Thoughts on aftermarket ms 660(hultz) or Stihl ms 461

[motolife313]

My 064 is a good reliable saw with good power. It can be made into a 066 also. I picked mine up for 550$. Always starts right up. I run a 32” bar and 8 pin sprocket

 

[Jason37]

I love the 661 I also bought a 20 in bar for cutting trees.
I’m having trouble with my guide rails That i set up I’m just using 2x4 but the way I set it up I don’t think it’s right it’s all level all the way down but I have to drill nails to the top n I’d rather drill at end of the log instead so I won’t hit. I’ve Been looking at different setups Any suggestions on how they set there guide rails?

I like this one


But idk how he levels it... would I use wedges down ? Or is that y he cuts every few feet for the bars 2 drop into the log ?

 

[Mad Professor]

I've been drinking.

When I turn in the cans Hultz will get them.

Then You can mill with them

Have fun in Chi-Com land...........

 

[M.R.]

This question placed in a poll format
Reads akin to a poll of asking in the movie
Dumb & Dumber
Who was the better actor?
OMG

 

[BobL]

I love the 661 I also bought a 20 in bar for cutting trees.
I’m having trouble with my guide rails That i set up I’m just using 2x4 but the way I set it up I don’t think it’s right it’s all level all the way down but I have to drill nails to the top n I’d rather drill at end of the log instead so I won’t hit. I’ve Been looking at different setups Any suggestions on how they set there guide rails?

I like this one
View attachment 741378

But idk how he levels it... would I use wedges down ? Or is that y he cuts every few feet for the bars 2 drop into the log ?

They're my log rails and as they are very stiff I don't worry about levelling (along the log ie long orientation) them on short (<8ft) logs.
For shorter logs, more important that being level is rail twist along the log, so to level the rails for longer logs and to control twist (ie get the two rails co-planar) I use a digital angle finder (DAF).
This is placed on the cross pieces joining the rails at each ends (see red dots in picture)
Start by placing the DAF at one end and zeroing the DAF. Then place the DAF on the other end (make sure you keep it the same way around) and adjust the twist using wedges until the reading on the DAF is zero. Then Screw the pointed bolts firmly into the log ends.

Then on long logs the DAF is used at a few places along each rail (see Blue dots on picture) to see if there are any dips and bumps and small wedges are used to lift the rail or material removed from the log in the case of bumps.

A DAF is not essential and a spirit level can be used but a DAF is just easier.

 

[JoshNY]

I ended up just buying a Stihl ms661 with a 36 inch bar just patiently waiting to get it I end up watching videos waiting for it . But I couldn’t see buying a saw for 700 just bc I wouldn’t get no money back if it wasn’t for me but I felt if I wanted I could get most of my money back with a Stihl but I doubt I’ll ever sell it.
For the ripping chain did anyone ever order from loggerchain I just figured bc they have free shipping I might order from them.
And with the huztl saws I would like to get the ms 440 just to try putting it together.
That way I don’t gotta use the big 661 for smaller jobs.
Thank u everyone with there fast input I like this forum get good info

I recently built a Huztl 440 kit. It was a lot of fun, and the saw is running great!
I did substitute a few oem parts. Piston pin bearing, piston pin circlips, and the choke control lever.
Cut a cord of wood so far and running very well.
The only major issue I had is huztl put a 460 crankcase in my 440 kit and took quite a while to get correct part shipped.

All things considered , I would build one again. Was fun to build and am really liking how the saw turned out and am enjoying running it!

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

 

[noodlewalker]

I recently built a Huztl 440 kit. It was a lot of fun, and the saw is running great!
I did substitute a few oem parts. Piston pin bearing, piston pin circlips, and the choke control lever.
Cut a cord of wood so far and running very well.
The only major issue I had is huztl put a 460 crankcase in my 440 kit and took quite a while to get correct part shipped.

All things considered , I would build one again. Was fun to build and am really liking how the saw turned out and am enjoying running it!

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I have built a ton of the HUZTL kits... I absolutely hated the 440 kit though. Had nothing but trouble with every one. My favorite was the 372xp, and the 660 with a big bore.... Huge market for them, but 750 is wayyyyy too much! I sold them typically for around 375 shipped and still came out ok. The guys selling them for that much are straight up ripping people off.

