OregonPerson
New Member
I learned about the Dolmar 6400 from this forum (thank you all) and that is what I purchased. Here is my story, hoping it is of interest. I owned a Stihl Farm Boss and possibly due to bad gas the cylinder head became damaged after a couple years of use. I loved the way the Stihl handled but chose a Husky which has served me adequately for over a decade.
I left my perfectly maintained 2004 Husky Rancher with the recent bar upgrade on the side of a road for 5 minutes. I went back right away but it was already gone. I cannot blame the GF's grandchildren even though they were doing what kids do best; driving me absolutely nuts by diverting my attention.....oooops, there goes my leg
Anyway....I went to my local Husky dealer and the first thing he told me was the 2004 model is quite different than the new models (nowhere near as solid in his opinion) and he suggested I upgrade to Pro. He had a 562xp with a few 'homeshow hours' on it being sold for $659 with a 24 inch bar and 2 year warranty. I loved the 'look' and snapped it up. I watched as the dealer gassed and oiled it and checked the chain tension.
I took it home and it was SCREAMING as it made fast work of some English Walnut. I was in love with the banshee sound of the 562 as it howled through the 6 and 8 inch stuff. I know to always watch chain tension especially on a new chain and there was no 'droop'. Suddenly, I experienced the Mother of All Kickbacks, shut it off, and noticed the chain was hanging a couple inches down. Turns out the nuts that holds the snazzy metal-look clutch cover on the saw is KNOWN to sometimes work loose and it did. also, the threaded post is TOO SHORT so the nut cannot fit over all the threads. The 'explosion' chipped the cover a little in the chain brake area.
I took it back the NEXT DAY to the dealer. He explained Husky would not replace the cover but he found me a rather used one in his junkpile and thoughtfully installed it on my almost new saw bought the day before. I went back to the farm to saw the heavy trunk area. THE SAW CUT CURVED BADLY TO THE LEFT . I blame it on the lack of a right-side dog, which is optional equipment if the clutch-cover accepts it).
I went back to the Husky dealer the next day (2 days after purchase) and returned the dangerous, defective product. Husky is not what it used to be and Stihl is just flat out too much money for me right now and I did have problems with my first one.
So I selected the Dolmar 6400. It like many new saws comes with a safety chain. IMHO chainsawing with a safety chain is like having sex with a condom as mobility and feeling are muted. For example, the safety chain won't 'up-cut'...what kind of joke is that? I will get the dealer to swap it off with the regular chain. It comes with 2 large dogs, just as I like it.
Dolmar / Makita 6400 absolutely ROCKS when compared with the Husky 562. Yes, it is a couple pounds heavier and does not feel cheap as a result. Also, I can retrofit a larger bore later if I want to...another selling point of the Dolmar 6400. BTW....the Dolmar choke system is a bit different...pull out the choke handle. Pull the saw ONE TIME and only one time. Then push in the choke and pull the rope again....viola it starts instantly. Many of us may be used to having the saw turn over a little and then we know to turn off the choke. Dolmar floods if you do that.
I was very loyal to Husky but they no longer deserve it. They went from first to last in a decade imo. BTW again.... Makita and Dolmar are the same thing except the Makita is BLUE and Dolmar is the typical bright orange. IMO Makita needs to go with a highly contrasting color such as orange, lime green, or yellow (for examples) making the saw more visible. I bet the blue saw gets run over more than the orange ones
I left my perfectly maintained 2004 Husky Rancher with the recent bar upgrade on the side of a road for 5 minutes. I went back right away but it was already gone. I cannot blame the GF's grandchildren even though they were doing what kids do best; driving me absolutely nuts by diverting my attention.....oooops, there goes my leg
Anyway....I went to my local Husky dealer and the first thing he told me was the 2004 model is quite different than the new models (nowhere near as solid in his opinion) and he suggested I upgrade to Pro. He had a 562xp with a few 'homeshow hours' on it being sold for $659 with a 24 inch bar and 2 year warranty. I loved the 'look' and snapped it up. I watched as the dealer gassed and oiled it and checked the chain tension.
I took it home and it was SCREAMING as it made fast work of some English Walnut. I was in love with the banshee sound of the 562 as it howled through the 6 and 8 inch stuff. I know to always watch chain tension especially on a new chain and there was no 'droop'. Suddenly, I experienced the Mother of All Kickbacks, shut it off, and noticed the chain was hanging a couple inches down. Turns out the nuts that holds the snazzy metal-look clutch cover on the saw is KNOWN to sometimes work loose and it did. also, the threaded post is TOO SHORT so the nut cannot fit over all the threads. The 'explosion' chipped the cover a little in the chain brake area.
I took it back the NEXT DAY to the dealer. He explained Husky would not replace the cover but he found me a rather used one in his junkpile and thoughtfully installed it on my almost new saw bought the day before. I went back to the farm to saw the heavy trunk area. THE SAW CUT CURVED BADLY TO THE LEFT
. I blame it on the lack of a right-side dog, which is optional equipment if the clutch-cover accepts it).I went back to the Husky dealer the next day (2 days after purchase) and returned the dangerous, defective product. Husky is not what it used to be and Stihl is just flat out too much money for me right now and I did have problems with my first one.
So I selected the Dolmar 6400. It like many new saws comes with a safety chain. IMHO chainsawing with a safety chain is like having sex with a condom as mobility and feeling are muted. For example, the safety chain won't 'up-cut'...what kind of joke is that? I will get the dealer to swap it off with the regular chain. It comes with 2 large dogs, just as I like it.
Dolmar / Makita 6400 absolutely ROCKS when compared with the Husky 562. Yes, it is a couple pounds heavier and does not feel cheap as a result. Also, I can retrofit a larger bore later if I want to...another selling point of the Dolmar 6400. BTW....the Dolmar choke system is a bit different...pull out the choke handle. Pull the saw ONE TIME and only one time. Then push in the choke and pull the rope again....viola it starts instantly. Many of us may be used to having the saw turn over a little and then we know to turn off the choke. Dolmar floods if you do that.
I was very loyal to Husky but they no longer deserve it. They went from first to last in a decade imo. BTW again.... Makita and Dolmar are the same thing except the Makita is BLUE and Dolmar is the typical bright orange. IMO Makita needs to go with a highly contrasting color such as orange, lime green, or yellow (for examples) making the saw more visible. I bet the blue saw gets run over more than the orange ones
