This was the perfect video I’ve recently bought a new 500i and have added all the west coast cover dogs bark box and haven’t quite been sure which way to go with filtration system I really like your 661 cover on the black 500 better flow and looking also I have been very happy with it I have a 661r thought was where it was at now I’m always grabbing the 500 to fall timber and I use my 395 for bucking logs on landing
Great video man, gotta let those things breathe. Especially with the environment they are in all the time, more available filter surface area is never a bad thing!
SUPERB video & explanation on airflow, I think it's critical for people to look at their powerhead's setup (airbox & filter orientation, and how those mate-up to the carb-wall) because in many instances there's inadequate "entryway" into the box in the 1st place, and - foam of flocked or fleece - all filters benefit from a higher-flow "pre-screening" of such entries (think Frog Skinz, although in-practice some 5-min-epoxy, a toothpick, scissors & like 3"x3" of some thin fabric/cheesecloth/foam and you pre-filter the new openings to the box) Then of course make sure the airbox cover is sealing properly to the carb's "wall plate", and the filter itself is sealing that as-well-as the rear of the airbox cover (helps to use heavy grease at these interfaces but nothing replaces 100.0% clean surfaces and intentional, firm, accurate mounting -- just play w/ these mounts & you'll see how much 'slop' there is, I manually "hold" the airbox-cover against the carb-wall while I'm tightening it on IE I'm not relying on the retention screw to seat it, I'm manually seating it and the retention-screw does just that- retain! Also very easy to over-tighten these covers & the carb-wall spindles have cheap threading quite often IME!) That holographic JCS sticker looks SICK especially on the Monster Energy black&green, you've got the best-looking saws online that's for sure!! Happy to have seen what you've done w/ the plain mag-alloy (brushed/etc finishes), very cool trick to have in my repertoire/arsenal for next time (all saws currently 'dressed up' & done, I use RIT's "Dye More", draw in felling sites, but nothing remotely as complete or professional as your stuff, thanks again for posting all this gnarly stuff man it's neat seeing someone in your shoes getting to play the way you do!)
Always glad to see a notification pop up for your channel. I can't wait till my job slows down and I can tinker with a couple saws I have. It's been too long and that itch ain't gettin scratched. Have a good weekend, man. And if there's any gym comps this weekend, good luck to her!
I like the stock filter, all it needs is another foam o-ring on top of the existing one to seal better and the intake stays clean as a whistle. Stock saw of course, once its modded I can see why it would need more air. FYI, oiled foam filters will allow more fines in compared to the stock paper filters, and less compared to a pleated filter (ex K&N style), its kinda hard to see them in the throat of the saw since they're so easily washed away by spitback. So if you cut in dusty condition (not wood dust), use the stock paper filters. They're superior in low micron filtration.
Today i cleaned up an O28av stihl, sharpened the chain and then went to do a test cut. I thought maybe i hadn't gotten the chain sharp, as it took a while to cut through the log. Next, the owner of the saw made a test cut and told me she was cutting awesome! My conclusion is, since i had just been bucking up the same log with my 500i, it barked and ripped through that tree so fast that there simply was no comparison to that O28av!
Boom, you spit the truth there with running pre-filters on pleated filters. When the HD2 filters came out for the 440/460/660/etc, guys couldn't wrap their heads around not having a pre-filter and would throw a sock from the older style filters on there. You can really tell running a saw like a Dolmar 7900 (which doesn't have carb compensation for a clogged filter) that the pre-filter traps a lot of material in the pleats. You can pull the sock off with the saw idling, and it'll all vibrate out in a couple seconds and run full out again without cleaning the pre-filter.
My last company had 1 500i an that turned to 3 of them quickly . We had every series pretty much multiple of each so I always went for the 500i what a beast of a saw unreal an we have 660s , 661s , 881 . Power to weight of that 500 is very impressive
@@johnscustomsaws agreed . We just never put anything big on it we just only ran 24” I believe . The bigger saws had the big bars . John I’ve been watching your video since Jacob of guilty of treeson and I really like the content . Don’t give into the haters
@@Cov930 appreciate it my man 🙏 ... one really good tip is if you are running shorter bar on a 500 you can easily go up to a 8 pin/tooth sprocket... it will give you more chain speed... you probably know that already but if you haven't tried it... it will make a big difference 💯
I watch a lot tree felling...both in the USA and Europe. Strange that I find more European tree fellers use the 500i than the fellers in the USA. But it is good to watch both.
I got one coming. It’s being ported. I was considering just popping an o-ring under the plastic pole that the female end locks into in hopes it would get a slightly tighter seal when locked down. Do you think that will help keep the fines out, or is it almost necessary to get a max flow kit and modify the cover?
