Saw fixing

[Nitroman]

I hear all of you on the not worth it to do restoration and repair work on any old machines. I only do it as a hobby and it`s not my full time work. It started out as doing work for friends and family and eventually spreads to their friends and friends of friends and their relatives ,well you know how it goes. I have been involved in mechanicals all my life it seems and can do work on all types of engines. I operate heavy equipment and work on it as well,but have been doing renovation work on homes and buildings for the past ten years as it allows me to be around home and not have to travel away from home for extended periods of time. I occasionaly have a day off now and then and like to work on my own collection of chainsaws but find myself doing too much work for others so will have to wean them off slowly. LOL Pioneerguy600

As soon as you had the machine broken down, you should have called him and given him the hard line: it's broken and will cost XXX amount of dollars, what do you want to do? Before you put all the time and parts into getting him set up. After this time cutting the guy some slack, don't do it again. When he brings his stuff to you tell him you will look at it and give him options.

 

[Bruce Hopf]

As soon as you had the machine broken down, you should have called him and given him the hard line: it's broken and will cost XXX amount of dollars, what do you want to do? Before you put all the time and parts into getting him set up. After this time cutting the guy some slack, don't do it again. When he brings his stuff to you tell him you will look at it and give him options.

Well to tell you the truth, Jerry came out of the deal ahead. He recieved a practaly brand new chain saw out of the deal, that was only used less than 3 tanks of gas/mix. Personaly, if I did the amount of work that Jerry did, and recieved what he gotton for his troubles, I'd be tickled pink. He can sell this saw, and have Money Made. Nice easy way to make Money.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Well guy`s I am happy with the outcome ,the MS 260 I got on trade is worth $660. new up here in N.S. ,it is a year old and has very little use,around three tanks of gas and the chain has not even been sharpened. I have been offered $550. for it but turned that down as an old friend of mine needs it more than I do, he has a bad back and had a stroke two years back. He has recovered some since then but cannot work or hold a steady job. I usually cut 4-5 cord of wood for him each year and drop it off at his place cut and split.
He and his family own a piece of land with good firewood on it but his saw is a joke. Most of my saws are too heavy to loan him and this one will be just the ticket for him to get out and cut a little wood on his own. I have dropped off around 6 cord of split hardwood already this year so he is set for this winter but he can get a start on for next years wood and he will feel better for doing some of the work himself. Pioneerguy600

 

[pioneerguy600]

OK. I'm learning as I go here. Correct me if I'm wrong. I pull the carburetor, and muffler, put in a solid gasket, and reinstall the carburetor, and muffler. I've never done a vacuum test on an engine. Just compression and spark tests. Your input is greatly appreciated. Thanks again. Bruce.

Yes that will block the cylinder off, my gaskets are made of rubber about 1/8" thick,just punch holes for the mounting screws-bolts and put the gasket on behind the carb or muffler and tighten the screws. Leave all the lines connected and the sparkplug in place,then wash the saw,comes out very clean and oil free. Pioneerguy600

 

[dancan]

A big +1 to Jerry

 

[Bruce Hopf]

Yes that will block the cylinder off, my gaskets are made of rubber about 1/8" thick,just punch holes for the mounting screws-bolts and put the gasket on behind the carb or muffler and tighten the screws. Leave all the lines connected and the sparkplug in place,then wash the saw,comes out very clean and oil free. Pioneerguy600

OK. Thanks for all the advice Jerry. I really appreciate it. Bruce.

 

[pioneerguy600]

OK. Thanks for all the advice Jerry. I really appreciate it. Bruce.

