Best way to add power to a small chainsaw is to learn how to keep the chain sharp. If your MS180 leaks oil, try storing it on it's side with filler caps up. Works for me.
When I bought my MS180 new around 2 years ago, I swapped the factory 16" bar for a 14” 0.05" bar before purchase. What this meat was I was credited back the value of the factory bar and chain which covered (near enough) the cost of the shorter, bigger gauge bare and chain and also meant I didn't have a spare bar and chain I wasn't going to use. Metal dogs and side case tensioner was a no-brainer and these were installed for me by the dealer so I didn't need to worry about anything and it is all covered by warranty. Only downside for the reduced bar length in my mind is there's now less teeth doing the cutting, so they perhaps might dull quicker than with the longer bar. I don't have any way to compare so it doesn't both me. Great little saw, happy little saw. Take care 🤙
Best mods to a MS170 I’ve done is change the saw to a side tension adjustment, then switched it down a 1/4” picco pitch 12” bar which is a narrower kerf chain that allows it to stay higher in the RPM band where it makes more power, and lastly modifying the muffler to be slightly more open but not too much as it kills the low end RPM torque. The adjustable carb does help sometimes but depending on which one you get the gains are truly negligible compared to muffler mods. You can see the difference in RPM from stock muffler to modded vs the carb swap is small.
Three of the best upgrades I did to my MS170 was I advanced the flywheel 1/4", opened up the muffler a little, and went with a 14" 50 gauge bar and chain. If you haven't done the timing advance, muffler mod your missing two of the best secrets to these little saws
for me the best upgrade and the only that make a big deference is the muffler modified , at the stock one the space that the exhaust gases passed through is limited, with the result that it "clog" and lose power, I saw a huge difference in my ms 180 when I opened bigger holes and increased the diaphragm gaps
My ms171 has high and low screws I took my spark screen out kept stopping up I use hp ultra stihl oil but now it runs better I don't use it in the woods just on my property
Not running a stretched chain will keep it like new. I have 6 chains on mine and it still looks like new. Keep your chain sharp and use good heavy bar and chain oil. When you buy bar oil shake the bottle if it sounds like water you don't want it, if it is almost silent it is good thick tacky oil and won't fling off. That will keep your chain from stretching.
I'm ordering a bar cover and bolt kit for my ms 171 changing it to a 2 bolt iv recently put new Oregon chain is little bigger after it gets wore going to a bigger chain and bar still getting 16" bar come on it was junk
4:02 not true. i didnt know anything about my saw yet i switched carbs without breaking anything and took the saw apart for a new engine after a year (it was burnt up from the previous owner.)
I have bought a bigger saw dog for my sthil ms 250 saw as I found when I was cutting wood the dogs were very short and didn’t bite the wood so I had to manually work the saw to get the wood cut 😢 and in the local shop where I can get replacement parts for my chainsaw they only sell the factory made sthil parts for the machines
The worst thing about these is the air filter. The bottom of the engine fills up with dust after a while and that is what destroys the engine. And upgrading this will make them last a long time.
I contacted Stihl about upgrading the chain and bar on my MS180C. They replied that the correct upgrade parts were 3005 000 4813 and 3636 005 0055. Can anyone confirm these before I purchase something that I probably won't be able to return? I want to trust their tech support but humans make mistakes.
It looks to me that those numbers are correct if you want the 16" bar and the slightly better heavier chain. If you do not need that extra 2 inches I would highly recommend the 14" upgrade in the video. It may seem counterintuitive but I think it makes the saw cut much better for small jobs. I have been using it now for almost a year and do not even miss the extra length.
All you need is a Stihl 2in1 sharpener and an education on how to keep your chain sharp. The best upgrade for a MS170 is a 12" or 14" .043 sharp chain. They don't have enough power to pull a 16" good. It is a noticeable difference.
The hipa website search bar is awful. I typed "saw dog" "saw dogs" "bumper spike" "bumper spikes" "felling dog" "felling dogs". "NO RESULTS FOUND" every time.
How is a performance loss an upgrade? You're spending double on the saw only to have it waste more wood, lose reach, burn more fuel, and then wear out faster. As a bonus, this "longer-lasting" chain will be harder to find and more expensive. As for saw-dogs, an MS170 doesn't produce enough torque to need more aggressive teeth, even _if_ you pretend as though there's more torque by increasing the width of the kerf. Thus, upgrade no. 3, which is a compensation made to offset the other modifications, also becomes totally unnecessary (and it voids the warranty). Even in the marketplace of TH-cam videos, _Caveat Emptor._ Taking a machine that has already been engineered to be suitable for a general-use environment and then radically adjusting its balance for no reason whatsoever is a downgrade; no dependability is being added here, and a stock MS170 is a more valuable, and more economical, asset.
The Andreas Stihl family back in Germany pronounces it "Sh till". I've heard "Steel" and "Still" but neither are correct. Yes, the company today does say "Steel" but they started doing this for purely marketing reasons.
