LittleLebowski's big inspirational chainsaw thread

[TOTS]

That sounds like you have a pretty good dealer. Congrats on the new saw! I'm sure it will do great for you.

Re: the two-stroke oil, I know this is counterintuitive, but you might consider running something other than the Stihl Ultra (in the silver bottle). I ran that $tuff for years before stumbling over this guy. Been watching his channel for a while. Seems legit. Long story, short, I'm running VP Racing fuel oil currently. This seems to be a pretty good oil. Here is a bit of a summary which might save you some time.

I’ve pulled apart a couple of saws that ran Ultra and they were dry with carbon buildup in the exhaust.

I run Amsoil Saber and use a ratio rite. Pick up some octane booster as well. Auto parts stores will have it.

Seeing as Im a homeowner and would only realistically be using the saw a handful of times a year, I got a gallon of Motomix as they had it 50% off. I already had a six-pack of Husqvarna 40:1 mix oil. My plan was to use the oil when working the saw and store it dry after burning some Motomix through it. The dealer seems to think highly of the Motomix for sitting long term.

So stay away from the ultra? Is the Ultra the same as Motomix?

[Tensaw]

Seeing as Im a homeowner and would only realistically be using the saw a handful of times a year, I got a gallon of Motomix as they had it 50% off. I already had a six-pack of Husqvarna 40:1 mix oil. My plan was to use the oil when working the saw and store it dry after burning some Motomix through it. The dealer seems to think highly of the Motomix for sitting long term.

So stay away from the ultra? Is the Ultra the same as Motomix?

So the Motomix is simply pre-mixed fuel (gas and oil), and yes, it incorporates Stihl Ultra into the mix. No direct experience with Motomix, but even though it is marketed as a premium fuel, there are folks who have noted issues with it. I've always used Non-Ethanol pump gas and then added two-cycle oil into that. That way you know how old the gas is (shelf life of no more than three months) and it is a *lot* less expensive than the Motomix. I would not trust any mix (Motomix or otherwise) that has been exposed to air longer than three months.

You are probably fine to burn what you have bought, but once you go through that, I would invest in a one gallon gas can and a better two-cycle oil than Ultra. (Check that second video I linked above.) Storing the saw dry in the off season is the way to go.

ETA: Something to look for when selecting an oil is the JASO rating. This is typically, but not always, noted somewhere on the bottle. The short version is that there is absolutely no reason to use anything other than a FC or FD rated oil. (Ultra is an FB rated oil.) The higher rated oils are going to have better lubricity and detergent packages in them.

[Tensaw]

I’ve pulled apart a couple of saws that ran Ultra and they were dry with carbon buildup in the exhaust.

I run Amsoil Saber and use a ratio rite. Pick up some octane booster as well. Auto parts stores will have it.

The pump gas I run is 90 octane (or thereabouts). What are octane rating are you shooting for with the additive?

[Crazy Dane]

What's the general consensus on 60-70cc saws for running a 28" bar? The 20" bar on my 50cc Husqvarna is great for small jobs but is tedious when bucking big Fir logs into rounds for firewood. I've got a great local dealer that carries both Stihl and Husqvarna so I'm fine with buying either brand.

I have a Husky 572 and I have run a 32" bar on it, did ok. It now has a 28" Husky branded Sugi lightweight bar on it and Oregon EXL chain now and will take a full bar of red oak without hesitation.
I have a 592 with a 36" bar for the really big stuff.

I think the 60 to 65 cc saws would max out at 28", running skip tooth chain would allow you to cheat a little. My personal take on this class its the biggest of the medium saws and the smallest of the big saws and doesn't really do well in either roll. When I got my 572 I was going in to get the 562. I picked both power heads up in the store and realized that for less than $100 (at the time) I could get more horsepower and only gain 1.25 pounds. My 550 is .7 less HP than the 562 and weighs 2 pounds less and is cheaper. The Stihl line up runs pretty much the same. For that size bar I would go with a 70cc saw, Stihl or Husky.

Just a note on my 550, I changed it over to run 3/8 chain and built a 24 inch Sugi bar for it so I don't have to bend over and so I can run one type of chain on all of my saws. It pulls all of that very well as long I as keep the rakers less than .030. I've tried a little more bite and it gets grabby. I've built a couple of 24" .325 bars in the past too.

[jeep45238]

Seeing as Im a homeowner and would only realistically be using the saw a handful of times a year, I got a gallon of Motomix as they had it 50% off. I already had a six-pack of Husqvarna 40:1 mix oil. My plan was to use the oil when working the saw and store it dry after burning some Motomix through it. The dealer seems to think highly of the Motomix for sitting long term.

