Aftermarket Cylinder... good and bad... the Truth!

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Mine too. It does have 34 pages though. I ran out of wood to cut, so I'm back to bantering for a bit.

While bantering, feel free to address any questions that may have been asked of you, rather than pretending they didn't happen.

While you're at it, tell me how many new OEM p/c kits for the 036,044,026,064,066,262,266,268,272,346,372,357 etc. are available.

Maybe if you search long enough you'll realize why these kits are a good option for lots of people. Or maybe you'll just keep telling everyone that OEM kits available for the same price, when they are not.
 
Last edited:
While bantering, feel free to address any questions that may have been asked of you, rather than pretending they didn't happen.

While you're at it, tell me how many new OEM p/c kits for the 036,044,026,064,066,262,266,268,272,346,372,357 etc. are available.

Maybe if you search long enough you'll realize why these kits are a good option for lots of people. Or maybe you'll just keep telling everyone that OEM kits available for the same price, when they are not.

Stihl Chainsaw Cylinder and Piston Kit 064 640 | eBay

Plus a couple of 260 kits, a 041 kit, 029,039 and 210 kits out there today. All can be had for under $170, most for $150.
 
Stihl Chainsaw Cylinder and Piston Kit 064 640 | eBay

Plus a couple of 260 kits, a 041 kit, 029,039 and 210 kits out there today. All can be had for under $170, most for $150.

I gave a twelve of the most popular saws to choose from and you found one kit is at $160 with four days left to go in the auction. Again, for the umpteenth time, find a $150, new OEM P/C kit for a non-clamshell Stihl or Husqvarna. Seems you've been looking for 2 days and haven't found any?
 
Last edited:
I really hate to interrupt all the bickering with a relevant question but...

On these aftermarket kits...does anybody here have a couple of hundred hours, preferably more, on them?

The OEM vs aftermarket argument will probably go on forever but the true test is how long the saw will run.

I'm not looking for "should" or "could"...I want to hear from somebody who has actually run the AM kits in a real world environment for a good length of time. I think a lot of us would like to know that.
 
I really hate to interrupt all the bickering with a relevant question but...

On these aftermarket kits...does anybody here have a couple of hundred hours, preferably more, on them?

The OEM vs aftermarket argument will probably go on forever but the true test is how long the saw will run.

I'm not looking for "should" or "could"...I want to hear from somebody who has actually run the AM kits in a real world environment for a good length of time. I think a lot of us would like to know that.

I gave a saw to a friend to use in a logging environment over a year ago with a Meteor cylinder and piston. It's still running.
 
I really hate to interrupt all the bickering with a relevant question but...

...I want to hear from somebody who has actually run the AM kits in a real world environment for a good length of time.

It'd be my silly wild-*** guess that those folks don't spend all day reading this stuff and could give a rat's *** about all this petty BS in the first place. Probably busy cuttin' wood.

The question I have?

Who has the tranquilizer darts for the cow, chicken, and bear?
 
It'd be my silly wild-*** guess that those folks don't spend all day reading this stuff and could give a rat's *** about all this petty BS in the first place. Probably busy cuttin' wood.

The question I have?

Who has the tranquilizer darts for the cow, chicken, and bear?

I do. I have one for the possum, too...if he gets rowdy. :)

And you're right...a lot of those guys are out working. But maybe they'll scroll through this mess, see my question, and answer it. Never hurts to try.
 
i tried running some of the early am kits with no success. i tried to bolt it up and run it. no dice,bad port beveling,bad piston,bad rings take your pick they failed within a few grs or days. i did go ahead and port on of the kits and put a better piston and rings in it and as far as i know its still out there running today. so i would guess that with the proper work they could possibly be able to make it in the real world. but i havent had one in my hands that will bolt and go. when quality gets up to the point of bolt and go i may try it again but for now im still using oem cylinders and oem or meteor pistons.
 
I really hate to interrupt all the bickering with a relevant question but...

On these aftermarket kits...does anybody here have a couple of hundred hours, preferably more, on them?

The OEM vs aftermarket argument will probably go on forever but the true test is how long the saw will run.

I'm not looking for "should" or "could"...I want to hear from somebody who has actually run the AM kits in a real world environment for a good length of time. I think a lot of us would like to know that.

Here's my experiences so far-

1.- I ran a MS-460 Big Bore kit from Bailey's from spring of 2006 to spring of 2007 on a rebuilt MS-460 while I was cutting timber as a contractor for a logging company out of Glide, OR. The last sale I cut with that saw was 4.25 million board feet of mostly straight falling (sending trees straight down the hill, to be yarded out tree length and processed on the landing.) It had OEM wrist pin and clips, and OEM 066 rings. I was cutting mostly softwood (Doug Fir, Incense Cedar, some Ponderosa Pine, and a little Chinkapin.) That saw ran great and the cylinder had minor port work done by me. After the last sale I traded it to a fire wood cutter for a load of wood for my grandmother. I had approx. 600 hours on that top end. That saw cut firewood for two more years before the bottom end went out.

