346xp vs 357xp

[GAV64]

I have tired arms. I am looking for a saw to compliment my @ 10 year old 272xp 20" bar. looking for a saw to do limbing and blocking with, 16 " bar. Is 346 underpowered am i better off with 357 and 2+ xtra pounds. been using woodsman pro 30 rc on the 272 and would like to use same on new saw. any ideas out there. thanks glenn.

[oldsaw-addict]

It all boils down to what you're willing to spend. If you're willing to spend some extra money you could get a 346XP and have Dozer Dan or EHP modify it for you, They both do GREAT work as many here will agree and the 346 will be FAR from underpowered for you. In fact Dan and EHP can make it almost equal to your 272XP in HP and torque. but with a lot less weight though, sound good? I think it does. then you'll be shipping dan that 272 for mods and then all of your other saws too, followed by the statement "I only saw casually, I can stop anytime I want" when in truth the saws are an addiction. I'm already hooked on sawdust, its not bad beats illegal addictions by far.

[jokers]

Oldsaw has some interesting points. I`d go for the modified 346, in fact I have two.  ;D. This avenue will cost you about a hundred bucks more than buying a 357 off the net but you`ll be asking yourself why you waited so long.

I`m sure that EHP builds a good 346 although I`ve never run one. He does know his stuff and I just had him build a 460 Mag for me. I ran a Dan Henry 346 and then bought one of my own based on that experience compared to my Walkerized 346 and stock 346s. Dan has done so many 346s that you could almost say that he specializes in them.

Russ

[jokers]

FWIW, the 357 is too close in weight to your 272 for you to feel a significant difference in my opinion. I`d go for the 346 in your case, even if you plan on leaving it stock. I would stick with the .325 chain on a stock 346.

Russ

[tony_marks]

  i would agree .. if u got a good 272 .. go with the 346 xp..
 use the money u save to get dan to fix it.. the people i know with those saws ,,kinda talk aboutum with a reverent attitude.

[firtol88]

With all the people around here talkin up hot saws, it really makes me wonder what the tradeoffs are. From building up cars and motocycles I know that there is always a tradeoff somewhere, weather it be something as inconsequential as emmisions/fuel usage or something as important as time between rebuilds or reduced reliability.

Does the porting mostly consist off opening up the back end(exhaust) and tuning the front end to take advantage of it? How do these machines handle the lower back pressure? What effects does it have on the power band (can you get the best of both worlds i.e. higher power & wider band...)?

I have worked on 2 stroke motors but remember very little about them (it was long ago and far away). I do remember that my race bikes needed (not wanted) atleast a minor rebuild after every race where as most stock bikes could run for months without being touched.

Now this could just be a stupid question but do the XP saws require more frequent maintenaince than the other pro saws?

TIA for any answers.

[oldsaw-addict]

This is where most people who are new to or have not worked on a 2 stroke in a while get confused. The porting of a saw is altering the transfer ports in the cylinder as well as getting the muffler opened up. The carb must be adjusted a bit richer when the muffler is modified to prevent lean seizures, the transfer ports are changed by being ground or cut down into the base of the saw more, thus increasing the timing somewhat, and thus enhancing perfomance as well. The transfer ports are a complex thing, Dan maybe you could translate this better than I can. The XP saws are merely a higher perfomance saw with a narrower powerband and the punch is at higher speeds in an XP saw. the non XP saws have a more broad powerband and overall are still great saws. The XP saws require the same maintinence as non XP saws, you have to keep them well taken care of and they're good for many many hours and years of dependable and enjoyable service. I hope I have cleared up your questions for you.

[dozerdan]

Russ
 While I was working on my taxes for last year. I counted the new 346s that I purchased for porting, that's not counting the 346s that customers sent to me. I bought 67 of them last year. I just finished up 5 PP346s yesterday. You should here the sound of 5 PP346s running at a time makes.
 

"Does the porting mostly consist off opening up the back end(exhaust) and tuning the front end to take advantage of it? "
 No
 Muffler mods are only a small part in making a saw work.
 Think of porting as moving the Intake, Exhaust and transfer port. To give you some idea of which way you move them. If the barrel was setting on the saw, you move the exhaust and transfers toward the top of the barrel and you would lower the intake port.


" How do these machines handle the lower back pressure?"
 Some will argue with me on this one. Very little back pressure is needed in a two stroke engine. If you take any saw with a stock muffler, remove the muffler completely, that will eliminate any back pressure, you will see an increase in power.
 Now you have to remember I said muffler. If you are talking about tuned pipes that's a different story. Remove the pipe and you will see a drop in power.

 "What effects does it have on the power band (can you get the best of both worlds i.e. higher power & wider band...)? "
 Yes
 You get the best of both world. You will have a wider power band and more power. Porting a two stroke is not like installing a wild cam in a 4 stroke. You will still have plenty of low end torque and the saw will idle fine.

"I have worked on 2 stroke motors but remember very little about them (it was long ago and far away). I do remember that my race bikes needed (not wanted) at least a minor rebuild after every race where as most stock bikes could run for months without being touched. "
 This isn't the case on a saw with woods mods. I have some PP372 with logging crews that are going on their third year of use. These saws are ran every day, 5 days a week.
 I hope this helps you a little.
Later
Dan

[rahtreelimbs]

I don't know what kind of performance that other builders have gotten from 346's but I will tell you that Dan builds a real powerhouse of a saw!

When I got my first 346 from Dan I didn't realize that it had semi-chisel chain. I just figured that was what Dan put on the saw. Well even with semi-chisel chain this saw is a real jaw-dropper. I can only imagine what it will be like with full-chisel chain!

[firtol88]

Thanks for the indepth response Dan, a woods modded saw is startin to look like a no brainer other than the loss of warranty and the potential that any neighbors may think someone is carpet bombing your property ;D (noise) ;D.

It does raise one question, why did the husky engineers leave so much on the proverbial table  :-/... my guess is EPA/OSHA type guidelines but there could be other reasons.  ???

I'm going to have to decide how important supporting my local shop is to me...