Modern equal to mythical Stihl 026 chainsaw?

[grsthegreat]

i still have my o26 that i purchased back in 1993ish. usually takes 5-6 pulls to start nowadays, but for years it was never more than 2 pulls. just keeps on running, and it gets alot of use 6 months out of the year. have 20 acres of trees i maintain. only weird thing is if i let it sit and idle for over 1 minute it shuts down. sometimes that drives me nuts. no adjustment seems to help. if i speed up the idle, the chain turns at idle. so i just live with it. I liked the stihl so much that i reciently purchased the tree saw version from stihl. it had a little 10" chain, but man does it cut.

 

[ericm979]

CL's mostly flakes and bottom feeders. The saws on our local CL are either totally beat up at a premium price or decent used saws at a nearly new price. Last year I needed something larger than my trusty 025 and after lots of looking on CL and not finding anything reasonable, ended up with a new 362CM. It's nice but was expensive. An Echo might be an alternative if you end up going with a new saw.

I did buy a used 460 from a forum recently. (I was taxing the 362 on some things). At least that way I could read the seller's posts and see how knowlegable they are. And on that forum many people post pics of compression tests and a shot of the piston through the exhaust port. No one on CL does that. So you know the top end is ok. The 460 wasn't perfect but seems like a decent used saw.

 

[LD1]

IF I was shopping for a stihl, craigslist and ebay are the last two places I'd look.

Sure, might get lucky every once in a while and snag a good deal. But for the most part they are indeed all overpriced. People seem to think stihls are gold plated or something. Husky's too, but to a slightly lesser degree.

People just think that because it carries the husky or stihl name that its "professional" grade stuff. And that couldnt be further from the truth. In fact, you rarely see pro saws from either on c-list. rather alot of mid-range and homeowner junk. At least in my area anyway.

But Echo and Dolmar.....when you do see them.....they are usually a pretty good deal and dont last.

 

[xyz123]

Not around here eric. I have picked up and sold some nice saws on CL.

 

[BarnieTrk]

I have an 026 Pro that I use for limbing with a 20" bar. I never use it for anything over 6". I did a muffler mod to it and an adjustable carb. The thing really came alive. Not really large enough for a go to firewood saw for my cutting needs. ( 20 cord yr.) but I would never get rid of it.

(Pardon me, OP, but I gotta butt in right here....)

Yomax4, what did you do to modify the muffler?
I have read where others have discussed muffler modifications, but haven't learned if such a mod is applicable to a MS250....any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in Advance!

BarnieTrk :drink:

 

[goeduck]

I got my MS441 off of CL. A local logging company went away from their 441s in favor of the 461s and got rid of the 441s. Nothing wrong with my 441 but I searched CL for a LONG TIME before finding it. I like the anti vibe and the 441 is big enough for me. They liked the 461s because they could get a few more % production out of them. I paid less than 1/2 price of new, Win-Win.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Sort of double posted, I posted the following in another chainsaw thread. But, I've decided that for the cost to upgrade, if an MS261 C-M is able to called an upgrade.... I'm going commit to keeping this nasty beast, the 026.

I was really twitching to go buy an MS261 C-M to replace my 28 year old 026, but my father smacked me around a bit and might have knocked some sense into me

Instead, since I have a perfect running 026, I decided to treat it with a Forester tune up kit, new 18" bar, chain and file combo and also 2 more chains.

I also ordered a bar/chain combo and spare chain for a guy at work with a smaller Stihl.

This will buy me another 2 years, maybe 3 instead of paying $535 + 6% Pa sales tax on the new MS261 C-M (I get 10% off).

I'm still twitching a bit, just because I'm addicted to shiny new things!

 

[John_Mc]

(Pardon me, OP, but I gotta butt in right here....)

Yomax4, what did you do to modify the muffler?
I have read where others have discussed muffler modifications, but haven't learned if such a mod is applicable to a MS250....any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in Advance!

BarnieTrk :drink:

The mufflers on many modern saws are rather restrictive. The saw can breathe a lot better, will have a bit more power and can run cooler if you open things up a bit. If you have a catalytic muffler on your saw, the simplest "mod" you can do is swap it for a non-cat aftermarket replacement. If you want to mod your existing muffler, many people start by gutting the insides of their mufflers. Warning: if you have a catalytic muffler, be aware that some of the guts are toxic heavy metals. You don't want to breathe any of that in while grinding on it, and you should wash your hands after dealing with it.

The other change is to enlarge the exit hole slightly, or drill an additional hole near the original exit hole. Think about where the exhaust is going before drilling this. You don't want to create a path for hot exhaust to hit directly on your saw. If the muffler has a deflector over the existing exhaust hole, see if you can keep your added holes within the area covered by the deflector as well. Don't over-do it enlarging the hole: a chainsaw engine runs better with at least some back-pressure on the exhaust.

