Did a little math...

[CCC4]

There are 290 work days in 16 months...I burn 2.5 gallons of saw gas at a minimum per day through my 661. That equals 725 gallons of gas...not counting the days I work straight through the weekend and the days I burn 3.5 gallons, nor the fact that my saw may be a couple months older than that. On original cylinder and ring the saw is at 120#'s of compression!! ...and people talk down on Stihl and the 661 model...I have flogged that saw its entire life too  :D

[sandsawmill14]

thats good to hear cause i been on the fence all summer trying to decide 661 or 660 i was scared of the carb  :-\  have you had any trouble with it ??? for now im still running my old 441 it takes a real beating though with the 28" bar  95% of my saw work is splitting over sized logs and its rough on any saw   i cant finish the cut on 1 tank of gas    it will usually cut about 6 1/2-7 ft on a tank of gas saws get pretty hot when you burn a tank of gas without letting off the trigger

[CCC4]

I can give ya the break down from my perspective. I have run all the big CC Stihl saws except the 881. Not only have I ran them...I have run them into the ground. I wasn't really happy with my 660 until I purchased a dual port muffler cover. It really helped the saw IMO...but it was still shy of my 661. I know there are a lot of folks who don't trust them, but actually out of the new breed saws, it was the 441 that had the most issues and recalls. According to my Stihl shop, advancements have been made in the 441 and according to my buddy, the newest gen 661's are the best yet.

I always have liked my 661, I have only had to reset it 3x in its life. The one thing you have to be careful and aware of is the air quality. The 661 seems to be pretty particular. Stihl knows this and has lowered the air filters from $50 or so dollars down to $25 because you WILL have to replace them. Blowing them out just won't cut it. I have yet to try and wash one out though.

The only problems I have faced have been all stemming from blowing my plug out 3x and stripping the threads finally. As suggested by my boss, he had a mechanic (not dealership) "fix" my saw. The guy botched the job. He put the wrong spark plug in it, 661's require an R10. This is a resistor plug. A normal plug was put in and my coil burnt.

Anyway, with the wear on my saw I have really had no complaints other than if it sits over the weekend and I don't run it, the cylinder gets gas. It's really easy to flood when this happens.

Last note, I am getting a new JRed 2188 this week, it will be my big timber saw...maybe my full carry. I can only hope it does as well as the 661. One thing I am considering in my getting the 2188 over another 661 is because I am most likely eventually gonna cut at mile high altitude and the carb models seem to be more accessible to adjustments.

[sandsawmill14]

thanks for the info not being able to adjust the carb is the only thing i didnt like about them
i had the same spark plug trouble with mine  :-\ i never could get a heli coil to hold past 2 months so i just ordered a new jug and put it on its like a different saw  ;D i guess i hadnt realized how worn it was till i freshened it up
if i could afford it i would get the 881 and a long bar so i could just match cut a 8" log from each end and be done with it but over 2000 bucks i will have to make do with the smaller saw

the dealer i use has a 881 in stock i like how it balances with the 48" bar but i just cant afford it

[timberlinetree]

Never really thought how much gas a saw uses in a certain period of time. Interesting. I wonder how much bar oil  we go though in a year sometimes?

[killamplanes]

I to like my 661's. I still have one very tired 660. So to compare at the current time would be unfair. Alot 2 gallon days here (u must take less breaks than I do). I have not had any major issues with either of mine. Replaced a little broken plastic. Which is high but so aren't all of them. My buddy has a 880 with 5ft bar for splitting cottonwood bigger than 50in to get across his circle mill. Don't worry when u bring them he pays 0 for them. No money in quartering a cottonwood down. But 880 to heavy for a daily driver imo. Had a 460, always ran to hot to stand in the warmer temps. Eventually it took a swim wide open in a 6ft deep creek. It had several mods and ran real good, but was tired anyway.  Good stihl support locally..

[sandsawmill14]

Never really thought how much gas a saw uses in a certain period of time. Interesting. I wonder how much bar oil  we go though in a year sometimes?

when splitting logs all day, which i rarely do, i will burn 5 gal gas and almost a gallon of oil but i have never checked to know for sure oz for oz but i will have about 2 tanks of oil left after 5 gallons of gas BUT i run a 28" bar and have the oil maxed out (and wish for a little more) so some probably dont use as much oil as i do per tank of gas

[azmtnman]

One thing I am considering in my getting the 2188 over another 661 is because I am most likely eventually gonna cut at mile high altitude and the carb models seem to be more accessible to adjustments.

I use my 661C from 6000 to 10000 ft and it runs fine at any altitude or temperature. The way I understand it, the computer does the adjusting.

