Chainsaws, when out with the old in with the new?

[qwee]

I hate to move on from my 2 old Shindaiwa chainsaws - 575 & 757, but it is costing so much to get/find parts for them. I like these old Japanese chainsaws. They are so predictable and reliable. Well, I was going to buy one good pro saw, maybe a Husky 572, but found two new Echo 590 Timberwolfs/20" bars for $600 ($300 each) so I bought them instead - probably the closest saws to the Shindaiwas. They look very similar. I've started adding on to these new saws.

I've removed the carb caps, added dual dogs (was only one inside dog), cut out 180 degree wall in muffler exit port, and added an o-ring to the air filter. Lastly after I run them for a short while, I will have the fuel fattened up (too lean from factory from what others have said). I like to have 2 or 3 saws with sharp chains with me because I'm either out in the national forest, or far from home. I'm in a low tree area so I don't pass on wood that is large or gnarly.

Have you had to upgrade from old saws or do you just keep them?

 

[Jags]

For several years I cut firewood with an old homelite 240xl. After I realized my wood burning was more than a fad, I upgraded to the stihl 361 (a new machine at that time). The old homey was getting tired. I have never been sorry I did it, and never picked up the old saw since.

 

[salecker]

I fix and use all saws...
plus i sell the ones i use when i know for sure they are working well.
I know people will be looking for your old saws.
What are your plans for them?

 

[Nealm66]

I used to buy a replacement every 6 months run time and ran a couple different models depending on timber size. Fresh saws lost they’re lackluster after 20 years but time ( dependability/power) is money. Lately , I keep a couple old dependable modified models and struggling with the new epa models a little bit but no pressure these days so not a big deal either way.

 

[qwee]

I'm going to sell them. The cost of a new air filter for the 757 = $60. A plastic trigger/stop for the 575 = I have to buy a parts saw = $125, because the part is no longer available (or keep looking). Time to move on.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Still running and keeping my Stihl 075 and my 028 Farm Boss as well as a newer Stihl MS and the Tanaka limbing saw that I thought would be a disposa-saw that isn't.

The little Tanaka I got for 100 bucks shipping included off of Amazon about 10 years ago was a fantastic bargain. Tanaka is the Chinese Makita. Same saw as a Makita but made in China. Only downside is the auto oiler is a bit over zealous but bar oil is cheap and it 'marks it's spot' when I put it away too.

The 075 and the 28 are over 40 years old and no plastic on either except the top shroud. The 75 is a beast, sounds like a motorcross bike and easily pulls a 425 square tooth chipper chain on a 36" roller nose greaseable bar. Just the ticket for bucking large tree trunks.

Our ground is heavily treed so I'm always cleaning up deadfall and wind damage and I don't burn wood for heat so it all winds up in the burn pile. One year I tried giving it away and had no takers.

 

[DodgyNomad]

I hate to move on from my 2 old Shindaiwa chainsaws - 575 & 757, but it is costing so much to get/find parts for them. I like these old Japanese chainsaws. They are so predictable and reliable. Well, I was going to buy one good pro saw, maybe a Husky 572, but found two new Echo 590 Timberwolfs/20" bars for $600 ($300 each) so I bought them instead - probably the closest saws to the Shindaiwas. They look very similar. I've started adding on to these new saws.

I've removed the carb caps, added dual dogs (was only one inside dog), cut out 180 degree wall in muffler exit port, and added an o-ring to the air filter. Lastly after I run them for a short while, I will have the fuel fattened up (too lean from factory from what others have said). I like to have 2 or 3 saws with sharp chains with me because I'm either out in the national forest, or far from home. I'm in a low tree area so I don't pass on wood that is large or gnarly.

Have you had to upgrade from old saws or do you just keep them?

The older I get, the less I enjoy fiddling with saws. I have had, and still have some older saws, especially the Jonsered, but that thing is amazing, and dead nuts reliable. Most of my saws have fairly low hours, and are treated with good maintenance and care.

When I was younger, I had older, basic saws, but have climbed the ladder to what I need, and I want it to start easy and run perfect. I have enough other stuff to work on these days.

 

[ClintonH]

Still running and keeping my Stihl 075 and my 028 Farm Boss as well as a newer Stihl MS and the Tanaka limbing saw that I thought would be a disposa-saw that isn't.

