I have been watching a chainsaw at home depot rental dept. that is for sale. It started at $300.00 and is now at $150.00 I looked the saw over and started it several times and it started fine. It has some scrapes on it but that is it. It alos comes with a new 20" chain. I asked who makes the saw and he said Makita and it is a a comercial heavy duty model. Is it worth $150.00? Also it doesn't have a warranty.
makita saw
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Hello most of the Makita saws are made by Dolmar. They are a old chainsaw Co that sells to the pros. So yes it should be a good saw. Here is a link that has alot of good info on saws.
http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php?board=9.0
Don
http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php?board=9.0
Don
Search the forums, this has been discussed here a time or two - Summary is that the used HD Rental Saws are Makita / Dolmars, and are about the cheapest way into a "pro-grade" saw, *IF* you are lucky and get a good one that some idiot hasn't tried to run on straight gas or otherwise FUBAR'ed. Worst case is usually that the jug and piston are fried, but in that case the saw uses the same bottom end as the larger models and you can get a jug and piston that is nominally for the saw two engine displacements larger and turn it into a real monster. Downside is the parts aren't cheap...
Gooserider
Gooserider
....Word to the wise...
Before you plop down your $150.00 dollars...ask if it can be returned. If the answer is "no" or "as is where is...no refunds" don't buy it.
A friend of mine bought a used rental saw from one of the big box stores... and without mentioning the name (Loews') started it up and it ran fine...at the store.
However when he got it home it only ran in short bursts. He asked me what I thought and I told him "I'll have my saw guy look it over for Ya..."
I told Jody (the saw guy) only part of the story... because he stopped me mid sentence "I allready know whats wrong with it... some idiot ran straight gas through it or hammered it with s^it mix... the piston is toast"... He takes a scrench spins out the plug "Take a real good look at it" he says to me.
With a small pen light I looked at the piston and couldn't believe what I saw.
"How the * k; was it even running" I asked him...
I got a real good education on a friends misfortune....
And now I'm passing it on to all...
Why that box store would do such a low down, dirty underhanded thing... Is anyone's best guess...
If you think one store is different from the other... think again.
I'll try to put it in as simple and polite terms: If you want to buy a used car and have the option of buying the same exact car you want from someone who has maintained it well and has treated it right...or from XYZ Rent a wreck... Which one would you do business with?
There isn't much difference between a rental saw and a Rent a Wreck...
If you end up spending only $10 or $20 more at small saw shop... What is the added piece of mind that the odds of it blowing up next week are lower???
Spend your money wisely...spend it locally at a reputable shop.
Before you plop down your $150.00 dollars...ask if it can be returned. If the answer is "no" or "as is where is...no refunds" don't buy it.
A friend of mine bought a used rental saw from one of the big box stores... and without mentioning the name (Loews') started it up and it ran fine...at the store.
However when he got it home it only ran in short bursts. He asked me what I thought and I told him "I'll have my saw guy look it over for Ya..."
I told Jody (the saw guy) only part of the story... because he stopped me mid sentence "I allready know whats wrong with it... some idiot ran straight gas through it or hammered it with s^it mix... the piston is toast"... He takes a scrench spins out the plug "Take a real good look at it" he says to me.
With a small pen light I looked at the piston and couldn't believe what I saw.
"How the * k; was it even running" I asked him...
I got a real good education on a friends misfortune....
And now I'm passing it on to all...
Why that box store would do such a low down, dirty underhanded thing... Is anyone's best guess...
If you think one store is different from the other... think again.
I'll try to put it in as simple and polite terms: If you want to buy a used car and have the option of buying the same exact car you want from someone who has maintained it well and has treated it right...or from XYZ Rent a wreck... Which one would you do business with?
There isn't much difference between a rental saw and a Rent a Wreck...
If you end up spending only $10 or $20 more at small saw shop... What is the added piece of mind that the odds of it blowing up next week are lower???
Spend your money wisely...spend it locally at a reputable shop.
- Jun 12, 2006
- 1,053
Hi -
Keyman speaks wisely. Most folks will do well to follow his advice here.
