MS440 vs. MS 460

magic · March 30, 2004, 11:21:57 PM

Hey guys, I have been thinking about picking up another saw, but I can't decide which one I want to get. Just wondering which saw you guys liked better, the MS440 or the MS460. I will be modifying the muffler on which ever saw I get, if you want to take that into=o consideration. They are so close in size and hp, I was just wondering if you guys could help me out with some personal experiences.

Thanks

oldsaw-addict · March 31, 2004, 04:17:31 AM

I dont really know which one I would prefer to have, the 044 is a nice saw for the money but the 046 is a more powerful saw than on 044 so for me its a tie between them. Go with the one you like best. Theres my .02

redpowerd · March 31, 2004, 04:31:43 AM

addict, have you used these saws? :-/

OneWithWood · March 31, 2004, 06:48:00 AM

I faced the same dilemma and chose the MS440 because of its lighter weight. I put a dual port muffler on it and opened up mixture just a tad. I have very happy with it. I have not cut with a MS460 so I cannot make a fair comparison. Examine the price difference between the two. It might help make up your mind

Bushwhacker · March 31, 2004, 09:10:56 AM

Magic
I have a 460 with a dual port muffler that I really like. I had a 360 but have not used a 440 so I can't compare it . It's a large step up from the 360 to the 460 though.I looked closely at the 440 but I wanted more power to run an Alaskian mill some. I know I need something bigger for the mill but I didn't want to keep buying saws. The 460 works good with the mill (24") and is good for firewood. Judging the way the 360 runs against the 460 with the 440 in the middle, I' d say the 440 is a great saw.I cut mesquite mostly some oak when I can get into it and the 460 never lets up.

Oregon_Rob · March 31, 2004, 10:55:12 AM

You just mentioned that you were looking for another saw, that's pretty open ended. What are you looking to do with this new saw and what other saws do you currently have?

Both have great reputations. The 046 is almost the same weight (like 4 oz more according to the specs, but it takes you from 5.4 to 6.0 hp.

Frickman · March 31, 2004, 11:24:56 AM

I've got a 460 and 044 both. I'll take the 460 over the 044 any day.

Hunter · March 31, 2004, 01:12:10 PM

I also have had both saws. I personally liked the 046 magnum, now the 460.
Good power and decent weight, you should have one ported, they are a real screamer. EHP has one right now that he ported and it will run with 066's and 088's.
The 460 is a power house when unleashed.
Hunter

jokers · March 31, 2004, 04:27:29 PM

Quote..... EHP has one right now that he ported and it will run with 066's and 088's.....
Hunter

That`s my saw, can`t wait `til it gets home.

You might also consider a Dolmar 7900, right Hunter. The best of both worlds, the lighter weight of the 440 with the power of the 460.

Russ

dozerdan · April 03, 2004, 09:46:10 PM

HI Russ
I just finished up that other 460 and its a screamer.

Rob
I just finished up your PP385. I will try to put some time on it this week end.
Later
Dan

Preston · April 04, 2004, 12:40:50 AM

I like them both we have a mod. 044 and a stock 046 that I took and mod the muffler and took and put a Maxi-flow on it and they both scream but for power and weight the 044 is my choice of saw! The new 046 if anybody notice like to lean them selves out after you mod. the muffler at a half throttle! Well I spoke to one of the head guys for stihl at the Oregon Loggers Show and he told me it has to do with the EPA standards that they are trying to meet! They are trying to fix the problem but this problem that I can see only happens after you mod. the muffler! Now to fix it I took an old carb off an 044 and it quit leaning itself out at half throttle and is a screamer! But I tell you the 044 mod job that A-1 Saw shop did for us is just unbelievable and you really have to whatch it with our 044! Its a touchy saw! Sooo all and all there both good saw but if you can get somebody to mod the 044 its my choice because of the carb problem on the 046!
Preston

Hunter · April 04, 2004, 08:36:59 PM

The 7900 is definatly one to consider, it really runs well.
Hunter

jokers · April 04, 2004, 09:06:36 PM

QuoteThe 7900 is definatly one to consider, it really runs well.
Hunter

Especially if you have Dan Henry port it for you. Unstoppable is a term that I`ve heard used to describe a Dan Henry 7900.

Russ

ehp · April 04, 2004, 09:30:02 PM

Hi Russ yes your 460 is ready , i amcutting with it every day and it is almost broken in now , did some carb work and it seems great , i am going to run it against , 372's , 7900 's tomorrow to see where it ends up , to be honest if i can come close to the 7900 i will be very happy cause that mean's a huge gain in power plus i have some loggers here that want to see how it cuts to.
i checked your saw stock and it ran 9200 rpm's in the wood with a 7 pin gear , today it turned 12.200 rpm's in the wood with a 8 pin gear , it seems like a nice saw to run and is not as noise as other ones