 

[noodlewalker]

"Reliable and last" is not synonymous with "huztl"

Depends on who builds it!!!

 

[cuinrearview]

Depends on who builds it!!!

Do you mean "it depends on how many OEM parts you throw at the build"?

It has been well documented here and elsewhere that they are incapable of getting some parts consistently right.

 

[noodlewalker]

I have built 40 of the 660 kits, 38 of the 372 kits and about 40 total of all of the other kits (070, 440, 380, 361, 360, 250, 200t) over the past 3 years... I told every customer of mine that I would stand behind every saw I build. So far in those 3 years I have had zero failures on any of the 372s I have built. I have had a few 660s that have had minor issues which amount to the starter ropes failing, the chain tensioners failing, the decompression valves failing and one clutch clip failing. I have only had one engine failure, which my customer and I BOTH believe was caused by a bad can of trufuel. Every one of the 440s I built had trouble from the carburetor to the coil to the flywheel and the starter. One engine failed because of the circlip (which I honestly believe I didn't install properly) I have had nothing but trouble with the 200t kit as well. Again carb, flywheel and coils. Out of all of the other saw kits there have been zero failures except ONE 361 that my customer got something lodged in the flywheel and he thought the cylinder seized because the rope wouldn't pull. I will agree with your statement that they (the factory) can't CONSISTENTLY get things right.... Which is because of the fact that quality standards are not enforced factory wide and less than high quality parts get out the door and end up in the hands of the builder. Which is the reason I stated "it depends on who builds them" I fixed every failure for every one of my customers and never once used OEM parts. I did use a different manufacturer of aftermarket parts though. My point is that just being OEM does not make it better, and just being aftermarket does not make it worse. There are different levels of quality throughout each category of part... Wether it is OEM or aftermarket.

I have the experience to recognize the bad parts that arrive in the kits, and replace them when I build it. I also have the relationship with my customer so they are comfortable with the sale in the fact that they know trouble may arise, but they also know that I will fix it.

So again, I say to you. It depends on who builds it.
The guys selling them for 750 are ripping people off.

 

[cuinrearview]

I have built 40 of the 660 kits, 38 of the 372 kits and about 40 total of all of the other kits (070, 440, 380, 361, 360, 250, 200t) over the past 3 years... I told every customer of mine that I would stand behind every saw I build. So far in those 3 years I have had zero failures on any of the 372s I have built. I have had a few 660s that have had minor issues which amount to the starter ropes failing, the chain tensioners failing, the decompression valves failing and one clutch clip failing. I have only had one engine failure, which my customer and I BOTH believe was caused by a bad can of trufuel. Every one of the 440s I built had trouble from the carburetor to the coil to the flywheel and the starter. One engine failed because of the circlip (which I honestly believe I didn't install properly) I have had nothing but trouble with the 200t kit as well. Again carb, flywheel and coils. Out of all of the other saw kits there have been zero failures except ONE 361 that my customer got something lodged in the flywheel and he thought the cylinder seized because the rope wouldn't pull. I will agree with your statement that they (the factory) can't CONSISTENTLY get things right.... Which is because of the fact that quality standards are not enforced factory wide and less than high quality parts get out the door and end up in the hands of the builder. Which is the reason I stated "it depends on who builds them" I fixed every failure for every one of my customers and never once used OEM parts. I did use a different manufacturer of aftermarket parts though. My point is that just being OEM does not make it better, and just being aftermarket does not make it worse. There are different levels of quality throughout each category of part... Wether it is OEM or aftermarket.

I have the experience to recognize the bad parts that arrive in the kits, and replace them when I build it. I also have the relationship with my customer so they are comfortable with the sale in the fact that they know trouble may arise, but they also know that I will fix it.

So again, I say to you. It depends on who builds it.
The guys selling them for 750 are ripping people off.

Everything you said makes sense, except for the "OEM isn't better" statement. If you've built that many you know the extra time you have to put into them, and time is money. I would say that you've been pretty lucky, given what is posted here and elsewhere. You're the first one I've read that "knows" the kits and uses their wrist pin bearings. You're one bad QC day in the bearing dept in Bejing away from a lot of pissed of guys!

