max2cam
ArboristSite Guru
This isn't exactly "new," and not exactly "refurbished" as marketed either, but "newish" and looks used hard for a short time by the dings and scratches on it. Supposedly SOLO checked the compression and set the carb.
It came in a beat-up box smelling of gas and leaking oil -- kinda like an old Harley. Out fell a complete powerhead and new Oregon 24" bar and chain. Nothing else! Not even an operator's manual!
Upon inspection I found that the clutch hub was bent and running out-of-round (how do you bend a clutch hub?) A couple calls to the nice people at SOLO and two postal deliveries later and I am all set up with: a new spark plug, new hub, new 3/8" sprocket, mixing oil, 2 combi-tools and a little carb tuning screwdriver, owner's manual, parts sheet, and a photocopy of the service manual. The tech guy there (Scott) was very helpful and friendly and answered all of my questions.
As other guys said on another thread, the SOLO appears to be a very well-made and engineered unit with time-tested German quality (I like German guns and have a German motorcycle too). The SOLO design is simple and sensible. The Walbro carb is very accessable. The choke is a simple pull-push knob and the kill switch a simple toggle. I pulled the muffler and the bore looks good.
The hub and sprocket are behind the clutch and getting them off looked tricky to me, but the clutch simply unscrews off the engine shaft backwards with a 19mm socket (big arrows: "OFF-->" The orig. sprocket was a .404 so I'm happy they sent me a new 3/8" at my request. Hopefully today I'll get it back together and fire it up for the first time. For $449 I am the happy new owner of honking big saw for milling purposes. Hopefully it will run as good as it looks with its Germanic red and black exterior. I can overlook a few scratches and dings if it runs okay.
Unfortunately, summer is not my cutting/milling season (winter is when I make sawdust). But I'll have to get the lumber maker on it and mill on that jackpine log I was messing with a few weeks ago just to verify that it runs okay before I put it away for the summer.
Question: Should I consider the saw "broken in" as it shows some use, or should I double the oil ratio for a few tanks of gas like the owner manual says? I suppose it wouldn't hurt...eh?
Question: Is there anything radically different about the handling of a bigger saw that I should watch out for? Is this thing going to fly out of my hands and go tearing up the road if I don't hold it like a gorrilla? This job should put out twice the horsepower of my usual saw (Jonsered 2050).
Thanks guys! Great forum! The chainsaw is a great tool! Great fun in the spring woods although the mosquitoes are coming out and the ticks are rampant!
It came in a beat-up box smelling of gas and leaking oil -- kinda like an old Harley. Out fell a complete powerhead and new Oregon 24" bar and chain. Nothing else! Not even an operator's manual!
Upon inspection I found that the clutch hub was bent and running out-of-round (how do you bend a clutch hub?) A couple calls to the nice people at SOLO and two postal deliveries later and I am all set up with: a new spark plug, new hub, new 3/8" sprocket, mixing oil, 2 combi-tools and a little carb tuning screwdriver, owner's manual, parts sheet, and a photocopy of the service manual. The tech guy there (Scott) was very helpful and friendly and answered all of my questions.
As other guys said on another thread, the SOLO appears to be a very well-made and engineered unit with time-tested German quality (I like German guns and have a German motorcycle too). The SOLO design is simple and sensible. The Walbro carb is very accessable. The choke is a simple pull-push knob and the kill switch a simple toggle. I pulled the muffler and the bore looks good.
The hub and sprocket are behind the clutch and getting them off looked tricky to me, but the clutch simply unscrews off the engine shaft backwards with a 19mm socket (big arrows: "OFF-->" The orig. sprocket was a .404 so I'm happy they sent me a new 3/8" at my request. Hopefully today I'll get it back together and fire it up for the first time. For $449 I am the happy new owner of honking big saw for milling purposes. Hopefully it will run as good as it looks with its Germanic red and black exterior. I can overlook a few scratches and dings if it runs okay.
Unfortunately, summer is not my cutting/milling season (winter is when I make sawdust). But I'll have to get the lumber maker on it and mill on that jackpine log I was messing with a few weeks ago just to verify that it runs okay before I put it away for the summer.
Question: Should I consider the saw "broken in" as it shows some use, or should I double the oil ratio for a few tanks of gas like the owner manual says? I suppose it wouldn't hurt...eh?
Question: Is there anything radically different about the handling of a bigger saw that I should watch out for? Is this thing going to fly out of my hands and go tearing up the road if I don't hold it like a gorrilla? This job should put out twice the horsepower of my usual saw (Jonsered 2050).
Thanks guys! Great forum! The chainsaw is a great tool! Great fun in the spring woods although the mosquitoes are coming out and the ticks are rampant!
