We ran a Husqvarna distributor van in the late 70’s to early 80’s in Upper Midwest States. We would personally take the Dremel to every new saw we sold. We would just clean em up to be forever saws. We made hot saws to race everywhere. We were Scooter Enterprises at the time. All the money we made from saws we put into our race motorcycles 🏍. We had bikes on the track at Daytona.
If you don't mind me asking what was it that you did with a dremel that made them forever saws? How long would you spend on each paticular top end? I'm trying to find a happy medium between porting and just cleaning up casting flaws and chamfering ports. Any help would be greatly appreciated sir.
Lots of love for them Meteor pistons and their topend kits too!!! They are just like the OEM part…there might be a tad bit of difference in some of those shapes and sizes but they are the closest to OEM and they just require a little bit of love and they are ready for a lifetime of service!!! That’s what I put in my work saw’s… 👍❤️🇺🇸🤘🔥🥩
I have a ms660 kit saw from farmertec. I didn’t touch anything in it and just put everything together as it came. I’m really curious to see how long it runs before it blows and see what fails first. I just do firewood, so it might take a while! Putting together a ms440 kit this year and using a hyway top end and stihl bearings. I like the farmertec stuff so far. Makes power affordable for someone who doesn’t use a chainsaw for a living.
I also built an ms440 kit. Stock farmertec cylinder chrome failed at about 12 hours. Replaced with out of the box hiway top end. Very noticeable power difference ) increase). About 45 hours stabbing. Runs strong.
My farmertec 660 blew up a couple weeks ago. The circlip came out on the flywheel side. Bottom end looks like it’s in good shape and I have a hyway top end for it. Trying to decide if i should split the cases and put stihl/skf bearings in it, or keep running the farmertec bearings.
To be vulgar the farmtech is hammered dogshit, although the worst cylinder head that I've ever gotten for a chainsaw was from Italy. I was pretty cruel in porting it, it's on my 268xp and holy hell that thing rips!!!
As for Farmertech, I have used several, and a few other un-branded China cylinders, with mostly good results..I am sure the supplied piston rings are fine, but I almost always use a Caber ring instead, unless it is a kit for a lower-end consumer saw like a Husqvarna 440, 445, etc....as for the pin circlips, I ALWAYS use the ones supplied with the kit..same with the piston pin..some guys like to use OEM circlips in them, but I have found that the grooves in the piston are machined for the supplied clips, and often the OEM ones do not fit correctly..sometimes too loose, sometimes too thick or thin..I'm afraid the OEM ones will come out like that, so I'd rather take my chances with the supplied ones..yes, the China cylinders are definitely hit and miss..sometimes they are machined very well, other times there are quite a few flaws, and they have to be cleaned up..OEM and Meteor kits are better for sure, but I have found most cheap cylinder failures have been because someone had, say, a Husky 51 or 55(very common ones) that toasted a top end, and the owner threw a new China top end on it without finding the air leak that caused the cylinder failure to begin with..and surprise, surprise, it doesn't last long..but the "cheap cylinder" gets blamed... :)
I built for my father a Husky 51, I bought it with a toasted OEM top end, I fitted a new Farmertech 55 cyl/piston. The plating looked good as did the porting, piston looked good too. He is still using it many many years later.
@@MegaDirtyberty ..yes, you really got lucky, then..usually, there is an underlying cause of the initial failure, and when lay-folks just replace the bad parts, the underlying cause re-surfaces, and presto-you have the same failure again...
@@dyer2cycle I wasn't expecting much but the p/c looked top notch, ports also measured to be in the same places as the OEM p/c, was surprised from Farmertech.
YES, YES!..very true about an underlying cause...read my comment again..I mentioned this..I've been doing this for 30+ years, so it wasn't my first rodeo...all too many times, a lay person just buys a Farmertec kit online, installs it, and calls it good..then when it blows again after a few tankfuls, he blames it on the Farmertec kit, because he didn't identify and fix the underlying cause for the initial failure...
The variations in combustion chamber were very interesting to see. I’ve been very happy with porting Hyway although there does seem to be a more noticeable brittle aspect to their plating compared with OEM. Thanks for taking the time to make this - good solid observations and information.
Thanks for the honest review. Its been years since I used a Hyway because of how bad the last one was. Poor casting and port shape etc. Looks like they are much different today.
I used the Meteor kit when I built my 288, I hogged the lower transfers, deleted the base gasket (gotta trim the carb support plate if you go that route), raised the exhaust to 100*, plugged the decomp…. It’s hard on starter ropes but it pulls a 30” full comp chisel with authority…. 288’s make a lot of compression, with that hiway kit you’ll likely be north of 220psi with a gasket delete…. If you want to go nuts grab an 066 piston and machine a pop up out of it but you’ll NEED a decomp… think you’ll need the 066 wrist pin and bearing too. Now the 365xp I built got a 372xp Warhawk top end, needed tons of hogging in the transfers and intake/exh, the wrist pin was tight, there was still circular casting marks in the combustion chamber from casting, needed to grind the burrs out of the upper transfer ports…. But I wouldn’t expect anything less than that on a $60 top end.
i think considering the farmtec is a hundred minimum less, i would try one, chamfer it out and clean it up.. I have a farmtec 070 that has been amazing for almost two years now and it is used pretty heavily on a chainsawmill. it has needed zero work or parts minus one pull rope.
The cheaper the price of the part that’s the more “Quality Control bench final finishing station work” that you will need to do to have a good quality results… that’s the way that I started thinking about the aftermarket parts and what they really cost…it’s their initial price point and your hour’s of “necessary finishing work to get it to a good running condition. Please folks remove the little tab off those cheap C-clips and don’t install them with those ears on them because they pop out and kill your engine… ! Listen to the TinMan!!!