Hi John. Im looking to build a logging saw. Doubting between the 500I and 661. I already own both, but Im not sure witch one to run on steroids and use for logging. Any advice would be much much appreciated❤️
I drilled some extra holes on the filter cover of my 460. I wish Stihl would just do the one piece top cover for all saws like with the 462, I have never ran one of those but I imagine the filter stays clean longer. That's why I love my old Husky's.
@@timberray9572 that’s what I’m talking about if I cut for a few hrs with my 460 chips are all in the pleats of the filter. Look at the new 462 no issue and that’s because they finally adopted an air system like the husky saws. I might have to clean a 562/572 filter every two weeks and that’s a lot of use. I have five tanks on a 572 right now and you can’t even tell the filter looks like new.
@@timberray9572 The dust issue can be easily fixed with an extra rubber o-ring added, its stupid it doesn't come from the factory with a bigger seal ring though. I also fixed the saw dust in the creases of the filter due to no air injection by putting a pantyhose over it. Hope it helps. Overall a great saw, but I guess nothing is perfect and this is the price to pay for compactness.
Compressed foam can't breathe. Period. More air is better power. Cleaner burn. Longer tank time. Happier saw. Hell I gapped up my little saws for landscaping. 270 and 170. They like it. And the throttle response is quicker
There was a rumour going around that stihl was going to make a 600i not long after the 500i. It never happened tho. It was going to compete with the 592xp.
Oh really... I never heard anything about it but I can definitely see why they would have wanted to... makes me wonder why they aren't going forward with the fuel injection... maybe they know something we don't 🤷♂️
Cut the vents back and take a screen and cover the outside of the airfilter box. Keeps all the shit from getting in. Cheers, and if you glue it clean you just brush the shit off time to time. I did use cool metal screening too. Ill do a vid soon the cover looks sick and functions.
If air cannot get in then exhaust cannot get out. You can have a monster ported engine with a dual port muffler but if you place your hand over the carburetor then the engine dies. An air filter can restrict an engine's performance regardless of all the upgrades. It has to breath.
I seriously upgraded an Farmertec G660 with STIHL OEM parts. The saw is only used on a mill. I put a foam cover on the stock filter but I do not oil it. When the foam gets dirty we wash it and put it right back on. We leave the plastic factory cover off too. This works very well for us but it may not work in other applications. Maintaining the clutch bearing and using good quality oil is vital to the longevity of the saw. Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you...NEVER LET YOUR SAW RUN OUT OF FUEL.
On the subject of air filtration, I have an idea.. using an automotive air filter (like a great big one made for diesel engines), create a remote filter for chain saws that is worn in a backpack... and rig the saw to pull filtered air through a piping in between. This places filtration in the least exposed place and provides far more filtration surface area. One could (I suppose) also add a small fan in the filtration pack as a blower to charge the air supply line. It wouldn't weigh much and it would provide a lot more air filtration. With a quick disconnect on the air supply line, mobility would not be at all sacrificed. One could cut firewood through multiple tanks of gas without loss of power or need to swap air filters...?
I ran four tanks of gas through my brand new 500i and have it for sale on E-bay. If I set the saw down after normal use it's a bitch to start again. I don't have the energy for that.
Sounds so strange to me. I’ve had mine for 8 months with full time logging putting 40-50 hours on to it every week. Never had any starting issues unless you run it completely dry which is to be expected from almost any saw
This was the perfect video I’ve recently bought a new 500i and have added all the west coast cover dogs bark box and haven’t quite been sure which way to go with filtration system I really like your 661 cover on the black 500 better flow and looking also I have been very happy with it I have a 661r thought was where it was at now I’m always grabbing the 500 to fall timber and I use my 395 for bucking logs on landing
Great video man, gotta let those things breathe. Especially with the environment they are in all the time, more available filter surface area is never a bad thing!
Bless Excellent video. It opens your eyes to what seems to be great from the factory, but really lacks much. Thanks 😊
Good video john! Keep them coming!!
