SBGO83
ArboristSite Lurker
A Homelite 27AV, with an 18" bar to be exact. 
Yes... Yes... I know, this is a cheap hunk-o-plastic abomination that could easily be the butt of most jokes.
But, I'm the type of guy that likes to get every last little bit of goodness out of something before I'm inclined to toss it.
In other words, I don't subscribed to the throw-away societies mentality.
A brief history....
This saw was a factory reman unit purchased on a paupers budget for the nominal sum of $65 (I know you're already rolling your eyes).
Despite the low-rent quality, and bad rep, this saw would always start and run like a million bucks after 2-3 pulls, even after months of inactivity, and it would always do everything I asked of it. As you can imagine, I don't work for a tree service. I don't have 50, 15, or even 5 cords a year I need to cut up. The saw is basically used for yard maintenance, and making little ones out of big ones when it comes to cutting logs up for the wood stove at my camp.
Well, my cheap bliss was busted up last year when my buddy was using this saw around his new house to trim up some light stuff. According to him, there was a decent amount of smoke bellowing out of the sprocket cover, and eventually it slowed the engine down. He pulled the cover, and found that the plastic around the clutch band had melted. Then to make matters worse, this now displaced plastic goo was forcing the band into the side of the clutch bell. After looking around here and elsewhere, this seems to be a pattern failure with this saw. If you know anything about this model, you may know that the clutch band is integrated into the chassis rather then being a part of the sprocket cover. In other words, the chassis would need to be replaced in order to set things right. I looked up the cost of a replacement chassis from Homelite, and I'm looking at a cost of $56 + S&H (basically what I payed for the darn thing). I noticed that the part number for the chassis has changed, which makes me wonder if Homelite perhaps resolved the issue with a new chassis design, or is the changed P/N something as stupid as a different color plastic.
So after that long boring stupid story, what do you fellas think? Should I roll the dice on an otherwise good running saw, and hope she stays fixed? Or should I cut my losses, and forget throwing good money after bad?
For a replacement, I have been considering a Husqvarna 445 refurb on e-bay. I'm aware this is a consumer grade saw (I worked as a grunt at a hardware store that was a dealer of both consumer and pro-grade husky equipment, and often times had to assemble the saws), but considering what I need it for, plus the fact that I am now working with just a hair above a paupers budget, It seems like a reasonably priced saw for what I need. Though I would love to own one, I just can't justify dropping 5+ bills on a pro grade unit.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Yes... Yes... I know, this is a cheap hunk-o-plastic abomination that could easily be the butt of most jokes.
But, I'm the type of guy that likes to get every last little bit of goodness out of something before I'm inclined to toss it.
In other words, I don't subscribed to the throw-away societies mentality.
A brief history....
This saw was a factory reman unit purchased on a paupers budget for the nominal sum of $65 (I know you're already rolling your eyes).
Despite the low-rent quality, and bad rep, this saw would always start and run like a million bucks after 2-3 pulls, even after months of inactivity, and it would always do everything I asked of it. As you can imagine, I don't work for a tree service. I don't have 50, 15, or even 5 cords a year I need to cut up. The saw is basically used for yard maintenance, and making little ones out of big ones when it comes to cutting logs up for the wood stove at my camp.
Well, my cheap bliss was busted up last year when my buddy was using this saw around his new house to trim up some light stuff. According to him, there was a decent amount of smoke bellowing out of the sprocket cover, and eventually it slowed the engine down. He pulled the cover, and found that the plastic around the clutch band had melted. Then to make matters worse, this now displaced plastic goo was forcing the band into the side of the clutch bell. After looking around here and elsewhere, this seems to be a pattern failure with this saw. If you know anything about this model, you may know that the clutch band is integrated into the chassis rather then being a part of the sprocket cover. In other words, the chassis would need to be replaced in order to set things right. I looked up the cost of a replacement chassis from Homelite, and I'm looking at a cost of $56 + S&H (basically what I payed for the darn thing). I noticed that the part number for the chassis has changed, which makes me wonder if Homelite perhaps resolved the issue with a new chassis design, or is the changed P/N something as stupid as a different color plastic.
So after that long boring stupid story, what do you fellas think? Should I roll the dice on an otherwise good running saw, and hope she stays fixed? Or should I cut my losses, and forget throwing good money after bad?
For a replacement, I have been considering a Husqvarna 445 refurb on e-bay. I'm aware this is a consumer grade saw (I worked as a grunt at a hardware store that was a dealer of both consumer and pro-grade husky equipment, and often times had to assemble the saws), but considering what I need it for, plus the fact that I am now working with just a hair above a paupers budget, It seems like a reasonably priced saw for what I need. Though I would love to own one, I just can't justify dropping 5+ bills on a pro grade unit.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
). He was completely cool about it, and we talked shop for about 20 minutes. 