 

[noodlewalker]

Everything you said makes sense, except for the "OEM isn't better" statement. If you've built that many you know the extra time you have to put into them, and time is money. I would say that you've been pretty lucky, given what is posted here and elsewhere. You're the first one I've read that "knows" the kits and uses their wrist pin bearings. You're one bad QC day in the bearing dept in Bejing away from a lot of pissed of guys!

Oh I hear you on the one bad qc day away from pissed off guys! The one engine failure was a guy in Utah that had a huge job on a certain date with a crane already rented... To say he was pissed is an understatement. I had just built a saw for a guy in Tennessee, so I called Tennessee and asked if he was willing to ship his saw from Tennessee to my customer in Utah, then I would fix the saw from Utah and send it back to him in Tennessee. Again, my relationship with my customers plays a huge factor here. Both parties were willing to accept the contact, so I paid for overnight shipping from Tennessee to Utah. The saw arrived in Utah the day before the big job, the job was accomplished and everyone was happy! The guy in Utah has purchased two other saws from me since then. My comment about OEM not being better is being mistaken. I never said that OEM is not better, I said that "just because" it is OEM does not make it better. There are different levels of quality within each category, wether it is OEM or aftermarket.

 

[cuinrearview]

I'm not talking about all aftermarket, I'm just talking specifically about huztl/FT.

 

[Jethro 2t sniffer]

My 064 is a good reliable saw with good power. It can be made into a 066 also. I picked mine up for 550$. Always starts right up. I run a 32” bar and 8 pin sprocket View attachment 740710

Nice 5hundy

 

[ammoaddict]

I have built 40 of the 660 kits, 38 of the 372 kits and about 40 total of all of the other kits (070, 440, 380, 361, 360, 250, 200t) over the past 3 years... I told every customer of mine that I would stand behind every saw I build. So far in those 3 years I have had zero failures on any of the 372s I have built. I have had a few 660s that have had minor issues which amount to the starter ropes failing, the chain tensioners failing, the decompression valves failing and one clutch clip failing. I have only had one engine failure, which my customer and I BOTH believe was caused by a bad can of trufuel. Every one of the 440s I built had trouble from the carburetor to the coil to the flywheel and the starter. One engine failed because of the circlip (which I honestly believe I didn't install properly) I have had nothing but trouble with the 200t kit as well. Again carb, flywheel and coils. Out of all of the other saw kits there have been zero failures except ONE 361 that my customer got something lodged in the flywheel and he thought the cylinder seized because the rope wouldn't pull. I will agree with your statement that they (the factory) can't CONSISTENTLY get things right.... Which is because of the fact that quality standards are not enforced factory wide and less than high quality parts get out the door and end up in the hands of the builder. Which is the reason I stated "it depends on who builds them" I fixed every failure for every one of my customers and never once used OEM parts. I did use a different manufacturer of aftermarket parts though. My point is that just being OEM does not make it better, and just being aftermarket does not make it worse. There are different levels of quality throughout each category of part... Wether it is OEM or aftermarket.

I have the experience to recognize the bad parts that arrive in the kits, and replace them when I build it. I also have the relationship with my customer so they are comfortable with the sale in the fact that they know trouble may arise, but they also know that I will fix it.

So again, I say to you. It depends on who builds it.
The guys selling them for 750 are ripping people off.

Thank you for that post. I had no idea anyone had built that many kits. I built the 660 first and had a lot of small issues with it. I built the 372 big bore next and it was much better.
On the 660s you built, did the fast idle work on any of them? If not, what did you do to correct it?

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[noodlewalker]

I absolutely have built that many.. all of my builds are Posted on YouTube.. look up the video AM660-35 you will be able to see the 35th one I built. From there you can find every other one I built. I always tuned the carbs by ear, but obviously there are many factors involved with tuning... I live in Iowa so if the owner of the saw lives in California, or Oregon, or Colorado the air quality and pressure are different so it will change for every customer. I built a 372 for a guy who lives in Michigan... He called me and said he had an OEM 372 as well and the aftermarket saw ran better than the OEM Husqvarna 372 did. He asked me if I could tune his oem saw to run like the aftermarket one does... He sent it to me and I did! My point is, there are many factors that impact tuning. If you are having trouble with one I would be more than happy to help you, but without having it in hand it is hard to say what is wrong. I have only had trouble with the carb on a 660 a few times, but if it is the 54mm cylinder the settings from the factory are off a bit. Start with the idle screw out 2 turns, then the low idle out 1 to 1-1/4 out and the high idle 7/8 to 1 turn out... That will get you started. If it is a big bore engine add 1/4 to 1/2 turn out to each of those settings.