You are welcome,if you try this out let us know how it works for you. Pioneerguy600

 

[Bruce Hopf]

Well guy`s I am happy with the outcome ,the MS 260 I got on trade is worth $660. new up here in N.S. ,it is a year old and has very little use,around three tanks of gas and the chain has not even been sharpened. I have been offered $550. for it but turned that down as an old friend of mine needs it more than I do, he has a bad back and had a stroke two years back. He has recovered some since then but cannot work or hold a steady job. I usually cut 4-5 cord of wood for him each year and drop it off at his place cut and split.
He and his family own a piece of land with good firewood on it but his saw is a joke. Most of my saws are too heavy to loan him and this one will be just the ticket for him to get out and cut a little wood on his own. I have dropped off around 6 cord of split hardwood already this year so he is set for this winter but he can get a start on for next years wood and he will feel better for doing some of the work himself. Pioneerguy600

Thats good to hear Jerry. It will give your friend some self worth. I know where he is coming from with the bad back. I'm 42, and will have to retire. Potential Employers won't give a person with a bad back injury the time of day.
I've even tried to start my own business in restoration of farm equipment. The work was too heavy, and was too much for my back, and I will have too close it up, after I finish the project I have in the shop for a customer.
The shop is located on the farm here, and I will make use of it to tinker around in. Best wishes to your friend, and best of luck to him as well.
Bruce.

 

[Bruce Hopf]

You are welcome,if you try this out let us know how it works for you. Pioneerguy600

I sure will. I will have to do a little plumbing at the laundry tub in the basement, or mayby move the dishwasher out to the barn. Bruce

 

[teacherman]

I know I am going to charge him a reasonable amount just to head off a continuing problem and it should teach him something about being responsible. I bought the donor saw a couple months back and only paid$60. for it so if I ask for a couple hundred for the job and he`s ok with that we`ll go that route, if not I will offer to buy the saw from him and offer a hundred for it as there was not much useable from it and he can go and buy another saw.
I won`t sell him one of my saws as I could not stand to see them trashed. Pioneerguy600

A hundred is way too much to offer him for his destroyed saw.....

If he makes his living cutting up trees, why does he have only one saw, and is an Echo designed for that hard of use? I know the strimmer SRM-2400 is nigh unto indestructible, but.............

How much is a new one? Maybe he should pay 10.00 less, and he would also save the sales tax. just my opinion

 

[Bruce Hopf]

A hundred is way too much to offer him for his destroyed saw.....

If he makes his living cutting up trees, why does he have only one saw, and is an Echo designed for that hard of use? I know the strimmer SRM-2400 is nigh unto indestructible, but.............

How much is a new one? Maybe he should pay 10.00 less, and he would also save the sales tax. just my opinion

Jerry did OK in the deal. The owner traded Jerry a practicaly brand new chain saw, a MS-260 out of the deal. The MS-260 only had a little over 2 tanks of gas/mix ran though it since new a year ago, worth $660.00 Canadian. He came ahead on the deal.
Bruce.

 

[belgian]

Tazman you are right on the money, most of the old saws and lawnmowers I've repaired needed hours and hours of cleaning and refurbishing but very few actual parts to bring them back up to snuff. People just don't understand or want to pay for time, they probably won't flinch at the parts pricing but they can't understand why it took 4+ hours to rebuild the recoil when you had to clean it for 3.5 hours just to get it apart! No wonder small shops can't stay in business.... I'm glad to have the skills and interest to do these things but I couldn't imagine being able to make much of a living at it!

right on the money indeed. Since I have been myself into restoring old chainsaws, I have learned that it takes sometimes a lotta time to get equipment going again. And if you would have to charge the time to make a living out of it, it would be exceeding by far the value of the saw. I have established a lot more respect and understanding for dealers that don't want to carry out repairs on old stuff, just for that reason, or don't offer free services. It must be hard as it is to make a living out of service repairs.

Like pioneerguy, I love to tinker on equipment as a hobby, and if you can make some money out of a repair for a friend or so, it'll just make the hobby more affordable, and keep your friends happy. But someone who wants to make a living out of repairing ole machinery, be it tractors, motorcycles or chainsaws will have a h@ll of a time making some money, if any at all.


@ pioneerguy : you were lucky to get that 260 as trade What I don't understand is why that bloke wanted this beaten up echo totally repaired if he had a decent 260 sitting in the truck

 

[Bruce Hopf]

right on the money indeed. Since I have been myself into restoring old chainsaws, I have learned that it takes sometimes a lotta time to get equipment going again. And if you would have to charge the time to make a living out of it, it would be exceeding by far the value of the saw. I have established a lot more respect and understanding for dealers that don't want to carry out repairs on old stuff, just for that reason, or don't offer free services. It must be hard as it is to make a living out of service repairs.

