Stihl Ms 270 C Owners Manual

							
20 English / USAMS 270, MS 270 C, MS 280, MS 280 C
Open-face technique
C =
felling notch - determines the 
direction of the fall
For an open-face cut:
: Properly place felling notch 
perpendicular to the line of fall, 
close to the ground.
: Cut down at approx. 50-degree 
angle to a depth of approx.1/5 to 
1/4 of the trunk diameter.
: Make second cut from below at 
approx. 40 degree angle.
: Remove resulting 90-degree piece. Making sapwood cuts
:
For medium sized or larger trees 
make cuts at both sides of the trunk,
at same height as subsequent 
felling cut.
: Cut to no more than width of guide 
bar. 
This is especially important in softwood 
in summer - it helps prevent sapwood 
splintering when the tree falls. D = Felling cut 
Conventional and open-face technique:
:
Begin 1 to 2 inches (2,5 to 5 cm) 
higher than center of felling notch.
: Cut horizontally towards the felling 
notch.
: Leave approx.1/10 of diameter 
uncut. This is the hinge.
: Do not cut through the hinge - you 
could lose control of the direction of 
the fall.
001BA143 KN
C
C
001BA150 KN
001BA144 KN
D
D 
						

							
21
MS 270, MS 270 C, MS 280, MS 280 C English / USA
Drive wedges into the felling cut where 
necessary to control the fall.
!
Warning!
If the tip of the bar contacts a wedge, it 
may cause kickback. Wedges should be 
of wood or plastic - never steel, which 
can damage the chain.
E = Hinge
:Helps control the falling tree.
: Do not cut through the hinge – you 
could lose control of the direction of 
the fall. Felling cut for small diameter trees: 
simple fan cut
Engage the bumper spikes of the 
chainsaw directly behind the location of 
the intended hinge and pivot the saw 
around this point only as far as the 
hinge. The bumper spike rolls against 
the trunk.
001BA145 KN
EE
001BA147 KN 
						

							
22 English / USAMS 270, MS 270 C, MS 280, MS 280 C
Felling cut for large diameter trees:!
Warning! 
Felling a tree that has a diameter greater 
than the length of the guide bar requires 
use of either the sectioning felling cut or 
plunge-cut method. These methods are 
extremely dangerous because they 
involve the use of the nose of the guide 
bar and can result in kickback. Only 
properly trained professionals should 
attempt these techniques.
Sectioning method
For the sectioning method make the first 
part of the felling cut with the guide bar 
fanning in toward the hinge. Then, using 
the bumper spike as a pivot, reposition 
the saw for the next cut. Avoid repositioning the saw more than 
necessary. When repositioning for the 
next cut, keep the guide bar fully 
engaged in the kerf to keep the felling 
cut straight. If the saw begins to pinch, 
insert a wedge to open the cut. On the 
last cut, do not cut the hinge.Plunge-cut method
Timber having a diameter more than 
twice the length of the guide bar requires 
the use of the plunge-cut method before 
making the felling cut.
First, cut a large, wide felling notch. 
Make a plunge cut in the center of the 
notch. 
The plunge cut is made with the guide 
bar nose. Begin the plunge cut by 
applying the lower portion of the guide 
bar nose to the tree at an angle. Cut until 
the depth of the kerf is about the same 
as the width of the guide bar. Next, align 
the saw in the direction in which the 
recess is to be cut. 
With the saw at full throttle, insert the 
guide bar in the trunk.
001BA148 KN
1
4
2 
						

							
23
MS 270, MS 270 C, MS 280, MS 280 C English / USA
Enlarge the plunge cut as shown in the 
illustration.
!
Warning!
There is an extreme danger of kickback 
at this point. Extra caution must be taken 
to maintain control of the saw. To make 
the felling cut, follow the sectioning 
method described previously. 
If you are inexperienced with a 
chainsaw, plunge-cutting should not be 
attempted. Seek the help of a 
professional.
!
Warning! 
In order to reduce the risk of personal 
injury, never stand directly behind the 
tree when it is about to fall, since part of 
the trunk may split and come back 
towards the operator (barber-chairing), 
or the tree may jump backwards off the 
stump. Always keep to the side of the 
falling tree. When the tree starts to fall, 
withdraw the bar, shut off the engine and 
walk away on the preplanned escape 
path. Watch out for falling limbs.
!
Warning!
Be extremely careful with partially fallen 
trees which are poorly supported. When 
the tree hangs or for some other reason 
does not fall completely, set the saw 
aside and pull the tree down with a cable 
winch, block and tackle or tractor. If you 
try to cut it down with your saw, you may 
be injured. Limbing
Limbing is removing the branches from a 
fallen tree.
!
Warning!
There is an extreme danger of kickback 
during the limbing operation. Do not 
work with the nose of the bar. Be 
extremely cautious and avoid contacting 
the log or other limbs with the nose of the 
guide bar. 
Do not stand on a log while limbing it - 
you may slip or the log may roll. 
Start limbing by leaving the lower limbs 
to support the log off the ground. When 
underbucking freely hanging limbs, a 
pinch may result or the limb may fall, 
causing loss of control. If a pinch occurs, 
stop the engine and remove the saw by 
lifting the limb.
!
Warning!
Be extremely cautious when cutting 
limbs or logs under tension (spring 
poles). The limbs or logs could spring 
back toward the operator and cause loss 
of control of the saw and severe or fatal 
injury to the operator. 
						

