Makita/Dolmar Saws

[North by Northwest]

Yes , I have cut pretty well every single hardwood species within North America . Also you should have ran a 371 xp it was a real hot rod . As I said before a little lighter feel & handling along with more peaky horsepower powerband in the cut due to its single ring configuration . It's downside I heard was within commercial logging as you referred where I suppose extended heat in continuous hard cutting would cause blow by & cause carbon issues & eventual ring failure . As a firewood saw it was full proof & very reliable . Eventually 2 ring piston were offered within the 371 xp just before the 372 xp was offered sometime before the millineium by Husquarna . Both as you are aware had a very strong following !

 

[bwalker]

I or you never mentioned bar size as a form of logging criteria , so don't bring it up as a point of leverage for you argument . We are discussing specifically what is the longest bar a 7900 in stock form or woods ported can run efficiently in hardwoods or softwood . I have run various lengths as indicated efficiently . Also have 20 " bar on my 5105H which was a factory option & 50 cc Pioneer P-20 with a 18" & my 346 xp runs 18" again factory stock issued . Buddy runs a 32 " bar on his P-41 , another buddy with a 28 " on his 572 xp " I had a 28" on my last 576 xp . Another run a 28" on his 460 all 70 cc class saws with these bars as stock options . I could go on & on . These guys cut 10-20 cords of firewood a yr . Short bars are out unless you like limbing with short bars . As long as you have sufficient bar oiling , length within reason has no negative effect . Every 70 cc saw I have ever run or owned was more than capable of running a 24" or 28" efficiently . Just because you feel 20" or 24 " is optimal , means squat to other people Ben . Also longer bars are much easier & safer to operate when you get older , you eventually may find that out Ben !

A stock 7900 in hard wood will not run a 32" bar worth a damn.. am I clear? And to argue that point is ridiculous. No professional east of the big river would run a set up like that.

 

[bwalker]

Yes , I have cut pretty well every single hardwood species within North America . Also you should have ran a 371 xp it was a real hot rod . As I said before a little lighter feel & handling along with more leaky horsepower in the cut due to its single ring configuration . It's downside I heard was within commercial logging as you referred where I suppose extended heat in continuous hard cutting would cause blow by & cause carbon issues & eventual ring failure . As a firewood saw it was full proof & very reliable . Eventually 2 ring piston were offered within the 371 xp just before the 372 xp was offered by Husquarna . Both as you are aware had a very strong following !

As I understand the 371 problem wasn't the piston at all. The single rings used by Husky are pretty thick IME and last along time. It was the cases where thin and didn't hold up to commercial use. Same story with the 462 and 500I currently.
My dream saw would be an updated conventional two stroke 372, Ported by Kevin and with Auto tune.

 

[North by Northwest]

A stock 7900 in hard wood will not run a 32" bar worth a damn.. am I clear? And to argue that point is ridiculous. No professional east of the big river woukd run a set up like that.

I said in post #54 clearly , 7900 stock with 32 " in soft wood ace ! You really are a poor example of reading comprehension Ben , I 'm not arguing at all . Please take a deep breath at reset , ok ? P.S. however I ran full house on that Carelton softwood bar & chain combo !

 

[North by Northwest]

As I understand the 371 problem wasn't the piston at all. The single rings used by Husky are pretty thick IME and last along time. It was the cases where thin and didn't hold up to commercial use. Same story with the 462 and 500I currently.
My dream saw would be an updated conventional two stroke 372, Ported by Kevin and with Auto tune.

I ran them , was told by commercial loggers who used them , that ring issues was the cause . Thats why their final 371 xp production run had 2 rings , same as the 372 do , but have it your way . My 371 ran flawless . I was thinking of buying a 372 xp ( hate auto tune , I love tuning ) no need for a micro processor on a hobby saw application . I spoke to Robin Woods a few weeks ago , with the intent of sending it to Kevin with the 7900 . Although , Kevin mentioned we could meet up at a mutual designation when he comes up to his Camp by the US / Canada Border . I will finalize once I return from Caribou hunt in Quebec in December . Anyhow nice discussion brother !

 

[bwalker]

I ran them , was told by commercial loggers who used them , that ring issues was the cause . Thats why their final 371 xp production run had 2 rings , same as the 372 do , but have it your way . My 371 ran flawless . I was thinking of buying a 372 xp ( hate auto tune , I love tuning ) no need for a micro processor on a hobby saw appkication . I spoke to Robin Woods a few weeks ago , with the intent of sending it to Kevin with the 7900 . Although , Kevin mentioned we could meet up at a mutual designation when he comes up to his Camp by the US / Canada Border . I will finalize once I return from Caribou hunt in Quebec in December . Anyhow nice discussion brother !