SUPERB video & explanation on airflow, I think it's critical for people to look at their powerhead's setup (airbox & filter orientation, and how those mate-up to the carb-wall) because in many instances there's inadequate "entryway" into the box in the 1st place, and - foam of flocked or fleece - all filters benefit from a higher-flow "pre-screening" of such entries (think Frog Skinz, although in-practice some 5-min-epoxy, a toothpick, scissors & like 3"x3" of some thin fabric/cheesecloth/foam and you pre-filter the new openings to the box) Then of course make sure the airbox cover is sealing properly to the carb's "wall plate", and the filter itself is sealing that as-well-as the rear of the airbox cover (helps to use heavy grease at these interfaces but nothing replaces 100.0% clean surfaces and intentional, firm, accurate mounting -- just play w/ these mounts & you'll see how much 'slop' there is, I manually "hold" the airbox-cover against the carb-wall while I'm tightening it on IE I'm not relying on the retention screw to seat it, I'm manually seating it and the retention-screw does just that- retain! Also very easy to over-tighten these covers & the carb-wall spindles have cheap threading quite often IME!)
That holographic JCS sticker looks SICK especially on the Monster Energy black&green, you've got the best-looking saws online that's for sure!! Happy to have seen what you've done w/ the plain mag-alloy (brushed/etc finishes), very cool trick to have in my repertoire/arsenal for next time (all saws currently 'dressed up' & done, I use RIT's "Dye More", draw in felling sites, but nothing remotely as complete or professional as your stuff, thanks again for posting all this gnarly stuff man it's neat seeing someone in your shoes getting to play the way you do!)
Very cool way to show these problems an fixes thank u
Always glad to see a notification pop up for your channel. I can't wait till my job slows down and I can tinker with a couple saws I have. It's been too long and that itch ain't gettin scratched. Have a good weekend, man. And if there's any gym comps this weekend, good luck to her!
John is straight up inspiration to us saw guys. Im always pumped to get in the shop after watching his stuff. Always.
@@5150powder 💯
I like the stock filter, all it needs is another foam o-ring on top of the existing one to seal better and the intake stays clean as a whistle. Stock saw of course, once its modded I can see why it would need more air.
FYI, oiled foam filters will allow more fines in compared to the stock paper filters, and less compared to a pleated filter (ex K&N style), its kinda hard to see them in the throat of the saw since they're so easily washed away by spitback. So if you cut in dusty condition (not wood dust), use the stock paper filters. They're superior in low micron filtration.
Great info, thanks John, god bless
I love my 500i I also own a 881 powerful saw but VERY heavy. I have a bark box & a max flo filter and it eats wood like crazy👍👍
Great information 👊 cheers
Good info I see your point
Today i cleaned up an O28av stihl, sharpened the chain and then went to do a test cut. I thought maybe i hadn't gotten the chain sharp, as it took a while to cut through the log. Next, the owner of the saw made a test cut and told me she was cutting awesome! My conclusion is, since i had just been bucking up the same log with my 500i, it barked and ripped through that tree so fast that there simply was no comparison to that O28av!
Good job sawrus
Boom, you spit the truth there with running pre-filters on pleated filters. When the HD2 filters came out for the 440/460/660/etc, guys couldn't wrap their heads around not having a pre-filter and would throw a sock from the older style filters on there. You can really tell running a saw like a Dolmar 7900 (which doesn't have carb compensation for a clogged filter) that the pre-filter traps a lot of material in the pleats. You can pull the sock off with the saw idling, and it'll all vibrate out in a couple seconds and run full out again without cleaning the pre-filter.
That is why I don't oil my prefilter. You are exactly right!!!!!
My last company had 1 500i an that turned to 3 of them quickly . We had every series pretty much multiple of each so I always went for the 500i what a beast of a saw unreal an we have 660s , 661s , 881 . Power to weight of that 500 is very impressive
I totally agree... great saw and one of the only saws that is good straight out of the box 💯
@@johnscustomsaws agreed . We just never put anything big on it we just only ran 24” I believe . The bigger saws had the big bars . John I’ve been watching your video since Jacob of guilty of treeson and I really like the content . Don’t give into the haters
@@Cov930 appreciate it my man 🙏 ... one really good tip is if you are running shorter bar on a 500 you can easily go up to a 8 pin/tooth sprocket... it will give you more chain speed... you probably know that already but if you haven't tried it... it will make a big difference 💯
@@johnscustomsaws I see your point . I had an 8th on my 660 an took it off it wasn’t my cup of tea . Looking forward to more videos
@@johnscustomsaws couldn’t agree more, have a ported 500 with 8 pin and 25” square file full comp. Absolutely love it
I watch a lot tree felling...both in the USA and Europe. Strange that I find more European tree fellers use the 500i than the fellers in the USA. But it is good to watch both.
I got one coming. It’s being ported. I was considering just popping an o-ring under the plastic pole that the female end locks into in hopes it would get a slightly tighter seal when locked down. Do you think that will help keep the fines out, or is it almost necessary to get a max flow kit and modify the cover?
