Old but new Shindaiwa 680

[ja1724]

Back in 1986 my father and I (I was 16 at the time) cleared a heavily wooded lot so he could build his house. At the time he bought two new saws a Poulan something for me to use and a 680 for himself.

We spent about two weeks clearing the lot. The saw maybe has 25 hours on it. He then drained the gas and put it away in his basement. He just dug it up today and gave it to me. I already have a 488 pro that I like for 12-16" logs.

So, what should I know about this saw. The thing is a beast I think it's close to 5hp. Fires right up and screams through everything I've tried so far with the 20" bar.

Is this a good, durable, reliable saw? For the price at least, I couldn't beat it.
Is this bar size ideal? It has a new Oregon full chisel chain on it, should I switch to some Stihl RSC chain?

Any input or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Stihl 028WB
Shindaiwa 500
Shindaiwa 488
Shindaiwa 680

 

[TRI955]

You have a great saw there IMO, sounds like you have it set up quite well too. How about some pictures, 680's are some good looking saws. Just be carefull with it, most parts are NLA for that saw. Keep it tuned well, they had a bad habit of over-heating from what I understand.

 

[longbar]

Heres a link to some info on it....http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.n...6c44a8be2bdb417688256e730052e306?OpenDocument never used a 680 but have used a 695 and 488 and them Shinnys can scream. Kinda regret gettin rid of them.

 

[alderman]

I heard the same thing about the overheating issue. I've run a 24" on my 695
with no problem, but I'm not in the habit of pushing my saws real hard.

Of all my saws, the 695 has the least time as I tend to grab the 757 when I need a bigger saw. The few times I've run it, it ran well and seemed to have plenty of power.

There are plenty of guys on here with experience with the internals of a saw. I just buy 'em and run 'em.

Nice to see somebody new out there with a Shindaiwa. I've never had my hands on a 680 and I'd be interested in some pictures also.

 

[ja1724]

I'm charging up the camera. I will post some pictures in the morning.



Stihl 028WB
Shindaiwa 500
Shindaiwa 488
Shindaiwa 680

 

[ja1724]

Here's the pics of the 680.




Stihl 028WB
Shindaiwa 500
Shindaiwa 488
Shindaiwa 680

 

[longbar]

Thats a clean saw for sure. That shinny aged well!!!!

 

[TRI955]

That's a good looking 680....

So, how much do you want for it??

 

[alderman]

Back off, Mike. I'm in love......

 

[sacfaller]

Dad used two of those saws on our last contract with the dept. of health. Great saws still have one left, and it runs like mad.

Matt

 

[o8f150]

good looking saw

 

[Luke Kurata]

Shindaiwa 680

Hi !

I run a 680 and it has been a great saw but is tired and parts are now hard to find.

I was told it was a somewhat limited production model and was followed by the 695 which was a less expensive saw to produce. They went all out on the 680 to prove it in the pro market in North America and Australia.

Many 695 parts directly interchange with the 680 for example the oil pump.

The first reason I bought the 680 years ago was because it was super priced and I had already had years of great service out of a Japanese outboard called a Tohatsu Sea Eagle 25 h.p. bought in 1974,--- now an orphan but still running strong.

The second reason was that I was living in up in Peace River country and noticed that the Indian guys who were just super in the bush had jumped from Husky 60% Stihl 40% on slashing contracts over to the 680. Back then the standard was the 66.

So I now use a 372 XP but probably 680 was best saw for the $ I ever owned and I still keep it up and running.

I fixed a couple of 757 Shindys for guys several years ago because they became popular and would have bought one just as quick as the Husky 372 but it came along first.

Any saw will overheat if you push hard with bad chain - overheat was not a problem for me. I also heard crank seals were a problem but not for me. High heat and seals sometimes go together very directly through severe abuse.

Good luck 680 fans

Luke

 

[dogtree]

I just got a great condition 680 for $175. It needed a few things and now it is a real good runner. I learned how to sharpen my chain with the proper round file and wow is that a good thing to learn. No overheating and it you nick the ground and dull your chain, in just a few moments it's like new again. No more taking them to the shop for a $5 grind. This saw rips real good. Cut threw 8 cord today with no problems, didn't run hot now that I keep chain in sharp condition.

 

[deadsenator]

I got my late Pop's well-worn 680 a week or two ago and it's seen some significant action over its life. I needed a larger saw, since I use a POS 14" and am clearing some property. It came with a 28" monster bar from when we used to cut giant Tamarack trees when I was a kid, but that's a tad big for what I am doing these days so I went and got a 20" and a coupla new chains. Man, this saw has the power I needed. The original cover was removed and a K&N had been put on it. No air starvation for this saw. Good gas and bar oil, cleaned and oiled the K&N and this saw works great! Not the prettiest, but I hardly care. lol

Thanks for the info you guys had here, it helped a lot and I appreciate it. I want to keep Pop's saw running for as long as I can.

DS