2 Cylinder Deere 66SV

[JR Maley]

I just purchased a John Deere 66SV twin cylinder chainsaw and am waiting for it to arrive hopefully next week. The anticipation is killing me, so I wanted to start this new thread to discuss these saws (echo twins) to quell some of anxiety between now and when it arrives.

I guess one subject I haven't seen discussed about these echo twins is their performance. I had read that they are comparable in power and weight to an 80cc single, but are completely smooth. Is this true?

Also, what requires special attention on these saws?

Where can parts be found?

Its probably not realistic, but I hope to one day find a chain brake, new decal set, and a replacement base (all of these twins seam to break the base at the back by the handle from what I've seen).

Also, am I really gonna be the first person to post a 66SV video on youtube?

 

[w8ye]

When it comes in, we need to see some pictures

 

[Hedgerow]

I just purchased a John Deere 66SV twin cylinder chainsaw and am waiting for it to arrive hopefully next week. The anticipation is killing me, so I wanted to start this new thread to discuss these saws (echo twins) to quell some of anxiety between now and when it arrives.

I guess one subject I haven't seen discussed about these echo twins is their performance. I had read that they are comparable in power and weight to an 80cc single, but are completely smooth. Is this true?

Also, what requires special attention on these saws?

Where can parts be found?

Its probably not realistic, but I hope to one day find a chain brake, new decal set, and a replacement base (all of these twins seam to break the base at the back by the handle from what I've seen).

Also, am I really gonna be the first person to post a 66SV video on youtube?

AR sawmechanic has one of these we ran at the last GTG. He may be a source of info for you.

They are a fine saw by the way. Just a tad heavy for the speed though.

 

[w8ye]

Here's a couple videos of the ECS610EVL twin where a guy was trying to sell one a few months ago.

It gives a good overview of a saw that has the twin sound but it is not a 66SV

[video=youtube;MXJmbnB8L6M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXJmbnB8L6M[/video]

[video=youtube;gSgTFR3x6-g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSgTFR3x6-g&NR=1[/video]

 

[sawfun9]

Mine was comparable to my Poulan 3700 in power, both saws having 18" bars and the same chain. It's power is basically old school 61cc power, but It weighed as much as my 064. However, It is a very smooth saw and will idle down nice and low. Pretty nice throttle response as well. Lot's of fun and everybody wants to try it, just not very practical. It's an oddity like the Sachs KMS-4 rotary saw.

 

[Warped5]

Did you buy the 66SV in OH or CT?

LOL

Various folks have described the saws as having a very smooth feel to them, but they are a bit on the heavy side without huge gobs of power or torque.

There are right now 3 or 4 Echo models up on eBay, active or recently completed. But just one 66SV is active now.

I had an opportunity to get an Echo counterpart last week, the toe plate was damaged as you have noted. The asking price was a bit steep, considering the damaged plate and the fact that the B&C were not original.

During the course that research sometimes takes, I was able to find out that the base unit (of which the toe plate is part of) is pretty much NLA from Echo. I was eventually able to find two collectors that had these parts in their posession; I can tell you that I'll be more successful extracting chicken's teeth than I will getting these parts in MY lifetime. The liklihood of finding a parts saw is pretty much nil.

Nice addition to your collection, tho! Will definitely draw some attention at GTGs!

 

[JR Maley]

Did you buy the 66SV in OH or CT?

LOL

Various folks have described the saws as having a very smooth feel to them, but they are a bit on the heavy side without huge gobs of power or torque.

There are right now 3 or 4 Echo models up on eBay, active or recently completed. But just one 66SV is active now.

I had an opportunity to get an Echo counterpart last week, the toe plate was damaged as you have noted. The asking price was a bit steep, considering the damaged plate and the fact that the B&C were not original.

During the course that research sometimes takes, I was able to find out that the base unit (of which the toe plate is part of) is pretty much NLA from Echo. I was eventually able to find two collectors that had these parts in their posession; I can tell you that I'll be more successful extracting chicken's teeth than I will getting these parts in MY lifetime. The liklihood of finding a parts saw is pretty much nil.

Nice addition to your collection, tho! Will definitely draw some attention at GTGs!

Ohio, the CT one was sold by the time I called the guy, it would have been nice though.

So it has equivalent power of a Poulan 3700, is that good, bad, or average for 61cc's? I currently cut with an 80EV (cs-750evl) which has an 18.7 lb powerhead (makes my Husqvarna 359 feel like it was made for juggling) so the 3.5 lb lighter 66SV will be a welcome change. That being said the 61cc Deere is 3 lb heavier than my 59cc Husqvarna, but the husqvarna is a unreliable POS (hence me using the 30 year old Deere/Echo 80cc for firewood cutting). I am hoping the 3lb extra over the husky weight translates to an extra 3 lbs of durability.

 

[Work Saw Collector]

For me that saw would be just for GTG fun or occasional fun not a daily driver.

 

[Jacob J.]

I've owned three of the Echos and two of the John Deeres. They are a heavy saw with the equivalent power of a 50cc single cylinder. They are not a powerful design and not very practical for a daily firewood saw. They drink a lot of gas for the cutting they do. You'd be far better off and spend a lot less money to run a lightweight, single cylinder saw for your daily firewood cutting like a good used Stihl 026.

 

[JR Maley]

How is the torque of the saw? I am surprised/slightly dissappointed to hear that the power is so low. I was hoping the saw would at least have good torque due to the reed valve design.