The heavier cases is what made the 372 heavier BTW.
For years people have bagged on single ring Husky saws, but as far as I am concerned it's non sense.

 

[bwalker]

I said in post #54 clearly , 7900 stock with 32 " in soft wood ace ! You really are a poor example of reading comprehension Ben , I 'm not arguing at all . Please take a deep breath at reset , ok ? P.S. however I ran full house on that Carelton softwood bar & chain combo !

And I said clearly what the conditions I ran my 7900 in. Then you bring in soft wood, square chain, etc.. and this happened way before post 54... as per usual you clog a thread up with so much unrelated or minimally related BS..

 

[North by Northwest]

The heavier cases is what made the 372 heavier BTW.
For years people have bagged on single ring Husky saws, but as far as I am concerned it's non sense.

It was early in 2001 I believe I bought my 371xpg . It ran flawlessly during its 8-10 yrs I had it . I normally felled & bucked with it . My Dolmar 116SI did the other cutting duties back then , actually in the early 90' S . Any serious limbing I did with the P-20 back then . I would normally cut & split 10-12 cord a yr of ash , maple & birch . I always has 4-6 cord back up in case of emergency , since we had forced air oil furnace & domestic hot water . Firewood was a insurance back up & hobby interest on the farm . Today pretty well the same , I have another 3 wood burning units that use 4-6 cords annually . I try to stay ahead of the game still falling , bucking & splitting 8-10 cords of hardwood seasonally . Nothing has been on a professional scale , however started cutting firewood at 13 yrs old brother , being filing & grinding round or square tooth for many yrs . Anyhow , Ben I agree both versions of the 7 series were fine Husquarna production cutting saws , very versatile , nice balance & not overly heavy .

 

[North by Northwest]

And I said clearly what the conditions I ran my 7900 in. Then you bring in soft wood, square chain, etc.. and this happened way before post 54... as per usual you clog a thread up with so much unrelated or minimally related BS..

Proper chain profile & tooth count along with sharpness is what determines efficient cutting . All my hardwood cutting is done with square ground semi skip chisel , especially in colder weather . The only time I choose round filed chain is with full house or semi skip or oerhap full skip with a ported saw in soft woods , cedar & pine or white birch or poplar . I stated from the get go , that I cut both woods species & what size bars I had utilized either of the 28" / 32" or on occasion 36" bars . I have not used anything smaller then 24" on any 70 c.c Class saw , let alone a 80 cc class . You cut your way & will continue to follow my preference brother , I have been doing it successfully longer than you have sucking air Ben , another fact !

 

[bwalker]

It was early in 1981 I believe I bought my 371xpg . It ran flawlessly during its 8-10 yrs I had it . I normally felled & bucked with it . My Dolmar 116SI did the other cutting duties back then , any serious limbing I did with the P-20 back then . I would normally cut & split 10-12 cord a yr of ash , maple & birch . I always has 4-6 cord back up in case of emergency , since we had forced air oil furnace & domestic hot water . Firewood was a insurance back up & hobby interest on the farm . Today pretty well the same , I have another 3 wood burning units that use 4-6 cords annually . I try to stay ahead of the game still falling , bucking & splitting 8-10 cords of hardwood seasonally . Nothing has been on a professional scale , however started cutting firewood at 13 yrs old brother , being filing & grinding round or square tooth for many yrs . Anyhow , Ben I agree both versions of the 7 series were fine Husquarna production cutting saws , very versatile !

The 371 didn't come out until the mid 90's

 

[bwalker]

Proper chain profile & tooth count along with sharpness is what determines efficient cutting . All my hardwood cutting is done with square ground semi skip chisel , especially in colder weather . The only time I choose round filed chain is with full house or semi skip in soft woods , cedar & pine or white birch or poplar . I stated from the get go , that I cut both woods species & what size bars I had utilized either of the 28" / 32" or on occasion 36" bars . I have not used anything smaller then 24" on any 70 c.c Class saw , you cut your way & will continue to follow my preference brother , I have been doing it successfully longer than you have sucking air Ben , another fact !

Gee whiz.. chain needs to be sharp to cut good..