However if you have installed a piston in an engine before. there really isn't much magic in these machines. If I liked the saw I would buy it. If the piston/cyl went bad it wouldn't hurt my feelings very much because I can put the bigger jug in and make good use of it. Check the specs on Makita DCS 6401 (Dolmar 6400) and 7901/ Dolmar 7900. The Makita 601 is a little heavy for some folks.
On another related question that you didn't ask: What chainsaw would I buy? If it's for firewood I'd look for a Husky 353, 359, or better yet a Dolmar 5100. I'm sure Stihl makes great saws but I got the performance, durability, and price I was looking for in the Dolmar.
All the best,
Mike P
Keyman speaks wisely. Most folks will do well to follow his advice here.
However if you have installed a piston in an engine before. there really isn't much magic in these machines. If I liked the saw I would buy it. If the piston/cyl went bad it wouldn't hurt my feelings very much because I can put the bigger jug in and make good use of it. Check the specs on Makita DCS 6401 (Dolmar 6400) and 7901/ Dolmar 7900. The Makita 601 is a little heavy for some folks.
On another related question that you didn't ask: What chainsaw would I buy? If it's for firewood I'd look for a Husky 353, 359, or better yet a Dolmar 5100. I'm sure Stihl makes great saws but I got the performance, durability, and price I was looking for in the Dolmar.
All the best,
Mike P
One thing you can do to cover yourself a little is ask them to show you the history on that piece of equipment. HD keeps a history on every piece of rental equipment and can tell you when it went into service, how many times it was rented, how many days it was out on rent, how many days it was out of service for repair and how much they have spent on repairs since it was put into service. It's not fool proof, but you should be able to get an idea of how much use its actually had. I was surprised at how little use some of the equipment actually gets.
As far as the quality is concerned, the Makita is just a Dolmar in a blue dress and Dolmar makes a very good line of saws. I recently bought a 5100s and I'm very impressed with the bang for the buck from that little saw.
As far as the quality is concerned, the Makita is just a Dolmar in a blue dress and Dolmar makes a very good line of saws. I recently bought a 5100s and I'm very impressed with the bang for the buck from that little saw.
Home Depot rental equipment is sold as is, without warranty of any sort. They have you sign a substantial disclaimer when you buy.
That said, $150 is a good deal even if work is required. Roughly 50% of the 6401s are OK as is, 25% are great, and 25% are rebuild-ready. You take your gambles when you buy from HD. Some might let you pull the muffler, but most won't.
Still, at less than $200 it would be a no-brainer. Bring it home, replace the fuel filter and air filter (if necessary), and pull the muffler. If it looks OK and is free of scoring, then you're golden. If not, pull the cylinder and take a closer look at both sides of the piston, the cylinder, and the rod/crank. If the piston is trashed but everything else checks out OK, then figure on spending $200 to put a new piston and cylinder on if you want to go to 79cc, or about $80 for a new piston if you can hone the wear out the 64cc cylinder.
Other points of concern are crank bearings (rare) and antivibe springs (common). The springs are cheap and easy to swap, so I wouldn't worry about them. The used 6401 is a gamble that makes the most sense for people who are comfortable tearing into 2-stroke equipment. If you aren't comfortable doing this yourself, the costs to pay a dealer to do the work don't really make sense.
There are a number of discussons on these saws over at arboristsite dot com.
That said, $150 is a good deal even if work is required. Roughly 50% of the 6401s are OK as is, 25% are great, and 25% are rebuild-ready. You take your gambles when you buy from HD. Some might let you pull the muffler, but most won't.
Still, at less than $200 it would be a no-brainer. Bring it home, replace the fuel filter and air filter (if necessary), and pull the muffler. If it looks OK and is free of scoring, then you're golden. If not, pull the cylinder and take a closer look at both sides of the piston, the cylinder, and the rod/crank. If the piston is trashed but everything else checks out OK, then figure on spending $200 to put a new piston and cylinder on if you want to go to 79cc, or about $80 for a new piston if you can hone the wear out the 64cc cylinder.
Other points of concern are crank bearings (rare) and antivibe springs (common). The springs are cheap and easy to swap, so I wouldn't worry about them. The used 6401 is a gamble that makes the most sense for people who are comfortable tearing into 2-stroke equipment. If you aren't comfortable doing this yourself, the costs to pay a dealer to do the work don't really make sense.
There are a number of discussons on these saws over at arboristsite dot com.
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