I run a crane in a scrap yard. I also heat my house with wood. All of my saws were pulled out of the scrap pile. I love working on saws. Guess what showed up yesterday... husky 372xp! I haven't had time to look at it yet, but I'm thinking of porting a big bore kit. I can't friggin wait.
Moi je comprends rien à l'anglais quelqu'un peut me faire un tout petit résumé en français. Moi j'utilise Meteor du coups c'est bien ou pas? Merci beaucoup beaucoup
Thank you Tinman for pointing out the various after market characteristics. Nice to know what to look for when rebuilding a saw. Budget is important but most of the time you get what you pay for and the saw will run for some time either way. Hyway definitely looks like a solid mid price range high quality brand. That's where I'm going for my saws going forward. Now having said that... I put a $56 complete top end on my 55 husky and it has been cutting 20 to 30 cords for the last three years without issue🤞. Maybe just got lucky. But it will be Hyway next time, for sure. Thanks again, all the best to you, the Mrs. and baby. Take care Tinman, Mahalo 🤙🤙🤙
If you just need to get an old saw up and running on a budget, the farmertec kit will do that, and probably work well if you can put in a little clean up work. But it was pretty rough and ready 😅 For my money, the Hyway kit looks solid. Best casting on the cylinder and piston, o.e. transfer holes in the piston, biggest squish band, and second cheapest. Lovely. 😊
Get you a roll of the 6’x300’ of the filter fabric and scrap and grade then spread your old material then top dress with your new… it’ll keep it from sinking into your soils and being a mess… I wasn’t big on the filter fabric until I really built some larger stone driveways and patios… you gotta have it… at one place we welded up a wedge with three panels of expanded metal sheet so we could reclaim their 20 years of stone… then graded it with good drainage then the material layer then the stone and then the top dress of stone… compaction between your laying is key to making a solid grade that will stay there for quite a while…. If you just dump your stone over a clay or sand base then it’ll just continue to sink over time…. 👍😁
Another great video post, I respect your opinions. I been busy cuttin and chopping lately since winter set in. I been utilizing my 3.5' Manual crosscut giving my Homelite SuperXL a break. Getting alot quicker cutting through logs without stopping for breaks. My uncle rebuilt my saw and he did an awesome job. I gave him my MS250 and now im considering on getting a Husky460 but not too sure👍👍
You have to really check the circlip grooves. Sometimes they arent real deep or have bits of crud in them. I like to clean them out and make them deeper.
Very big difference between the different brands. It clearly shows that spending a bit more money is well worth it in the end for performance and longer life.
That basic Hyway kit is 20times the quality… and those Hyway rings are a little softer and they are designed to ware and not kill their lining in the cylinder where a Caber ring will be cutting down that cylinder lining more! Not a good deal… should run their rings in that standard quality bore… Cabers in the titanikel don’t matter!! They are worth the double that super cheap price because there’s way less finishing work and much better quality and a much stronger cylinder lining!!! Way way way better quality!!!
I think another aspect is longevity. Alloys and the base materials make a huge difference in how long something is going to last. Homeowner using a saw 3 times a year to clear storm damage is different from a logger using a saw every day for 8 hrs a day.
Aluminum and all its diffrent alloys just as well be apples to oranges, I build towers and marine fabrication, no 2 grades of aluminum are alike , especially as far as expansion due to heat and cold
There’s definitely a lot to that cry once… in those $100 dollar type topend options… I’d be curious which of the Hyway or meteor pistons fit that older oem the best??? I’d definitely try to clean up the used cylinder first then I’m going meteor kit… It is pretty embarrassing that the 25 year old Husqvarna still has a better tolerance than the new Farmertec!!!😂😂😂👍
The Husqvarna is probably a Mahle or Gilardoni if it's older...I do think Husqvarna either makes a lot of their own cylinders now, or has them made for them by some undisclosed supplier(China or Taiwan maybe?)..not sure..
I built a 288 for myself in January. I used the Meteor jug with a popup piston. The piston was a bit pricey at $40 but I'm pretty sure it's not Asian. The box is marked lil red barn. I didn't feel comfortable with the bearings or seals so out they came. Used an OEM 394 carb. She pulls a 42" bar like a wildman.
I bet she does pull with that carb, he k yeah, always improving where we can, I can tell ur a sharp man, I bet shes got gooobs and goooobs of torque with the 394 carb
@@travisweldmaster7815 actually I only started doing this in the past year. I have many years using these saws but professionally I was a helicopter pilot. 😆 Kind of an odd mix but I've enjoyed the mechanical side of everything since I was a kid.
Intake and exhaust passage roughness may contribute to turbulence which may help with fuel and air mixture on the intake side. Exhaust should be smooth to allow faster flow!
..and I agree 100% with your assessment that Farmertec would not be the way to go if you are going to spend hours porting it to make more power..just clean them up a bit and use them on stock bread-and-butter saws.. :)
It seems some of the am cylinders are generic or even maybe blems from larger companies, I have picked up claimed blems from hyway but nothing said hyway but looked identical and just as clean as a hyway cylinder and have had others similar to that farmertech in way of being dirty, and a few in-between. I have used a couple laser topends not sure who makes them claimed to be made in Brazil so I was told and they were in between the hyway and farmer tech but I would say closer to the hyway in being clean wise as for casting marks. Just my experiences
Have you ever used the Dukes stuff? Picked up a moly coated piston and wasn't impressed coating mostly wore off after half dozen or so tanks of fuel, reused a oem cylinder took the cleanest tightest cylinder one i had, wasn't impressed by the coating wearing so darn fast
I think Dukes is hit and miss. Got a nikasil kit for a Husq 55, worked great. Got another one for another 55. It scored the ring just slightly. Lost compression, shut right down. Took it off and was surprised to see alot of wear on the piston skirt along with a mark on the ring. Dukes told me it was probably from dirt. Now after seeing this video I have to wonder if it was from a rough exhaust port chamfer. Cleaned it out good first so I didn't really buy their dirt theory. Put another chrome cylinder kit on the same saw and its running great now.