I just put some on my 170. It was piss weak in giving a grab on small logs without them. Best thing I have done to the saw yet……apart from moving the chain tensioner to the side
@@MrGazzajif you need Dawgs on a MS170 your chain is dull. The saw doesn't have enough horsepower to horse it into the wood. You should never have to rock your saw to cut through a log. With a sharp chain you got 1 cut straight down just like in the lumberjack competitions, no spikes no seesaw 1 and done.
Adding the metal dogs is the upgrade. But it looks to me like he put them on upside-down. His position will make cutting from the underside of a downed log better. But I do most of my cutting from the top of downed log, and I want the leverage of the dogs to help that.@@azzabouy8243
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Best way to add power to a small chainsaw is to learn how to keep the chain sharp. If your MS180 leaks oil, try storing it on it's side with filler caps up. Works for me.
When I bought my MS180 new around 2 years ago, I swapped the factory 16" bar for a 14” 0.05" bar before purchase. What this meat was I was credited back the value of the factory bar and chain which covered (near enough) the cost of the shorter, bigger gauge bare and chain and also meant I didn't have a spare bar and chain I wasn't going to use. Metal dogs and side case tensioner was a no-brainer and these were installed for me by the dealer so I didn't need to worry about anything and it is all covered by warranty. Only downside for the reduced bar length in my mind is there's now less teeth doing the cutting, so they perhaps might dull quicker than with the longer bar. I don't have any way to compare so it doesn't both me. Great little saw, happy little saw. Take care 🤙
Ya larger wider chains will last a bit longer but take more power to run as its cutting a wider kurf and more weight for the saw
Best mods to a MS170 I’ve done is change the saw to a side tension adjustment, then switched it down a 1/4” picco pitch 12” bar which is a narrower kerf chain that allows it to stay higher in the RPM band where it makes more power, and lastly modifying the muffler to be slightly more open but not too much as it kills the low end RPM torque. The adjustable carb does help sometimes but depending on which one you get the gains are truly negligible compared to muffler mods. You can see the difference in RPM from stock muffler to modded vs the carb swap is small.
Three of the best upgrades I did to my MS170 was I advanced the flywheel 1/4", opened up the muffler a little, and went with a 14" 50 gauge bar and chain. If you haven't done the timing advance, muffler mod your missing two of the best secrets to these little saws
I have a 170 and I’ve done the spikes, muffler and same bar/chain as you but what does the flywheel advance do?
@@shawnmcquade1259 it advances the timing of the spark from the spark plug. It wakes the engine up a bunch and makes it run noticably stronger
@@campnoutdoors1621 ohh that’s sounds awesome I’m gonna look it up and try it, do you have to adjust the idle speed afterwards?
@@shawnmcquade1259 a little bit
@@campnoutdoors1621
What about pre-ignition and detonation.... ????
Interesting video. I'm ordering metal saw dogs right this minute. That plastic protrusion always bothered me as a "wannabe" saw dog.
Ha, ha. Bought & installed dogs just like I said I would. They're for more than looks, although they do look intense. They are sharp as heck.
I have a 04 light 18 in and a super chain on a 180c it’s a mean little saw
for me the best upgrade and the only that make a big deference is the muffler modified , at the stock one the space that the exhaust gases passed through is limited, with the result that it "clog" and lose power, I saw a huge difference in my ms 180 when I opened bigger holes and increased the diaphragm gaps
Mine never ran right no adjustments on government comy carb switched carb with adjustments runs perfect
What carb did you go with??
I have a 170 and bought a w215 to switch with!! Totally different than stock carb!!
@1nrp just buy a aftermarket adjustable one for a ms180.
Thanks for the advice and information,
I like your parts 😊
Will the w215 carb work on my 170??
I didn’t see the saw dog in the hips store. Do you have a link for it? Thank you. Great vids!!
Amazon and you can get the side tensioner with them for $12!
Hi mein Name is gulli.
Where do you bye the carbrator Whitch 3 ajustment scrws?
Thanks for anwere.
What makes the wood pinch the bar when it cuts in a couple of inches
My ms171 has high and low screws I took my spark screen out kept stopping up I use hp ultra stihl oil but now it runs better I don't use it in the woods just on my property
Please be aware that the hipa saw dog does not come with the necessary mounting hardware. The screws you see here are not included. Buyer beware.
this comment needs more likes.
Great post. Bob in Nevada
AND YOU FORGOT To mention the solid rear sprocket can be changed to a industrial one it will outlast the domestic one 2fold.
Not running a stretched chain will keep it like new. I have 6 chains on mine and it still looks like new. Keep your chain sharp and use good heavy bar and chain oil. When you buy bar oil shake the bottle if it sounds like water you don't want it, if it is almost silent it is good thick tacky oil and won't fling off. That will keep your chain from stretching.
What problem with Stihl 170 180? I have Stihl 880 and Stihl 171
Since my 170 came with a 16 inch bar with the mini chain can't I just swap it for a 16 inch bar that takes a more aggressive chain
You can, they offered this at my dealer to go with the .50
The host in the video said you could: listening is a skill.