[RHP Logging]

Clint go for the husky 390! Ive had 5 of them now. They still have no emissions crap on them.  Open the hell out of the muffler tho and pull the base gasket.  I would totally do it for you for nothing. You just got to get it here.  On this last saw I didn't touch the cylinder ports because I didn't have time at the time, but she runs just fine.  Maybe not as snappy as my ported saws but she digs. I run 1.5 to 2 gals or so a day but usually only 5 days a week unless they are talking serious rain or thaw the following week.  I don't have to work as hard as you! I also have to skid my own wood up.

[CCC4]

Never really thought how much gas a saw uses in a certain period of time. Interesting. I wonder how much bar oil  we go though in a year sometimes?

I hardly ever top off myself mid day, just send my jugs with the skidder Op, however I think it's a 1:2 ratio. 1 gallon of bar oil to 2 gallons of saw gas...should be fairly close unless you have a high output oiler on a long bar.

[CCC4]

Clint go for the husky 390! Ive had 5 of them now. They still have no emissions crap on them.  Open the hell out of the muffler tho and pull the base gasket.  I would totally do it for you for nothing. You just got to get it here.  On this last saw I didn't touch the cylinder ports because I didn't have time at the time, but she runs just fine.  Maybe not as snappy as my ported saws but she digs. I run 1.5 to 2 gals or so a day but usually only 5 days a week unless they are talking serious rain or thaw the following week.  I don't have to work as hard as you! I also have to skid my own wood up.

Bitz my saw was already ordered. I had my choice of anything and picked the 2188. I heard its just a red and black 390. Red and Black are my fighting colors anyway...seen a lot of orange over the last couple decades  ;D It will be here Friday and I cant wait to get one of those red and white checker board bars to throw on it!!

[OH logger]

 CCC4 -just curious if you ever ran a husky 395. and if anyone else knows some easy mods to make that work well to get MORE POWER. love the saws but always lookin to cut a little quicker  ;) same weight +more power=happy logger ;D

[Plankton]

You won't regret that 2188, I have two of them one as my daily driver and one on the landing. They are a 390 but look nicer

Also the straight handlebar is a huge plus for me.

I drilled two 3/8 inch holes and squared them off in the muffler of my old one and woke it up a little bit.
I'm ussually right around 2 gals a day and 1 gal bar oil.

You wanna kill them trees dead nothing beats an old johnny red!

[CCC4]

CCC4 -just curious if you ever ran a husky 395. and if anyone else knows some easy mods to make that work well to get MORE POWER. love the saws but always lookin to cut a little quicker  ;) same weight +more power=happy logger ;D

I have messed around with them a little but never really sat down and cut with one. RHP Logging will know what to do to open them up. I have several people I could suggest to "fix" your saw but I think that would be advertisement and thats not something I can do on open forum. If you want to P.M. me I can give you several credible builder names. RHP Logging can vouch for pretty much the same folks.

[CCC4]

You won't regret that 2188, I have two of them one as my daily driver and one on the landing. They are a 390 but look nicer

Also the straight handlebar is a huge plus for me.

I drilled two 3/8 inch holes and squared them off in the muffler of my old one and woke it up a little bit.
I'm ussually right around 2 gals a day and 1 gal bar oil.

You wanna kill them trees dead nothing beats an old johnny red!

Im pretty excited man! Just something I have been wanting. I need speed but without sending a saw off to get ported...I want gas mileage. I kno I know...cant have both but we will see what I can do with the 2188. In the meantime the 661 is going on vacation and prolly come back a gas guzzling beast! !

[RHP Logging]

Clint go for the husky 390! Ive had 5 of them now. They still have no emissions crap on them.  Open the hell out of the muffler tho and pull the base gasket.  I would totally do it for you for nothing. You just got to get it here.  On this last saw I didn't touch the cylinder ports because I didn't have time at the time, but she runs just fine.  Maybe not as snappy as my ported saws but she digs. I run 1.5 to 2 gals or so a day but usually only 5 days a week unless they are talking serious rain or thaw the following week.  I don't have to work as hard as you! I also have to skid my own wood up.

Bitz my saw was already ordered. I had my choice of anything and picked the 2188. I heard its just a red and black 390. Red and Black are my fighting colors anyway...seen a lot of orange over the last couple decades  ;D It will be here Friday and I cant wait to get one of those red and white checker board bars to throw on it!!

Yeah I know it's the same saw. Just busting yer chops a little. I'm glad you at getting away from Stihl.  Stihl guys can be so elitist. I've run both brands in a production setting and they both have their flaws. I've never run a jred. No dealer around here that I know of.

