Old Husqvarna 65 - specs, worth repairing?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

BrianK

Guest
Hi folks,
My dad still has the old Husky 65 that we used for firewood cutting when I was a teenager. It has to be at least 30 years old now. It starts, but stalls when its hot out or the saw gets hot. Also, it tends to cut crooked fairly quickly after sharpening, and did even back then. Its cut many cords of firewood, as we heated a large 5 bedroom ranch house with a wood boiler for over ten years.

Is this old saw worth putting some time and a couple dollars into as a back up to my Stihl Farm Boss? If I remember correctly it has a 24" bar. Any idea of motor size, parts availability?

Thanks,
Brian
 
Hi folks,
My dad still has the old Husky 65 that we used for firewood cutting when I was a teenager. It has to be at least 30 years old now. It starts, but stalls when its hot out or the saw gets hot. Also, it tends to cut crooked fairly quickly after sharpening, and did even back then. Its cut many cords of firewood, as we heated a large 5 bedroom ranch house with a wood boiler for over ten years.

Is this old saw worth putting some time and a couple dollars into as a back up to my Stihl Farm Boss? If I remember correctly it has a 24" bar. Any idea of motor size, parts availability?

Thanks,
Brian


It might be worth putting a new bar & chain on it,if you can find one that fits.Parts might be harder to find than the bar/chain though.Give it a thorough cleaning,new spark plug & fresh fuel mix,that might be all it needs for now.Both the A65 & L65 were 65cc/4 cubic inch with plenty of power to pull 24" b/c.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrianK and ScotO
I agree with Thistle. Sometimes those older saws are un-killable. Dig it out, I'll have a look at it when we cut your trees. Just like Thistle said, it probably needs some fresh fuel, and a good tune-up.
 
Great, thanks guys!

I just found this post on another forum. It looks like vapor lock was a common problem on this model:

The model 65, in its day, was a nice and fast 4 ci. saw. The problem with it not wanting to run after it gets hot is a vapor lock caused by the vent in the gas tank. To remedy this, unscrew the vent, located in the top of the tank, and remove the check ball and the roll pin in the vent. This can be done with a small punch. Replace the roll pin and be sure to replace the tube on the vent and route it to the clutch side of the saw, as it is supposed to be.
 
Well, I checked on it further and it turns out this old Husky does not have a safety chain brake. Its a good old saw, my brother says it still runs great in cold weather, just won't stay running in hot weather, but I don't think I'll use it without the chain brake.
 
None of my older saws have chain brakes, the key to running any saw (chainbrake or not) is safe handling. Touching the tip of your bar inadvertently when the chain is moving (chain brake or not) is bad. That would still be a good backup saw, worthy of fixing up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Thistle
The 65 is a excellent saw, heavy compared to the newer models of comparable size, harder to start due to no decompression release button but when she gets cutting away you go no stoping her, Lots of torque. Just had mine tuned at a local shop who serve the logging industry and they also offer a service called Walkerizing which improves the overall performance. I use a newer 240, a 460, and I even have a electric Husky for carving. Get the 65 tuned professionaly and you will have one excellent saw for everything when a real work horse is needed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrianK
Well, I checked on it further and it turns out this old Husky does not have a safety chain brake. Its a good old saw, my brother says it still runs great in cold weather, just won't stay running in hot weather, but I don't think I'll use it without the chain brake.
I have a L65 and I prefer a saw without a chainbrake, it has a 28''bar. I fall tall pines with it , it runs exhalent. the stock filter does an fine job of keeping the piston and bore from scratches . one needs to learn how to use a saw correctly and safely . ive seen a lot of folks get into trouble cutting down trees or limbs , even professional tree trimers . the 65 is great with pines, but on hard wood I use a 288 with much higher RPM's . no of my saws have brakes. falling large trees I bumped a brake on the back cut once and that was it for me. on your saw prob it could be vaperlock and could be crank seals wore. could even be a bad scratch in the cylinder . saws will start up cold but wont run when heated up.
 
Thread is 4 yrs old .........................................
 
Status
Not open for further replies.