							
24 English / USAMS 270, MS 270 C, MS 280, MS 280 C
Bucking
Bucking is cutting a log into sections.!
Warning!
When bucking, do not stand on the log. 
Make sure the log will not roll downhill. If 
on a slope, stand on the uphill side of the 
log. Watch out for rolling logs.
Cut only one log at a time.
Shattered wood should be cut very 
carefully. Sharp slivers of wood may be 
caught and flung in the direction of the 
operator of the saw. When cutting small logs, place log 
through V - shaped supports on top of 
a sawhorse. Never permit another 
person to hold the log. Never hold the 
log with your leg or foot.
Logs under strain: 
Risk of pinching! Always start relieving 
cut 
(1) at compression side.Then make 
bucking cut  (2) at tension side. 
If the saw pinches, stop the engine and 
remove it from the log.
Only properly trained professionals 
should work in an area where the logs, 
limbs and roots are tangled. Working in 
“blow down“ areas is extremely 
hazardous. Drag the logs into a clear 
area before cutting. Pull out exposed 
and cleared logs first.
001BA033 KN
001BA051 LÄ
1
001BA151 KN
21
001BA152 KN
2 
						

							
25
MS 270, MS 270 C, MS 280, MS 280 C English / USA
MAINTENANCE, REPAIR AND 
STORINGMaintenance, replacement, or repair 
of the emission control devices and 
systems may be performed by any 
nonroad engine repair establishment 
or individual. However, if you make a 
warranty claim for a component 
which has not been serviced or 
maintained properly or if 
nonapproved replacement parts were 
used, STIHL may deny coverage.!
Warning!
Use only identical STIHL replacement 
parts for maintenance and repair. Use of 
non-STIHL parts may cause serious or 
fatal injury.
Strictly follow the maintenance and 
repair instructions in the maintenance 
chart near the end of the instruction 
manual. 
!
Warning!
Always stop the engine and make sure 
that the chain is stopped before doing 
any maintenance or repair work or 
cleaning the power tool. 
!
Warning!
Do not attempt any maintenance or 
repair work not described in your 
instruction manual. Have such work 
performed by your STIHL servicing 
dealer only. For example, if improper 
tools are used to remove the flywheel or 
if an improper tool is used to hold the 
flywheel in order to remove the clutch, 
structural damage to the flywheel could  
occur and could subsequently cause the 
flywheel to burst.
Wear gloves when handling or 
performing maintenance on saw chains.
!
Warning!
Use the specified spark plug and make 
sure it and the ignition lead are always 
clean and in good condition. Always 
press spark plug boot snugly onto spark 
plug terminal of the proper size. (Note: If 
terminal has detachable SAE adapter 
nut, it must be securely attached.) A 
loose connection between spark plug 
terminal and the ignition wire connector 
in the boot may create arcing that could 
ignite combustible fumes and cause a 
fire. 
!
Warning!
Never test the ignition system with the 
spark plug boot removed from the spark 
plug or with a removed spark plug, since 
uncontained sparking may cause a fire.
!
Warning!
Do not operate your chainsaw if the 
muffler is damaged, missing or modified. 
An improperly maintained muffler will 
increase the risk of fire and hearing loss. 
If your muffler was equipped with a 
spark-arresting screen to reduce the risk 
of fire, never operate your saw if the 
screen is missing or damaged. 
Remember that the risk of forest fires is 
greater in hot or dry weather. 
Keep the chain, bar and sprocket clean; 
replace worn sprockets or chains. Keep 
the chain sharp. You can spot a dull 
chain when easy-to-cut wood becomes 
hard to cut and burn marks appear on 
the wood. Keep the chain at proper 
tension. 
Tighten all nuts, bolts and screws except 
the carburetor adjustment screws after 
each use.
!
Warning! 
In order for the chain brake on your 
STIHL chainsaw to properly perform its 
function of reducing the risk of kickback 
and other injuries, it must be properly 
maintained. Like an automobile brake, a 
chainsaw chain brake incurs wear each 
time it is engaged. 
The amount of wear will vary depending 
upon usage, conditions under which the 
saw is used and other factors. Excessive 
wear will reduce the effectiveness of the 
chain brake and can render it 
inoperable. 
						