Like pioneerguy, I love to tinker on equipment as a hobby, and if you can make some money out of a repair for a friend or so, it'll just make the hobby more affordable, and keep your friends happy. But someone who wants to make a living out of repairing ole machinery, be it tractors, motorcycles or chainsaws will have a h@ll of a time making some money, if any at all.


@ pioneerguy : you were lucky to get that 260 as trade What I don't understand is why that bloke wanted this beaten up echo totally repaired if he had a decent 260 sitting in the truck

I love to tinker as well. I usualy go into small engine repair shops looking for old McCulloch stuff, and get it cheap, for parts to keep mine running. I have bought the odd saw from E Bay as well (recieved 1, and waiting on 4). I will go over every one, and try to see what is wrong with them, and try to fix them, and try to get them running.
If not scrap them for parts and keep what I think I will need. The running saws I just keep them, and work with them here on my farm. I have 50 acres with 15acres of bush, to play in with my chainsaws. Cut my own winters heat with them, and sell wood as well.
Now for the Chain Saw that Jerry has recived as payment, for fixing up the Echo. The guy that he fixed the Echo Chainsaw up for felt that the new Stihl was too small for the job he was doing, so he traded Jerry for payment for fixing up his other saw.
Bruce.

 

[pioneerguy600]

right on the money indeed. Since I have been myself into restoring old chainsaws, I have learned that it takes sometimes a lotta time to get equipment going again. And if you would have to charge the time to make a living out of it, it would be exceeding by far the value of the saw. I have established a lot more respect and understanding for dealers that don't want to carry out repairs on old stuff, just for that reason, or don't offer free services. It must be hard as it is to make a living out of service repairs.

Like pioneerguy, I love to tinker on equipment as a hobby, and if you can make some money out of a repair for a friend or so, it'll just make the hobby more affordable, and keep your friends happy. But someone who wants to make a living out of repairing ole machinery, be it tractors, motorcycles or chainsaws will have a h@ll of a time making some money, if any at all.


@ pioneerguy : you were lucky to get that 260 as trade What I don't understand is why that bloke wanted this beaten up echo totally repaired if he had a decent 260 sitting in the truck

Agreed the repair game is hard to make money on and I do it as a hobby only.The MS 260 is too small to do hardwood bucking on a daily basis and the Echo 670 is not really big enough either IMO . I use MS440`s and Husky 266 & 372`s for the same type of work.
Also saw your picts of the Pioneer 600 on the Pioneer saws thread by Petesoldsaws and added a line or two myself.
Pioneerguy600

 

[pioneerguy600]

A hundred is way too much to offer him for his destroyed saw.....

If he makes his living cutting up trees, why does he have only one saw, and is an Echo designed for that hard of use? I know the strimmer SRM-2400 is nigh unto indestructible, but.............

How much is a new one? Maybe he should pay 10.00 less, and he would also save the sales tax. just my opinion

This fellow does have two Echo 670`s and they are ok but not really meant for this line of work IMO .He previously ran Stihl 044 and MS 440`s but kind of fell out with the local dealer and when that shop moved to the other side of of the City it made it really hard to deal with them. He sort of burned his bridges with most local saw dealers . The Echo 670 goes for around $800. so I am told but I don`t have a dealer to call to get an exact price. The last MS 440 I bought cost me $1140. out the door so there is a price difference there also.Bucking up wood is not a good way to make a living but some don`t have a lot of choices in our area but this fellow could do better for himself. He`s old enough to know better but still too young to care. LOL Pioneerguy600

 

[pioneerguy600]

I sure will. I will have to do a little plumbing at the laundry tub in the basement, or mayby move the dishwasher out to the barn. Bruce

Just a note to remind you to drain the muffler after a wash and blow the filter out well if you leave it on the saw through the wash. I blow the whole saw off with compressed air before starting it up to get most of the residual water out.
Pioneerguy600

