It is a standard replacement sprocket for a Stihl. It is not an offered option.
I understand your hardwood is much harder than ours. You will need to decide if the cost of experimenting is worth the risk of failure.
Ron
Stihl 500i First Impressions
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I understand your hardwood is much harder than ours. You will need to decide if the cost of experimenting is worth the risk of failure.
Ron
Abbeville TSI
ArboristSite Operative
I run an 8 pin and a 20" bar on my 462CM bucking hardwood, she eats it up. I don't see why a 500i won't handle the same.
I go to my dealer with part numbers and ask them if the number is still good. If all is good I give them the word to order the parts. Part numbers can be obtained from an Illustrated Parts List for your saw.
I go to my dealer with part numbers and ask them if the number is still good. If all is good I give them the word to order the parts. Part numbers can be obtained from an Illustrated Parts List for your saw.
Mine has no problem with burying a 25” bar in our hardwood.
A 500i is overkill in my opinion for small diameter wood.
Ron
I’ve only ever cut our hardwood so I can’t compare. Interesting that stihl only specifies 7 pin here in Aus and 8 everywhere else.
I can’t see a big risk running an 8 pin, either it will cut faster or it will cut slower.
The dealer seemed to think it would put too much load on the saw.
70cc here is pretty good for burying a 20” bar, even a 25” but the 500i isn’t an overkill.
I can’t see a big risk running an 8 pin, either it will cut faster or it will cut slower.
The dealer seemed to think it would put too much load on the saw.
70cc here is pretty good for burying a 20” bar, even a 25” but the 500i isn’t an overkill.
It’ll pull your arms off in deep wood with an 8 pin. Mine has been ported, although I suspect a stock saw will do just fine. I can tell you that my outing with the 28” full skip was a failure. I had just sharpened the chain and that was the problem. I must’ve done everything wrong when I did cause the chain just bounced off the wood like it was stone. I’ll keep trying ….
I think all the 500’s come stock with a 7 pin. Mine did, I just went rouge and slipped an 8 pin sprocket for an 066 on the drum and tried it out. Worked good. I’m going out today to remove some big white oak and I’m taking it along. This time I’m using a new Stihl RS chain so I think I can count on it to cut. The tree is big enough to bury my 28” bar so I’m looking forward to it. Really big trees don’t come my way often.
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Take pictures! I bought an 8 pin also for the 500i when I run the 32" B&C. I have a Stihl Rollomatic bar, and a Tsumura bar. The Tsumura is about a 1/4 short and it was 8 pin or remove some Drive Links. I'm curious about the 8 pin, but removing some DLs is easy also.
Thumper88
ArboristSite Lurker
I tried an 8 pin on my 500i, which is stock with a muffler mod. It made the saw touchier in the big hardwoods than what I like. I run a 28" bar, full comp with aggressive chain and the saw would stall on the clutch if I wasnt light handed. If you have a lighter touch and/or softer wood it will probably work well. Full skip chain should help as well.
ValleyForge
Liberty Farms
I’ve got over a year on my 500i and short of childs play toy of a suspension (which I upgraded), it is an awesome saw. I run either a 25” or a 36” and uses it almost exclusively to put trees on the ground.
Here she is with an oak (42” at the cut) the other week. That’s the 25 inch bar because I had to limb that branch to the right but she went down with the 36” bar. Yes the hinge was worked because I needed it to fall right where it is. Tree huggers everywhere had to hear that one hit the ground…lol
Here she is with an oak (42” at the cut) the other week. That’s the 25 inch bar because I had to limb that branch to the right but she went down with the 36” bar. Yes the hinge was worked because I needed it to fall right where it is. Tree huggers everywhere had to hear that one hit the ground…lol
Well after running the 8 pin, I’m going back to the 7 pin. Very touchy as said before and I think the added chain speed is not worth the trade off in torque. That saw isn’t unstoppable, but almost with a 25” lightweight bar, full comp chain and a 7 pin rim sprocket. At least that is how I remember it.
Long Bar 60
ArboristSite Operative
I'm running an 8 tooth sprocket, 36" Stihl Light .063 3/8 bar and Oregon 75CJ at .035 ground on an SDM-4 and HDG-6. Bark Box, Max Flow and (Thank You God) WCS clutch cover which is infinitely better than stock. Cutting fire salvage Sierra Nevada softwood and I bury the bar often. It will pull a 42" Cannon but not with command. I have about 1000 hours on it and sounds like maybe some piston slap but still runs strong. Occasional hard starting issues when hot or at least warm. This is a good lightweight western timber cutting saw.
The hard starting hot might be the crap gas they sell.
Difficult starting can be a sign of low compression. If you're hearing piston slap the rings are also worn.
I have had mine 3 years, I put 2 tanks through it blocking down a macrocrapa this afternoon in a gale. Man I love this saw. might try the 8 pin, I have them on some of my 66's.
Long Bar 60
ArboristSite Operative
The occasional hard starting began when the saw was new. I'm 63 years old, have been cutting timber my whole life and owned over 50 large professional Stihl saws. I do all my own saw repairs. I (we) have tried everything in regards to the starting issue to no avail. I'll do a compression test however I have my doubts that the saw came with low compression. Just one of those mysteries. Like fuel injection. Or M-tronic. LOL
You aint holding the throttle open at all when starting right? Just thought I would ask.
I found with my Mtronic saws that if I make a bunch of cuts and then shut the saw down right away, it does not want to start 5-10 minutes later when I am ready for more cutting. It will be too rich. Opening the throttle all the way for a couple pulls clears it out and then it starts. Letting the saw idle for ~10 seconds before shutting it down prevents the problem.
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Yup. That's exactly what I experience with my first M-Tronic saw the 261. Let it idle a bit and you'll have no problems.
i finally got to play with my “new” 500 last Sat.
first impression…reminded me of my ,92 red-eye 066 but lighter.
running a 25”, full comp, chiz , 8t
cut nice and smooth in the Poplar I needed to cut up. Buried it in a 40” log with no issues. Smaller stuff a breeze. I do not like the handle, however. Wtf is up with the curve in this 3/4wrap? I may look for a diff one.
this saw will most likely replace my Mastermind 461.
first impression…reminded me of my ,92 red-eye 066 but lighter.
running a 25”, full comp, chiz , 8t
cut nice and smooth in the Poplar I needed to cut up. Buried it in a 40” log with no issues. Smaller stuff a breeze. I do not like the handle, however. Wtf is up with the curve in this 3/4wrap? I may look for a diff one.
this saw will most likely replace my Mastermind 461.
It vibrates a lot less than a 461 .
