# Curse free sawing?or How much can I curse my saw today?



## bitzer (Jan 5, 2015)

Well I'm six weeks into a new saw and its been giving me trouble for two weeks now. I already had in for warranty work once (HUGE crack in intake boot) and last night I stole a coil off of a different saw. When I have time I will be bringing that up with them as well. The same things keep failing on these saws and it just costs me more in the long run. One would think I'd at least get through the 90 day comercial warranty period. It just pisses me off when you drop a grand on a saw... Anyway what kind of wrench free time you guys usually see on a saw?


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## Gologit (Jan 5, 2015)

What saw is giving the trouble?


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## northmanlogging (Jan 5, 2015)

Depends on whether or not I've ran one over recently...

Other wise the older saws are occasionally having fits with fuel lines, and oilers, but they have several years of part time cutting on them, and are well over a decade old.

The brand spank'n new saws... fuel, oil, clean air filter, fresh chain done. Sometimes if I haven't used one in a few weeks it takes 3-4 pulls to start em... and adjust the carb for a new job site once in a while.


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## gary courtney (Jan 5, 2015)

stihl 024 bought in 1985 never had a wrench on it. used as firewood saw on 18 inch redoak yearly.


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## Gologit (Jan 5, 2015)

gary courtney said:


> stihl 024 bought in 1985 never had a wrench on it. used as firewood saw on 18 inch redoak yearly.



That's great but I think we're talking about daily use logging saws here. The OP is a logger.


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## gary courtney (Jan 5, 2015)

sorry


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## lone wolf (Jan 5, 2015)

Gologit said:


> That's great but I think we're talking about daily use logging saws here. The OP is a logger.


So he ain't so what !


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## wood4heat (Jan 5, 2015)

I curse myself occasionally. I've not yet had the need to curse my saw.


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## HuskStihl (Jan 5, 2015)

Bitz runs 390's, and it sounds like he has a lemon. Sorry to hear that.


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## 1270d (Jan 5, 2015)

Kind of sounds like the original 385's. We replaced a lot of intake boots on those.

I think you should see pretty much trouble free use for a few months anyway. Maybe rattle a screw out here or there, fuel filters etc don't count. 
Of course we all would like a dollar for every time someone in the service department says "huh, never heard of that happening"


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## treeslayer2003 (Jan 5, 2015)

change over to stihl










LOL, i couldn't help it, i just had too lol. sorry Bitz, i think ya got a lemon bro, it happens.


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## Gologit (Jan 5, 2015)

1270d said:


> Of course we all would like a dollar for every time someone in the service department says "huh, never heard of that happening"



When they say that I start looking for another shop. There's a John Deere dealer with a Stihl franchise down the hill from me that's famous for saying that. Everything that goes wrong is operator error...according to them.


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## northmanlogging (Jan 5, 2015)

there be a reason I don't run a certain brand of saw...


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## Spotted Owl (Jan 5, 2015)

treeslayer2003 said:


> change over to stihl.



Some guys are slow learners.

Bitz, don't worry, even a Stihl will have a few rare problems. After a long hard life though. 

Take that sucker back. If they can't figure it out under warranty, they ain't gonna figure it out. The shop didn't like it, but drop that thing off on the counter, when they balk about it, have them call Husky and explain what's happening or that yo0u will do it for them. They sold ya a bill of goods, make them own up to their end of the deal with a working problem free piece of equipment.

I've been lucky except for one lemon. Came down to change the saw out for another or a complaint would be filed against them with Stihl. If you have another Husky place around the the number from them before you go back. Having the number will rock them on their heels and get things happening quick. I don't even know if you can do that or not, but they didn't call my bluff. I had the number where all the local shops order from.



Owl


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## slowp (Jan 5, 2015)

If you put Barbie stickers and bling on it, the techs look forward to seeing your saw.


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## Gologit (Jan 5, 2015)

slowp said:


> If you put Barbie stickers and bling on it, the techs look forward to seeing your saw.


 Uh, that might work in your case. It might get the rest of us stared at, talked about, and made fun of. Or worse.