ANY MUFFLER MOD REQUIRES ADJUSTING THE MIXTURE ON YOUR SAW BEFORE RUNNING IT UNDER LOAD.

Lastly: I'm far from an expert at modding saws (though a muffler mod is a pretty simple thing). IF in doubt, find someone who has done a few in your area to advise you.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Me and my father went out today and cut up a nice oak that was knocked over in a storm over the winter. The new 18" bar really does take some of the guts away from the little beast, but this was really wet wood and it took cutting 2/3 from one side, then jumping the log to get what the bar couldn't reach. That load in my Rhino in the photo is 1 and about 3/4 rounds! There are like 15 more of the main trunk this same size! That's a lot of wood from one tree.

 

[LD1]

ANY MUFFLER MOD REQUIRES ADJUSTING THE MIXTURE ON YOUR SAW BEFORE RUNNING IT UNDER LOAD.

I am far from an expert too, but have found this to NOT be true more often than not.

First, I would never mod a saw without a tach and the knowledge to tune. Because improper tune will destroy a saw in no time.

But too many times I read of people being told to "richen" up a saw if they mod it....and you may very well be defeating the purpose of the mod by doing so. So a good tach and some knowledge is a MUST

But on to the "technical" aspect of it.......a carburetor is nothing more than a fuel metering device. And the amount of fuel being sucked into the engine......via the carb......is directly proportional to the air flow.

So people think by doing a muffler mod to help a saw "breath" that they need more fuel to compensate. And they arent wrong. But the carb already does that. Because more air...also means more fuel is being sucked in. Up to the limits of what the jets can flow. Thats why with hotrodders...be it two stroke or 4....guys change carb jets.

I have seen too many saws that someone has hacked on a muffler....turned the mix up....and are left with a saw that is noisy, burns more fuel, and doesnt preform any better than stock or even worst.

 

[yomax4]

(Pardon me, OP, but I gotta butt in right here....)

Yomax4, what did you do to modify the muffler?
I have read where others have discussed muffler modifications, but haven't learned if such a mod is applicable to a MS250....any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in Advance!

BarnieTrk :drink:

I bought an adjustable carb 1st. The one it had could have been messed with to make it adjustable but the carbs are less cost than a kit so i went that route. My muffler didn't have much inside other than a baffle that I drilled a 3/8 hole in and on the outside toward the blade side of the exit I did a 1/4" hole and bent the exit a little so the smoke would go toward the bar. Re-tuned so that it would 4 stroke running wide open until under load. My bigger saws i did similar except the 44 mag I gutted the muffler, Brazed in a 3/8 elbow as an additional exit hole and took it to be adjusted with a tach on it. She's a Loud Dog now though. I saw where others on here did muff mods so i had to try it mostly just for fun.

 

[xyz123]

Just muffler modded this 026. Sounds pretty good to me for 44mm 49cc.

Gave it a new heart yesterday and cleaned up the scored cylinder and then put a fresh crosshatching in.

 

[grsthegreat]

Just muffler modded this 026. Sounds pretty good to me for 44mm 49cc.

Gave it a new heart yesterday and cleaned up the scored cylinder and then put a fresh crosshatching in.

View attachment 547007View attachment 547008View attachment 547009View attachment 547010

cool. i just love my 026 saw. i bought it back in 1996ish, and use it every year since. it does get heavy at times....then again im alot older. but still starts with only a few tugs.

 

[John_Mc]

I am far from an expert too, but have found this to NOT be true more often than not.

First, I would never mod a saw without a tach and the knowledge to tune. Because improper tune will destroy a saw in no time.

But too many times I read of people being told to "richen" up a saw if they mod it....and you may very well be defeating the purpose of the mod by doing so. So a good tach and some knowledge is a MUST

But on to the "technical" aspect of it.......a carburetor is nothing more than a fuel metering device. And the amount of fuel being sucked into the engine......via the carb......is directly proportional to the air flow.

So people think by doing a muffler mod to help a saw "breath" that they need more fuel to compensate. And they arent wrong. But the carb already does that. Because more air...also means more fuel is being sucked in. Up to the limits of what the jets can flow. Thats why with hotrodders...be it two stroke or 4....guys change carb jets.

I have seen too many saws that someone has hacked on a muffler....turned the mix up....and are left with a saw that is noisy, burns more fuel, and doesn't preform any better than stock or even worst.

On the surface, it would seem a carb would work that way, but if you make a significant change, it's likely you will need to adjust. They are not perfect instruments, and variations in back pressure, fuel type, temperature, etc all can throw the carb off a bit. If you read my first post, you'll note I said "adjust", not "richen up". I do agree that just blindly enrichening the mixture is a dumb way to react to this. (On newer saws, people might get away with it, since most of them come from the factory set on the bleeding edge of being too lean in order to meet EPA regs.) Tune the mixture properly, or take it to someone who knows how to do it right.

