500i Inaugural Run

All bigger saws shine brighter with an 8 tooth !

 

Ran another tank full through it yesterday. Wore the 25" bar it came with. Chowed through 20" DBH black locust. I really noticed the full acceleration this time.

 

The shorter bars really let the saw turn up Fast. Makes it funner for some things.

 

I'll only get one If they are available with heated handlebars. I'm too old to put up with froze hands running a saw that costs that much. !

 

Its nice when things meet your expectations!

 

Why are the Arctic saws so hard to come by?

 

I think because most people, like me, despite their original thoughts that they'll need heated handles to cut in the winter, find that they really don't need them. So they just make less of them, based off of sales from previous arctic models.

I find that when cutting in single digit temps, my hands stay warm.

 

That, and they haven’t been available in the US for quite awhile from Stihl

 

The Eskimos have CAD!

 

Last I knew Stihl won't sell Arctic models in the U.S.
Husky will so I'll prolly get a 572XPG Western.
The full wrap is available on special order. Costs $170. For the full wrap. But it's worth it.
From the timed cuts I've watched on YT it cuts comparable to the 500i
The dealerships like to make a big thing about the computer controlled carb but I doubt that feature will impress me all that much.
Once a saw is broke in and the carb is fine tuned that's usually the last I mess with it .

 

One of the other benefits of heated handle bars is the heated air flow into the throat of the carb . Reduces carb icing. Which is a royal pita in the spring and fall up here.
Plus @ 30 below and even warmer. Heated handles are Nice I get sick of melting gloves and ruining chopper mitts on mufflers and even more sick of froze hands.

 

Two more tank fulls through her bucking and noodling some shagbark hickory. Performed well noodling with 28" bar.

 

They need to cut holes in the ice so they can fish. Who wants to eat Caribou every night of the week ?

 

How cold to you cut down to? I've found that unless gloves are wet, that my hands stay warm while cutting all the way down to single degree temps. I do most of my cutting in winter, but while Wisconsin gets cold, it doesn't get as cold as much of Alaska does. One day with wet gloves and 8 degree temps, I was happy that I had installed heated grips on the ATV.

As much maligninment as our ethanol fuel gets here, that 10% ethanol prevents freezing up of carbs. I had that happen on snowmobiles before e10 was prevalent in northern Wisconsin. As soon as that e10 was pretty much everywhere, then the occurrence of carbs freezing up went away. I still recall that last super cold snowmobile trip with my buddies. It was -30° and then there was a wind-chill that was even crazier. Our sleds were literally making snow from the exhaust, it was crazy but it happened. No icing of carbs on that weekend, because of the e10.

 

E10 can certainly help with "fuel line freeze up" but that is a different issue than carb icing, which happens in the throat of the carb, and is due to the water vapor in the air freezing on the carb surfaces, and E10 would not affect that.

 

I've gotten old so I don't push it. Coldest I've ever spent the day in the brush was 52 below ambient. Had some days where it got down to full mid 50s below Ambient. Anymore I cut off @ 30ish below. Unless its really important.
Single digits is just nice workin weather. When it gets cold. Its hard to see what's going on when buckin because so much ice fog is made from the bar and chain. And the exuast.

 

I'm not much on fishin. Moose and bou for me !

 

When its real cold the air is real dry. I don't get carb icing in the cold.
Its a bald headed sonofagun between +20 to+40 F if it's snowing or raining

 

Same here, anything colder than -30* takes much of the fun away, not to mention its hard on equipment. I am also one who like to know exactly where my food comes from and control the quality from field to freezer, so count me in with the wild. Yes I have used a saw to cut a hole in the ice to fish and no I am not a eskimo.

 

I am with you on that. I do fish and hunt as well but would rather hunt than fish.
Also eat fish but do prefer eating meat over fish.