 

[North by Northwest]

The 371 didn't come out until the mid 90's

1998 available in Canada , 1996 apparently in US anyhow typo I corrected it was another old Dolmar , mine (371) was slightly used less 2 tanks used when I got it .

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

I cant recall what I paid for my 7900, but I cost was comparable to s Stihl or Husky from a dealer.
They may be cheap now, because they are being blown out.

Nope the price has went up. I paid even less for my 7900. I never paid full retail asking at my dealers.

One dealer I called was only $725 PHO. Dealer that had 2 to sale was $750. Thats went up a bit over the years.

If yours was the red cover version early. You would have been lucky to even spend 550 for a 7900 back then. Thats all they cost PHO back then.

 

[North by Northwest]

Gee whiz.. chain needs to be sharp to cut good..

No , however to cut hardwoods & fir efficiently with higher tooth count with larger than puny 18" bars on 70 cc & 80 class saw thats all it takes , Sir . Anyhow enough said , Dolkita are quality very well recognized saws by the majority of informed users . Unfortunate that they currently are no longer being manufactured !

 

[bwalker]

Nope the price has went up. I paid even less for my 7900. I never paid full retail asking at my dealers.

One dealer I called was only $725 PHO. Dealer that had 2 to sale was $750. Thats went up a bit over the years.

If yours was the red cover version early. You would have been lucky to even spend 550 for a 7900 back then. Thats all they cost PHO back then.

I really can't recall what I paid for it, but that seems cheap.

 

[bwalker]

No , however to cut hardwoods & fir efficiently with higher tooth count with larger than puny 18" bars on 70 cc class saw thats all it takes , Sir . Anyhow enough said , Dolkita are quality very well recognized saws by the majority of informed users . Unfortunate that they currently are no longer being manufactured !

More profound statements from Captain obvious.

 

[link]

I would not own any China built saw...

The saw is not China built, it's built by me, and I am pretty thorough and have plenty of time to do it right.
This one's got a 52mm 76,5cc cylinder with no base gasket and a pop-up piston, lotsa different parts in there - OEM too.
Now it only needs some silver colored stickers and to engrave the serial ID plate with my name on it...

 

[bwalker]

The saw is not China built, it's built by me, and I am pretty thorough and have plenty of time to do it right.
This one's got a 52mm 76,5cc cylinder with no base gasket and a pop-up piston, lotsa different parts in there - OEM too.
Now it only needs some silver colored stickers and to engrave the serial ID plate with my name on it...
View attachment 1023079 View attachment 1023080

Built with Chinese junk.

 

[link]

Built with Chinese junk.

I usually use Taiwan made cylinders and crankshafts (Hyway / New West), I like to have multiple parts to choose from in my builds so that I can pick what I consider to be the best one. In this build I had a Baseh crankshaft made in Turkey, nice crank but I actually choose the one that came with the kit. I allso had a Hyway BB cylinder, but I actually choose to use the Farmertec (Chinese). There are + and -; the Hyway have a better quality as a very smooth cylinder honing that dont need the 25/1 oil mix to run in, but the Chinese I consider more true replicated as for the transfers and ports.
Then I use SKF crank bearings, same as Husqvarna use. There is nothing wrong with the chinese bearings and seals but they may not be perfectly clean from metal debree. Hyway crankseals, OEM bar studs, clutch bell was ok in this kit so I didnt need an Oregon clutch bell. Ive ordered a Zama carb for it (same as the Dolmar 64/73/79) because it runs ok but it leans out in the mid range so I need to force a rich blend at idle.
Usually I would use OEM clutch springs like on a Stihl but the Husky has this genious clutch spring plates that dont fail.
Also on a Stihl I would use OEM chain adjuster crown gears, but on a Husky I consider these parts too expensive.
Crankcase is New West, basically the same as the one that comes with the kit only much nicer finish - like OEM.
The plasic parts that comes with the kit are solid, just as solid as OEM though might not have a perfect finish - pretty good though, not very different from OEM. Rubber parts are basically ok. Hyway "jungle" muffler; have a nicer finish and is significantly more open, big square outlet under the top side baffle same as the 390 muffler.
I usually dont like the aftermarket oil pumps, but I consider OEM oil pumps too expensive, this one works plenty though. This is a 20" bar - I'd say it will easily and plentifully lubricate a 28" if thats your cup of tea:

 

[link]

Same quality and superbly comfortable AV as a 7900? off course not. And, if you thought your 79 was thirsty - its really nothing at all compared to this cowboy. Very, very thirsty...