@@fabzacres-blackcat that is the plan. Cost me $419.00 Plus shipping and handling. Looks like the original. Keepin my fingers crossed it makes her run like she use too.
Hey Tinman, can i ask would using oem rings with a farmertec cause premature wear or failure because of the difference in materials? im building a stihl 070 kit and the oem rings here are only £5 and cant source caber rings..if anyone else can help either to would be much appreciated! thanks!
Your 281 jug is a super peach!!! That’s a real testament to the husky quality…25 years worth of opti-2!!! That’s a freaking beautiful cylinder and piston!!! Just beautiful!!! There’s a ton of life left in that cylinder!!! With the $50 dollar meteor piston kit!!! Great video buddy!!!
It would be interesting to see a longevity test between the OEM, Meteor, and Hyway cylinder kits in a m-tronic or auto-tune saw. Pull the cylinders at 2000 hrs and compare them. When I order either a meteor or hyway kit I always ask the seller which one is better for a full time logging saw, they are still telling me Meteor. When and if I get 2000 hrs on a Hyway cylinder I will compare them. You would be hard pressed to find even a new OEM cylinder made better than the OEM ones 25-30 years ago Husky or Stihl. Whichever kit you choose make sure the ports are chamfered and smooth up the edges on the piston.
Most saws don't reach 2000 hours of work time, for most average joes. Sure its possible, but most ppl don't do the maintenance needed for such a lifespan or higher. Failure to regularly clean the air filter, 50:1 gas-oil ratio instead of 40-30:1 leading to premature crank bearings wear, bad carb tune on the lean side creating scoring on the piston etc. These will kill your saw way before normal wear.
@@em4703 Poor maintenance, dull chains and bad mix/fuel kills alot of saws. According to the frequent CST readings on the 592xp I cut with I have been averaging 5 hrs a day of run time on that saw, so ideally it will hit 2000 hrs in 400 work days with the OEM cylinder. Most days I run seperate saws for felling and buckn. I have a pair of Stihl Arctic 046 saws purchased new and used for logging full time for 25 years (comparing to the age of the 281 in the video) I would say at this time both have at least 20,000 hrs on them. Both have had new carb kits, a couple of tank handles, brake handles, wrap handles, bearings, clutches, carb boots, pistons and rings but both are still running with the OEM cylinders, crankcases, crankshafts, oil pumps, they came with. I have several 064s and 066 saws that have held up better than the 046's with similar hours. Most loggers are not still running 25 year plus old saws but I think it's important to share with you my personal experience with saws so you have something to compare to with what to expect from a well maintained pro saw.
Thanks for the comparison, bought a Farmertec once, open the box and found it in the same condition. Put in on the shelve it is still there 3 years later. I like the Hyway, rebuilt quite a few saws, always had good luck with those kits.
TH-cam shows me stuff late. The meteor top I put on a saw I built. I put it next to a oem saw while they both idle on concrete. the oem bounced around, while the meteor sat like a bull. cut great. I always use oem pins and clips. the stihl pin is a little lighter. I would always replace with the meteor. i like wolf creek too. thanks
I put the $25 dollar Duke’s moly popup piston in the 088 Stihl rebuild… better numbers and that lighter popup and that 088 became quite a angry girl!!! She’s yanking that 42” bar like it stole something!!! LMFFAO!!! That Hyway piston has some nice looking window’s!!! That Hyway cylinder is going to make more power with the smaller chamber and bigger windows… I would save the $50 bucks after watching this video!!! Love your use of my “Mo-sheen’s”… verbiage… I uncle from Indiana/Michigan said Mo-sheen’s!!! When he was talking hill racing cycles…. When your brains wide awake and you are clicking on all 8!’ Or in our case’s now… all one!!! LMFFAO! We are down to just a single cylinder… pure and raw!!! 😂😂😂😂
Ive not done many top end replacements, but so far, ive used Hyway 3 times, and Farmertec 1 time, no Meteors yet. The first i did with Farmertec, it worked OK, but like you, i was not very impressed with their fit and finish. I did do a bit of smoothing and chamfering to it, although the price is quite low, i decided to tey something a bit better and also a bit pricier. I did a Husky 440, an Echo CS-370, and my Farmertec 372xp with the Hyway top ends, i was impressed with the Hyway, the looks and the performance were quite good. I may try Meteor in the future, but i dont feel like I'd go far wrong with Hyway. Thanks for your review on these brands. ~Chris~
Excellent sir! My wife is always excited to hear what TinMan taught her husband, sometimes... I find you're best watched around 1.75 speed with my trigger finger on the pause button. Why? Cause I need more exposure to your wisdom, and I don't have that much time. The cutaways are excellent as well. THANK YOU! -- Retired software engineer. -- North Central Florida -- 12.19.2022
I had crap luck with farmer tec and only tried them once. The cylinder was replaced, but was still not great. The bearings didnt fit in the seals by .020" in diameter. Oem for me.
Did I hear you say Opti 2 in the video? I have always looked at it at Walmart wondering. Is that an oil you run and or recommend? I usually run either Echo Red Armor or Husky XP a little heavier than 50:1.
