Finally installed the new Chinese muffler kinda like a beer can. Thin, still I had to drill out the inner baffle. Had to adjust both the low and high speed screws. With an 18 inch bar on eight inch ash I could push as hard as I wanted and could not bog it down. In sixteen inch ash she chewed right through but could bog it down with some pressure. That muffler mod really woke up the saw. But since I have been on here(Firewood horders) I am a real fan of sharp chains that in it's self is better than a muffler mod. Next my ms-280 is getting a muffler mod. lots of good info on here! Thanks guys
I'm surprised that you found the AM muffler to be thin. All of the AM mufflers I've come across to date are as thick as OEM or thicker. Would you mind sharing what brand of muffler it was?
I went back and looked at the stock one it has a heat shield they both have baffles which I drilled out. The stock one has an extra chamber by the exhaust ports where the spark arrester is. The new one is empty with three ports it may not be thinner but does feel lighter. $.99 with $9.00 shipping from UNG Warehouse in China the prices are all over the place if you want one cheap watch and wait on ebay. Once I bolted it on it feels strong enough.
Can such a mod be performed on a homeowner grade saw like my Husq 445? Or is is more likely that I'll have to do some surgery on the stock muffler? Man, this site is crazy informative! Eric VW
You'd have to see what is out there aftermarket, but I typically do the surgery on the existing. If it is a crimped halves muffler, it makes things harder unless you can weld that thin metal. However, you must re-tune the saw after the modification, so learn up on that before doing much of anything.
Sounds like I could get in trouble fast, since I've never successfully messed with a 2 stroke tune up! Thanks for the heads up! EVW