2.- I ran a MS-440 Big Bore kit also from Bailey's, also with OEM wrist pin, clips, and Caber rings on a snag falling job for the U.S. Forest Service at Diamond Lake, OR., in 2008. I cut approx. 700 snags, mostly Lodgepole and Shasta Fir, varying from 13" to 60" in diameter. I had about 300 hours on that saw before selling it to a member here. Last time I checked, it was still running good as an occasional use firewood saw. It also had mild port work by me.

3.- In the winter of 2009, I built a Big Bore 372 with a Meteor brand 064 piston. I used OEM 064 wrist pin and clips. I used that saw on a fuels reduction job for BLM over in Lakeview, OR, for about 400 hours before selling it on Craigslist. The new owner contacted me in April, '12 to say that the top ring had broken but the cylinder and piston were unblemished and he was re-ringing it. He's an occasional tree-service guy out of Grants Pass.

4.- I built and traded a Big Bore 372 to a member here, also with an 064 piston and rings (OEM) for use on his farm and for firewood. That was in 2010. That saw is still running.

5.- Back in early 2006, I built a big bore 046 for a guy in Maryland (furniture maker.) I put a couple hours on it before shipping. He got it, ran it for about 4 hours before it popped a wrist pin clip and wiped out the whole top end. This was the one experience that taught me to use OEM wrist pins and clips where applicable. I sent him a whole new top end and he installed it. Bailey's stood behind that one.
 
I do. I have one for the possum, too...if he gets rowdy. :)

And you're right...a lot of those guys are out working. But maybe they'll scroll through this mess, see my question, and answer it. Never hurts to try.

FWIW, my first rebuild experience several years ago was an 026 with a roached top end due to the typical bad flywheel side crank seal. (...my seal pulling technique being well-documented in a couple of threads...)

Being nearly as clueless then as I am now, I blindly bought a NWP kit from Bailey's, slapped the thing on without doing any of the cleanup and prep stuff ya should normally do, and been runnin' the snot out of the saw since.

The relevant components to this discussion are simply quality vs. dollars, and the customer service guarantees that accompany both from whatever sources of similar products. Period.

So shoot me now. Please?

Or at least...

:givebeer:
 
Last edited:
I gave a twelve of the most popular saws to choose from and you found one kit is at $160 with four days left to go in the auction. Again, for the umpteenth time, find a $150, new OEM P/C kit for a non-clamshell Stihl or Husqvarna. Seems you've been looking for 2 days and haven't found any

Stihl MS260 is a "Pro" saw. 4 available for $159 from one seller.

New Stihl Chainsaw 44 7mm Piston Cylinder 026 MS 260 Pro MS260 1121 020 1215 | eBay

Stihl 041 is an older "Pro" saw. $129

Stihl Chainsaw 44mm Cylinder Only Older 041 Series Cyl 1110 020 1200 | eBay

Pretty sure another 036 and 440 cylinder kit will come up again soon. They're out there. I don't do Husky's. My bad on the 064 cylinder. Bet it goes for less than $180. I've had luck offering before auctions closes and have had them cancel auction and re-list as "buy it now". Point being, OEM kits are out there at the price I stated. I bought them. I've used them. Find them all the time.
 
man after 35 pages and all it took for me is to read at least one post to get a fairly strait forward answer on if they work in the real world. thanks bob for asking and jj for answering . now i a'm at peace.
 
Last edited:
Gologit -

I bought a couple (2) kits/set-ups from Rand (W) 2 weeks ago. When life gets back to somewhat normal, I have 3x 385's that need help. I should be able to get 2 runners out of 3. One will be set up as a mill - 24" I'll be milling anything from Cedar to Oak to the longest/straightest possible Cherry I can find on this sand bar..

If it can survive milling a few board feet at a go, the other should handle felling and bucking.

Hopefully, mid Feb, I'll have some time to get them rebuilt, and maybe put out some planks.
 
Here's my experiences so far-



1.- I ran a MS-460 Big Bore kit from Bailey's from spring of 2006 to spring of 2007 on a rebuilt MS-460 while I was cutting timber as a contractor for a logging company out of Glide, OR. The last sale I cut with that saw was 4.25 million board feet of mostly straight falling (sending trees straight down the hill, to be yarded out tree length and processed on the landing.) It had OEM wrist pin and clips, and OEM 066 rings. I was cutting mostly softwood (Doug Fir, Incense Cedar, some Ponderosa Pine, and a little Chinkapin.) That saw ran great and the cylinder had minor port work done by me. After the last sale I traded it to a fire wood cutter for a load of wood for my grandmother. I had approx. 600 hours on that top end. That saw cut firewood for two more years before the bottom end went out.



2.- I ran a MS-440 Big Bore kit also from Bailey's, also with OEM wrist pin, clips, and Caber rings on a snag falling job for the U.S. Forest Service at Diamond Lake, OR., in 2008. I cut approx. 700 snags, mostly Lodgepole and Shasta Fir, varying from 13" to 60" in diameter. I had about 300 hours on that saw before selling it to a member here. Last time I checked, it was still running good as an occasional use firewood saw. It also had mild port work by me.



