i got funny looks

[371groundie]

not that its anything new. im an 80 year old logger stuck in a 25 year old body, im bound to attract some attention. but heres the story.

i stopped into the deere,kubota,mahindra,dr, bandit,stihl dealer today. being of the husqy persuasion i was curious about the stihls, especially the ones that get the most attention here. so i took the liberty of inspecting a 361 and a 441. (dont know about cancer but i still have a cold so the 361 must have been faulty)

heres where i started getting funny looks. i took the saw apart. now i didnt look inside the crank or anything that major. but i spun the bar nuts off, looked at the clutch/tensioner/oil ports/chain catch/etc. took the upper plastic off, removed the air fliter, looked at the carb, how the spark plug was in there, etc. basically i wanted to know how well the saw was designed and how easy it was to work on. you would think i was stuffin the peices in my back pack! they got all bent outa shape!

think about it from the outside a saw is a saw is a saw. it has two handles two tanks and a cuttin peice, the details are inside.

am i the only one who takes a saw apart before i buy it?

 

[Photog95]

I had to check your location causer I thought you were my brother-in-law.:greenchainsaw:

When I bought my MS440 I picked it apart on-line. I knew exactly the saw I was looking for when I walked into the dealer. I told the guy what I wanted and that I wanted an extra chain and a Stihl hat.

He tried his damnedest to get me to go with the MS441 since it was the latest and greatest (i bought at the model year change) but I told him no thanks. The 440 was the saw that I wanted and that is what I bought,

 

[cpr]

Weird dealer maybe? I was in a Stihl dealership a couple of months back trolling for old trade-ins, but I did check out a new 441 and the salesman did a lot of what you described for me pointing things out on it. I was well pleased with his knowledge, but I did earn a frown for commenting that the filtration setup looked like my 372's:jester:.

 

[GrantC]

nthink about it from the outside a saw is a saw is a saw. it has two handles two tanks and a cuttin peice, the details are inside.

am i the only one who takes a saw apart before i buy it?

The Keepers of the Cult of Stihl don't want people to ask too many questions. "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! Drink the Creamsicle Koolaid!"

Bwaaahaaahaaahaaahaaa!

-=[ Grant ]=-

 

[gatkeper1]

heres where i started getting funny looks. i took the saw apart.
basically i wanted to know how well the saw was designed and how easy it was to work on. you would think i was stuffin the pieces in my back pack! they got all bent outa shape!


am i the only one who takes a saw apart before i buy it?

:jawdrop:Frankly I am surprised all you got was funny looks.
Incredibly bad taste to take apart the saw without first asking for the permission to examine it in close up detail.

 

[Evanrude]

Heck, at my dealer, I brought the 441 up to the counter, grabbed the carb screwdriver that was laying there, and popped those &%&#@ air cleaner clips to check it out. The owner came over and just mentioned something about the clips and walked in the back room. He's used to me checkin out the new stuff.

Why the hell did Stihl decide to use those darned husky type clips? They're a PITA!

I dont see anything wrong with checking out a saw on the shelf. Its like going to a car dealer and popping the hood or opening the doors to look inside. Although, there may be a line that you shouldnt cross. You wouldnt take the wheel off the car to check out the brake assembly in the lot would you?

 

[spacemule]

:jawdrop:Frankly I am surprised all you got was funny looks.
Incredibly bad taste to take apart the saw without first asking for the permission to examine it in close up detail.

I agree. A heck of a lot of stuff gets robbed off of displays. Asking permission should be a common courtesy.

 

[Justsaws]

Funny looks followed up with rude behavior would be what I would expect around here. Ask and they will do it for you but do it yourself and bad things would most likely occur, unless you are a well liked regular with deep pockets.

 

[chainsawboy1996]

You wouldnt take the wheel off the car to check out the brake assembly in the lot would you?

well if it was my dad he would for any car.for me i take apart any saw i see "with owner/dealer consent of course".