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## madhatte (Jan 5, 2015)

Sometimes you just get a good one. The 440 I run at work has never given me any grief at all.


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## Gologit (Jan 6, 2015)

This isn't going to turn in another Stihl versus Husky threads is it? I mean, just because the Stihl is a much better saw there's no reason to run Husky down.
Like an old bull buck told me..."There's nothing wrong with running a Husky. They'll do just fine until you can afford a Stihl"

Okay, I'm outta here.



PS....Bitz, I hope you get your problems fixed.


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## northmanlogging (Jan 6, 2015)

I like wrenching old broken stuff and making it live again...

I HATE wrenching on stuff what needs to work yesterday...


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## bitzer (Jan 6, 2015)

Yeah its the 390. I've got about 150 hours on it. I musta got two lemons then cuz the last saw was about the same. The shop I go to is five minutes from my house and happens to be a husky dealer. They let me steal parts off of display saws, loan out saws, and will let me walk out of there with a new one, no money down. Of course I've put my own personal touches on the saw so I don't know that it will go back. They will honor warranty work and then some though. They are good guys and will work on a ported saw whereas the stihl dealer in town will not (if its been tampered with they say). I used to run stihls, but the customer service just sucks around here. They don't carry pro saws or parts for em. I know my shop can get a 660 for about the same price as my 390 ($975 power head). I don't know guess I had to just ***** about it a little. Thanks for the replys!


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## treeslayer2003 (Jan 6, 2015)

what exactly happened to it bitz?


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## HuskStihl (Jan 6, 2015)

975 before tax is pricey for a 390. I'm pretty sure brad snelling's dealer sells them 100 bucks cheaper.


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## SliverPicker (Jan 7, 2015)

My 460 coughed up its coil within 3 weeks. Got it replaced under warranty. No issues since. 

My 362 is tired and used up after about 5 months of use. Time for a new topend. Hopefully that's all it needs. This saw has grown on me. I like the little bugger. Light weight like a dove feather.


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## bitzer (Jan 7, 2015)

Jon -the unspeakable things he has to do to get that price though...

Turns out all husky coils are under lifetime warranty.


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## hseII (Jan 7, 2015)

bitzer said:


> Jon -the unspeakable things he has to do to get that price though...
> 
> Turns out all husky coils are under lifetime warranty.


Good Info


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## mdavlee (Jan 7, 2015)

bitzer said:


> Jon -the unspeakable things he has to do to get that price though...
> 
> Turns out all husky coils are under lifetime warranty.


How close to Sheboygan falls are you? I know a guy that runs a jonsered shop there.


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## treeslayer2003 (Jan 7, 2015)

they didn't used to be.........or the dealers here are just azzes. just a coil, no big deal.


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## RandyMac (Jan 7, 2015)

3 out of the 5 stihls I bought spent as much time in the shop as they did in the woods. I bought a McCulloch 125C that had a odd vibration, the dealer made a test cut, told me it was the gas cap and took it off, he came back a minute later with a new saw under it.


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## 1270d (Jan 7, 2015)

I know a man who says that about equipment repair. "Best fix is take off the radiator cap and pull in a new machine under it"


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## treeslayer2003 (Jan 7, 2015)

RandyMac said:


> 3 out of the 5 stihls I bought spent as much time in the shop as they did in the woods. I bought a McCulloch 125C that had a odd vibration, the dealer made a test cut, told me it was the gas cap and took it off, he came back a minute later with a new saw under it.


well........what model were the 2 good ones?


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## bitzer (Jan 7, 2015)

Mike- the intake boot was about split in half two weeks ago and the coil quit on sunday. I went thru four boots on my last saw and the coil was bad as well. Just the same bs. The throttle cable gets gummed up on cold wet days. The wire out to the kill switch rubs thru in the same spot. The starter recoil gets gummed up on snowy wet days. Just dumb ****.


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## treeslayer2003 (Jan 7, 2015)

wow, none of those things where my complaint about huskys except the bad coils. i have never had a bad boot......extreme cold got it maybe?