Farmertec has lost my business. The pistons are very soft and there were problems with bearings not fitting in seals (.020" interference fit), transfer cover screws that were stripped out, ports that were hogged out by someone, and a complete lack of customer service. I tried them twice and was burned both times. I tell everyone I talk to, not to use the stuff.
When you say Farmertec doesn't last, is it opinion, hearsay or actual experience of failure? I have also heard people say they wont go near meteor because they are rubbish. You know what they say about opinions.
I am rebuilding a 288 with a toasted top end for an arborist customer, he wanted to know what cylinder to use and I told him Meteor so he got the Meteor piston/cyl kit, kinda disappointed in the finish considering people rave over them, while not bad it does have imperfections. A little flash and casting imperfections in the transfer ports and some in the intake and exhaust ports, not enough to get the dremel out but they are there, I also had to clean the flash out of the piston port windows, It came with the Caber F ring. It's getting new gaskets, bearings, seals, piston/cylinder, new rubber anti vibe mounts and tank handle because it's warped. I have deleted the base gasket, It should be a good running saw when I am finished with it.
Just finished my G660 bb port and tickle. I will be porting the exhaust via TIG braze. I have got to say of the very few cylinder heads that I ported, the farmtech had so many impurities in the aluminum it wasn't even funny. I'm no aluminumologyt, I deal with mostly 7075 at work though.
I'm mainly anodized towers at this point, marlin magazine covers ect,, start low amperage and turn ur pos up to 25/75 let it cook for a few sec where ur going to weld let that cleaning action cook the crsp out before you puddle, world of difference, not saying your wrong just what I do on dirty cast. And anodized...250-300 amps ac on off switch 25%ckean+, and 75 pen-, blast dap, skip blast dab, zkip and so on. 100npercent pen an nothing but shiny dimes
Oh and I love tig brazing, it blows people's mind who arnt In the industry, gold dimes of all diffrent materials stuck together and about as strong as 3000 series aluminum easily, pretty good to not actually be fused
I wonder if mine has lasted flawlessly for years now big bored pop up piston, ported, 52mm, piped...solely because I never ran the factory jug or piston and didnt break of plating to eat up the bottom end and bearings, just went straight to bb ported pop up and piped keeping the crap farmer cylinder completely out the picture?
So ive been just pinging back and forth on what saw to get for mostly milling but also some falling. Im looking at the 660 or the neotec version but idk if i should get just the base parts kit and get a big bore and some other upgrades and build it up right off the bat. Also note it would be the first saw ive ever actually dug into
I know this an off topic question, but is there any other piston/ cylinder I can use to repair my Stihl 041 ? I was thinking maybe an 044? I take and exhaust are on the same side
Aftermarket top ends opens up a can of worms depending on what you're going to do with them If you're a porter cylinder lining is very important not so much Port shapes due to you're going to alter them anyway to your specs and numbers For the bolt-on consumer meteor always running on the top end of things not too bad out of the gate Farmer tech is usually all over the place and very thin lining!!!!! You get what you pay for! Highway not a bad lining but ports are usually misshaped and need some work!
We ran a Husqvarna distributor van in the late 70’s to early 80’s in Upper Midwest States. We would personally take the Dremel to every new saw we sold. We would just clean em up to be forever saws. We made hot saws to race everywhere. We were Scooter Enterprises at the time. All the money we made from saws we put into our race motorcycles 🏍. We had bikes on the track at Daytona.
If you don't mind me asking what was it that you did with a dremel that made them forever saws? How long would you spend on each paticular top end? I'm trying to find a happy medium between porting and just cleaning up casting flaws and chamfering ports. Any help would be greatly appreciated sir.
Lots of love for them Meteor pistons and their topend kits too!!! They are just like the OEM part…there might be a tad bit of difference in some of those shapes and sizes but they are the closest to OEM and they just require a little bit of love and they are ready for a lifetime of service!!! That’s what I put in my work saw’s… 👍❤️🇺🇸🤘🔥🥩
I have a ms660 kit saw from farmertec. I didn’t touch anything in it and just put everything together as it came. I’m really curious to see how long it runs before it blows and see what fails first. I just do firewood, so it might take a while! Putting together a ms440 kit this year and using a hyway top end and stihl bearings. I like the farmertec stuff so far. Makes power affordable for someone who doesn’t use a chainsaw for a living.
I also built an ms440 kit. Stock farmertec cylinder chrome failed at about 12 hours. Replaced with out of the box hiway top end. Very noticeable power difference ) increase). About 45 hours stabbing. Runs strong.
My farmertec 660 blew up a couple weeks ago. The circlip came out on the flywheel side. Bottom end looks like it’s in good shape and I have a hyway top end for it. Trying to decide if i should split the cases and put stihl/skf bearings in it, or keep running the farmertec bearings.
Farmertec looks like grinding practice on a budget.
Lol nice
To be vulgar the farmtech is hammered dogshit, although the worst cylinder head that I've ever gotten for a chainsaw was from Italy. I was pretty cruel in porting it, it's on my 268xp and holy hell that thing rips!!!
Yep.
Grinding practice on a budget, I love it.