3.- In the winter of 2009, I built a Big Bore 372 with a Meteor brand 064 piston. I used OEM 064 wrist pin and clips. I used that saw on a fuels reduction job for BLM over in Lakeview, OR, for about 400 hours before selling it on Craigslist. The new owner contacted me in April, '12 to say that the top ring had broken but the cylinder and piston were unblemished and he was re-ringing it. He's an occasional tree-service guy out of Grants Pass.



4.- I built and traded a Big Bore 372 to a member here, also with an 064 piston and rings (OEM) for use on his farm and for firewood. That was in 2010. That saw is still running.



5.- Back in early 2006, I built a big bore 046 for a guy in Maryland (furniture maker.) I put a couple hours on it before shipping. He got it, ran it for about 4 hours before it popped a wrist pin clip and wiped out the whole top end. This was the one experience that taught me to use OEM wrist pins and clips where applicable. I sent him a whole new top end and he installed it. Bailey's stood behind that one.


I can't wait to see the reasoning the saw gods come up with to declare this post invalid.

BOOYA!!!!!!! :)
 
Stihl MS260 is a "Pro" saw. 4 available for $159 from one seller.

New Stihl Chainsaw 44 7mm Piston Cylinder 026 MS 260 Pro MS260 1121 020 1215 | eBay

$10 over your budget and not an 026 cylinder. But wait, you say, it will bolt on. Correct, and the newer ms260 cylinders have been shown to be less powerful than the earlier 026 cylinders. Isn't being less powerful the reason you won't run an aftermarket cylinder?

roostergt said:

Good find on that one. Except for the fact that it is only a cylinder, no piston and rings are included. I now realize why it is so easy for you to find "good" used stuff, you have no clue what you are looking at and don't read very well.

I can't wait for you to make your fortune putting $150+ worth of parts into 025's and 041's.


roostergt said:
Pretty sure another 036 and 440 cylinder kit will come up again soon.

I'm pretty sure your theory goes out the window if you look at completed auctions. I'm also pretty sure I can call watsonr and get a cylinder shipped tomorrow.

roostersgt said:
They're out there. I don't do Husky's. My bad on the 064 cylinder. Bet it goes for less than $180. I've had luck offering before auctions closes and have had them cancel auction and re-list as "buy it now". Point being, OEM kits are out there at the price I stated. I bought them. I've used them. Find them all the time.

Today is evidently not included in all the time? How about you buy that 064 cylinder and I will pay you $180 for it? If you are buying these cylinders for $150 all the time why wouldn't you just resell them as other suckers seem to be more than willing to pay $250 for them? I'd think $100 profit per p/c would be pretty good?
 
Here's my experiences so far-

1.- I ran a MS-460 Big Bore kit from Bailey's from spring of 2006 to spring of 2007 on a rebuilt MS-460 while I was cutting timber as a contractor for a logging company out of Glide, OR. The last sale I cut with that saw was 4.25 million board feet of mostly straight falling (sending trees straight down the hill, to be yarded out tree length and processed on the landing.) It had OEM wrist pin and clips, and OEM 066 rings. I was cutting mostly softwood (Doug Fir, Incense Cedar, some Ponderosa Pine, and a little Chinkapin.) That saw ran great and the cylinder had minor port work done by me. After the last sale I traded it to a fire wood cutter for a load of wood for my grandmother. I had approx. 600 hours on that top end. That saw cut firewood for two more years before the bottom end went out.

2.- I ran a MS-440 Big Bore kit also from Bailey's, also with OEM wrist pin, clips, and Caber rings on a snag falling job for the U.S. Forest Service at Diamond Lake, OR., in 2008. I cut approx. 700 snags, mostly Lodgepole and Shasta Fir, varying from 13" to 60" in diameter. I had about 300 hours on that saw before selling it to a member here. Last time I checked, it was still running good as an occasional use firewood saw. It also had mild port work by me.

3.- In the winter of 2009, I built a Big Bore 372 with a Meteor brand 064 piston. I used OEM 064 wrist pin and clips. I used that saw on a fuels reduction job for BLM over in Lakeview, OR, for about 400 hours before selling it on Craigslist. The new owner contacted me in April, '12 to say that the top ring had broken but the cylinder and piston were unblemished and he was re-ringing it. He's an occasional tree-service guy out of Grants Pass.

4.- I built and traded a Big Bore 372 to a member here, also with an 064 piston and rings (OEM) for use on his farm and for firewood. That was in 2010. That saw is still running.

5.- Back in early 2006, I built a big bore 046 for a guy in Maryland (furniture maker.) I put a couple hours on it before shipping. He got it, ran it for about 4 hours before it popped a wrist pin clip and wiped out the whole top end. This was the one experience that taught me to use OEM wrist pins and clips where applicable. I sent him a whole new top end and he installed it. Bailey's stood behind that one.

tl;dr
 
I can't wait to see the reasoning the saw gods come up with to declare this post invalid.

BOOYA!!!!!!! :)

Somebody somewhere will try to discredit it and that's fine. The good thing about me, is that I keep excellent documentation and all of my experience is verifiable.

I had an early boss who said "If it ain't on paper, it didn't happen."
 
Back
Top