The little Tanaka I got for 100 bucks shipping included off of Amazon about 10 years ago was a fantastic bargain. Tanaka is the Chinese Makita. Same saw as a Makita but made in China. Only downside is the auto oiler is a bit over zealous but bar oil is cheap and it 'marks it's spot' when I put it away too.

The 075 and the 28 are over 40 years old and no plastic on either except the top shroud. The 75 is a beast, sounds like a motorcross bike and easily pulls a 425 square tooth chipper chain on a 36" roller nose greaseable bar. Just the ticket for bucking large tree trunks.

Our ground is heavily treed so I'm always cleaning up deadfall and wind damage and I don't burn wood for heat so it all winds up in the burn pile. One year I tried giving it away and had no takers.

I ran a buddy's neighbor's 075 this summer when a storm came through and knocked down some trees. He brought it along "just in case," and of course I was excited! He smiles at me and says "we can start 'er up, if you want." That saw DOES sound like a moto, and boy does it make a man out of you!

 

[DodgyNomad]

Still running and keeping my Stihl 075 and my 028 Farm Boss as well as a newer Stihl MS and the Tanaka limbing saw that I thought would be a disposa-saw that isn't.

The little Tanaka I got for 100 bucks shipping included off of Amazon about 10 years ago was a fantastic bargain. Tanaka is the Chinese Makita. Same saw as a Makita but made in China. Only downside is the auto oiler is a bit over zealous but bar oil is cheap and it 'marks it's spot' when I put it away too.

The 075 and the 28 are over 40 years old and no plastic on either except the top shroud. The 75 is a beast, sounds like a motorcross bike and easily pulls a 425 square tooth chipper chain on a 36" roller nose greaseable bar. Just the ticket for bucking large tree trunks.

Our ground is heavily treed so I'm always cleaning up deadfall and wind damage and I don't burn wood for heat so it all winds up in the burn pile. One year I tried giving it away and had no takers.

I had a couple of those little Tanaka's and a Hitachi that was a rebranded Tanaka. Bought one for my dad too. Never a single problem with one.

 

[salecker]

The older I get, the less I enjoy fiddling with saws. I have had, and still have some older saws, especially the Jonsered, but that thing is amazing, and dead nuts reliable. Most of my saws have fairly low hours, and are treated with good maintenance and care.

When I was younger, I had older, basic saws, but have climbed the ladder to what I need, and I want it to start easy and run perfect. I have enough other stuff to work on these days.

That's funny the older i get the more i like working on saws.
I find it very therapeutic,they are one of the simplest ,and deadliest mechanical devices out there.
I can completely strip a saw without thinking about it,while i work on them i can think and deal with issues that come up in life.
Being so simple i can strip a saw,make a list of parts required,put it in a box and move on to the next project.When the parts are found,then grab a box and build a saw.
I have about 15 projects in boxes in my boiler building,everything from 1940's to modern saws to alcohol burning race saws.
Keeps the grey matter working to take a box of parts and reasemble them,like doing a jigsaw puzzle.

 

[Nealm66]

That's funny the older i get the more i like working on saws.
I find it very therapeutic,they are one of the simplest ,and deadliest mechanical devices out there.
I can completely strip a saw without thinking about it,while i work on them i can think and deal with issues that come up in life.
Being so simple i can strip a saw,make a list of parts required,put it in a box and move on to the next project.When the parts are found,then grab a box and build a saw.
I have about 15 projects in boxes in my boiler building,everything from 1940's to modern saws to alcohol burning race saws.
Keeps the grey matter working to take a box of parts and reasemble them,like doing a jigsaw puzzle.

I admire people like you that have the knack and the patience. Can’t remember the last time I pulled a jug off. Stopped working on them when I switched over to husky. No good reason other than I could afford to plop it on the counter and pick it up when they were done. I did have to pull a carb apart on one of those push string mowers last spring from my laziness when it comes to ethanol fuel. Probably have to pull it apart again this year.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

When I was younger I'd run the saws untill they blew up. Mostly ran Echo. I moved to Husky and the saws just last longer and take more abuse. At this point in life.. Ill just drop it on the counter and tell me when its fixed..