He said the price to pay for a bigger chain in the same bar is less performance.
Great information
Thanks!
I'm ordering a bar cover and bolt kit for my ms 171 changing it to a 2 bolt iv recently put new Oregon chain is little bigger after it gets wore going to a bigger chain and bar still getting 16" bar come on it was junk
4:02 not true. i didnt know anything about my saw yet i switched carbs without breaking anything and took the saw apart for a new engine after a year (it was burnt up from the previous owner.)
Absolutely no reason to go to that bigger chain ..... the picco chains are a great match for these little saws
I have bought a bigger saw dog for my sthil ms 250 saw as I found when I was cutting wood the dogs were very short and didn’t bite the wood so I had to manually work the saw to get the wood cut 😢 and in the local shop where I can get replacement parts for my chainsaw they only sell the factory made sthil parts for the machines
The worst thing about these is the air filter. The bottom of the engine fills up with dust after a while and that is what destroys the engine. And upgrading this will make them last a long time.
the MS170-180 are trim saws Not Logging Saws If you want to Cut Medium sized Trees & logs buy a Bigger Saw like a MS 250 or bigger .
1:48 ant on finger
I contacted Stihl about upgrading the chain and bar on my MS180C. They replied that the correct upgrade parts were 3005 000 4813 and 3636 005 0055. Can anyone confirm these before I purchase something that I probably won't be able to return? I want to trust their tech support but humans make mistakes.
It looks to me that those numbers are correct if you want the 16" bar and the slightly better heavier chain. If you do not need that extra 2 inches I would highly recommend the 14" upgrade in the video. It may seem counterintuitive but I think it makes the saw cut much better for small jobs. I have been using it now for almost a year and do not even miss the extra length.
@HipaParts definitely no longer than 14" on a MS170 you can really feel the lack of power with a 16" bar and chain.
👍👍
My 180 leaks oil big time
CLEAN YOUR OIL P.UG OF ALL FINE DUST N DEBRIS !
There is an ant on your finger lol!
You don't need eney of this stuff on a 170 😂 iv been using mine for 5 + years on massive pine and red wood logs and never needed eney of this stuff
All you need is a Stihl 2in1 sharpener and an education on how to keep your chain sharp. The best upgrade for a MS170 is a 12" or 14" .043 sharp chain. They don't have enough power to pull a 16" good. It is a noticeable difference.
The hipa website search bar is awful. I typed "saw dog" "saw dogs" "bumper spike" "bumper spikes" "felling dog" "felling dogs".
"NO RESULTS FOUND" every time.
Thanks for your feedback. We don't have any saw dogs in the inventory so we didn't put them on the website.
How is a performance loss an upgrade? You're spending double on the saw only to have it waste more wood, lose reach, burn more fuel, and then wear out faster. As a bonus, this "longer-lasting" chain will be harder to find and more expensive.
As for saw-dogs, an MS170 doesn't produce enough torque to need more aggressive teeth, even _if_ you pretend as though there's more torque by increasing the width of the kerf. Thus, upgrade no. 3, which is a compensation made to offset the other modifications, also becomes totally unnecessary (and it voids the warranty).
Even in the marketplace of TH-cam videos, _Caveat Emptor._ Taking a machine that has already been engineered to be suitable for a general-use environment and then radically adjusting its balance for no reason whatsoever is a downgrade; no dependability is being added here, and a stock MS170 is a more valuable, and more economical, asset.
Why do you keep saying still? It's stihl(steel) listen to their commercials 🤷♂️
The Andreas Stihl family back in Germany pronounces it "Sh till". I've heard "Steel" and "Still" but neither are correct. Yes, the company today does say "Steel" but they started doing this for purely marketing reasons.
waste of time waste of money, good for TH-cam though.
Maybe for you but not others. To each his own.
Stupid comment
A tiny saw does not need dogs not ever.
I just put some on my 170. It was piss weak in giving a grab on small logs without them. Best thing I have done to the saw yet……apart from moving the chain tensioner to the side
@@MrGazzajWhere did you get the parts to move the tensioner to the side? What’s involved? And cover modifications needed? Thanks.
You're dead fucking wrong.
@@MrGazzajif you need Dawgs on a MS170 your chain is dull. The saw doesn't have enough horsepower to horse it into the wood. You should never have to rock your saw to cut through a log. With a sharp chain you got 1 cut straight down just like in the lumberjack competitions, no spikes no seesaw 1 and done.
I think your dogs are upside down.
isn't that an upgrade?
Adding the metal dogs is the upgrade. But it looks to me like he put them on upside-down. His position will make cutting from the underside of a downed log better. But I do most of my cutting from the top of downed log, and I want the leverage of the dogs to help that.@@azzabouy8243
The dogs are correct. They bite up so you can leverage the bar down
I see that, now that I think of them as a fulcrum. Thanks.@@paulmo4076
@@paulmo4076 it's a matter of personal preference i think