Cheap saws that became money pits

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Out of this haul I only kept the 923 and one blue n white XL12 that were sitting on the tailgate, the rest of the saws in the truck box got repaired and running.

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I thought this was the 'money pit' thread.[emoji849]
They become a money pit if you put the time and money into them, sometimes you need to cut your losses before one gets in too deep. Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose, just have to take your chances and keep a level head to stay out of the pit. Dam CAD!!
 
My Shindaiwa T-25. I won't try to do a full inventory of cost on that thing. Paid $70 for the unit non-running. New flywheel, starter plate, almost all the screws and bolts on the PH, fuel lines and a carb kit The starter plate was my fault though. I wasn't sure weather it threaded off or was pulled off. I guessed wrong. Learned the hard way not to buy non running stuff!
 
Homelite 410 and a 562 husky. Both saws bought new and both were/are money pits. Absolutely hated the 410, couldn't get rid of it fast enough. The 562 is a like/hate thing. When all the stars line up it is a great saw but it has way too many quirks that make it a poor choice for a production saw. The 410 could not be relied on to run, the 562 with some work is a 95% saw. But the 5% when it is extremely cold or hot is not a good thing. CJ
 
Homelite 410 and a 562 husky. Both saws bought new and both were/are money pits. Absolutely hated the 410, couldn't get rid of it fast enough. The 562 is a like/hate thing. When all the stars line up it is a great saw but it has way too many quirks that make it a poor choice for a production saw. The 410 could not be relied on to run, the 562 with some work is a 95% saw. But the 5% when it is extremely cold or hot is not a good thing. CJ

Needed my 575 this past weekend to cut up a 18" burr oak that blew down on a friends greenhouse. 104 degrees in the shade. It was too hot for that saw...even if I talked to her sweetly. Should have taken the Echo 710. Not so many RPM but just as much torque.
 
Yea, my 372's are my go to saws. Don't care how hot or cold, they run. My 390 boiled on me the other day but I did not let it cool after a bunch of 30" cuts in hardwood. should have let it idle a bit. The 562 can be idled 10 min and it still won't restart until it cools. In fact I just let it idle when I am moving brush or whatever. Works great until it runs out of fuel! CJ
 
My grandfather had an early 80's Oleomac which fits the bill pretty nicely: not only it was a "hangar queen" but he kept throwing money at it instead of throwing the damn thing in the scrap heap.
Honestly I think over the years he spent more money on that saw than what it cost him brand new (and he had a habit of overpaying everything with an engine in it) and in the end there wasn't much of the original saw left anyway.
I have no idea what happened to that saw: when he passed away his tool collection was split between various relatives but I don't remember anyone wanting it. Probably my granmother threw it away. Smart woman.
 
In the past, I have been sad to see decent old saws tossed to the curb, so I was taking freebies and cheapie saws for awhile.

The number of 10-10 McCulloch's, old homelite 330's, mini-Macs, little poulans, cheapy husky poulans, etc., u

They finally got to be too many to keep, and I didn't like working so many hours and searching high and low for parts for them to end up selling them for $80-$100.

I sold 15 of these saws for $200 I think to one guy who wanted to tinker on them.

I was so relieved.


I have gone down the rabbit hole of Stihl parts cost on an MS441, but still came out $150 profit and a ton of experience.

Stihl parts cost must be roughly 5 times what it would cost as a complete unit. Apparently, they can sleep good at night selling little parts for $20-$30 that I know cost them $.25 to mold....


I personally go by a basic simple guide of buying and selling saws.

1. Is it a modern pro saw ( has a chainbrake) in nice shape and complete but possibly straight gassed? If not complete, how many little parts are missing that I don't have spares of? Nickel and dimes on a Stihl are more like $10's and $20's; missing a few little parts on a Stihl can add up to $100-$150 in a heartbeat.

2. Is it priced cheap enough that I could buy a good aftermarket or used OEM piston and cylinder and still come out with $200 or more in profit at the worst case scenario?

3. Does it have a nice bar and chain or at least a good bar? These items can really add up on a big saw. It can easily cost $100 for a good Stihl 25 inch bar and RS chain

4. Do I have spare parts or access to cheap spares? If it is more of a collectible, and not a modern saw that you want to run and parts are scarce, pass it on to a collector.
 
Some saws I go into knowing they will be a money pit. As long as I get a good saw out of it, that's fine with me sometimes. My husky 266 prob gonna run me over $150 and it was free. But it's going to be a great saw when I'm done. The 372 I have planned will be a big money pit too. I have no plans on selling either one though.
 
My MS660 that I bought for about $700 quickly became a $900 saw after it blew a crankcase gasket soon after I bought it and had to take it to a mechanic.
 
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