As for Farmertech, I have used several, and a few other un-branded China cylinders, with mostly good results..I am sure the supplied piston rings are fine, but I almost always use a Caber ring instead, unless it is a kit for a lower-end consumer saw like a Husqvarna 440, 445, etc....as for the pin circlips, I ALWAYS use the ones supplied with the kit..same with the piston pin..some guys like to use OEM circlips in them, but I have found that the grooves in the piston are machined for the supplied clips, and often the OEM ones do not fit correctly..sometimes too loose, sometimes too thick or thin..I'm afraid the OEM ones will come out like that, so I'd rather take my chances with the supplied ones..yes, the China cylinders are definitely hit and miss..sometimes they are machined very well, other times there are quite a few flaws, and they have to be cleaned up..OEM and Meteor kits are better for sure, but I have found most cheap cylinder failures have been because someone had, say, a Husky 51 or 55(very common ones) that toasted a top end, and the owner threw a new China top end on it without finding the air leak that caused the cylinder failure to begin with..and surprise, surprise, it doesn't last long..but the "cheap cylinder" gets blamed... :)
I built for my father a Husky 51, I bought it with a toasted OEM top end, I fitted a new Farmertech 55 cyl/piston. The plating looked good as did the porting, piston looked good too. He is still using it many many years later.
@@MegaDirtyberty ..yes, you really got lucky, then..usually, there is an underlying cause of the initial failure, and when lay-folks just replace the bad parts, the underlying cause re-surfaces, and presto-you have the same failure again...
@@dyer2cycle I wasn't expecting much but the p/c looked top notch, ports also measured to be in the same places as the OEM p/c, was surprised from Farmertech.
YES, YES!..very true about an underlying cause...read my comment again..I mentioned this..I've been doing this for 30+ years, so it wasn't my first rodeo...all too many times, a lay person just buys a Farmertec kit online, installs it, and calls it good..then when it blows again after a few tankfuls, he blames it on the Farmertec kit, because he didn't identify and fix the underlying cause for the initial failure...
Hyway always seems to be more performance oriented. I really like meteor stuff too but Hyway will generally outrun it.
The variations in combustion chamber were very interesting to see. I’ve been very happy with porting Hyway although there does seem to be a more noticeable brittle aspect to their plating compared with OEM. Thanks for taking the time to make this - good solid observations and information.
Anyone can point out European equivalent (counterpart) of “Hyway”? Is it the same as “Evererst” brand?
I use Hyway for almost every customer repair. They are almost tied with Meteor on most aspects, but usually 10-25% cheaper.
The hyway looks great. I think the farmer tech would be great to get a saw running again that will be mostly a display piece.
Thanks for the honest review. Its been years since I used a Hyway because of how bad the last one was. Poor casting and port shape etc. Looks like they are much different today.
Love M.T.L Canada Québec merci ❤😊
man! thx for taking the time to make & compile all this and for delivering this priceless information! 🙏🏽
This video did wonders for my rebuild game thanks Tinman!
Now I’m rolling out hyway pop ups and titankel on my own saws
I used the Meteor kit when I built my 288, I hogged the lower transfers, deleted the base gasket (gotta trim the carb support plate if you go that route), raised the exhaust to 100*, plugged the decomp…. It’s hard on starter ropes but it pulls a 30” full comp chisel with authority…. 288’s make a lot of compression, with that hiway kit you’ll likely be north of 220psi with a gasket delete…. If you want to go nuts grab an 066 piston and machine a pop up out of it but you’ll NEED a decomp… think you’ll need the 066 wrist pin and bearing too.
Now the 365xp I built got a 372xp Warhawk top end, needed tons of hogging in the transfers and intake/exh, the wrist pin was tight, there was still circular casting marks in the combustion chamber from casting, needed to grind the burrs out of the upper transfer ports…. But I wouldn’t expect anything less than that on a $60 top end.
i think considering the farmtec is a hundred minimum less, i would try one, chamfer it out and clean it up.. I have a farmtec 070 that has been amazing for almost two years now and it is used pretty heavily on a chainsawmill. it has needed zero work or parts minus one pull rope.
you get what you pay for very easy to see in this video
Is the baby a boy or a girl, or do you know yet. God bless you and your family.
Gasket delete on 288 with Meteor 26-27 squish after bolting her down on 1184 sealant. FYI.
There's a chunk of casting stuck in the exhaust port threads on the meteor.
The cheaper the price of the part that’s the more “Quality Control bench final finishing station work” that you will need to do to have a good quality results… that’s the way that I started thinking about the aftermarket parts and what they really cost…it’s their initial price point and your hour’s of “necessary finishing work to get it to a good running condition.
Please folks remove the little tab off those cheap C-clips and don’t install them with those ears on them because they pop out and kill your engine… ! Listen to the TinMan!!!
I run a crane in a scrap yard. I also heat my house with wood. All of my saws were pulled out of the scrap pile. I love working on saws. Guess what showed up yesterday... husky 372xp! I haven't had time to look at it yet, but I'm thinking of porting a big bore kit. I can't friggin wait.
That's a great score for sure!!
If a company doesn’t put their name on their product it should tell you they’re not proud of it. If they do it usually means they are.
The spark plugs that comecwirh the hyway kits are junk
Moi je comprends rien à l'anglais quelqu'un peut me faire un tout petit résumé en français.
Moi j'utilise Meteor du coups c'est bien ou pas?
Merci beaucoup beaucoup
Oui
Thank you Tinman for pointing out the various after market characteristics. Nice to know what to look for when rebuilding a saw. Budget is important but most of the time you get what you pay for and the saw will run for some time either way. Hyway definitely looks like a solid mid price range high quality brand. That's where I'm going for my saws going forward. Now having said that... I put a $56 complete top end on my 55 husky and it has been cutting 20 to 30 cords for the last three years without issue🤞. Maybe just got lucky. But it will be Hyway next time, for sure. Thanks again, all the best to you, the Mrs. and baby. Take care Tinman, Mahalo 🤙🤙🤙
You didn’t mention Highway’s pop-up piston ? Would that piston with their barrel give you even more compression?