							
26 English / USAMS 270, MS 270 C, MS 280, MS 280 C
For the proper and effective operation of 
the chain brake, the brake band and 
clutch drum must be kept free of dirt, 
grease and other foreign matter which 
may reduce friction of the band on the 
drum. 
For these reasons, each STIHL 
chainsaw should be returned to trained 
personnel such as your STIHL servicing 
dealer for periodic inspection and 
servicing of the brake system according 
to the following schedule:
Heavy usage - every three months, 
Moderate usage - twice a year, 
Occasional usage - annually. 
The chainsaw should also be returned 
immediately for maintenance whenever 
the brake system cannot be thoroughly 
cleaned or there is a change in its 
operating characteristics.
For any maintenance of the emission 
control system please refer to the 
maintenance chart and to the limited 
warranty statement near the end of the 
instruction manual.
Store chainsaw in a dry place and away 
from children. Before storing for longer 
than a few days, always empty the fuel 
tank (see chapter Storing the Machine 
in the instruction manual).
You can run chains of different pitches 
on this chainsaw  – depending on the 
chain sprocket (see “Specifications”):
The chain pitch 
(1) must match the pitch 
of the sprocket and the guide bar (for 
Rollomatic). The drive link gauge  (2) 
must match the bar groove width  (3).
The pitch is marked on the chain 
sprocket and guide bar in inches  
(e.g. 3/8 or .325). The groove width 
is marked on the guide bar in 
millimeters (e.g. 1.6).
If non-matching components of the 
wrong pitch or drive link gauge are 
run together on the same machine 
they may be damaged beyond 
repair after a short period of 
operation. :
Unscrew the nuts and take off the 
chain sprocket cover.
: Turn screw  (4) counterclockwise 
until the tensioner slide  (5) butts 
against left end of housing slot.
Mounting the Bar and Chain(Side chain tensioner)
001BA105 KN
1 2
3
a
t = a : 2
143BA034 KN
4
5
001BA107 KN 
						

							
27
MS 270, MS 270 C, MS 280, MS 280 C English / USA
: Disengage the chain brake: Pull 
hand guard  (6) toward front handle.
Wear work gloves to protect your 
hands from the sharp cutters.
: Fit the chain – start at the bar nose. :
Fit the guide bar over the studs  (7) –
cutting edges on top of bar must 
point to right – and engage the 
peg of the tensioner slide in locating 
hole  (8) –- place the chain over 
sprocket  (9) at the same time.
: Now turn tensioning screw  (10) 
clockwise until there is very little 
chain sag on the underside of the 
bar –- and the drive link tangs are 
located in the bar groove.
: Refit the sprocket cover – 
and screw on the nuts only finger-
tight.
: Go to “Tensioning the Saw Chain”. :
Pull out the hinged clip  (1) so that it 
snaps into position.
: Turn the wingnut  (2) counterclock-
wise until it hangs loose in the 
sprocket cover  (3).
: Remove the sprocket cover.
001BA108 KN
6
143BA003 KN
9 7
7
8 10
001BA109 KN
Mounting the Bar and Chain(Quick chain tensioner)
2
1
133BA026 KN
3 
						

							
28 English / USAMS 270, MS 270 C, MS 280, MS 280 C
:
Remove the tensioning gear  (4) 
and turn it over. 
: Unscrew the nut  (5). :
Position the tensioning gear  (4) 
against the guide bar  (6) so that the 
stud  (7) projects through the upper 
hole and the short guide peg  (8) 
locates in the lower hole.
: Screw the nut  (5) on to the stud as 
far as stop. Wear work gloves to protect your 
hands from the sharp cutters.
: Fit the chain – start at the bar nose. 
Pay attention to the position of the 
tensioning gear and the cutting 
edges.
: Turn the tensioning gear  (4) 
clockwise as far as stop.
4
133BA027 KN
5
133BA028 KN
4
87
6
133BA029 KN
5
133BA030 KN
4
133BA031 KN 
						

							
29
MS 270, MS 270 C, MS 280, MS 280 C English / USA
: Disengage the chain brake: Pull 
hand guard  (9) towards the front 
handle.
: Turn the guide bar so that the 
tensioning gear is facing you.
: Fit the chain over the sprocket  (10). 
The long collar screw  (11) engages 
the hole in the tensioning gear. The 
heads of the two short collar screws 
locate in the guide bar slot. :
Make sure the drive link tangs 
engage the bar groove (see arrow) 
and then rotate tensioning gear 
counterclockwise as far as stop. :
Fit the chain sprocket cover so that 
the wingnut locates on the collar 
screw  (11).
133BA032 KN
9
11
10
133BA033 KN
133BA034 KN
11
133BA035 KN