After market bearings for Makita/Dolmar

[redhawk23]

Great job in birddogging the bearings, hope you can source them without too much trouble & international postage...

Just remember to pull out the metal shield on the inside.

Not counting my chickens yet!

 

[redhawk23]

From the SKF Italy website (translated to English):

To order, please contact your SKF Authorized Distributors, the list of which is available here.

 

[redhawk23]

I’m going to contact Makita and find out the story behind their discontinuing a part for a currently sold saw.

 

[redhawk23]

After being transferred to a Makita Service center I was told to call customer service back and tell them to order the part from “IA”. I am supposedly going to receive the bearings in 5-7 days. $42
The current part number is
211-341-1
This if for a Dolmar 421/Makita 4300 chainsaw.

 

[redhawk23]

I got the bearings but without seals! Apparently it’s no longer one part number for both. I called back and they’re sending me the seals, from Texas.

I’m not sure if the difficulty I had finding them was a supply chain issue or the parts being discontinued. The current part number generates few google results and those are in Europe.

 

[redhawk23]

Makita sent me the wrong seals!

 

[link]

I'm so happy my life expectancy is (by my own calculations) about 10 years from now, because I know the seals on my Dolmar 5105 will last for at least 15 years.

 

[redhawk23]

They sent the wrong seals again! I know have 2 sets of seals for saws I don’t own! The ones on top of the bags are what I need

 

[redhawk23]

This is what Makita said last,

“It appears there was a substantial change to your 421 several years ago.
We need to figure a way to take care of this without having to replace the crank case halves. Won’t have a good answer for you until Monday.”

 

[redhawk23]

I just took the clutch off my Makita and it has the same seals as the Dolmar. If there was a change to the saw it wasn’t the seals!
I think they should just give me a new saw at this point. This is ridiculous. I’ve been trying to get these since July,

 

[Fatherwheels]

I just took the clutch off my Makita and it has the same seals as the Dolmar. If there was a change to the saw it wasn’t the seals!
I think they should just give me a new saw at this point. This is ridiculous. I’ve been trying to get these since July,

I had Two new Makita EA4300 saws last week, I do not have them this week,
this and another thread inspired me to cut my losses, I like them saws too,
perfect size, good power, I gutted both mufflers, the hassle getting parts
was the end of it for me.
Hope you eventually get sorted with all you need to repair your saw.

 

[redhawk23]

Update, Makita redesigned the 4300 in 2018 and no longer carry the seals. I bought my 4300 in 2021 and it has a 2017 date of manufacture!!
I have contacted the better business bureau after Makita said my only option was to buy a new $200 case! I wonder if the bearings I bought and the gaskets would even fit.
Isn’t it a bad idea to put used parts like pistons and rings in a new case?

 

[redhawk23]

the saw was redesigned in 2014 and 2018. In 2014 they changed the bearing and seal on one side and 2018 the other side!

Makita sent me a new saw. I earned that saw! It’s been going on a year of trying to get new seals!

 

[lc4_fan]

the saw was redesigned in 2014 and 2018. In 2014 they changed the bearing and seal on one side and 2018 the other side!

Makita sent me a new saw. I earned that saw! It’s been going on a year of trying to get new seals!

Hi redhawk sorry to dig out this thread, are you sure that the clutch side also has the seperate bearing after 2018? In the latest Makita 4300 IPL there is still the combined bearing on the clutch side...