If you just need to get an old saw up and running on a budget, the farmertec kit will do that, and probably work well if you can put in a little clean up work. But it was pretty rough and ready 😅
For my money, the Hyway kit looks solid. Best casting on the cylinder and piston, o.e. transfer holes in the piston, biggest squish band, and second cheapest. Lovely. 😊
Get you a roll of the 6’x300’ of the filter fabric and scrap and grade then spread your old material then top dress with your new… it’ll keep it from sinking into your soils and being a mess… I wasn’t big on the filter fabric until I really built some larger stone driveways and patios… you gotta have it… at one place we welded up a wedge with three panels of expanded metal sheet so we could reclaim their 20 years of stone… then graded it with good drainage then the material layer then the stone and then the top dress of stone… compaction between your laying is key to making a solid grade that will stay there for quite a while…. If you just dump your stone over a clay or sand base then it’ll just continue to sink over time…. 👍😁
Another great video post, I respect your opinions. I been busy cuttin and chopping lately since winter set in. I been utilizing my 3.5' Manual crosscut giving my Homelite SuperXL a break. Getting alot quicker cutting through logs without stopping for breaks. My uncle rebuilt my saw and he did an awesome job. I gave him my MS250 and now im considering on getting a Husky460 but not too sure👍👍
You have to really check the circlip grooves. Sometimes they arent real deep or have bits of crud in them. I like to clean them out and make them deeper.
Very big difference between the different brands. It clearly shows that spending a bit more money is well worth it in the end for performance and longer life.
That basic Hyway kit is 20times the quality… and those Hyway rings are a little softer and they are designed to ware and not kill their lining in the cylinder where a Caber ring will be cutting down that cylinder lining more! Not a good deal… should run their rings in that standard quality bore… Cabers in the titanikel don’t matter!! They are worth the double that super cheap price because there’s way less finishing work and much better quality and a much stronger cylinder lining!!! Way way way better quality!!!
Only issue is when you’re looking for older saw parts such as pioneers. You’re very limited to farm tech. Sad.
that hyway transfer looks bigger, from the outside it seems to he more of a bulge, maybe more meat(thicker)? or is it also deeper?
My Grandpa would say that farmertec is about like throwing a hot dog down a hallway... Rip papaw.
Fun to se them side by side like that thanks tinman 👍
No comparison to Proline? It's way nicer than farmertec...
I think another aspect is longevity. Alloys and the base materials make a huge difference in how long something is going to last. Homeowner using a saw 3 times a year to clear storm damage is different from a logger using a saw every day for 8 hrs a day.
Aluminum and all its diffrent alloys just as well be apples to oranges, I build towers and marine fabrication, no 2 grades of aluminum are alike , especially as far as expansion due to heat and cold
Thanks for the comparison thinking about rebuilding my ms 390 and the video helped
There’s definitely a lot to that cry once… in those $100 dollar type topend options… I’d be curious which of the Hyway or meteor pistons fit that older oem the best??? I’d definitely try to clean up the used cylinder first then I’m going meteor kit…
It is pretty embarrassing that the 25 year old Husqvarna still has a better tolerance than the new Farmertec!!!😂😂😂👍
The Husqvarna is probably a Mahle or Gilardoni if it's older...I do think Husqvarna either makes a lot of their own cylinders now, or has them made for them by some undisclosed supplier(China or Taiwan maybe?)..not sure..
That is the worst cylinder I’ve ever seen come out of a box. Not worth $28.
What did you mix your Opti 2 oil mixture? Doesn't look bad for 25 years
I built a 288 for myself in January. I used the Meteor jug with a popup piston. The piston was a bit pricey at $40 but I'm pretty sure it's not Asian. The box is marked lil red barn. I didn't feel comfortable with the bearings or seals so out they came. Used an OEM 394 carb. She pulls a 42" bar like a wildman.
Lil red barn is good legit stuff too, I've used numerous of their parts
@@travisweldmaster7815 that was the first I had heard of them myself.
@@DaveJohnsonad5nm lol side note dave Johnson was my construction teacher in high school lol, good fella
I bet she does pull with that carb, he k yeah, always improving where we can, I can tell ur a sharp man, I bet shes got gooobs and goooobs of torque with the 394 carb
@@travisweldmaster7815 actually I only started doing this in the past year. I have many years using these saws but professionally I was a helicopter pilot. 😆 Kind of an odd mix but I've enjoyed the mechanical side of everything since I was a kid.
Thank you very for this clip! It was very-very interesting :)
My question is which one for a poulan 4218 ???
are Nikasil the same as meteor piston? I entered their website and they are advertising Nikasil cylinders
Intake and exhaust passage roughness may contribute to turbulence which may help with fuel and air mixture on the intake side. Exhaust should be smooth to allow faster flow!
..and I agree 100% with your assessment that Farmertec would not be the way to go if you are going to spend hours porting it to make more power..just clean them up a bit and use them on stock bread-and-butter saws.. :)
The farmertec TS350 cylinders I had were nothing like that not as rough anyway.
Anyone know who makes Stens copies of Husqvarnas cylinder and pistons?
It seems some of the am cylinders are generic or even maybe blems from larger companies, I have picked up claimed blems from hyway but nothing said hyway but looked identical and just as clean as a hyway cylinder and have had others similar to that farmertech in way of being dirty, and a few in-between. I have used a couple laser topends not sure who makes them claimed to be made in Brazil so I was told and they were in between the hyway and farmer tech but I would say closer to the hyway in being clean wise as for casting marks. Just my experiences
A lot of Stens saw parts are made in Taiwan. Been a while since I had one in front of me but seemed a little better than Farmertec.
Calling it like you see it isn't dumping on 'em if you're calling out real problems.
👍 I wonder if the farmer tech piston expands more than the better quality pistons?
