Chain Brake kit upgrade on old Poulan Pro 255

[TiminMintHill]

I have this Poulan Pro 255 I bought back in 1993. As originally built, it didn't include a chain brake.
I decided to replace some of the parts that typically wear out, and noticed on the parts list a callout for a chain brake kit PN 952069360, though it didn't show what was in the kit.
I went looking thru various suppliers, and none showed pics either. The way the parts list showed everything else, nothing else with the body of the saw, clutch drum, etc indicated any difference within the model 255 specs.

I contacted Poulan by phone and then by email, and asked if this was a possible upgrade for that saw, to make it safer, and both times they said
"If the unit did not have a chain brake when purchased then you can not go to a chain brake. You need to order a 530036133"

So...still believing this was a valid upgrade, I found this item on Amazon for about $25, and just got it.

Would you believe, the instructions detail the steps to take a saw that DID NOT originally have a chain brake and install this item!! A perfect fit and upgrade.
All it consists of is new clutch cover with integrated chain brake and handle, removal of existing hand guard and placing a NEW label over the holes from the original hand guard talking about the chain brake.

If I send a note back to Poulan, I wonder if the poor guy/gal there in customer service will do anything other than blow it off, as they definitely didn't exercise diligence in answering the question the first times.

This is a good upgrade for those saws to make them a little safer, especially given their intended market being more homeowner oriented.

How would you go about getting the word up higher in the food chain at Poulan, or what other methods would you use??

Thanks!
Tim

 

[KRP]

Try going through a Husqvarna dealer to get to the higher ups at Poulan. I would guess Poulan customer support would rather see a dealer install an upgrade to an older saw. Which number did you order from Amazon, was it the 530036133 or the 952069360 ?

 

[TiminMintHill]

KRP,
It was the 952069360 that I installed. The instructions were well written enough, and concise enough, that ANYONE could have performed the upgrade.
No special tools or knowledge required on this. The only thing 'special' was removing the old handguard, held in by two screws. Otherwise, it was like installing a new clutch cover.

Just out of curiosity...why do you suggest a 'Husqvarna' dealer to get to higher ups a Poulan, is there some business arrangement that links them?

Thanks for the reply,

Tim

 

[KRP]

Husqvarna Group includes:
"The brands in Forestry and Lawn and garden are Husqvarna, Jonsered, Gardena, Flymo, McCulloch, Partner, Poulan, Poulan Pro and WeedEater. The major brands in Construction are Husqvarna and Diamant Boart." (from the website)

The current operator manuals refer to Husqvarna for chainsaw repair.

 

[Jeff Lary]

Tim I have the same saw and mine does have the brake upgrade ( done by the shop that sold the saw) although it has been destroyed by the original owner. I need to replace mine and in searching on Google I found your post. How did you find this part on Amazon? I just typed it in and it brought me to some books ha ha . Could you help me find a way to order one for myself? Thanks Jeff

 

[Chris-PA]

This is a pretty old thread. Poulan built that same basic saw in a lot of models and sold as Poulans, Craftsman, Jonsered. Clutch covers with chain brakes are available in a lot of different colors with several part numbers. While it's not the official "kit", mostly what you need is the clutch cover/brake assembly. the rest just covers the holes in the top cover, and you should be able to come up with some way to deal with that. Try looking up 530054819 for a PP295 or PP4620. It's the right color and I think should bolt on.

 

[Jeff Lary]

This is a pretty old thread. Poulan built that same basic saw in a lot of models and sold as Poulans, Craftsman, Jonsered. Clutch covers with chain brakes are available in a lot of different colors with several part numbers. While it's not the official "kit", mostly what you need is the clutch cover/brake assembly. the rest just covers the holes in the top cover, and you should be able to come up with some way to deal with that. Try looking up 530054819 for a PP295 or PP4620. It's the right color and I think should bolt on.

Ok Chris , Thanks yea i dont care about the color or the holes really i just need the brake /cover assembly. This may sound dumb but where do i put in the part numbers to do the search? Just find a site that sells poulan stuff and try there? or is there a better way to find the things i need? Any guidance will be Greatly appreceiated thanks .Jeff

 

[Jeff Lary]

Chris, I have found a place to get what i need. I dont know if they are a site sponcer so i will wait to see who responds here. If i can get what i need from someone here that is what i want to do. I need the brake assembly, a cylinder bolt (screws in from the bottom of the case), and an idle screw.
I may be easily impressed but it is amazing to me that you knew what other saw parts will work on this saw. I know that sort of thing goes on alot but i would have had no way to know a 295 and 255 would use the same cover. I am going to set your name aside for i have other questions for you sometime.... but easy ones..! Thanks again Jef

 

[Chris-PA]

Chris, I have found a place to get what i need. I dont know if they are a site sponcer so i will wait to see who responds here. If i can get what i need from someone here that is what i want to do. I need the brake assembly, a cylinder bolt (screws in from the bottom of the case), and an idle screw.
I may be easily impressed but it is amazing to me that you knew what other saw parts will work on this saw. I know that sort of thing goes on alot but i would have had no way to know a 295 and 255 would use the same cover. I am going to set your name aside for i have other questions for you sometime.... but easy ones..! Thanks again Jef

Well, I don't want to run afoul of site sponsor issues either, and I'm not sure who among the sponsors would carry that part. As Poulan is a Husqvarna brand I believe any of the Husky dealers should be able to get them.

