So, is a husky rancher 61 worth the time..

[billmartin]

Got in a box, Ebay deal didn't pay much if i remember right.

Probly from somebody on here. Came all apart but seems to be complete. Did some work on the cylinder today(mucho transfer of piston to cylinder) looks like it will clean up really nice though.

Btw I need a chime in on who posted the heat the cylinder before acid trick. Used my milwakee two stage on really friggin hot for a short time and it did the trick quick. Not done but made ALOT of progress in an hour.

Has the metal chain brake and is clean. Thanks previous owner!

One thing has me a little worried, The ring pin is smack dab in the middle of the intake port. Which makes me leery of opening the intake to the max(2mm of skirt?).

Transfers (oh hell I need pics) They look to need a good grind and the int. exh. ports.

What say you oh :chainsawguy: experts and nerds?

Could be a good loaner gift stocker, or another toy and a gift to a good friend later...

In a nutshell, does it port well? lol I rhyme when i'm buzzed:yoyo:


Bill

 

[nmurph]

a 61 is definitely worth the work. my limited understanding is that it has much in common with the 268/272 family. if the ring is in the middle you are ahead of the game and gives you one less thing to worry about when porting. it is a 4hp saw stock. so with a port and MM it should be getting towards 5hp.

 

[Cantdog]

Is the Rancher the one with the white top? Makes no difference though if it's all there it's way worth buying a new meteor piston and getting going. Not the most powerful saw for the weight but rock solid in reliaibility. As was said it's the baseline build for the 66,266,268 and 272. Cases, crank, handles, fuel tank etc are all the same.
Don't worry about the placement of the locating pin, the ring does not travel into the intake port. It is always above. So width is not an issue until you get close to the skirt edge. Good luck

 

[pioneerguy600]

Is the Rancher the one with the white top? Makes no difference though if it's all there it's way worth buying a new meteor piston and getting going. Not the most powerful saw for the weight but rock solid in reliaibility. As was said it's the baseline build for the 66,266,268 and 272. Cases, crank, handles, fuel tank etc are all the same.
Don't worry about the placement of the locating pin, the ring does not travel into the intake port. It is always above. So width is not an issue until you get close to the skirt edge. Good luck

+1, just don`t raise your intake port, no reason to on the 61 anyway, does your cylinder have the open ports or closed transfer ports?
Pioneerguy600

 

[Cantdog]

+1, just don`t raise your intake port, no reason to on the 61 anyway, does your cylinder have the open ports or closed transfer ports?
Pioneerguy600

Jerry I believe that all the 61s were open port cyls same as the Jred 625. As far as I know the only closed port 48MM cyl made to fit these cases is from the Jred 630.

I have never tried to port a 61. I have ported both versions of the 268 open port and closed. I just upgraded my 61/268 in my sig from a ported 268 open port Gilardoni cyl to a ported 268XP closed port Mahle this spring. Also used a larger carb on the XP the whole setup made a world of difference from the Gilardoni. But by the same token the ported Gilardoni made a world of difference from the stock 61 P&C!!

 

[billmartin]

Is the Rancher the one with the white top? Makes no difference though if it's all there it's way worth buying a new meteor piston and getting going. Not the most powerful saw for the weight but rock solid in reliaibility. As was said it's the baseline build for the 66,266,268 and 272. Cases, crank, handles, fuel tank etc are all the same.
Don't worry about the placement of the locating pin, the ring does not travel into the intake port. It is always above. So width is not an issue until you get close to the skirt edge. Good luck

Yep it's the white top in overall decent shape.

So are you saying a larger cylinder could be fit to it? Hmmm

+1, just don`t raise your intake port, no reason to on the 61 anyway, does your cylinder have the open ports or closed transfer ports?
Pioneerguy600


I'm way to chicken to raise or lower ports with my limited skills. It's an open transfer cylinder.

I really need to get my girl to take some pics and put them on the 'puter I freakin suck at getting that stuff right.