Absolutely
The pits in the farmatec cylinder will cause lots of detonated. Which will leave it lacking in performance. Would be good for a new porter
Have you ever used the Dukes stuff? Picked up a moly coated piston and wasn't impressed coating mostly wore off after half dozen or so tanks of fuel, reused a oem cylinder took the cleanest tightest cylinder one i had, wasn't impressed by the coating wearing so darn fast
I think Dukes is hit and miss. Got a nikasil kit for a Husq 55, worked great. Got another one for another 55. It scored the ring just slightly. Lost compression, shut right down. Took it off and was surprised to see alot of wear on the piston skirt along with a mark on the ring. Dukes told me it was probably from dirt. Now after seeing this video I have to wonder if it was from a rough exhaust port chamfer. Cleaned it out good first so I didn't really buy their dirt theory. Put another chrome cylinder kit on the same saw and its running great now.
Judging by the combustion chamber and lack of decomp, I'd say that oem cylinder might be a 181
You would think that they would come with a new bearing for the piston too.
Assuming that these are all for the same saw, it would be good to install all 3 stock and cut some cookies with them after a few tanks of fuel.
I’ll stick with the Hway one😂😂😂😂
Got an old stihl 064. Whats the best recommendation for a replacement cylinder and piston kit?
Oem KS jug and slug … make lotsa ol school power
@@fabzacres-blackcat that is the plan. Cost me $419.00 Plus shipping and handling. Looks like the original. Keepin my fingers crossed it makes her run like she use too.
Hey Tinman, can i ask would using oem rings with a farmertec cause premature wear or failure because of the difference in materials? im building a stihl 070 kit and the oem rings here are only £5 and cant source caber rings..if anyone else can help either to would be much appreciated! thanks!
Looks like Hyway is a real good choice. Thanks Tinman!
Cant go wrong(from experience)
What about that scratch on the side if that hiway piston
Your 281 jug is a super peach!!! That’s a real testament to the husky quality…25 years worth of opti-2!!! That’s a freaking beautiful cylinder and piston!!! Just beautiful!!! There’s a ton of life left in that cylinder!!! With the $50 dollar meteor piston kit!!! Great video buddy!!!
Wonder what my 1985 Stihl 028 super wb looks like 36-37 years of hard run and never been torn down. Still running and just put new carb on this year.
Got ms361 to help with hedge, with full chisel chain which can't find for 028 20"
Be nice to know the difference in squish between the three...?
It would be interesting to see a longevity test between the OEM, Meteor, and Hyway cylinder kits in a m-tronic or auto-tune saw. Pull the cylinders at 2000 hrs and compare them. When I order either a meteor or hyway kit I always ask the seller which one is better for a full time logging saw, they are still telling me Meteor. When and if I get 2000 hrs on a Hyway cylinder I will compare them. You would be hard pressed to find even a new OEM cylinder made better than the OEM ones 25-30 years ago Husky or Stihl. Whichever kit you choose make sure the ports are chamfered and smooth up the edges on the piston.
Most saws don't reach 2000 hours of work time, for most average joes. Sure its possible, but most ppl don't do the maintenance needed for such a lifespan or higher. Failure to regularly clean the air filter, 50:1 gas-oil ratio instead of 40-30:1 leading to premature crank bearings wear, bad carb tune on the lean side creating scoring on the piston etc. These will kill your saw way before normal wear.
@@em4703 Poor maintenance, dull chains and bad mix/fuel kills alot of saws. According to the frequent CST readings on the 592xp I cut with I have been averaging 5 hrs a day of run time on that saw, so ideally it will hit 2000 hrs in 400 work days with the OEM cylinder. Most days I run seperate saws for felling and buckn. I have a pair of Stihl Arctic 046 saws purchased new and used for logging full time for 25 years (comparing to the age of the 281 in the video) I would say at this time both have at least 20,000 hrs on them. Both have had new carb kits, a couple of tank handles, brake handles, wrap handles, bearings, clutches, carb boots, pistons and rings but both are still running with the OEM cylinders, crankcases, crankshafts, oil pumps, they came with. I have several 064s and 066 saws that have held up better than the 046's with similar hours. Most loggers are not still running 25 year plus old saws but I think it's important to share with you my personal experience with saws so you have something to compare to with what to expect from a well maintained pro saw.
@@jason3211 Great tip! The 064, 066, 660 are long lasting workhorses.
Thanks for the comparison, bought a Farmertec once, open the box and found it in the same condition. Put in on the shelve it is still there 3 years later. I like the Hyway, rebuilt quite a few saws, always had good luck with those kits.
Nice comparison. Another great video.
TH-cam shows me stuff late. The meteor top I put on a saw I built. I put it next to a oem saw while they both idle on concrete. the oem bounced around, while the meteor sat like a bull. cut great. I always use oem pins and clips. the stihl pin is a little lighter. I would always replace with the meteor. i like wolf creek too. thanks
Great comparison friend. Thank you for this .!!!!☀️🧬🌙🦾
Looks like your thumb took hammer lol
Thanks for the comparisons pretty cool to see the difference of quality!
Will the loose piston be a problem??
Farmer tec is a stay away from brand for me!
