, they seem awfully close, so i bent them a bit. Problem still seems to be occurring. I need to cut some wood in the dark and check for sparks, I s'pose. Plus I need a new or good used bar, 20 inch .325--0.50, do you have one? I forgot to ask Bailey's if they can get them, I'm sure they can.

Rog, if you look down inside where the chain brake handle bolts up there is an adjustment screw.......it may just need adjusted.

As far as the chains dulling, the only thing is to go with Stumpers suggestion. See if anything inside the chain housing is hitting or rubbing the chain. Hope this helps. Rich.

 

[TonyM]

Here is independent test data (I believe for CE certification in Europe). I derived the torque and fuel efficiency from the data given.

_________Weight___Hp@rpm___Ft-Lbs__Gal/Hr__Hp-Hr/Gal__vib(m/s^2) left__right

Solo 651____10.8___3.9@9400__2.17____0.40____9.81_____________4.0__11.8

Stihl MS260_ 10.4___3.5@9500__1.93____0.40____8.79_____________3.4__4.3

Hus 346XP__10.6___3.4@9600__1.83____0.45____7.46_____________3.3__3.4

 

[bwalker]

Thanbks for the info Tony. it really confirms what i fealt in the way of vibration. I still say they are way optimistic when it comes to HP output.

 

[bwalker]

Brian, I suspect I will be singing the same toon when i get my 260 back from Dennis. If I can get rid of my ms440 I will be buying a mod dolmar 7900 asap. BTW I hve a invite to visit some people in the the tampa area this winter. Might have to look you up and compare my 260g with your 346dd.

 

[Jacob J.]

Does the 651 have those bolt-on transfer port covers?

 

[TonyM]

RockyJ I'm glad you enjoy my posts. I'm a little surprised though at how strongly you believe I dislike Stihl. I've owned more Stihls than any other saw brand. I've bought and sold Stihls as well as Dolmar, Solo, Husqvarna, Echo, and Deere(Efco). I guess I just enjoy being different so I tend to shy away from Stihl. My first saw was an 029 super, and it was okay. I liked it and thought it ran strong. It was heavy and I'm not sure about how durable it was since I didn't keep it long. After getting hooked on saws I started drooling over an 036Pro (4.6Hp at that time), and it wasn't long before I convinced myself I needed it. After that the 029 wasn't really used, so I sold it. About then the 371XP came out and the drooling began again. Guess what, before long I found a great deal on a 372XP on ebay and she was mine. Well then the 036 didn't get used much since it was so close to size with the 372, so I sold it, and upon reading how great everyone thought the 026 was, bought one thinking it would be a good complement to the bigger Husqvarna. Unfortunately my 026 was one of the first models with the fixed jet, and it was not a pleasant experience for me. I had a $400+ saw that only ran right about half the time, and I had no way to adjust it. I loved the saw when it ran well, but the weather had to be just so for that to happen. Then someone on this site mentioned the Solo 651 and the drooling began again. I found a dealer and bought one, sold the 026, and never looked back. There are things I like very much about Stihls, and I'd own one in a heartbeat if it worked out as such. I don't, however, like the way Stihl dealers push the 029 (MS290) on everyone that walks in the door to buy a saw. I think there are better saws for the money. I'm glad to see the new MS280, and I hope the MS260 gets the fully adjustable carb back. I believe I am very objective in my opinions and apologize if I appear anti-Stihl, but not everyone will like the feel or performance of the same saw, and I hope others would be open to trying something different. Bwalker has his opinion, and I respect it even though mine differs from his.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Originally posted by RockyJSquirrel
I honestly think Husky will come back to dominate the pro market in the next 10 years as long as they can keep parts available and win back some dealers they lost in the 80's and 90's.

In my neck of the woods, Husky has not lost any ground. With the dealers calling it quits to carrying Husky that may all change. I was anti-Husky for a long time. Since obtaining the PP346XP that has all changed. I was pleasently surprised at how well built the 346 is.