 

[kruege84]

If I had thought to take apart a saw to see how easy it was to work on, I probably wouldn't have a 310 right now....

In this situation, I guess it would come down to how well you know the guy behind the counter.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

If you came where I work, and we found you taking a saw apart on the display, we'd ask you to leave..it's just not something you do.

That saw will be sold, to a person...I dont think that person would appreciate knowing that other customers have been playing under the hood so to speak. Clips break, nuts cross-thread, things get dropped and roll away....And God knows stuff falls into peoples pockets all the time..right?

We have a full setup of Riders where I work and it's a normal thing for some tirekicker to come in and start swinging hoods up, pulling levers and so on. Hoods swing forward and smack the mower in front of it, people who dont know how to use a mower force levers that have lockouts built in, and break them off...

Bottom line, to me...if it isnt yours, hold it, feel it, swing it around...but dont start taking it apart until you've payed for it.

just my 0.02

 

[371groundie]

thanks for the perspective guys. hadnt looked at it from their point of veiw. honestly had a rough day yesterday and had a hard time looking at things from my point of veiw. thats probly why a stop to look at shiny things was neccesary.

i guess that it would have been better to chat it up with the salesman before i started tearing into things. thanks guys.

 

[spike60]

:jawdrop:Frankly I am surprised all you got was funny looks.
Incredibly bad taste to take apart the saw without first asking for the permission to examine it in close up detail.

+10

Sometimes a guy will ASK if he can pop the top and look inside a saw. I always tell him to bring it over to the counter and we take the cover off and answer any questions he might have.

But to do it on your own without asking is a major no no. It's not yours, I can't assume that it's been put back together properly, but I will probably assume you are swiping the air filter or something.

 

[thejdman04]

Nothing wrong with that. If they have a problem with ti find another dealer.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

Nothing wrong with that. If they have a problem with ti find another dealer.

When a dealer figures in the cost of replacing bar nuts, chains, air filters, various hardware, tensioners, switches, and plugs that get swiped all the time by "potential new customers" and also figure in the time it takes to take the saw/trimmer to the back, take it apart and make sure it is still put to together right....Versus the slim profit margin on the equipment, it's actually cheaper for them to ask you to go find another dealer....


You wanna see the insides, feel free to ask, we will show you.

Otherwise just look from the outside...

Would you let some unskilled, untrained, unknowing guy take your 500 dollar saw apart and put it together again, and not wonder if the bar nuts are stripped, chain is put on right, tensioned right, plug is in right, air filter installed right, etc..?

 

[spike60]

Nothing wrong with that. If they have a problem with ti find another dealer.

I guess you can't have a group of people without at least a few of them being arrogant.

 

[thomas72]

I would not take new equipment apart like that with out permission. If you asked I am sure they would have showed you the saw and explained how it worked. That's like going to the Harley shop and pulling the air filter off a new bike or taking the fuel tank off.

 

[TRI955]

I would not take new equipment apart like that with out permission. If you asked I am sure they would have showed you the saw and explained how it worked. That's like going to the Harley shop and pulling the air filter off a new bike or taking the fuel tank off.

That's a good comparison....Stihl...Harley....both selling crap because of a name!!!:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::help:
:sword:

 

[sloch24]

hmm...

I've pulled an air filter cover off on a display to see which style of filter it had on it, but that's as far as I've gone (on a display).

Now, when you're buying a saw USED (as I always do), I've taken them down quite a bit further (including mufflers and once or twice, recoils). Of course, I always ask the seller if he minds.. I've never been reprimanded, in fact I've been thanked for pointing out problems that the seller didn't know about.

 

[johncinco]

They just got pissed because they dont know how to put it back together. :hmm3grin2orange:

But ya do have to as first to keep things copasetic sometimes. Now at Lowes or a box store, they are out on display and its not somebodies shop, I feel free to fool with anything. Its not anybodies job to help you with anything, your on your own.