Calling All Husky 254xp, 257, 261 and 262xp Historians

[Agrarian]

I have a small collection of these (only 8, the CAD infection is in the early stages!) that I am restoring and noticed that the chainbrake/clutch cover can be plastic or metal. Since I dont know the history on most of these saws I dont know if the covers are original to the year. Can anybody tell me what year the chainbrake/clutch cover changed from plastic to metal for these saws. All are built on the same crankcase so I would expect that the changeover must be fairly common.

If you buy a new chainbrake/clutch cover for one of these today, is it plastic or metal?

Thanks.

 

[Scandy14]

I'm sure SawTroll will be along later and can answer your question.

 

[SkippyKtm]

I have a small collection of these (only 8, the CAD infection is in the early stages!) that I am restoring and noticed that the chainbrake/clutch cover can be plastic or metal. Since I dont know the history on most of these saws I dont know if the covers are original to the year. Can anybody tell me what year the chainbrake/clutch cover changed from plastic to metal for these saws. All are built on the same crankcase so I would expect that the changeover must be fairly common.

If you buy a new chainbrake/clutch cover for one of these today, is it plastic or metal?

Thanks.

I have the same affliction with the 154SE/262XP series of saws...

Good 'ol Sawtroll is the master at this, and he may stop by, but maybe I can help in the meantime...:msp_tongue:

Most of the transition from the plastic to the metal clutch cover occurred (here in the US anyway) in 1996 (although the 1996 IPL still shows the older plastic cover), the 1998 IPL will show the newer style magnesium cover. If you buy the new cover, the only one you'll get is the magnesium one and you won't be able to order the decal for it.

LINK

 

[nmurph]

I love these saws too. I have done a couple of 261/262 conversions. I just picked up a 257 to convert.
I also just leave the 261 two-shoe clutch in place. They seem to hold up well. Here are few pics: the first shows the 261 vs. 262 piston: the second and third show the MM (I also enlarged the the existing opening - I would probably go bigger now, but I was trying to use the existing slit) .

Good luck, you will really like your "new" saw.

 

[SawTroll]

I'm sure SawTroll will be along later and can answer your question.

Sorry, I have never found a reliable answer to that question.....:confused2:

 

[SawTroll]

I have the same affliction with the 154SE/262XP series of saws...

Good 'ol Sawtroll is the master at this, and he may stop by, but maybe I can help in the meantime...:msp_tongue:

Most of the transition from the plastic to the metal clutch cover occurred (here in the US anyway) in 1996 (although the 1996 IPL still shows the older plastic cover), the 1998 IPL will show the newer style magnesium cover. If you buy the new cover, the only one you'll get is the magnesium one and you won't be able to order the decal for it.

LINK

Fits well with what I suspected - I also suspected the metal cover mostly (or only) came on the 262xp, but not sure at all about that......

 

[NEP]

The metal cover also came on the 254. I'm not sure what year, but all the latest 254's had the metal one.

I just cheked the IPL's the metal cover is on the 1999 IPL for the 254

 

[Eccentric]

IIRC my 257 had a metal clutch cover. Would have to ask Jockeydeuce. He has it now, and has had had it for over a year. My memory's not that good anymore...

 

[jockeydeuce]

IIRC my 257 had a metal clutch cover. Would have to ask Jockeydeuce. He has it now, and has had had it for over a year. My memory's not that good anymore...

I'll have to look tonight at the 257 and let you know...It's at home and I'm at my shop.

I do however have a 1998 model, 254 here and it had the plastic cover.

 

[Eccentric]

I'll have to look tonight at the 257 and let you know...It's at home and I'm at my shop.

I do however have a 1998 model, 254 here and it had the plastic cover.

IIRC that 257 is older.........around 1994 or so.

 

[Agrarian]

Sounds like if we can get enough samples we might actually get to some answers! Thanks for the replies.

 

[lmbrman]

bought two 262xp saws new in 1990, both had plastic covers, as did the 257 of the same vintage-

-dave

 

[lmbrman]

btw, not an historian on these, but I am an addict :msp_thumbup:

 

[rbmopar]

Well, I don't know if they mixed and matched parts during the switchover, but the saws that came with a mag cover did not have the holes in the crankcase to receive the tabs on the rear of the plastic cover. So you can't use a plastic cover on a later saw without cutting the tabs off. Also, when they switched it was on all models in the series at the time: 257, 254xp, 261, 262xp. As to the exact year of the switch, I don't know.

 

[spike60]

This is a hard one to pin down and there are going to be a lot of conflicting opinions. For one thing, unless you know the history of a saw you can never be sure that the side cover is original.

Also, the final saw on this chassis in the US, the 261, came with the metal brake. And that was in 1999 and 2000.

 

[SawTroll]

I'll have to look tonight at the 257 and let you know...It's at home and I'm at my shop.

I do however have a 1998 model, 254 here and it had the plastic cover.

IIRC that 257 is older.........around 1994 or so.

Just a thought - could it have been different on different markets?

 

[SawTroll]

IIRC that 257 is older.........around 1994 or so.

Do you know for sure that the clutch cover is the original one?

 

[Eccentric]

Just a thought - could it have been different on different markets?

The 257 that Rob has in Canada now was one I bought at a yard sale in California sometime over a year ago. I don't know where Rob got his 254. If he got it locally, then it certainly is from a different market, through different distributors.

Do you know for sure that the clutch cover is the original one?

I have no way of knowing if the cover was original or not. The guy I got the saw from didn't know jack squat about saws. It had a jammed up recoil assembly, and he thought/said the saw was locked up. I paid a 'locked up saw' price for it, and later discovered that the engine was cherry inside.

Cleaned the saw up, fixed the starter and some other small things, and it turned into a sweet runner. The saw was quite dirty when I got it, and the fade/scratches level seemed to be even for the whole saw (including the clutch cover). Didn't look like anything external had been replaced.......at least not recently. Not 100% certain of the manufacturing year for the saw either. 1994 sticks in my mind...........but my memory isn't perfect (by a long shot)...

 

[Agrarian]

Well, I don't know if they mixed and matched parts during the switchover, but the saws that came with a mag cover did not have the holes in the crankcase to receive the tabs on the rear of the plastic cover. So you can't use a plastic cover on a later saw without cutting the tabs off. Also, when they switched it was on all models in the series at the time: 257, 254xp, 261, 262xp. As to the exact year of the switch, I don't know.

Yeah, my 1997 257 had a metal cover and did not have the slots in the crankcase to receive the plastic cover.

 

[SawTroll]

The 257 that Rob has in Canada now was one I bought at a yard sale in California sometime over a year ago. I don't know where Rob got his 254. If he got it locally, then it certainly is from a different market, through different distributors.



I have no way of knowing if the cover was original or not. The guy I got the saw from didn't know jack squat about saws. It had a jammed up recoil assembly, and he thought/said the saw was locked up. I paid a 'locked up saw' price for it, and later discovered that the engine was cherry inside.

Cleaned the saw up, fixed the starter and some other small things, and it turned into a sweet runner. The saw was quite dirty when I got it, and the fade/scratches level seemed to be even for the whole saw (including the clutch cover). Didn't look like anything external had been replaced.......at least not recently. Not 100% certain of the manufacturing year for the saw either. 1994 sticks in my mind...........but my memory isn't perfect (by a long shot)...

Well, these saws are semi old, so we can't expect everything to be original without knowing the exact story of the saw.