 

[ammoaddict]

I absolutely have built that many.. all of my builds are Posted on YouTube.. look up the video AM660-35 you will be able to see the 35th one I built. From there you can find every other one I built. I always tuned the carbs by ear, but obviously there are many factors involved with tuning... I live in Iowa so if the owner of the saw lives in California, or Oregon, or Colorado the air quality and pressure are different so it will change for every customer. I built a 372 for a guy who lives in Michigan... He called me and said he had an OEM 372 as well and the aftermarket saw ran better than the OEM Husqvarna 372 did. He asked me if I could tune his oem saw to run like the aftermarket one does... He sent it to me and I did! My point is, there are many factors that impact tuning. If you are having trouble with one I would be more than happy to help you, but without having it in hand it is hard to say what is wrong. I have only had trouble with the carb on a 660 a few times, but if it is the 54mm cylinder the settings from the factory are off a bit. Start with the idle screw out 2 turns, then the low idle out 1 to 1-1/4 out and the high idle 7/8 to 1 turn out... That will get you started. If it is a big bore engine add 1/4 to 1/2 turn out to each of those settings.

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't doubting your word that you have built so many saws but merely impressed that you had.
I was not talking about carb tuning but rather the fast idle setting on the master control lever. When you move it from choke up one notch to fast idle (on the 660). Most I have read about including mine do not hold the fast idle. Some people put OEM shaft and trigger and I have read about making shims for the shaft to get it to hold in the fast idle position.
I was just wondering what you did on yours if you got the fast idle position to work.

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[noodlewalker]

I certainly apologize... I didn't mean for my reply to sound snobbish or rude, but I read back through it and can see how it might have sounded...
I think I understand your question a little better now, maybe the rum clouded my perseption a bit last night, lol.

I haven't ever had the problem you are describing. And none of the guys that bought them have said anything about it... I dunno if this may contribute to that issue, but in the carburetor there is a round brass plate (the choke plate) and I had one that was manufactured slightly out of round. It would stick and cause the carb to stay choked after you pull the trigger. I just took some Emery cloth to it and the problem went away.

 

[ammoaddict]

I certainly apologize... I didn't mean for my reply to sound snobbish or rude, but I read back through it and can see how it might have sounded...
I think I understand your question a little better now, maybe the rum clouded my perseption a bit last night, lol.

I haven't ever had the problem you are describing. And none of the guys that bought them have said anything about it... I dunno if this may contribute to that issue, but in the carburetor there is a round brass plate (the choke plate) and I had one that was manufactured slightly out of round. It would stick and cause the carb to stay choked after you pull the trigger. I just took some Emery cloth to it and the problem went away.

Thank you, apology accepted but not necessary.
The fast idle is not a carb related problem. I will try to post some pictures of what I am talking about. I don't remember anyone that I have talked to that had a fast idle that worked unless they bought OEM parts or made a shim for the throttle shaft.
In the photo, I am talking about position 3 on the control switch. The throttle shaft doesn't engage with the trigger correctly to engage the fast idle. It goes from choke to run.
In the other photo, parts 1 and 5 are the ones that are the problem.
Did you have this problem with your kits?

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[noodlewalker]

Thank you, apology accepted but not necessary.
The fast idle is not a carb related problem. I will try to post some pictures of what I am talking about. I don't remember anyone that I have talked to that had a fast idle that worked unless they bought OEM parts or made a shim for the throttle shaft.
In the photo, I am talking about position 3 on the control switch. The throttle shaft doesn't engage with the trigger correctly to engage the fast idle. It goes from choke to run.
In the other photo, parts 1 and 5 are the ones that are the problem.
Did you have this problem with your kits?

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I can't say that I have had that issue... If I have had it I didn't know or recognize there was an issue, and nobody has brought it to my attention as yet...