Solo going at Bailey's is Dolmar next?

[eyolf]

Red', It looks like your truck is maybe even a little small for some of the jobs you ask it to do.

I have seen little Japanese trucks overloaded way past common sense, and not break anything, but they don't hold up long. Toyota and Nissan have marketed trucks rated at a full ton, but Nissan hardly sold any, and most of Toyota's ended up with campers on them. And they really weren't up to it...that R22 engine was pretty good, but not THAT good.


I think its pretty hard to justify a 1-ton Dually as a grocery getter, or even as any form of pavement princess. Sometimes I wish that buyers would have to prove they NEED a truck or other huge boat: contractors, farmers, or even folks who wish to drag a big boat around, OK.

Never pull the bed cover? Just hauling one keester?
Come on.

AS regards chain saws, I think we'll see that parts to keep some of the popular models going will be around for a loooooong time yet. Especiallyif the new crop of gubmint-mandate products turn out to be useless.

 

[husq2100]

check out Izusu lite trucks, ok so they dont look like your big hooded pic ups but they do build a solid truck.....btw Izusu is behind the new duramax diesel engine

 

[tdi-rick]

check out Izusu lite trucks, ok so they dont look like your big hooded pic ups but they do build a solid truck.....btw Izusu is behind the new duramax diesel engine

Beat me to it Serg.

Andy, it's a different philosophy here.

Ford re-introduced the F range a few years back then quietly dropped it.

Here, if people need to move loads like that, they buy a Japanese Isuzu, Fuso, UD, etc cab over truck that'll work for years and do 600,000km without major repairs.
Those things are as tough as nails, proper truck engines, clutches, gearboxes, diffs and chassis'.

We don't have the half breed things like a Tacoma here, and I doubt if they'd sell.

The next thing down from a proper flat bed truck here are the 4WD work horses, Toyota's Land Cruiser 79 Series ute and Nissan's Patrol ute (I wasn't going to mention Land Rovers Defender, it's all but invisible in sales, even if two posters in this thread drive them for work ), then you go down a size to the Hilux 4WD class vehicles.

 

[spike60]

Local dealer says Solo is calling it quits in US due to EPA regs. Dolmar is fitting cat mufflers on what will not pass emissions. What I heard.

Can anyone confirm this???

Wouldn't surprise me though, and they might not be the last either. You'd have to wonder about EFCO too. Actually any company that has limited market share has to examine whether or not the investment required to stay in this market is worth the expense. (Shindaiwa already bagged it.)

I really hate to see anyone forced off the playing field. And, these companies all have a few interesting models. But.........the fact remains that they have all been here for a very long time already, and have never been able to establish any decent market presence. The blame there rests with their sales/marketing organizations or the product line itself, not the EPA.

I've been in the biz a long time, and you could see this coming years ago. We tend to think in terms of Husky and Stihl slugging it out for top dog honors, which is essentially true. But the market share they have attained has not been from each other, but from all the other players that have just about been squeezed out of the game entirely. It's all pretty similar to what happened in the 1950's to the "independents", (Hudson, Packard, Nash, Studebaker, etc).

 

[fredmc]

Let us not forget who pushed for this crap....


CHINA DEERE

 

[Edge & Engine]

So I assume the 7900 will have a new muffler soon?

There has been no announcement of a cat on the 7900. The PS-6400 and PS-510 are getting cat mufflers, while the PS-45, PS-3410 TH, PS-460, PS-7300 and PS-9010 are being dropped. (The PS-3410 TH will only be available with TLC).

 

[Grande Dog]

Howdy,
It's not the emissions form the exhaust that Solo has issues with. It has to do with the permeability of the plastic on the fuel tanks. I really think that they've looked at the projected North American sales as compared to the update cost and realized that it wouldn't be fiscally responsible. From what I understand, they have a few models of smaller displacement saws that they'll keep in the North American market. If that doesn't work profitability wise, I think they'll pull up stakes and work on the rest of the world.
Regards
Gregg

 

[spike60]

Howdy,
It's not the emissions form the exhaust that Solo has issues with. It has to do with the permeability of the plastic on the fuel tanks. I really think that they've looked at the projected North American sales as compared to the update cost and realized that it wouldn't be fiscally responsible. From what I understand, they have a few models of smaller displacement saws that they'll keep in the North American market. If that doesn't work profitability wise, I think they'll pull up stakes and work on the rest of the world.
Regards
Gregg

Gregg; are you more or less confirming that Solo is bagging the US market with the exception of those few small models? I'd almost think that redoing the fuel tanks should be the easy side of the equation considering their plastic molding abilities.

One thing we all have to understand here is that Solo's primary business is sprayers, not chainsaws.

 

[Zombiechopper]

There has been no announcement of a cat on the 7900. The PS-6400 and PS-510 are getting cat mufflers, while the PS-45, PS-3410 TH, PS-460, PS-7300 and PS-9010 are being dropped. (The PS-3410 TH will only be available with TLC).

Is TLC tooless tensioner?

 

[Edge & Engine]

Is TLC tooless tensioner?

Yes

Gregg; are you more or less confirming that Solo is bagging the US market with the exception of those few small models? I'd almost think that redoing the fuel tanks should be the easy side of the equation considering their plastic molding abilities.

One thing we all have to understand here is that Solo's primary business is sprayers, not chainsaws.

I would have thought the same thing.

