dissecting an earthquake chainsaw

[tallguys]

This is the Catalytic Converter material that comes out of it. It is magnetic, not sure what it is made of. I know the cats out of cars are worth a lot of cash, anyone have a clue if this would be too?

Looks like a clump of mouldy noodles, and I wouldn't hold out thinking it was worth anything more.

FWIW, I just can't believe this thread is at 123 pages all about some chi-com chainsaw. I'll withhold any other opinions about that.

 

[o8f150]

FWIW, I just can't believe this thread is at 123 pages all about some chi-com chainsaw. I'll withhold any other opinions about that.

here we go again

 

[H 2 H]

I have to get these three Stihl saws finished so I can get back to the chi-com chainsaw :msp_ohmy:

 

[milkman]

here we go again

Don't bother me none, I'm used to the hating, since I drive a Prius. It's all from people who don't know any better.

 

[Philbert]

Don't bother me none, I'm used to the hating, since I drive a Prius.

What size bar and chain you runnin' on that Prius?

(Ham radio guys love them - they are like a rolling power source!)

Philbert

 

[tallguys]

Don't bother me none, I'm used to the hating, since I drive a Prius. It's all from people who don't know any better.

Nothing to do with hating. In your example you mention a Toyota, a company that develops it's own technology and provides good paying jobs to North Americans.

In contrast with a Chinese company that certainly does not worry about honouring copyrights or patents, provides no decent employment outside of China, all the while spewing tons of pollution into the environment as they are exempt from any and all environmental initiatives.

Keep buying that junk and enjoy providing your part to the dismantling of American and Canadian companies. But that is okay, people just don't know any better.

Right...

 

[Justsaws]

These EarthQuake/BlueMax/PowerHorse/Green--------/etc. saws are starting to show up in the used market much more often. Still not seeing any Hitachi or Tanakas though. Probably Sears selling the Blue Max being why I see more of that "brand" than the others. The Ryobis have come and gone. For as many different places that sell the EarthQuakes I hardly ever see them for sale used.

 

[milkman]

Nothing to do with hating. In your example you mention a Toyota, a company that develops it's own technology and provides good paying jobs to North Americans.

In contrast with a Chinese company that certainly does not worry about honouring copyrights or patents, provides no decent employment outside of China, all the while spewing tons of pollution into the environment as they are exempt from any and all environmental initiatives.

Keep buying that junk and enjoy providing your part to the dismantling of American and Canadian companies. But that is okay, people just don't know any better.

Right...

Can't wait for the knock off, would love to get a new Chinese Prius for $8K.:msp_biggrin:

 

[Chris-PA]

Nothing to do with hating. In your example you mention a Toyota, a company that develops it's own technology and provides good paying jobs to North Americans.

In contrast with a Chinese company that certainly does not worry about honouring copyrights or patents, provides no decent employment outside of China, all the while spewing tons of pollution into the environment as they are exempt from any and all environmental initiatives.

Keep buying that junk and enjoy providing your part to the dismantling of American and Canadian companies. But that is okay, people just don't know any better.

Right...

We didn't buy them new, they were used/demos/returns or old stock clearanced out by the importer after failing to sell for whatever reason. They're basically used saws of obsolete design and provide no more benefit to their manufacturer than does any other used saw you may buy on eBay. How much money do you think the Chinese made off my $40 saw? Probably the same as they would have if it had sold retail, as the shipment was likely paid for ahead of time - somebody else already took a loss on it. So climb off your high horse - it's American, Canadian and European companies that outsourced all that work to China to begin with, how many tears shall I shed for them now?

All those foreign manufacturers assembling products in the US will leave in a heartbeat the moment financial conditions cause them to decide they can make more money assembling elsewhere. Usually, beyond the people that actually work there, the rest of the local population is forced to pay for the tax breaks and incentives to attract and keep them there.

 

[Philbert]

Can't wait for the knock off, would love to get a new Chinese Prius for $8K.

Not if the batteries start catching fire. . . .

Philbert

 

[H 2 H]

:sword: :msp_ohmy:

 

[diggers_dad]

Finally got around to doing the muffler mod on the quake! I think I opened it up plenty wide. Should run a lot better, and be able to hear it four stroking now.

This is the Catalytic Converter material that comes out of it. It is magnetic, not sure what it is made of. I know the cats out of cars are worth a lot of cash, anyone have a clue if this would be too?

