After market bearings for Makita/Dolmar

[redhawk23]

Great job in birddogging the bearings, hope you can source them without too much trouble & international postage...

Just remember to pull out the metal shield on the inside.

Not counting my chickens yet!

 

[redhawk23]

From the SKF Italy website (translated to English):

To order, please contact your SKF Authorized Distributors, the list of which is available here.

 

[redhawk23]

I’m going to contact Makita and find out the story behind their discontinuing a part for a currently sold saw.

 

[redhawk23]

After being transferred to a Makita Service center I was told to call customer service back and tell them to order the part from “IA”. I am supposedly going to receive the bearings in 5-7 days. $42
The current part number is
211-341-1
This if for a Dolmar 421/Makita 4300 chainsaw.

 

[redhawk23]

I got the bearings but without seals! Apparently it’s no longer one part number for both. I called back and they’re sending me the seals, from Texas.

I’m not sure if the difficulty I had finding them was a supply chain issue or the parts being discontinued. The current part number generates few google results and those are in Europe.

 

[redhawk23]

Makita sent me the wrong seals!

 

[link]

I'm so happy my life expectancy is (by my own calculations) about 10 years from now, because I know the seals on my Dolmar 5105 will last for at least 15 years.

 

[redhawk23]

They sent the wrong seals again! I know have 2 sets of seals for saws I don’t own! The ones on top of the bags are what I need

 

[redhawk23]

This is what Makita said last,

“It appears there was a substantial change to your 421 several years ago.
We need to figure a way to take care of this without having to replace the crank case halves. Won’t have a good answer for you until Monday.”

 

[redhawk23]

I just took the clutch off my Makita and it has the same seals as the Dolmar. If there was a change to the saw it wasn’t the seals!
I think they should just give me a new saw at this point. This is ridiculous. I’ve been trying to get these since July,

 

[Fatherwheels]

I just took the clutch off my Makita and it has the same seals as the Dolmar. If there was a change to the saw it wasn’t the seals!
I think they should just give me a new saw at this point. This is ridiculous. I’ve been trying to get these since July,

I had Two new Makita EA4300 saws last week, I do not have them this week,
this and another thread inspired me to cut my losses, I like them saws too,
perfect size, good power, I gutted both mufflers, the hassle getting parts
was the end of it for me.
Hope you eventually get sorted with all you need to repair your saw.

 

[redhawk23]

Update, Makita redesigned the 4300 in 2018 and no longer carry the seals. I bought my 4300 in 2021 and it has a 2017 date of manufacture!!
I have contacted the better business bureau after Makita said my only option was to buy a new $200 case! I wonder if the bearings I bought and the gaskets would even fit.
Isn’t it a bad idea to put used parts like pistons and rings in a new case?

 

[redhawk23]

the saw was redesigned in 2014 and 2018. In 2014 they changed the bearing and seal on one side and 2018 the other side!

Makita sent me a new saw. I earned that saw! It’s been going on a year of trying to get new seals!