👍 wow
Hi John. Im looking to build a logging saw. Doubting between the 500I and 661. I already own both, but Im not sure witch one to run on steroids and use for logging. Any advice would be much much appreciated❤️
So have you tried a modified cover with the stock filter to see if your ported saws are still starving for air?
That black and green is just sexy. Monster logo. Lol
I drilled some extra holes on the filter cover of my 460. I wish Stihl would just do the one piece top cover for all saws like with the 462, I have never ran one of those but I imagine the filter stays clean longer. That's why I love my old Husky's.
There are definitely advantages to that system no doubt 💯
You’d think by now stihl would figure out the air flow but yet they still haven’t. Hell the factory filter doesn’t seat tight and dust gets around it.
@@mattschmitt4038 I have a 260 and a 460 and the filtration is fine on both, they both just get dirty real fast.
@@timberray9572 that’s what I’m talking about if I cut for a few hrs with my 460 chips are all in the pleats of the filter. Look at the new 462 no issue and that’s because they finally adopted an air system like the husky saws. I might have to clean a 562/572 filter every two weeks and that’s a lot of use. I have five tanks on a 572 right now and you can’t even tell the filter looks like new.
@@timberray9572 The dust issue can be easily fixed with an extra rubber o-ring added, its stupid it doesn't come from the factory with a bigger seal ring though. I also fixed the saw dust in the creases of the filter due to no air injection by putting a pantyhose over it. Hope it helps. Overall a great saw, but I guess nothing is perfect and this is the price to pay for compactness.
What about max flow cover for a 661, should I modify the frame??
Do you still work on saws?
Might be a stupid question but when you call it a hybrid, what exactly do you mean? What makes it a hybrid? Curious is all
Compressed foam can't breathe. Period. More air is better power. Cleaner burn. Longer tank time. Happier saw. Hell I gapped up my little saws for landscaping. 270 and 170. They like it. And the throttle response is quicker
They hold inventions back. Why didnt the 400c magnesium piston come with injection? Or the 500i with an magnesium piston?
I thought some of the air was pushed up thru the flywheel area also?
They are Testing the Waters Now
Turbo saw?
There was a rumour going around that stihl was going to make a 600i not long after the 500i. It never happened tho. It was going to compete with the 592xp.
Oh really... I never heard anything about it but I can definitely see why they would have wanted to... makes me wonder why they aren't going forward with the fuel injection... maybe they know something we don't 🤷♂️
hey where i can buy maxflow and bar box (uropa)??
Bonjour peux t on mettre de l huile pour filtre de moto cross sur vos filtres mousse?
Cut the vents back and take a screen and cover the outside of the airfilter box. Keeps all the shit from getting in. Cheers, and if you glue it clean you just brush the shit off time to time. I did use cool metal screening too. Ill do a vid soon the cover looks sick and functions.
I’d like to see that
How rare are they
Congratulations on voiding the warranty
If air cannot get in then exhaust cannot get out. You can have a monster ported engine with a dual port muffler but if you place your hand over the carburetor then the engine dies. An air filter can restrict an engine's performance regardless of all the upgrades. It has to breath.
I seriously upgraded an Farmertec G660 with STIHL OEM parts. The saw is only used on a mill. I put a foam cover on the stock filter but I do not oil it. When the foam gets dirty we wash it and put it right back on. We leave the plastic factory cover off too. This works very well for us but it may not work in other applications. Maintaining the clutch bearing and using good quality oil is vital to the longevity of the saw. Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you...NEVER LET YOUR SAW RUN OUT OF FUEL.
Yea you need to oil the filter or it is not doing anything for the fine stuff
On the subject of air filtration, I have an idea.. using an automotive air filter (like a great big one made for diesel engines), create a remote filter for chain saws that is worn in a backpack... and rig the saw to pull filtered air through a piping in between. This places filtration in the least exposed place and provides far more filtration surface area. One could (I suppose) also add a small fan in the filtration pack as a blower to charge the air supply line. It wouldn't weigh much and it would provide a lot more air filtration. With a quick disconnect on the air supply line, mobility would not be at all sacrificed. One could cut firewood through multiple tanks of gas without loss of power or need to swap air filters...?
I ran four tanks of gas through my brand new 500i and have it for sale on E-bay. If I set the saw down after normal use it's a bitch to start again. I don't have the energy for that.
Sounds so strange to me.
I’ve had mine for 8 months with full time logging putting 40-50 hours on to it every week.
Never had any starting issues unless you run it completely dry which is to be expected from almost any saw
@@SorenConradsen Thank you. I'm going to sell the 500i.
Maybe your fuel is a little old?
LET IT IDLE FOR 30 SECONDS BEFORE SHUT OFF.