Where’s the best place or way to increase performance with a chainsaw.

[4570Man]

I’ve been running my stock 372XP for about 2 years but I feel like it could do better. I’m generally not a good 2 stroke mechanic but I wouldn’t be above doing it if it’s simple. Neither of the saw places in town can sharpen a chain worth a flip so I don’t trust them.

 

[atsah]

Muffler mod.. Doesn't cost anything and only requires a carb adjustment..

 

[Deere Dude]

Make sure you have good non ethanol gas with 90 octane or higher. Get a good chain sharpener. Many can do good by hand filing, but that ain't me. Sounds like you have a good saw.

Look at arborist.com in the chainsaw section. If you want to know anything about saws, they have some very sharp individuals ready to help.

 

[Rustyiron]

Prolly plenty of utube stuff out there on muffler mods.

 

[ruffdog]

How the chain is sharpened makes a world of difference. A muffler mod done right helps but will increase noise. Sometimes it's tough for people to find a good tuner.

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/

 

[4570Man]

Make sure you have good non ethanol gas with 90 octane or higher. Get a good chain sharpener. Many can do good by hand filing, but that ain't me. Sounds like you have a good saw.

Look at arborist.com in the chainsaw section. If you want to know anything about saws, they have some very sharp individuals ready to help.

I can’t buy no ethanol gas with 90 octane. 87 no ethanol is the best I can do. I have a timberline sharpener that works well but it’s too slow and tedious for my liking. I’ve been thinking of trying something different. I don’t think there’s as many people that can hand file a chain as there are that think they can. I’ve only met one person that can make the nice ribbon curls from oak with a hand filed chain.

 

[LouNY]

A sharp chain and a younger fellow to run it. :drink: then be a good supervisor

 

[ericm979]

Re: Where痴 the best place or way to increase performance with a chainsaw.

A nice sharp chain makes any saw cut faster. Use whatever tools work for you. I spent a couple seasons hand filing when I was on a thinning crew. I can do it reasonably well but last year I bought a bench grinder. It works well but takes longer than hand filing so I use it on really dull chains. I sharpen the chain frequently- two tanks at the most. I have at least a couple chains for every bar so I can swap chains and keep working.

A well tuned carburetor also makes the saw cut faster. Not everyone is good at hearing the different sound the engine makes when it's four stroking. Even if you can, it can be useful to tune with a tach. A good one is about $80.

Some saws have small outlets on the mufflers or internal baffles for noise reduction and can benefit from a larger opening or baffle modification if you're ok with making more noise. Some baffles actually improve performance so don't gut the muffler without doing research.

Most saws porting is a little conservative. More power is available by having someone good port the saw. It takes some knowledge of two stroke fundamentals, some experimentation and a steady hand. You want someone who had made their beginner mistakes already. Some of the porting pics posted on arborsite have been really dreadful.

E10 gas is fine if that's all you can get in the octane your saw requires. Ethanol has about 2/3 the BTUs of gasoline but it also cools the engine more when it evaporates, which is good for performance and would help compensate for the small reduction in BTU.

Most people who run saws all day every day stay stock and buy a bigger saw if they need more power.

 

[kthompson]

Buy several chains and swap them out when they need sharpening. Then when you have several that need sharpening take them to shop who knows how. Ask around it may be a travel of few miles but they are there. Unless you really need to sharpen a chain often doubt a motor power sharpener would make sense.

 

[IndyIan]

Re: Where痴 the best place or way to increase performance with a chainsaw.

I learned to sharpen by hand on the saw, don't know if I'm great at it but the saw always cuts faster when I'm done. On my 372 I pulled the spark screen, and bent open the deflector a bit, then tuned the carb and called it good, and I've had it for 16 years now and plan to have it for 16 more... For hardwood firewood 2' is about the sweet spot for the saw, IMO. If you are cutting 3'+ often then its time for a bigger saw. I've got a 36" bar with full skip for the odd big tree and it gets through, but it feels like work.