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## bitzer (Jan 7, 2015)

Thats some funny **** Randy. Damn krauts.

I'm about 25 miles from sheboygan falls. I think I know where that shop is at. I try not to head towards sheboygan way...


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## bitzer (Jan 7, 2015)

treeslayer2003 said:


> wow, none of those things where my complaint about huskys except the bad coils. i have never had a bad boot......extreme cold got it maybe?


That came to mind at the shop, but I was crackin em in summer time too.


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## treeslayer2003 (Jan 7, 2015)

defective..........i think all the major manufactureres are a little laxed in quality these days...


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## bitzer (Jan 7, 2015)

treeslayer2003 said:


> defective..........i think all the major manufactureres are a little laxed in quality these days...


Yep


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## RandyMac (Jan 8, 2015)

The 045 was reliable, mediocre but dependable, same with a 032, didn't run either for more than a few months.


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## AKDoug (Jan 8, 2015)

Spotted Owl said:


> Some guys are slow learners.
> 
> Bitz, don't worry, even a Stihl will have a few rare problems. After a long hard life though.
> 
> ...


Guess what happens when Stihl Northwest gets a customer complaint about a dealer? They usually send you through to the tech guy and he gets to the bottom of the problems you are having with the saw. He's really sharp and can usually tell if it's a saw issue or owner issue. Sometimes the customer gets a new saw. Sometimes we get permission to tell the customer to pound sand. Throwing down the bluff that you'll call Stihl directly honestly doesn't scare very many dealers. 

That said, I take care of my customers and a problematic saw will be taken care of one way or another.


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## Spotted Owl (Jan 8, 2015)

AKDoug said:


> Throwing down the bluff that you'll call Stihl directly honestly doesn't scare very many dealers.
> 
> That said, I take care of my customers and a problematic saw will be taken care of one way or another.



Whether it scared them, doesn't matter. It worked. 

I wish more dealers had your mentality. I also understand that a single problem is 100 times and 100 good things need to happen before you hear of one.

I don't want my saw to be, a personal project/vendetta of theirs, a dust collector on the back shelf cause they can't fix it, more familiar with the round trip route the saw shop better than I do. I want my saw to work, to cut wood and make me money, not the dealer/maker money, they got theirs when I bough the thing. 



Owl


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## AKDoug (Jan 8, 2015)

Spotted Owl said:


> Whether it scared them, doesn't matter. It worked.
> 
> I wish more dealers had your mentality. I also understand that a single problem is 100 times and 100 good things need to happen before you hear of one.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the compliment and no argument from me on the rest Owl.


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## hammerlogging (Jan 8, 2015)

bitzer said:


> Mike- the intake boot was about split in half two weeks ago and the coil quit on sunday. I went thru four boots on my last saw and the coil was bad as well. Just the same bs. The throttle cable gets gummed up on cold wet days. The wire out to the kill switch rubs thru in the same spot. The starter recoil gets gummed up on snowy wet days. Just dumb ****.


Throttle cable and kill switch sound awfully familiar, typical problems.

I'm not a brand loyalty guy. But, wanna try one of mine? Maybe I can get one up to you. hopped up 660s. not a bad saw. Give it a 2 week trial or something


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## SliverPicker (Jan 9, 2015)

I'm gonna try one of the blue Dolmars from Baileys next. I can get one of those with the larger cylinder, send the saw out for a port job (with shipping 2 ways) and still save $89 over my local dealers price on a new 460. 

Might be worth a try anyway.


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## bitzer (Jan 12, 2015)

hammerlogging said:


> Throttle cable and kill switch sound awfully familiar, typical problems.
> 
> I'm not a brand loyalty guy. But, wanna try one of mine? Maybe I can get one up to you. hopped up 660s. not a bad saw. Give it a 2 week trial or something


Joe, I appreciate the offer! That'll just give me more to think about though and I'll be hell bent to buy a new 66 after that. I buy one saw a year. I'll have to get one next year. Thanks again!


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