Also, think I found the problem I was having with adjusting the carb.

Whoever guessed an air leak was the problem, you deserve a beer. I took the carb apart, and cleaned it all out with carb cleaner anyway just in case. Got it all back together, but it was too dark to run it and try to adjust the carb. These things really are a pain to adjust with the recoil handle in the way.

Me! Me! I thought it was an air leak!

Make mine a root beer.

Seriously, glad you got it figured out and hope you have some fun with it.

dd

 

[H 2 H]

u can do better than that....:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange: more quake posts....:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:
I think we are making the Earthquake one of the most recognized saws in north America....not that they deserve it....but now Sears and Menards are both selling them and Menards has dropped the Efco's...great saws....go figure...its a crazy world we live in. I am keeping my Efco's forever.....the 152 and 156 are awesome......the real deal. But they cost more than $35.....

I could but I'm on double secret probation (Like "Animal House" the Movie) :msp_ohmy:

Sears here drop the whole line but my brother told me they saw them at Walmart I can't believe what there charging;I have to see it for myself

 

[diggers_dad]

here we go again

I have to get these three Stihl saws finished so I can get back to the chi-com chainsaw :msp_ohmy:

These EarthQuake/BlueMax/PowerHorse/Green--------/etc. saws are starting to show up in the used market much more often. Still not seeing any Hitachi or Tanakas though. Probably Sears selling the Blue Max being why I see more of that "brand" than the others. The Ryobis have come and gone. For as many different places that sell the EarthQuakes I hardly ever see them for sale used.

Not if the batteries start catching fire. . . .

Philbert

I need a saw that runs. I can buy one with a 16 inch bar and chain for $35 delivered to my door fifty miles from the nearest saw shop. It gets here and it is new, never seen wood. If it only lasts a day I have broke even over renting one. I have some mechanical ability so it will last more than a day. I bought 6. Nobody else offers anything even close for 3 times the money. Are they throw away saws...yes...but that time is some time in the future. It is all for fun. I have my Dolmar 7900 if things get serious and my Poulan 8500 if I need a trip in the time machine, but the Quake does a good job for what it is. I can't buy the bar and chain deliverd for what they cost me.

What if I use parts from my second hand $35 Chinese saw to repair my $300 Japanese made saw while I'm waiting on parts from Sweden, Italy and Germany to repair even more expensive saws for other people?

Or, what if I loan out one of these $35 paperweights to someone and they like it better than their overpriced Stihl or Husky?

Bottom line, you can't compare apples to oranges. These are not brand new saws right off the retailers shelves. Are they worth 3 times the money? Don't think so, 'cause none of us are buying them at $70. Are they worth $35 or $40 for a little porting practice and fun? 120+ pages say YES!

Now let's go cut some wood and leave the political debates for a different site.

 

[casual cutter]

I posted on this thread a while back. I wrote about how I thought it was crazy that folks buy cheap Chinese crap. F the US, F our economy, F good workmanship, right? But guess what... My posts were deleted. Apparently I don't know what AS is all about (as one member told me before my part was removed.) You're right brother, I didn't. I didn't realize it was about censorship and buying cheap imported trash. Now I do. Ban me, delete my post, make some asinine joke about how I'm new and don't know a damn thing. because I've seen enough and I know for sure that I don't want to partake.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but this site seems to prefer to keep threads, and subforum material for that matter, more or less on topic. Essentially this provides the ability for all users to seek info pertaining to, in the case of this subforum, chainsaws. I have seen harmless posts moved, simply for this reason. Politically charged dialogue can quite often snowball, detracting from the threads original purpose.

The posters here probably know collectively more about saws than any other single web forum that I know of, so it is definitely a valuable resource, no?

You do know there's other subforums here, like "Off Topic" and "Political," where you can pretty much post whatever you want, right?

 

[Steve NW WI]

I posted on this thread a while back. I wrote about how I thought it was crazy that folks buy cheap Chinese crap. F the US, F our economy, F good workmanship, right? But guess what... My posts were deleted. Apparently I don't know what AS is all about (as one member told me before my part was removed.) You're right brother, I didn't. I didn't realize it was about censorship and buying cheap imported trash. Now I do. Ban me, delete my post, make some asinine joke about how I'm new and don't know a damn thing. because I've seen enough and I know for sure that I don't want to partake.