I wonder if the design/performance could have been improved if they had stuck with it, or if 50cc power is all you can squeeze out of a 60cc opposed twin.

 

[SkippyKtm]

I ended up buying the John Deere 66SV in CT:
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i518.photobucket.com/albums/u349/skippyktm/PICT6300.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i518.photobucket.com/albums/u349/skippyktm/PICT6301.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i518.photobucket.com/albums/u349/skippyktm/PICT6303.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

The weather is so humid my camera lens kept fogging up!

I've run the 66SV, but I wouldn't say my experience is extensive with it as I consider it a collectors item and certainly not a daily driver.
My take on the power is that it doesn't have the throttle response like my 357 has, but once in the cut and pulling, it has similar torque. If I compare it to a saw such as my 51, it has plenty more power than that, so in that regard I can't agree with Jacob J, assuming he's comparing it to a strictly a 50cc saw, but I would agree with JJ if he's comparing it to a 357 (56.5cc) at least as far as torque is concerned, However the 66SV weighs a lot more (nearly 3 lbs) than a 357. I tried to find hp specs for the 66SV or cst610, but echo apparently doesn't publish hp numbers.
Why is power being compared anyway? The saw is an old school novelty and shouldn't be used as a daily use saw anyway.:msp_confused:

 

[atvguns]

‪gtg 2011 John Deere 66SV 2 cylinder‬&rlm; - YouTube

 

[SkippyKtm]

I just purchased a John Deere 66SV twin cylinder chainsaw and am waiting for it to arrive hopefully next week. The anticipation is killing me, so I wanted to start this new thread to discuss these saws (echo twins) to quell some of anxiety between now and when it arrives.

I guess one subject I haven't seen discussed about these echo twins is their performance. I had read that they are comparable in power and weight to an 80cc single, but are completely smooth. Is this true?

Also, what requires special attention on these saws?

Where can parts be found?

Its probably not realistic, but I hope to one day find a chain brake, new decal set, and a replacement base (all of these twins seam to break the base at the back by the handle from what I've seen).

Also, am I really gonna be the first person to post a 66SV video on youtube?

I guess one subject I haven't seen discussed about these echo twins is their performance. I had read that they are comparable in power and weight to an 80cc single, but are completely smooth. Is this true?

power is like an old school 60cc saw, not snappy throttle response, but it pulls well and it is very smooth.

Where can parts be found?

Its probably not realistic, but I hope to one day find a chain brake, new decal set, and a replacement base (all of these twins seam to break the base at the back by the handle from what I've seen).

Essential parts can still be had at most echo dealers, but decals and the like, are NLA (at least for the John Deere variant).
Joe Silva at SCS can make them, pm me if you want for more details.

Also, am I really gonna be the first person to post a 66SV video on youtube?

Here's a CST-610 on youtube:
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CnkbtFvnKWs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

and atvguns' 66SV (looks like it still has the original "banana tip"bar):
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mdJ27arTcn0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Work Saw Collector]

‪gtg 2011 John Deere 66SV 2 cylinder‬&rlm; - YouTube

Cool thanks for the link.

 

[Warped5]

Chris - you have two?

Hoarder!

 

[SkippyKtm]

Hope I'm not hijacking this thread too badly:arg: :

I have 2 JD 66SV saws, one has a green painted air filter cover, and it doesn't appear to have been an amateur job, I believe its factory (but I could be wrong), the other saw has the more common black cover. Does anybody know anything on this subject?

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i518.photobucket.com/albums/u349/skippyktm/PICT6303.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i518.photobucket.com/albums/u349/skippyktm/PICT6298.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[Jacob J.]

I ended up buying the John Deere 66SV in CT:


I've run the 66SV, but I wouldn't say my experience is extensive with it as I consider it a collectors item and certainly not a daily driver.
My take on the power is that it doesn't have the throttle response like my 357 has, but once in the cut and pulling, it has similar torque. If I compare it to a saw such as my 51, it has plenty more power than that, so in that regard I can't agree with Jacob J, assuming he's comparing it to a strictly a 50cc saw, but I would agree with JJ if he's comparing it to a 357 (56.5cc) at least as far as torque is concerned, However the 66SV weighs a lot more (nearly 3 lbs) than a 357. I tried to find hp specs for the 66SV or cst610, but echo apparently doesn't publish hp numbers.
Why is power being compared anyway? The saw is an old school novelty and shouldn't be used as a daily use saw anyway.:msp_confused:

Any modern 50-60cc saw like the 357, 359, 361/362, Solo 667, even the MS-261 will blow the doors off of a Echo 610 or JD 66-SV. Apart from the fact that it's a crankcase-induction reed valve saw, they were designed to make their peak power at around 7500-8k. A smartly built 346NE or MS-260 will also leave the 610/66-SV in the dust.

 

[SkippyKtm]

Yah... I just think they're just neat ol' saws, a novelty. I'd never want to use one all the time. Whenever I've got cuttin' to do I always grab a 346, 357, or the 394.


I don't wanna get into a pissin' match with ya.

 

[sawbones]

Chris - you have two?

Hoarder!

:hmm3grin2orange:

My 66 runs but needs a few parts. Bought the middle one for parts but turned out to be a great runner.:msp_thumbup:
The one on left may need a carb boot or crank seal.


I sent this one to germany a few years back.

[video=youtube;gSgTFR3x6-g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSgTFR3x6-g&NR=1[/video]

 

[SkippyKtm]

Nice collection!
Is that a chain brake I see on the one on the far left?