My first Chainsaw, a new Makita DCS6401

Hulsty · Jul 22, 2011

G'day,

From recommendations from some of the fellow Aussies on here I bought my first chainsaw, it turned up today, put it together this evening and I will fire it up tomorrow. Came with a spare air filter too which I was not expecting.

Went looking for stuff to practice on in the backyard, found these, might clean them up before I have a go.

WoodChuck'r · Jul 22, 2011

Can't go wrong with one of those. Good choice. Lots of room for improvement on them as well. You'll have lots of fun with'er especially if you start playin' around with upgrades.

If ya keep it stock though it's powerful enough. For 64cc's they're pretty impressive and really robust. Just becareful - once ya upgrade the air filter, get a 79'er top end, and have it ported - you'll have a SERIOUS case of CAD and lemme tell ya my friend it's all downhill from there!

Gratz on the saw. :rockn:

That wood looks like a pile of boulders - you just may wanna drop a tree just to make sure you're cutting wood for your first cuts!! :laugh:

Stellarex · Jul 22, 2011

Its always funny when I see one of these. Its green and black and says makita but it SCREAMS dolmar

Rudolf73 · Jul 22, 2011

Congrats on that saw! Hope you can try it out ASAP

pgg · Jul 22, 2011

It needs a new chain. The one on it is shagged and can only be repaired with an angle-grinder or dremel. The dealer needs a kick in the backside for not equipping the saw with a proper chain. I'd take it back for a swap and would be wanting at least a free complimentary packet of files for the inconvenience

David (saltas) · Jul 22, 2011

Congrats on the new dolkita

Keep that saw out of the dirt.

I would recommend MCW / river land saw chain supply when you need chain he is a site sponsor

I would also recommend that you get a File-o-plate to help you sharpen your chains.

If you are going to buy some chaps then you can save some serious coin buying labonville another site sponsor the make top of the range chaps for about a 1/4 the cost of stihl chaps sold in OZ.

ncfarmboy · Jul 22, 2011

Awesome saw LONG LIVE DOLKITA. You will be very pleased with that saw one of the best. As others said Lot's of upgrade options. Now you are "Hooked" the addiction has begun! Really consider the HD AF kit, 93 octane and synthetic oil.
Congratulations! Shep

peterc38 · Jul 22, 2011

Nice saw, since you said it is your first, get some PPE if you have not done so already.

zogger · Jul 22, 2011

It's shiny!!

I always like the looks of those makitas/dolmars. don't own one but they are spiffy looking..sorta like Darth Vader meets the Klingons...

Biggest most powerful saw I ever ran for any decent duration (not counting back in the 70s...) was a rental place dolmar. I don't remember the model number, just that it was big, decent sized anyway/ Seems around 70 cc -ish.. Anyway, we were doing a landscaping job and had to cut a zillion old used nasty dirty crossties to rebuild the back of some mini mansion built on the side of a step hill, dang house was falling down.......had to reshore it back up, backfill, tear out old, gradually add in new, braces..yada yada. Sort of a sucky and semi dangerous job but we got it done. I finally gave up running it, handed it to the biggest and oldest mexican on the crew, as he could run a saw (most of the grunts were real young guys who had never touched a saw..), and spent all afternoon, then all day the next day, just sharpening loops. As soon as I got one done, he'd bring the saw over and I'd swap it out. Wore them things out, went through several a day cutting that nasty wood, just wore 'em out to nuthin, nubbins. Lucky to make a few cuts before total dull. The saw though was aces, plenty of power.

Roanoker494 · Jul 22, 2011

Sweet looking saw you found there. Now that I have my 372 and 044 I guess I will have to set my sights on a 6401 next.

EDIT:
Now lets start with the mods......... HD filter setup and a big bore kit.........

Chopper G · Jul 22, 2011

Schweet!

Hulsty · Jul 22, 2011

WoodChucker81 said:
Can't go wrong with one of those. Good choice. Lots of room for improvement on them as well. You'll have lots of fun with'er especially if you start playin' around with upgrades.

If ya keep it stock though it's powerful enough. For 64cc's they're pretty impressive and really robust. Just becareful - once ya upgrade the air filter, get a 79'er top end, and have it ported - you'll have a SERIOUS case of CAD and lemme tell ya my friend it's all downhill from there!