Your posts were not deleted. There are two of your posts in this thread, if there were any prior to these two, I didn't look for them. These sound like the ones you're describing:

True story. I rarely work on disposable saws even if I'm getting paid. Heck, half the time the dealers won't even service em if they show signs of use. And yeah they are cheap. In cost and quality. I wouldn't buy a saw that's made outta plastic and weak toy car metal and designed to the lowest possible price point. I've got some really good saws that have been running for 40-60 years and will keep on for decades to come. Maybe I'm the crazy one, but while some of y'all are out there buying disposable Chinese toy saws I'm picking up reliable American made tools for the same price.

Clever selective quotation... I'm not trying to start a fight or complain. While back someone gave me an earthquake they couldn't get it running. Turned out easy to fix and I gave it to a friend to use while his saw was in the shop... Then the clutch self destructed. Saws like this seem to run good while they do, but they really aren't built to last or be rebuilt. If it's fun then by all means do it!

They're right where they always were, buried about 10 pages back. While I may agree that these are disposable Chicom junk, what some of these guys are getting out of them is valuable experience in saw repair and modding. Yeah, some are just in it for a few bucks flipping saws. Capitalism strikes again. The very fact they were able to buy these saws dirt cheap as refurbs means they can afford to learn by trial and error, something you can't do with say a new MS441 P&C without substantial cash outlay if you go over the edge and trash it. One of these guys might just be the "AS Mod King" in a couple of years after a humble start like this.

I'd be justified giving you a trip to banned camp for complaining about site moderation, but I'm just going to give you a warning. I'd rather hear your response.

 

[H 2 H]

I just bought a new computer from and American Company; American brand you look inside and it isn't from USA

 

[cmarti]

I need a saw that runs. I can buy one with a 16 inch bar and chain for $35 delivered to my door fifty miles from the nearest saw shop. It gets here and it is new, never seen wood. If it only lasts a day I have broke even over renting one. I have some mechanical ability so it will last more than a day. I bought 6. Nobody else offers anything even close for 3 times the money. Are they throw away saws...yes...but that time is some time in the future. It is all for fun. I have my Dolmar 7900 if things get serious and my Poulan 8500 if I need a trip in the time machine, but the Quake does a good job for what it is. I can't buy the bar and chain deliverd for what they cost me.

With all those new saws, you should unload that old Poulan boat anchor. Probably just clogging up space. Let me know if I can help you out 8500

 

[Chris-PA]

I posted on this thread a while back. I wrote about how I thought it was crazy that folks buy cheap Chinese crap. F the US, F our economy, F good workmanship, right? But guess what... My posts were deleted. Apparently I don't know what AS is all about (as one member told me before my part was removed.) You're right brother, I didn't. I didn't realize it was about censorship and buying cheap imported trash. Now I do. Ban me, delete my post, make some asinine joke about how I'm new and don't know a damn thing. because I've seen enough and I know for sure that I don't want to partake.

What saws do you own and where were they designed and made? As an engineer and product designer, it is not just important to me where it was made, but also where it was designed.

If you look at the saws in my signature line, with the exception of the Earthquake and the MS4018 all were designed in the US, and I believe made here (the Silver Eagle McCullochs may have been made in Mexico, I cannot find any markings). I'm presently porting and building up two more little Poulans - designed and made in the US. Most members here hate them, but I think the small Poulans are excellent designs and I use them to gather the wood that heats my home.

The two exceptions are because I also really like the RedMax saw designs, and the MS4018 is a license built GZ400/4000 made in Taiwan and the Earthquake is mostly a parts saw for it. The reality is that the Earthquake CS3816 is a very good, if obsolete non-strato design, and the workmanship is not as bad as you make it out to be.

The reasons why stuff is manufactured in China and other low wage countries are manifold and complex, and it's not likely to be a fruitful discussion on a chainsaw forum.

 

[Walt41]

I posted on this thread a while back. I wrote about how I thought it was crazy that folks buy cheap Chinese crap. F the US, F our economy, F good workmanship, right? But guess what... My posts were deleted. Apparently I don't know what AS is all about (as one member told me before my part was removed.) You're right brother, I didn't. I didn't realize it was about censorship and buying cheap imported trash. Now I do. Ban me, delete my post, make some asinine joke about how I'm new and don't know a damn thing. because I've seen enough and I know for sure that I don't want to partake.

Some dockworkers, crane operators, truckers, UPS guys and retailers may disagree with what these saws are doing to the economy.