So stay away from the ultra? Is the Ultra the same as Motomix?

Frankly, for long term storage, let the saw run out of fuel. Dump the fuel out of the tank, then start it and let it die.

Don't play around with all this octane booster and this oil vs. that oil stuff - any high quality 2 stroke fuel mixed at the ratio the saw was designed for is the right answer.

Going with a higher or lower ratio of oil:fuel is a recipe for headaches or disaster.

[Crazy Dane]

That sounds like you have a pretty good dealer. Congrats on the new saw! I'm sure it will do great for you.

Re: the two-stroke oil, I know this is counterintuitive, but you might consider running something other than the Stihl Ultra (in the silver bottle). I ran that $tuff for years before stumbling over this guy. Been watching his channel for a while. Seems legit. Long story, short, I'm running VP Racing fuel oil currently. This seems to be a pretty good oil. Here is a bit of a summary which might save you some time.

I have watched this guy too, his shop is about an hour from me never been there tho. He seems to be genuine and honest, but his testing leaves me wondering. Going out and running a tank of whatever through a saw and declaring that this or that is the best doesn't leave me with warm and fuzzies. I do agree with his assessment on the Stihl oils. All of our work saws, Stihl, were garbage until the shop that did our work recommended a change, we run Red Armor now.

I run Husky oil in all of my own Husky equipment and never had a problem. I do use the 2.5-gallon premix bottle to 2 gallons of gas. I don't know what that figures to, it's a tad richer than 50 to 1. If it aint broke why fix it. I could see cost being a factor for guys that run their equipment 5 days a week. There are at least 3 stores in town that has the Husky mix on the shelf and Amsoil at a couple of auto parts places. The motorcycle oils would have to be ordered. Red Armor can be found in the big city an hour away.

[TOTS]

Seeing as Im a homeowner and would only realistically be using the saw a handful of times a year, I got a gallon of Motomix as they had it 50% off. I already had a six-pack of Husqvarna 40:1 mix oil. My plan was to use the oil when working the saw and store it dry after burning some Motomix through it. The dealer seems to think highly of the Motomix for sitting long term.

So stay away from the ultra? Is the Ultra the same as Motomix?

Frankly, for long term storage, let the saw run out of fuel. Dump the fuel out of the tank, then start it and let it die.

Don't play around with all this octane booster and this oil vs. that oil stuff - any high quality 2 stroke fuel mixed at the ratio the saw was designed for is the right answer.

Going with a higher or lower ratio of oil:fuel is a recipe for headaches or disaster.

Thanks. See bolded above.

[jeep45238]

Thanks. See bolded above.

Too many people dump the tank but don't run the carb dry.

[RoyGBiv]

Storing the saw dry in the off season is the way to go.

Definitely this...

Since I only use my saw occasionally living in the suburbs, when I'm finished with whatever task, I empty the unused gas into a separate container (not back into the clean gas can) and run the saw until it sputters and dies before putting it away.

I use the drained gas in the 2-stroke backpack blower.

[Tensaw]

I have watched this guy too, his shop is about an hour from me never been there tho. He seems to be genuine and honest, but his testing leaves me wondering. Going out and running a tank of whatever through a saw and declaring that this or that is the best doesn't leave me with warm and fuzzies. I do agree with his assessment on the Stihl oils. All of our work saws, Stihl, were garbage until the shop that did our work recommended a change, we run Red Armor now.

I completely agree with you on the one-tank thing. That is akin to running one mag through a pistol and trying to make an assessment based on that. That said, he has acknowledged that what he is primarily looking for in the post-tank teardown is oil film and lubricity. And I think he would agree that the one tank run time is not definitive. Indeed, Jake Mesa has pointed out that one of the motorcycle oils Flagg was enthused about will cake the exhaust port with carbon over time due to the flash point not gee-hawing with the saws. Flagg's methods are far from scientific, but he is the only show in town WRT two-cycle oil, as far as I know. And he does seem to see *a lot* of saws coming through his shop.

Based on some of his earlier comments, I ran a few tanks of Red Armor before switching over to the VP Racing. I am less inclined to run any of the motorcycle oils until I can see how that works out long term in a saw.

Anywho - I wasn't trying to turn this into a thread about two-cycle oil, but saws are expensive and some oils do seem to be better than others, just like some ammo is better than others. But chasing "the best" oil can absolutely turn into a rabbit hole wherein lies a lot black magic and strong opinions (just like chasing "the best" pistol).