Cantdog, thanks for the ring and intake reminder. Still pretty new to remembering how all this spins lol.

Oh, lesson I learned while cleaning the cylinder. I was also doing a 290 cyl that needed a bit more work. I had already ground out the int./exh. prior to clean up. Not a good Idea if you get a little messy with the muratic acid.
Acid porting... not a fan.

Thanks for all the replies and good info guys

Bill

 

[Moss Man]

a 61 is definitely worth the work. my limited understanding is that it has much in common with the 268/272 family. if the ring is in the middle you are ahead of the game and gives you one less thing to worry about when porting. it is a 4hp saw stock. so with a port and MM it should be getting towards 5hp.

I couldn't agree more. Well put.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Jerry I believe that all the 61s were open port cyls same as the Jred 625. As far as I know the only closed port 48MM cyl made to fit these cases is from the Jred 630.

I have never tried to port a 61. I have ported both versions of the 268 open port and closed. I just upgraded my 61/268 in my sig from a ported 268 open port Gilardoni cyl to a ported 268XP closed port Mahle this spring. Also used a larger carb on the XP the whole setup made a world of difference from the Gilardoni. But by the same token the ported Gilardoni made a world of difference from the stock 61 P&C!!

We have 2, 61`s here and one is closed , the other open and we never bothered porting either one so far, they are not bad saws as they are. These saws were acquired used so no way of knowing if they are original or not. I picked the two of them up one day for a hundred bucks and both were in very good shape and good running condition. They both have orange tops and my cutting buddy has all but adopted them.
Pioneerguy600

 

[edisto]

So are you saying a larger cylinder could be fit to it? Hmmm

268 P&C will go right in...if you want to go up to a 272, you'll need a different intake and carb, and a different cover (or a modification to the existing one for the plug wire).

 

[Cantdog]

268 P&C will go right in...if you want to go up to a 272, you'll need a different intake and carb, and a different cover (or a modification to the existing one for the plug wire).

Not sure about the white cover but the gray one will fit with either 268 cyl. The plug wire works on the 268 too (At least the one on the two piece ign will). You should really go to a 260 carb though. The 163A that goes on the the 61 is not nearly as good for power. It'll work but a big difference will be had with the 260 and the matching isolation block.

Hmmm Jerry, a 61 with a closed port cyl....never seen one but I don't claim to be the keeper of all information and this saw family is very long lived and convoluted. But I have never had any of the late model 61s with the orange top either. All mine are gray tops. Perhaps they gave the 61 a fighting chance right at the end of production. Or maybe the P&C got changed out for a 630 setup. Maybe Niko has some useful info on this subject.

 

[blewgrass]

the 61 will always have a place of honor in my shop! I have that same white top/ metal chainbrake. Haven't upgraded the p/c but want to and will as soon at the current cylinder gets tired. good luck with it.

edit-ditto on the "never having seen one with a closed port" from cantdog.

 

[MadMax5578]

Keep it. Mod it. Have fun with it.

 

[Cantdog]

One other thing about the 61 that you might need to know is that somewhere along the way Husky changed the crankshaft threads on the clutch side. The early 61s had a coarse thread on the crank and the clutch hub. The later ones had fine threads. Not sure but I think they made the change around the time the tops went from white to gray. Either crank will work in all the cases but should you need a crank or clutch it is something to keep in mind.

 

[edisto]

Here's a thread covering some of the convoluted history of the 61.

 

[Cantdog]

Hey edisto!! Hope you didn't have to much fun while you were away!! Are you about ready to start your 272/630 project??

 

[edisto]

Hey edisto!! Hope you didn't have to much fun while you were away!! Are you about ready to start your 272/630 project??

I'm ready all right...but I can't get the time! I'm trying to build a new antenna to get better reception before the World Cup is over, but the wife is on bedrest because she is having early contraction, so I'm playing Mr. Mom most of the day...

Her mom is coming in a couple of days though...