 

[SidecarFlip]

Not that I've ever experienced it personally, but I've heard the larger Tanaka saws are rocks. My BIL bought one and returned it because it suffered from continual vapor lock, no start issues. Pulling the starter rope to cut wood don't work well.... My little Tanaka don't have that issue, but I've heard the larger ones do. probably the Makita as well as they are identical units. I had an older Stihl (I think it was a 007 model that had the same issue (vapor lock) but it got smashed under a falling tree trunk and went to the landfill, no loss. I really dislike pulling a starter rope more than 3 times.

 

[ADK_XJ]

I only have three saws (currently) but I've kept each successive generation because...they still work. I bought a Stihl 041AV (the one in my profile pic) for $150 when we bought our first house "back North" here in the Adirondacks of New York. I knew nothing more about chainsaws than what a forest ranger fried told me: "You can't go wrong with a Stihl Farm Boss." A local orchard owner had a pile of Stihl chainsaws he was selling for $100-150 and let me take my pick. Turns out this one was manufactured the year I was born!

I happily cut wood with that beast for a few seasons not really recognizing I was missing out on the improved speed, weight and economy of a newer saw...until I tore the starter rope right out of it one day and took it down to my local shop where the owner observed it was not running well at all. He offered me a cache of New-Old-Stock parts for free he had tucked away from the old owner (his father!) to fix it up right and, in exchange, I bought a new MS271 Farm Boss. That is an excellent saw and reliable as can be but I learned it's limits buried in 24" of white oak so I bought a 440 Magnum last year to complete the family.

However, to this day, the 041 starts on the second pull every...single...time and I still loaded it up on my quad when I head out for a long session of cutting with it's big and little brothers. It has got me out of more than one jam and it's a great loaner when I have additional hands helping out.

 

[WoodScrounger]

Tanaka is the Chinese Makita. Same saw as a Makita but made in China.

My little Tanaka don't have that issue, but I've heard the larger ones do. probably the Makita as well as they are identical units.

I’m just kinda curious where you found that info. I worked at a Dolmar dealership a number of years ago. Back then Makita was made by Dolmar and I sure didn’t know there was any connection to Tanaka . But hey things change and there is always back door connections that can be hard to find in these big companies .
Now it seems like Tanaka is owned by Metabo . Not sure if Makita owns Dolmar but in Canada Dolmar is solely distributed in the Makita brand.

 

[ADK_XJ]

I’m just kinda curious where you found that info. I worked at a Dolmar dealership a number of years ago. Back then Makita was made by Dolmar and I sure didn’t know there was any connection to Tanaka . But hey things change and there is always back door connections that can be hard to find in these big companies .
Now it seems like Tanaka is owned by Metabo . Not sure if Makita owns Dolmar but in Canada Dolmar is solely distributed in the Makita brand.

I know even less but I do know my father in law bought a new saw last year from a Dolmar dealer that is branded Makita and they said is still "a Dolmar saw."

 

[WoodScrounger]

I tend to keep old saws and a lot of other stuff that most folks call junk You never know when you will find another parts saw for free , at the dump? Ha ha

 

[salecker]

I tend to keep old saws and a lot of other stuff that most folks call junk You never know when you will find another parts saw for free , at the dump? Ha ha

Thats what i do,when i have a herd of one model then i try to build 3 out of 4 or...

 

[blades]

Makita aquired Dolmar a couple years ago. so far the blue and gray(Makita) are the same internally as the Dolmar line just different colored plastics. That will likely change down the line. I used to have a 075 Stilh but one of the tree service guys just badgered me to death on it and I finally sold it to him- Still have my 084 though. Although another tree service keeps badgering me on that one. It isn't a beauty queen. On another sight one just was put up for sale ( 084) $2200 almost spotless. I think that just about what 880 power head goes for.

 

[salecker]

Dolmar has quite the gas powered OPE market.
I guess saying Makita has quit the gas powered OPE market is more accurate.
So buy the Makita/Dolmar saw you want while you can,if you want a new one that is.

 

[blades]

Funny they just released a new model around 50 cc with the makita logo on it. The electric ( corded) chainsaw of makita is the only one I know of with and all metal gear train- course that chain that comes on it is not worth squat cutting wise- typical safty chain. To me being a small biz owner, to spend huge bucks to buy a company that has a very good product and rep ( I know they are not that popular stateside but are well regarded else ware) only to kill it is pure stupidity. Course that is the new norm for congolmorates - buy company suck it dry, load it up with debt and then declare bankruptcy. Big boys take all the money home, everyone else is left holding the bag.