I like and use plastic Poulans so have spent a fair amount of time looking into them. There are others here that know them well too. Those engine mounting bolts are a major design defect and often back out. They use a steel insert molded into the plastic case, and a shoulder bushing that is free to rotate slid into that. The bolt is a "tri-lobe" thread forming screw with a binding head, but it binds to something that can spin freely, so there is no effective locking hardware at all. It is worse on the 46cc saws which have more engine vibration.

The tri-lobe screws are not great for use with LocTite, but you can try it. I replaced the screws with 35mm M5 cap screws (McMCaster-Carr 91290A256).

Also look at the shield behind the muffler. If it is an earlier Type-1 muffler then the shield is prone to fatigue failure due to vibration. When the end breaks off the exhaust gases melt the chain brake. Since yours does not have a chain brake, it may already be gone (you might not notice), and any new brake would get melted. If you can post a picture of the muffler outlet area I can tell better what it is.

Also, the rubber seal on the partition between the carb air box and the cylinder area does not stay in place and lets fines in the air box. I glued it on with JB Kwik epoxy.

Last, the rear A/V spring tends to loosen up and does not like being yanked on if the saw gets bound.

Having said that, my ported 46cc Poulan 2774 (same basic saw) is a hoot and pulls a 20" with 20BPX chain really well. Really impressive for a 10.1lb powerhead, and I like to use it for felling. A little spark timing advance helps these too.

 

[Jeff Lary]

Well thanks a bunch. This saw was originally sold by the same shop where I bought my Partner 5000 back in 84. When I first got this from a kid whose farther gave it to him. I went to my local saw shop and talked to the owner there about getting a replacement brake assembly. This brake assembly is melted. The owner told me that the 255 did not come with a chain brake and he refused to sell them with out one. So he said the deal was he bought the kits and Modified all his 255's and charged accordingly for it. So he was pretty sue where the saw came from this general area that he probably had originally sold the saw. I will try to post a few pictures of the areas you spoke of. It has been a long time since I posted any pictures so we will see how that goes. ha ha Jeff

 

[Jeff Lary]

Ok trying 4 pictures it seems I need to post again to get all 4 in. not too sure about the little x img thing .But here goes

 

[Jeff Lary]

This is the melted chain brake.

 

[Chris-PA]

Yep, that's a Type 1 muffler and the shield appears to be missing entirely. It also appears to have had the outlet opened in an un-gentle manner. The original shield sandwiches in between the muffler and cylinder, and has a deflector that wraps around the muffler outlet. The problem is that the deflector is just folded and is cantilevered and unsupported. With engine vibration it fatigue fails and falls off. I bought another but it failed too.

Then I cut it down so it was just a flat sheet and made my own deflector from black stovepipe and attached it to the muffler. It is held on by LocTited ss screws and nuts, but the screen is still around the (opened up) internal baffle so even if they fall off they can't get in the cylinder.



There are also later mufflers that are designed differently, and these come up on eBay regularly. Just don't put a new brake on like it is or it will melt.

 

[Jeff Lary]

Ok I was just thinking that I have some brass flashing and I could attach a strip of that like you did. Also I wonder what if I just closed that port off and drilled a couple of new holes in the front face of the muffler instead? As for the cylinder screws I have a green poulan 2055 for parts and can I use one of those screws on my 255? I was just looking at the saw and this is what I need for parts. Fuel cap, 3 top cover screws, 1 cylinder or base screw, and of course the brake assembly.

 

[Chris-PA]

The engine mounting screws are different on the 2055, which is from the other family of plastic Poulans. I don't remember if the cover screws are the same.

Front outlets would be easier, but they do have potential problems with hot gases hitting the log.

 

[Jeff Lary]

Yea not too concerned about that,...gonna burn em anyway !!!! ha ha Hey what bar and chain combination are you running? I guess you did say 20" but I don't want to run anything that large on that saw. I am going to try to find something in the 14 to 16" range. I just tried a little look up and I keep seeing stuff like" be sure to buy an intenz ( or something like that? bar as this saw has no pin for bar adjustment" and.... "easy adjustment bar or manual adjustment bar" I think I am about ready to place my order.

 

[Chris-PA]

If you get a clutch cover with the adjuster pin you wont need the Intenz bar. They are available both ways - looking at the pictures of what is offered on eBay is helpful to figure out what is what. It looks like the 530054819 has the adjuster.

I'm running a 20" 0.325 bar with Oregon 20BPX, but it is 46cc. Yours is 40cc I think and should have a 3/8 lo pro sprocket. I have that same engine in a Husky 142 and I run a 16", 56DL 0.043" bar with Oregon 90S chain, although it pulls standard 0.050" lo pro just fine.

 

[Jeff Lary]

Thanks I guess you answered my question. I just placed my order and called them back to make sure I got the manual screwdriver adjust chain brake set up,.. and it is . I used the number you gave me bty. I will most likely go with a semi chisel chain and short bar as I have 4 saws with 20"s on em now. I want it to light as possible.

 

[Stihl-Pioneer]

I will most likely go with a semi chisel chain and short bar as I have 4 saws with 20"s on em now. I want it to light as possible.

I have a 255 with a 14" 3/8LP that I got from my dad back around 1993-94. It is great with this setup.

 

[Chris-PA]

I have a 255 with a 14" 3/8LP that I got from my dad back around 1993-94. It is great with this setup.

I'm still jealous of your 50th anniversary 315! I bought one once on eBay but it was totally trashed junk. I actually got the engine running pretty well after porting it and replacing the ring, but the cylinder was marginal and then it ate a C-clip. My ported 46cc runs well enough.