 

[eyolf]

One thing I'm missing is that I believed that Solo's newer saws had the Dolmar 6400-7300-7900 bottom end at their heart. So, they really aren't dissapearing, not yet anyway. Just won't be able to get a red one with a couple more CC's. Defend it anyway you want, but slow sales is probably at the bottom.

If we'd all went out and bought a dozen of them, maybe...

As well, wasn't there a relationship between the big 90cc Solo and the big Dolmar? That one was yesterday's news as far as emissions compliance goes, so its phase out would be no surprise.

The big saws are going away .

 

[tdi-rick]

One thing I'm missing is that I believed that Solo's newer saws had the Dolmar 6400-7300-7900 bottom end at their heart. So, they really aren't dissapearing, not yet anyway. Just won't be able to get a red one with a couple more CC's. Defend it anyway you want, but slow sales is probably at the bottom.

If we'd all went out and bought a dozen of them, maybe...

As well, wasn't there a relationship between the big 90cc Solo and the big Dolmar? That one was yesterday's news as far as emissions compliance goes, so its phase out would be no surprise.

The big saws are going away .

AFAIK the Dolmar/Makita PS9010 and whatever Solo call their version are identical saws, just a different colour.

 

[tdi-rick]

Howdy,
It's not the emissions form the exhaust that Solo has issues with. It has to do with the permeability of the plastic on the fuel tanks. I really think that they've looked at the projected North American sales as compared to the update cost and realized that it wouldn't be fiscally responsible. From what I understand, they have a few models of smaller displacement saws that they'll keep in the North American market. If that doesn't work profitability wise, I think they'll pull up stakes and work on the rest of the world.
Regards
Gregg

Interesting Gregg.

Generally HDPE is used for fuel tanks (think a lot of Europen cars) and fuel containers, but i know Dolmar's handle assembly is a PA-6 G30, Polyamide (industrial nylon) 30% glass reinforced.

The US EPA is tougher on evaporative emission's through the walls of tanks and containers than comparable countries.
HDPE is still the material of choice here for fuel drums, even though there is a % of permeability (which is why your fuel 'goes off' the aromatic components volatise off over a period of time straight through the containers wall. This is why stickers often wont stay on a plastic/HDPE fuel drum )

Any idea what material Solo are using ?
It should be moulded into the handle assembly, probably underneath.

 

[Andyshine77]

If I remember correctly Scott said they already have 6400's with cats and the 7900 are already being made with cats and will show up in the U.S. at any time.

Think about how much power and weight the new big Diesel trucks have compared to ones just ten years ago. More power almost always requires more fuel.

 

[Grande Dog]

Howdy,
I thought the same as you. I would think that it would have been easier to get a certification. From what I understand, it costs about 25K per model to get certified if it goes through the first time. Anyways, I talked to the man with the plan. He was the one that informed me about Solo trying to make it in the North American market with the few under 50cc saws. It doesn't sound very promising for them sticking around.
Regards
Gregg

 

[Andyshine77]

Howdy,
I thought the same as you. I would think that it would have been easier to get a certification. From what I understand, it costs about 25K per model to get certified if it goes through the first time. Anyways, I talked to the man with the plan. He was the one that informed me about Solo trying to make it in the North American market with the few under 50cc saws. It doesn't sound very promising for them sticking around.
Regards
Gregg

Unfortunately Solo just doesn't have the foresight to make it in the US, these issues should have been addressed long ago. The big heads at Solo must only think about things short term, I hope Dolmar has a long term outlook.

 

[StihlyinEly]

In addition, the EPA regs on petrol/gas cars are largely responsible for better fuel economy. I get 41 mpgs in my little honda. Drive 240 miles for less than $20

I got 42 mpg on my Toyota Tercel in 1989, more than 20 years ago. My wife got 50 mpg on her little CVCC earlier in the '80s.

We've laughed our arses off at these commercials where auto makers are bragging about how many cars they produce these days that get 30-35 mpg, as though that were something impressive.

The high mileage cars of '80s America were a direct result of the gas shortages of the previous decade. And then we urinated it away, with fewer and fewer high-mileage models. Probably a combination of EPA emissions regs, our own desires for comfort/luxury/power, and the fact that the automakers made less profit on subcompact than on a midsize or larger vehicle. Honestly, you'd think that the major manufacturers would at least have kept working on ONE subcompact gasoline or diesel model apiece that they could brag gets 50-70 mpg.

 

[mdavlee]

The VW Jetta with turbo diesel can get between 50-60 mpg with a light foot or long highway cruises.

 

[tdi-rick]

Unfortunately Solo just doesn't have the foresight to make it in the US, these issues should have been addressed long ago. The big heads at Solo must only think about things short term, I hope Dolmar has a long term outlook.

The thing is that saws are only a small part of what Solo does, their main focus from what I see here is agricultural sprayers, etc, they are huge in the Ag market here and recognised as being 'the best', whether that is real or not.
Sort of like the Stihl of the ag sprayer market.

Dolmar on the other hand are saw based, although Makita is taking them into the homeowner OPE market big time by the looks of things, having had a look at the International site only last week there are ride on mowers now, a much larger range of powered garden and home stuff, etc, etc.

 

[Andyshine77]

Ask yourself why U.S. automakers don't push small diesel cars.


First until resent years the big three couldn't make a diesel engines worth anything. Second, if they did make a good small diesel engine they would last too long. + they likely get paid off buy the oil companies.