Gratz on the saw. :rockn:

That wood looks like a pile of boulders - you just may wanna drop a tree just to make sure you're cutting wood for your first cuts!!

Its definately wood and the only stuff I got near my home bigger and 2''x4''. The only mods i'm looking at doing are the HD filter setup, black dolmar covers and paint the dawgs and muffler black. I want to keep the 2 year warranty in tact!

pgg said:
It needs a new chain. The one on it is shagged and can only be repaired with an angle-grinder or dremel. The dealer needs a kick in the backside for not equipping the saw with a proper chain. I'd take it back for a swap and would be wanting at least a free complimentary packet of files for the inconvenience

I'm not sure if you are being serious or not? The chain is a new dolmar branded chian.

saltas said:
Congrats on the new dolkita

Keep that saw out of the dirt.

I would recommend MCW / river land saw chain supply when you need chain he is a site sponsor

I would also recommend that you get a File-o-plate to help you sharpen your chains.

If you are going to buy some chaps then you can save some serious coin buying labonville another site sponsor the make top of the range chaps for about a 1/4 the cost of stihl chaps sold in OZ.

Thanks i've got my PPE sorted, steel caps, ear muffs, glasses and ankle length GB chaps. Im going to get onto someone for a File-O-Plate, hopefully MCW or someone local has them.

w8ye · Jul 22, 2011

My new Dolmar 6400C with a 24" bar had a Windsor chain from the factory

Hulsty · Jul 22, 2011

Its alive!! Couple of quick pulls with the choke and 2 without and it fired up for the first time! Soon after oil started flicking off the chain like it should.

Hulsty · Jul 24, 2011

Gave the saw a run on Saturday with a mate to show me the correct operations. Did well on redgum and some other gum about 6''-12'' diameter. Now for a good clean and a look at the chain.

AUSSIE1 · Jul 24, 2011

Congrats Hulsty. Great choice for a new saw. :cheers:

MCW · Jul 25, 2011

Good score mate :cheers:

If you ever need any parts or help let me know as I run a couple of Dolmar 7900s (well only one at the moment, my other one has been stolen and molested by some Australian AS members). If you need a File-O-Plate let me know but I won't sell you one to suit bumperlink chain like you have, as I'm sure you'll buy some better chain for it soon.
If you ever want a BB kit PM me, or otherwise I have a couple of ported OEM Mahle top ends that will make it sing nicely

However we at AS tend to always think you need a ported or larger top end when 65cc will probably suit you fine

Don't get sucked in by our hype and just enjoy what you have.
What ppg meant is that the supplied chain is classified as safety chain - you can see that by the ramps leading up to the depth guages in front of the cutters. They can cut OK to start with but once they start needing a bit of sharpening they become tricky to get right. Mine always see the bin prior to that. The better chains don't have that ramp and will cut faster and nicer, with a slightly increased chance of kickback of course if you're not careful.

AUSSIE1 · Jul 25, 2011

Don't need a ported big bore kit? Hmmmm! :biggrin:

With that chain, use an angle grinder to cut off those bumper links. Will take 3-4 mins.

JustinM · Jul 25, 2011

Hey Hulsty,
Congrats! I wish my first saw had been a 6400!

I know we're a few days after you've started it, but I'd like to make a recommendation.

Im always scared when I see new users running a saw "straight out of the box." - not so much because of safety (sounds like you have good PPE and you have a friend there to show you proper technique) but because chainsaws are very temperamental beasts & a slight change in altitude, gas type or mix can make a HUGE difference on the smooth running of your saw.

In a perfect world, that saw would have been picked up at a dealer's shop and adjusted properly to the conditions in your area. If you are a more experienced chainsaw-er you would be able to adjust the carb immediately and get it running smoothly but because this is your first saw...

Hopefully your friend is experienced enough to tune the carb a little for you. If you guys didnt do that then I would strongly suggest going to a local shop (you likely will get out of there for less than $10-20) and have them just have a look at your carburetor to make sure you're within an acceptable RPM.

Just my 2¢, take it for what its worth.

Again, you made a terrific choice for a first saw. If I could only have 1 saw it would most definitely be a 60cc saw and it would most likely be Dolmar (makita), husky or stihl.

w8ye · Jul 25, 2011

Out on the nose of the bar, those extra bumper links will stick out where you can cut them off.

My first Chainsaw, a new Makita DCS6401

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