 

[Cantdog]

I'm ready all right...but I can't get the time! I'm trying to build a new antenna to get better reception before the World Cup is over, but the wife is on bedrest because she is having early contraction, so I'm playing Mr. Mom most of the day...

Her mom is coming in a couple of days though...

I hear you about the time thing!! Did going digital cause you TV problems??

Good luck to you guys!! I'm still chasing my tail in tight circles trying to get all the paperwork, passports, visas, and funding straightened out for my 16 yr old (tomorrow!!) as she is supposed to be in Costa Rica on the 16th of July for a six month AFS school semester!! ARRRRGH!!!!!

I haven't had any time to do anything with any of my saws but have started building a ported 262XP for $$$ for a wood cutter friend. Got the cases done and new crank seals in so far but I have to come up with an enclosed benchtop sandblast cabinet to clean the cyl up. By the time I purchase that it will take any money I'll make on the rebuild but at least I'll have the sandblaster.

I did pick up a good lower end with tank, handles, clutch and recoil from a 670Jred a couple weeks ago. It's missing P&C, top cover, clutch /brake cover and carb. It's in pretty good shape and I'm thinking of putting the old ported 268 Gilardoni P&C I took off my 61/268XP that's in my sig. on the 670 cases and picking up a 260A carb to run it. I have just about everything to do it so it makes sense.....somehow.....

 

[edisto]

I hear you about the time thing!! Did going digital cause you TV problems??

I just hooked up to an old antenna that was already on the house...it works OK, but not great, so I'm building one that should give us a strong signal.

Good luck to you guys!! I'm still chasing my tail in tight circles trying to get all the paperwork, passports, visas, and funding straightened out for my 16 yr old (tomorrow!!) as she is supposed to be in Costa Rica on the 16th of July for a six month AFS school semester!! ARRRRGH!!!!!

Yikes...it's a lot to get taken care of! Our class is only a couple of weeks, so if they have a passport, they are good to go. At least the scramble will take you mind off of having her for 6 months! It will be such an amazing experience for her though...very eye-opening...

I haven't had any time to do anything with any of my saws but have started building a ported 262XP for $$$ for a wood cutter friend. Got the cases done and new crank seals in so far but I have to come up with an enclosed benchtop sandblast cabinet to clean the cyl up. By the time I purchase that it will take any money I'll make on the rebuild but at least I'll have the sandblaster.

I did pick up a good lower end with tank, handles, clutch and recoil from a 670Jred a couple weeks ago. It's missing P&C, top cover, clutch /brake cover and carb. It's in pretty good shape and I'm thinking of putting the old ported 268 Gilardoni P&C I took off my 61/268XP that's in my sig. on the 670 cases and picking up a 260A carb to run it. I have just about everything to do it so it makes sense.....somehow.....

It dies make sense...you sure have a lot of fun with that particular family of saws! A blaster would be nice...I've been using the redneck equivalent, and I get more sand in my ears than I saw on the Bahamian beaches!

Good luck to you, and your daughter. Hopefully I can get that antenna up, and get on to something useful! I do need to get a set of seals first though...

 

[SawTroll]

a 61 is definitely worth the work. my limited understanding is that it has much in common with the 268/272 family. if the ring is in the middle you are ahead of the game and gives you one less thing to worry about when porting. it is a 4hp saw stock. so with a port and MM it should be getting towards 5hp.

The original white top 61 R was only 3.6hp - I wouldn't want to bother with it, unless I had a 266 top end and maybe carb ready (consult the IPL library on Huskys US site, regarding the carb). I believe that putting a 268 or 272 top on it involves a lot more changes. A late 61 (not Rancher) is a different story.

That "family" of saws generally is a bit "difficult" to make statements about, as there were many models, and variants of them - and most of it happened several decades ago!

The original white top 61 Rancher was the least desirable of them all.

 

[nmurph]

Niko, are there SN's specific to the R model? does the plate have any special id to indicate R ???? are there certain years it was made?? my father-in-law has a white top but there is no indication that it is a R. i know that covers can and were frequently swapped.