 

[teacherman]

Ok the guy came in this morning to pick up the saw and I knew immediately that he had been partying all weekend as he looked haggered and hung over as usual. He`s jovial and has a coffee for me. Looks the saw over and says it looks like new,does it run and cut good. I answer yes its fine and he says that all he expected was to have it patched up good enough to run for the week and he would bring it back next weekend and have some more done to it. Didn`t expect me to work on it all weekend etc.
So he gets around to whats the"damages" and when I tell him how much work I did on it and the parts I used then tell him how much he don`t seem too stressed. He`s quiet for couple secs. and then says that he is short on cash and I expect the inevitable song and dance but he then says to me you like Stihl saws don`t you? I say yes of course and he replies ,would you take a nearly new MS260 in trade for the job. My mind envisons a beat to death POS but he goes out to his truck and fetches back a brand new looking saw ,no dirt or scratches,nothing. He states it is on its third tank of gas and is no use to him as it is too small.
From his pocket he produces the bill of sale and warranty card just to prove he owns it as it was purchased over a year ago at a local dealer who has since moved across town to a new location.He says if you are happy I am happy and with that he is off to work and I am the owner of a nearly new MS260 that I just had to take out and try out. Well I ran three tanks of gas through it today and it is a new saw allright , smooth,powerful for a small saw and could ask for nothing more.
Now I have someone in mind who could really use this saw and will be taking it over to him this weekend,I think he will be a really happy camper. So it turned out a lot better than I expected and my blood pressure is back down and now I feel like I can help a friend out that really needs help . This makes me feel good and my week will be much better after all the turmoil over the weekend. LOL
Pioneerguy600

:jawdrop: That is great! It sounds like it all worked out well. That Echo must be a pretty big saw. Now he has a like new one, and you have a 260 to get into good hands. Cool.

 

[pioneerguy600]

:jawdrop: That is great! It sounds like it all worked out well. That Echo must be a pretty big saw. Now he has a like new one, and you have a 260 to get into good hands. Cool.

The Echo 670 is a 67 cc saw much like the Husky 266 which is 66.7 cc but the husky is a little better built in the anti vibe area,just a little more robust. The Echo is ok but you have to use it a little more sensible. If you are used to Stihl and Husky saws and really use them rough you get used to how they stand up. The Echo will not take the abuse the above mentioned saws do.IMO Pioneerguy600

 

[Bruce Hopf]

Just a note to remind you to drain the muffler after a wash and blow the filter out well if you leave it on the saw through the wash. I blow the whole saw off with compressed air before starting it up to get most of the residual water out.
Pioneerguy600

Jerry. Sorry to bother you again. When the dishwasher is finished its rinse cycles, should I remove the saw out of the dish washer, or leave it in for the drying cycle? Thanks again. Bruce.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Jerry. Sorry to bother you again. When the dishwasher is finished its rinse cycles, should I remove the saw out of the dish washer, or leave it in for the drying cycle? Thanks again. Bruce.

HI Bruce; The heat cycle is bad for the saws finishes so I only leave them in the drying cycle 5 mins and then open the door. If you are not going to be around to manually shut off the heat it is best to wire in a switch to disable the heater coil. I don`t have to wash my own saws often as I clean them after each use. It is usually saws that I fix for others or saws given to me and sometimes saws I pick up for parts or repair that are so gummed up from neglect that I put through the washer as I will not work on dirty machinery,guess it comes from my machinest background. The 034 I was given a couple days back really was dirty and the flywheel,recoil rotor and cavity around the flywheel were impacted with so much gunk it had jammed the flywheel solid and the shop I got it from thought it was seized up. After going through the washer the flywheel would turn a little so it loosens up even solid crud but I still had to pry off the recoil cover to get at what was inside. It seemed like fine clay with a black sticky binder like hardened molasses,not sure what it was but once it was cleaned out I popped off the flywheel it was even in behind it. Once all cleaned out and put back together the saw runs really well. Pioneerguy600