MS460 Magnum

[joe_indi]

We get only the standard MS460 saws here in India.
I would like to know how the 460 Magnum compares with this standard 460.
Maybe Magnum users on the forum could help me out.
Going by the parts list the following parts differ from the standard MS460:
Carb: Magnum has a carb without limiter caps.
Jet size: Magnum has a 0.76 jet instead of the standard 0.68.
Muffler: The Magnum muffler has a secondary outlet on the exhaust cover.The primary outlet too seems to be shaped differently.
Joe

[Ed]

Joe,
Our 460's still carry the "Magnum" sticker, but I think thats the only "Magnum" thing about them. The factory dual port muffler is long gone and all saws have the limiter caps on the carb screws.
My 046 is an original dual port saw, it's way above todays 460 (unmodified) in performance.
I just finished up a dual port conversion on a friends brand new 460. I added the dp front cover, after opening the slot up about another 1.5mm in width. The primary port was also opened up to 14 to 15mm diameter (this is really close to the original diameter on my saw). Many people will remove the internal baffle, I drilled 6, 8.0mm holes in it.
I didn't do anything with the carb, the dealer had it set to the rich side of the limiter. I told the owner it was probably running a little to fast and he needed to take it in for an adjustment.
The results were nothing short of impressive. The saw revs up much faster and power in the cut was greatly improved. The owner was highly impressed, now I have to do his 660.

Ed

[SawTroll]

I don't think the "Magnum" sticker means a thing by today, just a sticker they add on some markets - some years ago it did though......

[joe_indi]

Ed,
I ported the muffler the way you described.
I went a step further by enlarging the main jet using the good ol' safety pin.
The saw really moves now.
The mid range power has gone up, and like you said, there is no noticeable drop in engine rpm while in the cut.
The engine also seems to be running much cooler now.
The parts required for a Magnum are available as spare parts so I have ordered 10 nos of each item.I intend to convert the standard MS460 to Magnums for some of my customers.
These are the dual port muffler (part no.1128 140 0612), the 0.76 main jet(part no.1128 121 5604) and the Magnum Model plate/sticker (part no.0000 967 1593).The three screw carb (part no.1128 120 0626) is available.But with the 0.76 jet is fitted and the limiter caps pulled out,the standard MS460 carb is more than adequate.

Thanks for the inputs.

Joe

[stonebroke]

What kind of forestry is practiced in india? Do you have plantations  or is it all unevenaged. Do you have many paper mills? sawmills? Inquiring minds want to know.

Stonebroke

[joe_indi]

Stonebroke,
I am in the state of Kerala, which is at the southern tip of India.
Rubber trees are grown extensively in Kerala. After 30 - 35 years the rubber trees are no longer productive, so they have to be cut down and the area has to be replanted.
This process goes on every year.
As per statistics about 10 million rubber trees are felled every year over here.
Though my firm (a partnership with two other brothers) introduced chainsaws for this job a decade ago, only about 10% of the total is being cut with chainsaws.The rest is still being cut by manually.
Lack of  operators and resistance from unions being the primary reason.
But shortage of labor is slowly changing the situation.We even have some unions buying chainsaws from us now.
The best thing about cutting down rubber trees is that since it is part of the agricultural practice here, we don't have Greenpeace or environmentalist organizations breathing down our necks in protest.
The other trees being cut down are acacia for paper mills and silver oak in tea plantations for firewood.
Since both these also are grown in plantations, replanting of the species is always done.
Forest wood like teak and rosewood are cut in a smaller quantity from government plantations.
But, the cutting of rubber trees is where chainsaws have an ever growing market.And as long as we have rubber plantations here, we would need chainsaws.
We use more of MS 380(381), MS460 or MS660 from Stihl and from Husquvarna the 372, 575 and 385 in lesser numbers.
Dolmars did make a debut a couple of years back but made an exit shortly.
They kept breaking down due to over-heating.Our gasoline is still below par compared to the fuels available in Europe or in USA.RON is claimed to be at 86, but it is more in the region of 84.We do get a RON 91 fuel but few saw users buy it because it costs more.So lean burn engines find it difficult to survive the fuel and the extreme use the saws are put to.
Working hours in rubber for an average saw starts at 7.30am.Other than fueling stops, it runs till 6pm.At times it continues even till 10pm, working under the headlights of a couple of trucks.
An average chainsaw operator fells and cuts trees down to 10' lengths totaling 30 metric tons.Some of the more experienced operators do about 50 metric tons.   
The rubber wood  used to be made into plywood and packing cases.But now it is also being processed to be used for furniture.
Stihl must have realized the immense potential because they formed an Indian subsidiary 2 years ago.
Joe

[sawguy21]

Thanks Joe, that is very interesting. It sounds very similar to the situation here in the early days of chainsaws. The loggers were resistant to the noise and feared for their jobs but eventually were forced to change for survival.