[RHP Logging]

I gutted the muffler on the last one I had and cut the opening up as much as the factory deflector would allow. Inside the muffler is a almost like a tube so the exhaust hits the front of the muffler and then finds its way to the tube and out the side.  I cut that tube out.  I loved the way that saw sounded at idle.  Like it demanded respect or it would kick your butt. Anyway I removed the base gasket and used a permatex sealer to put the jug back on the case.  You have to make sure your squish isn't much tighter than .018 or so. If it is too tight you can use other material for a gasket. This bumps your compression from 150 stock to 180s or so. My husky 390 I bought a year ago is still at 170 for compression.  I don't cut as much as Clint does but like I said still 1.5-2 gal per day 5 days a week. You can also take a dremel to the cylinder ports but that's a little more in depth.  Start with the muffler and gasket drop and you will see big improvements.  I don't get how anyone can run a stock saw. You may burn more gas ported but you will make  substantially more money per day.  Like cutting another 1000bf per day.

[treeslayer2003]

Clint go for the husky 390! Ive had 5 of them now. They still have no emissions crap on them.  Open the hell out of the muffler tho and pull the base gasket.  I would totally do it for you for nothing. You just got to get it here.  On this last saw I didn't touch the cylinder ports because I didn't have time at the time, but she runs just fine.  Maybe not as snappy as my ported saws but she digs. I run 1.5 to 2 gals or so a day but usually only 5 days a week unless they are talking serious rain or thaw the following week.  I don't have to work as hard as you! I also have to skid my own wood up.

Bitz my saw was already ordered. I had my choice of anything and picked the 2188. I heard its just a red and black 390. Red and Black are my fighting colors anyway...seen a lot of orange over the last couple decades  ;D It will be here Friday and I cant wait to get one of those red and white checker board bars to throw on it!!

Yeah I know it's the same saw. Just busting yer chops a little. I'm glad you at getting away from Stihl.  Stihl guys can be so elitist. I've run both brands in a production setting and they both have their flaws. I've never run a jred. No dealer around here that I know of.

elitist......what? i just run what fits mah hands bro.

[danbuendgen]

RHP,
How does removing the base gasket boost compression? What type of Permatex did you use instead of the gasket?
As far as the muffler mod, I did one years ago on my 390. But I just cut a hole on the side of the muffler and got a deflector (which as rattled off that this point), tuned it, ran it. Nice and loud. For gutting the muffler, did you just cut the muffler in half and weld it back together? Any pictures to share? I just picked up a 395 for the landing, I plan to do the muffler mod soon for this saw. I assume that removing the base gasket would raise compression on a 395 as well?

[OH logger]

does that mod work on the 395 shorten the life of the saw or any of its parts at all?? I may be interested

[RHP Logging]

Porting a saw will actually allow it to run cooler.  A wider exhaust port on cylinder and muffler allows a larger volume of exhaust gas to expel more quickly.  It also draws in more air and fuel hence the greater power but also worse gas milage.  When you remove the OEM base gasket and use s sealant it drops the roof of the cylinder and tightens the squish band giving it more compression. A stock saw should have 145-150 new. When tightening the squish you can get more like 170-190 depending on the saw.  The rest of the port work is icing on the cake in my opinion. The goal is to increase the flow of the system be rounding the corners and removing the bottlenecks.  I haven't run a stock saw in 7-8 years.  I buy a new saw every year and the only thing thst isn't worn out is the piston and cylinder. They will still give better than stock compression numbers.  With about four hours of work on a saw I can get it to run about 20% over stock.  So a 90cc that runs like 110 cc.  It's also snappier on the throttle.  Even a second or two on every cut faster will add up to minutes and eventually hours of more wood cutting. Thsts money in the bank.  I use a gas resistant permatex.  I think it's #2.  I haven't had a seal fail yet. As far as the 395 muffler, I cut the deflector off and then used a dremel to cut the tube out and removed it that way.  Then I welded the deflector back on.  My 390s have 3 ports in the mufflers.  They like to breath.

[treeslayer2003]

permetex is suposed to make a sealant like yamabond, but my napa here can't find it.......

[RHP Logging]

permetex is suposed to make a sealant like yamabond, but my napa here can't find it.......

Get online I would think. You're one of the good stihl owners.  Some guys bash anyone who doesn't run em.

[RHP Logging]

Yep i just looked it up it is number 2. Walmart has it for under 4 bucks a tube.

[celliott]

I've got a 395 I use for milling, and the base gasket is removed, it's got 220psi compression! Gotta use the decomp and be careful starting that thing.