Bad plastic day

[DanMan1]

I started out snowblowing this morning, and had one of the bolt eyelets 'pull' through on my Crapsman discharge chute. This is the second plastic chute part to fail on me in 13 months. Oh well,... they will send a new one free of charge.

Later I went to cut down a couple of oaks with my new $470 'Pro' 357xp Husky. After about a minute when I was about to re-tension my come-along, I realized My kill switch was missing. I had to put the choke on full to kill the engine.

I can only guess my 'made too well, too strong China' gloves must had put undue stress on the 'pro' Husky kill switch at the end of my finger tips, thus breaking it.

Maybe pro use is actually, easy because pro's know how to baby the machine. Maybe manufacture's need to test with dumb cordwood cutters like me.

When I got the saw I noticed the choke and kill switch were EXTREMELEY flimsy, I mean... I have milk jugs in the fridge that are thicker and stronger than the moldings of the kill switch on my saw. But I assumed they would hold up. WRONG!

I still like the saw, but come on Husqvarna... what a POS the kill switch is!


I finished cutting up the tree with my $150 Poulan.

 

[Lawn Masters]

Thats why I like the Stihl switch, aside from the fact that I can bump the saw on my leg and kill the engine. I have tissues that look stronger than that switch.

 

[woodshop]

bummer... did you buy that new 357 from a local dealer so you can plop it back on his counter with raised eyebrows? Guess you could plop it on his counter regardless...

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Funny you started this thread. I was going to start a similar thread tonight. The Husky 346/357/359 all share the same cheap flimsy kill switch/choke layout. Anyone else have the choke come out of the carb linkage?


What other models have this switch fiasco???

 

[Ranchero50]

Friends 350 is similiar enough that I don't like using it. Dang plastic thing. Funny as heck watching it slide off the wood piled up in the back of his truck as he was leaving the wood lot. Almost left him run over it so he could go buy a real saw...

Jamie

 

[lucky]

353 has it also. WEAK!

 

[Newfie]

Never had a problem with them on my 346's which get tons of use. I will say that i was a little sceptical when I saw the switch set up on the first 346 I bought. So far so good, probably just jinxed myself.

 

[tony marks]

as far as the choke coming off ..if its a problem just put a touch of glue on the back side of the linkage.. mine on my 372 has come loose, twice but no major biggee to me..
so the fix i suggested is made as conjecture..

 

[DanMan1]

Tony, check out my photo...It's busted off.

 

[Toneman]

Shame they like to use the 5 cent piece of plastic for the switch. I love the old style "toggle" switches. My old Homelite Super XL130 has this on it and it still works after 29 years!

 

[tony marks]

see what you mean..i guess just different working conditions etc..seems to me those things mite call for having a few spares of the plastic stuff,as you would an chain or such ..
still i see why u would be a bit diappointed..

 

[SawTroll]

Good point Tony!

Anyway, as far as I know all 3-series Huskys below 60 cc's has that switch. If it it such a big problem, why don't we hear of it more often?

I think it is an ergonomic success , much better than the combo switch on the corresponding Stihls (yes, I do have both).

 

[Proj Eng]

Got the 346 and no problems with that switch yet. But I usually am not sawing with choppers on either.
I'd complain and get it fixed for free. After all, that is what dealers are for.
And remember, wrap your thumbs, that may have been part of the cause.

 

[DanMan1]

For anyone interested, I photographed why the kill switch wouldn't work. I finally took a look inside. From the outside it looked like the 'button' molding was snapped off and should still work if you pressed on the surviving plastic, but from the picture here you can see the plastic contact holder and part of the metal contact spade are off in Husky heaven, leaving the wire blowing in the breeze.