I'm no chainsaw mechanic, but I've been told by a guy who modifies chainsaws (and much more extensively than just muffler mods) that the carbs in a typical chainsaw are only "in tune" at two throttle settings: idle and wide-open-throttle - midrange is just sort of a "close enough" situation (which is why you are not supposed to run them at part throttle). Since a muffler mod changes what WOT is, you need to retune.

 

[tomplum]

(Pardon me, OP, but I gotta butt in right here....)

Yomax4, what did you do to modify the muffler?
I have read where others have discussed muffler modifications, but haven't learned if such a mod is applicable to a MS250....any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in Advance!

BarnieTrk :drink:

Earlier this year I did the muffler mod on my MS250 , which is ~ a 2003 model. I opened the inside up so it was as big as the port and brought the deflector open a bit more and left the screen in. It woke up nicely. I could get it to 15,000 RPMS Adjusted it back to 14,500.

 

[goeduck]

I'm no chainsaw mechanic, but I've been told by a guy who modifies chainsaws (and much more extensively than just muffler mods) that the carbs in a typical chainsaw are only "in tune" at two throttle settings: idle and wide-open-throttle - midrange is just sort of a "close enough" situation (which is why you are not supposed to run them at part throttle). Since a muffler mod changes what WOT is, you need to retune.

I am the type that likes to keep everything stock. Kudos to those that can do a good mod.

 

[yomax4]

On the surface, it would seem a carb would work that way, but if you make a significant change, it's likely you will need to adjust. They are not perfect instruments, and variations in back pressure, fuel type, temperature, etc all can throw the carb off a bit. If you read my first post, you'll note I said "adjust", not "richen up". I do agree that just blindly enrichening the mixture is a dumb way to react to this. (On newer saws, people might get away with it, since most of them come from the factory set on the bleeding edge of being too lean in order to meet EPA regs.) Tune the mixture properly, or take it to someone who knows how to do it right.

I'm no chainsaw mechanic, but I've been told by a guy who modifies chainsaws (and much more extensively than just muffler mods) that the carbs in a typical chainsaw are only "in tune" at two throttle settings: idle and wide-open-throttle - midrange is just sort of a "close enough" situation (which is why you are not supposed to run them at part throttle). Since a muffler mod changes what WOT is, you need to retune.

I only did this for fun that's it. I'm not at all an expert. I saw some of the guys on here had done it so I looked into it. I did an 026 Pro, 034 EQS, 039 and an 044M. The only one I had trouble with was the 044 so I took it to a Tune Guru. I did a crap load of research before I messed with my saws. The smaller saws are only worth a couple hundred bucks so I wasn't too worried. You just have to know that it's tuned correctly before you have at it on a log. Absolutely does eat more gas but each saw cuts like one model size bigger than it is except for the 044. It acts like a Motocross bike. I absolutely Love my 039 with Muff Mod too. Cheap saw with a big heart and lungs
.. Good luck messing with your saws.

 

[5030]

My father bought a Stihl 026 back around 1990, we estimate 1990 as the latest possible year as that was when he built his house out on farm property and had the saw. He thinks it may have been purchased a year or two earlier.

The saw has been a total beast, a workhorse that has no equals. This thing is near mythical in it's tireless performance and near zero down time. But one day, even the mightiest beast will die. So I am starting to consider a new Stihl that can attempt to replace the light weight, high power, ultra reliable and insanely durable 026 model.

Are saws today made to the same caliber of this legendary steed, or is there no real modern equal of a saw of such stature as the legendary 026?

I really would like to stay with Stihl, as this saw has proven to be so durable and long lasting that I have no good reason to look for "better" brands, I am not so sure a better brand could possibly exist.

If your a Chainsaw guru, please enlighten me on what is out there today that can be considered a suitable match to the 026.

I still have an use mine. Bought in new about the same time as your dad did. Been through a few bars, loops and drive sprockets. I don't see it ever failing. I like to because unlike the modern Stihl's, there is very little plastic except the top shroud and top handle, everything else is light alloy and it's an RPM saw too. Positively screams and no noise police muffler too. Mine has the optional heated handgrip for cold weather use as well. Excellent saw. No plastic to fail and runs like a raped ape. I run .325 chipper chain. Considered .404 but never switched.

 

[Deere Dude]

I bought a new 026 around 1998 and love it. But I got sick of waiting for it to chew through large oaks. I bought a new Echo 620p that can rip through the same log in 1/3 the time and much easier that the 026. I would never sell my 026 though because it is light and durable and a good runner.

 

[Raul-02]

or is there no real modern equal of a saw of such stature as the legendary 026?

you'll be wantin' the MS 881 with the 41" bar.