dozerdan · April 05, 2004, 10:39:55 AM

Hunter
You are half correct on your post.
Dave Neiger did have the saw but he was just a transporter of the saw. He
hand delivered that saw to Cliff and he worked his magic on the saw. It worked out just fine for us, as I wanted to see some of Cliffs work and he wanted to see some of mine. Eric
did drive up and he picked the saw up from Cliff. He then had the saw
shipped to me. I have it here as we speak. I have disassembled that saw and
I have pictures to prove it. The porting work is first rate and it has some
of the smoothest ports that I have ever seen.
Later
Dan

jokers · April 05, 2004, 11:43:46 AM

QuoteHi Russ yes your 460 is ready , i amcutting with it every day and it is almost broken in now , did some carb work and it seems great , i am going to run it against , 372's , 7900 's tomorrow to see where it ends up , to be honest if i can come close to the 7900 i will be very happy cause that mean's a huge gain in power plus i have some loggers here that want to see how it cuts to.
i checked your saw stock and it ran 9200 rpm's in the wood with a 7 pin gear , today it turned 12.200 rpm's in the wood with a 8 pin gear , it seems like a nice saw to run and is not as noise as other ones

Ed, that`s great to hear. The times that you relayed to me are also very impressive since you reduced cut times by nearly 50%.

For the record, it may strike some of you as odd that Ed is using my saw everyday or that he is letting other people that he trusts run it. I just want to let everyone know that this is what I requested of Ed. He promised to squeeze out every ounce of power this thing can produce as a woods saw and part of that scenario is testing it under different circumstances. I know that Ed has also gone back and made changes after running the saw. This wasn`t a production line build where he just plugged in numbers and called it good enough. Neither one of us was sure what we would end up with after modifying the 460 to this extent. Frankly, heavily modifed 046s haven`t been much of a success story for anyone that I know. It looks like Ed and Dan Henry have both found success with this model recently. They`re both great guys to deal with as well.

Russ

redpowerd · April 05, 2004, 12:19:15 PM

dosent seem odd at all, russ. i think its great that ed takes the saw out and uses it, and tweaks it, breaks it in, ect. that makes for a well-rounded and complete job.

Oregon_Rob · April 05, 2004, 01:10:57 PM

QuoteRob
I just finished up your PP385. I will try to put some time on it this week end.
Later
Dan

8) 8) 8)

Is all I have to say! ;D

ehp · April 05, 2004, 04:39:13 PM

Dan that is good to hear that your Dad is home , i was wondering how he was doing any how .
Cliff is as nice as guy as you are going to find out there and is a very good filer as well .
I know you told me to use the other carb on the 7900's but i stuck to the stock carb and have them working well , it takes 5 minutes to get them to work and one very small drill , i better make sure and measure the drill again to be sure cause i know .002 bigger and it does not work as well, talk to you later

ehp · April 05, 2004, 04:52:21 PM

And i have found you need to drill the carb on the 460 as well because once you get it hauling it needs more fuel to keep it alive as well. Russ i got your top rpm's down to 14400 now out of the wood and picked up over a second in 19 inch rock maple , i most likely will drill the carb again tonight and drop your rpm's down to 14000 with your carb jet set in the middle so you can lean it more or richen it up more, the thing i guess i like about this saw is it is not loud at all and has good power

jokers · April 05, 2004, 05:09:13 PM

It`s sounding better all the time Ed. Thanks!

Russ

dozerdan · April 05, 2004, 11:04:28 PM

Ed
Thanks for thinking about my father and I.
He is home and doing a little better, at least he knows who I am again. He only weighs about 90 pounds no but he is still hanging in there.
I did manage to get the Zamas to work on the 7900s. You are correct about making the hole to large, I did that on the first one and it slowed it down.

Oh well, live and learn.
That 460 that I just built was interesting. I set the carb by ear. Hit the wood pile, made a few test cuts, leaned it out some more. After two days at the wood pile I checked it with a tack and it was running at 14200 out of the wood. I had no idea it was that fast, it sounded like about 13500-13800 to me.
Later
Dan

Oregon_Rob · April 06, 2004, 05:15:46 AM

Dan,
Are you planning on running my saw this weekend? I would like to hear how it stacks up. Are you going to be running any stock saws this weekend, just to keep a few bench marks along the way? :P

dozerdan · April 06, 2004, 06:33:29 AM

Rob
Glad you asked me that question, I was going to email you and ask you if I could keep the saw here until next week. I will try to put some time on the saw to loosen it up a little, its still rather tight.
Stock saws around here are a little scarce, not very many people will run them. I was going to borrow a friends stock, well broken in 385 for the week end. It was used on a logging crew for about 2 years. Last week it decided that the clutch side bearing needed to be relocated, parts when up through the barrel and wiped out the barrel and the piston. Its now past broken in, its just broke.
I am sure there will be a KD385 here to run it against. If I get some time I will run them with the same bar and chain, it should be a close run.
Later
Dan

ehp · April 06, 2004, 07:02:06 AM

Boy Dan . start feeding him what ever you can get into him, I have never seen him but if he is like you in size 90 pounds is not much plus summer is coming and that always picks them up . Hope to see him some day.
Yep you need fuel but you knew that , 16000, and 17000 rpm's sound great to talk about but donot work in the real world like cutting firewood with the bigger saws unless you like changing pistons alot