R.I.P. Husqvarna Rancher 61

[MrWhoopee]

I think the Practica and the Rancher are the same saw different years.

Mine says both, big Rancher sticker on top of the white cover, small Practica sticker on the side.

Just finished cleaning up the cylinder with 320 grit wet-or-dry and wd-40, only took about 20 minutes. Looks and feels very good, passes the fingernail test.

I'd still measure the squish to make sure after mocking up the new piston and bolting down the cylinder.

Please clarify "measure the squish".

To avoid mistakes, which way does the piston go?

 

[amateur cutter]

Squish is the clearance between the piston top & the top of the chamber. Solder is the easiest way to measure. Slide a piece of solder in the plug hole all the way to the cyl wall. Pull or turn the saw over 1 rev, remove the solder, it should be squished. Measure the thickness with a caliper or micrometer. .20 to .25 is good clearance. More you'll lose compression, less you risk piston & head contact, or pre ignition damage.

The piston goes flat side up. Sorry that was a smart a$$ remark & the smiley's are missing @ the moment. The piston should have a mark to denote front. Also make sure the openings in the cir clips are running up & down. They can actually compress & release under load if installed 90 degrees to piston travel. A C

 

[MrWhoopee]

Squish is the clearance between the piston top & the top of the chamber. Solder is the easiest way to measure. Slide a piece of solder in the plug hole all the way to the cyl wall. Pull or turn the saw over 1 rev, remove the solder, it should be squished. Measure the thickness with a caliper or micrometer. .20 to .25 is good clearance. More you'll lose compression, less you risk piston & head contact, or pre ignition damage

The piston goes flat side up. Sorry that was a smart a$$ remark & the smiley's are missing @ the moment. The piston should have a mark to denote front. Also make sure the openings in the cir clips are running up & down. They can actually compress & release under load if installed 90 degrees to piston travel. A C

I hope you missed a decimal place on those numbers. I'm assuming you mean .020 to .025. I don't have any 1/4 in. diameter solder

Also assuming, front is where the bar is, yes? Thanks for the heads-up on the retaining clips, wouldn't have thought of that one.

 

[HittinSteel]

If it's over .018 without the gasket then your fine (my guess is it will be since it didn't have a gasket already).

You will need to use a sealant around the base of the cylinder in lieu of the gasket.

Should be an arrow on the top of the piston. It always points toward the muffler.

Wear safety glasses when installing the clips...... they can go flying

 

[amateur cutter]

I hope you missed a decimal place on those numbers. I'm assuming you mean .020 to .025. I don't have any 1/4 in. diameter solder

Also assuming, front is where the bar is, yes? Thanks for the heads-up on the retaining clips, wouldn't have thought of that one.

Ha, oops sorry. At .25 you wouldn't have to worry about it running @ all. As HS stated "front" is toward the muffler. Wow, I must have been tired last nite. Just take HS advice, much easier to understand.

 

[HittinSteel]

AC, I was just adding some detail to your concise informative post. Except for the position of the decimal point, it is was spot on advice

 

[MrWhoopee]

Random ramblings while waiting for the piston. Why am I more interested in the rebuild than in the new saw? Practiced using a hose clamp as a ring compressor on the old piston, seems to work fine, no problem getting the piston into the cylinder. Finally let the Redmax taste wood, man that thing tears it up! As an afterthought, I measured the cylinder. It is a stock 48mm. Phewww! I'd hate to have to return the one I just ordered, it's coming from Greece.

 

[amateur cutter]

Random ramblings while waiting for the piston. Why am I more interested in the rebuild than in the new saw? Practiced using a hose clamp as a ring compressor on the old piston, seems to work fine, no problem getting the piston into the cylinder. Finally let the Redmax taste wood, man that thing tears it up! As an afterthought, I measured the cylinder. It is a stock 48mm. Phewww! I'd hate to have to return the one I just ordered, it's coming from Greece.

Careful, wrenching on these stupid things can get very addicting. I think it has to do with the satisfaction of seeing & using the end result of your own time & effort. Take my advice & don't tell your buddies you fixed your own saw, pretty soon you'll have a bench full of them. A C

 

[MasterMech]

Careful, wrenching on these stupid things can get very addicting. I think it has to do with the satisfaction of seeing & using the end result of your own time & effort. Take my advice & don't tell your buddies you fixed your own saw, pretty soon you'll have a bench full of them. A C

Before you know it you're wife is complaining that the driveway looks like a junkyard.

 

[amateur cutter]

Before you know it you're wife is complaining that the driveway looks like a junkyard.

Ha, yea then there's that too. A C

 

[MrWhoopee]

Before you know it you're wife is complaining that the driveway looks like a junkyard.

Too late, 4 Honda Civics, 1 Kia, 1 GMC monster wood truck/snow plow. UPS almost couldn't turn around yesterday.

 

[JeffRey30747]

I keep learning new things. My serial number (142983) apparently indicates it's an '81, not an '83. Mine also says Practica on it, does that make it different?
The carb is reassembled, good thing I have the manual and have rebuilt it before.

I believe that the Practica is an earlier version with less power than the later models. Whether it's the same as the Rancher, I don't know. The later model saws we have don't have Practica or Rancher on them.

 

[MrWhoopee]

Now that the house is no longer in danger of burning, I've put my valuables away and it's time to get back to repairing this saw. I've been doing much more emery (320 grit) work on the cylinder. I just placed the old piston side-by-side with the new one.. Am I screwed or is this one of those progressive refinements? Help!! I'm just about ready to reassemble it.

Edit: Oh, in case it is apparent, the new piston is on the left.

 

[Sprinter]

I don't know about you, but for me, it's a whole lot easier to take stuff apart than put it back together But boy, when the thing actually works, it's great, isn't it? Good luck.

 

[Danno77]

are you asking if the new piston is wrong in some way? just a different design, as long as it slides in ok and the pin fits like it should, then don't worry about the design. Unless, of course, you think you are gonna start grinding away on that new piston to reduce it's weight, then we need to have an intervention...

 

[MrWhoopee]

are you asking if the new piston is wrong in some way? just a different design, as long as it slides in ok and the pin fits like it should, then don't worry about the design. Unless, of course, you think you are gonna start grinding away on that new piston to reduce it's weight, then we need to have an intervention...

Yes, I'm wondering if this piston was intended for a different cylinder, or if it just represents design refinements and will work fine in the old cylinder. All of the dimensions are right, though the ring is about .03 closer to the top.

 

[Danno77]

That ring shouldn't make a difference in a good cylinder. You should be good to go.

 

[MrWhoopee]

Just spoke with the saw mechanic at my local shop. He said the difference changes the transfer port timing, improving saw performance. Off we go.

 

[MrWhoopee]

IT'S ALIVE! After much time spent with 600 grit emery polishing out the aluminum left in the cylinder and puzzling over a flooding carb problem, the old Rancher 61 is running again. Nothing like the feeling of resurrecting an old friend. Now she goes back in the sig.

 

[HittinSteel]

Great job