That was fascinating man. Thanks a million
I put the $25 dollar Duke’s moly popup piston in the 088 Stihl rebuild… better numbers and that lighter popup and that 088 became quite a angry girl!!! She’s yanking that 42” bar like it stole something!!! LMFFAO!!! That Hyway piston has some nice looking window’s!!! That Hyway cylinder is going to make more power with the smaller chamber and bigger windows… I would save the $50 bucks after watching this video!!! Love your use of my “Mo-sheen’s”… verbiage… I uncle from Indiana/Michigan said Mo-sheen’s!!! When he was talking hill racing cycles…. When your brains wide awake and you are clicking on all 8!’ Or in our case’s now… all one!!! LMFFAO! We are down to just a single cylinder… pure and raw!!! 😂😂😂😂
Ive not done many top end replacements, but so far, ive used Hyway 3 times, and Farmertec 1 time, no Meteors yet. The first i did with Farmertec, it worked OK, but like you, i was not very impressed with their fit and finish. I did do a bit of smoothing and chamfering to it, although the price is quite low, i decided to tey something a bit better and also a bit pricier. I did a Husky 440, an Echo CS-370, and my Farmertec 372xp with the Hyway top ends, i was impressed with the Hyway, the looks and the performance were quite good. I may try Meteor in the future, but i dont feel like I'd go far wrong with Hyway. Thanks for your review on these brands.
~Chris~
I'm looking for a rebuild kit for a steel 270. What are the websites for the highway and meteor?
Excellent sir!
My wife is always excited to hear
what TinMan taught her husband, sometimes...
I find you're best watched around 1.75 speed
with my trigger finger on the pause button.
Why? Cause I need more exposure to your
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The cutaways are excellent as well.
THANK YOU!
-- Retired software engineer.
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-- 12.19.2022
Are they ebay kit any good
I had crap luck with farmer tec and only tried them once. The cylinder was replaced, but was still not great.
The bearings didnt fit in the seals by .020" in diameter.
Oem for me.
Wicked content ...great review
hi friend, after how many hours do you recommend changing the ring or piston on a 550xp, my piston looks dirty above the ring. Thank you
Can buy brand new 288xp from Malaysia. Still in production
Did I hear you say Opti 2 in the video? I have always looked at it at Walmart wondering. Is that an oil you run and or recommend? I usually run either Echo Red Armor or Husky XP a little heavier than 50:1.
Farmertec has lost my business. The pistons are very soft and there were problems with bearings not fitting in seals (.020" interference fit), transfer cover screws that were stripped out, ports that were hogged out by someone, and a complete lack of customer service. I tried them twice and was burned both times. I tell everyone I talk to, not to use the stuff.
When you say Farmertec doesn't last, is it opinion, hearsay or actual experience of failure? I have also heard people say they wont go near meteor because they are rubbish. You know what they say about opinions.
I am rebuilding a 288 with a toasted top end for an arborist customer, he wanted to know what cylinder to use and I told him Meteor so he got the Meteor piston/cyl kit, kinda disappointed in the finish considering people rave over them, while not bad it does have imperfections. A little flash and casting imperfections in the transfer ports and some in the intake and exhaust ports, not enough to get the dremel out but they are there, I also had to clean the flash out of the piston port windows, It came with the Caber F ring. It's getting new gaskets, bearings, seals, piston/cylinder, new rubber anti vibe mounts and tank handle because it's warped. I have deleted the base gasket, It should be a good running saw when I am finished with it.
That Farmertec cylinder i believe is made by Hanakawa. That marking in a base gave it away.
How are the numbers? Does the Hyway and Meteor come anywhere close to .020" squish with a gasket delete?
Good question, I never mapped my ft oe jug
.027 with 1184 sealant. Yesterday. Close enough for an old saw.
Just finished my G660 bb port and tickle.
I will be porting the exhaust via TIG braze.
I have got to say of the very few cylinder heads that I ported, the farmtech had so many impurities in the aluminum it wasn't even funny. I'm no aluminumologyt, I deal with mostly 7075 at work though.
I'm mainly anodized towers at this point, marlin magazine covers ect,, start low amperage and turn ur pos up to 25/75 let it cook for a few sec where ur going to weld let that cleaning action cook the crsp out before you puddle, world of difference, not saying your wrong just what I do on dirty cast. And anodized...250-300 amps ac on off switch 25%ckean+, and 75 pen-, blast dap, skip blast dab, zkip and so on. 100npercent pen an nothing but shiny dimes
Oh and I love tig brazing, it blows people's mind who arnt In the industry, gold dimes of all diffrent materials stuck together and about as strong as 3000 series aluminum easily, pretty good to not actually be fused
I wonder if mine has lasted flawlessly for years now big bored pop up piston, ported, 52mm, piped...solely because I never ran the factory jug or piston and didnt break of plating to eat up the bottom end and bearings, just went straight to bb ported pop up and piped keeping the crap farmer cylinder completely out the picture?
Anyone have hyway cylinders that need decked I have 2 now both are 40 thousandths without gasket
So ive been just pinging back and forth on what saw to get for mostly milling but also some falling. Im looking at the 660 or the neotec version but idk if i should get just the base parts kit and get a big bore and some other upgrades and build it up right off the bat. Also note it would be the first saw ive ever actually dug into
Great to come back to your vids when l’m doing some saw mods. A great resource. Thanks @Tinman
I know this an off topic question, but is there any other piston/ cylinder I can use to repair my Stihl 041 ? I was thinking maybe an 044? I take and exhaust are on the same side
Aftermarket top ends opens up a can of worms depending on what you're going to do with them
If you're a porter cylinder lining is very important not so much Port shapes due to you're going to alter them anyway to your specs and numbers
For the bolt-on consumer meteor always running on the top end of things not too bad out of the gate
Farmer tech is usually all over the place and very thin lining!!!!!
You get what you pay for!
Highway not a bad lining but ports are usually misshaped and need some work!
Very good. Enjoyed it.
My words mean nothing without proof. Now all mechanical geniuses repeat this statement 100 times a day for a month.
Great vid very informative through comparison. Thank you. Be safe and be careful