$ Husky saw!!!

[mga]

Its just a soft metal wire, around here we call it
mechanics wire. Used in manufacturing machines to keep bolts from backing out & going through gears.Your supposed to run it through the hole and around the top of the bolt head (left bolt)& twist the wires tight then go under the right bolt head & through the hole. That way if either bolt tries to loosen it will be pulling the other bolt tighter.They make special pliers to put the twist in with but you can do it by hand.
Dave

thanks, dave. if they come loose again, i'll give that a try. it sounds like it works.

i'm just disappointed that i would have to do something like this to a quality saw that's only about 18 months old.

 

[Kansas]

if i continue to have problems with them, i'm going to try your advice.

this wire would link the two bolts together? what material would the wire be?

Well thats a good question mga the wire the aircraft industry uses may be special dont know but mechanics wire that you can get at Oreilys will work OK. The way you do it is run a length of wire thru one bolt and twist it until it gets twisted up near the next botl and then run the wire thru the next bolt and twist it off.

Now with that said I think I came up with your REAL solution last night, I have a 345 which is the same chassis as a 340 and a 350 and it doesnt have a brace on the muffler like my 346 does that is the kind of thing I was reffering to when I say "PRO" saw the metal parts and extra bracing here and there.

I wonder if the muffler brace from a 346 etc would fit your 350? I have my 345 all boxed back up and for sale so I dont feel like unpacking it and setting the saws side by side to find out. Maybe one of the other Husky guys can say for sure that would be the best fix IMO!

 

[Kansas]

Funny Kansas!!!!

I have a different take!!!

I will buy 350's all day long, but I'd be hard pressed to own another 346!!!! Cant say anything about the 357.

Morning Andy! I know you love your 350's lol I wasnt saying anything bad about any particular saw 340,345 and 350's are fine light weight saws nothing wrong with any of them, just making a comparasion to homeowner and pro grade is all. I explained to mga this morning what I thought might remedy his problem and it would be one of those differences, maybe you could add to what I told him?

 

[oneoldbanjo]

If Husky can't get you back in business - I am familiar with two things that may help.

1) As was suggested you could use Safety Wire to connect the two bolt head together and prevent them from turning. In the aircraft and racing world the important fasteners are fitted with bolt and nuts that are drilled at the factory - or there are special fixtures used to hold the bolts while drilling. The safety wire is usually some form of stainless that is soft and pliable. If you have conventional hex heads you can drill them pretty easily on a drill press as you can set the flat on a flat board and drill through the bolt head straight enough to work. On allen bolts they are somewhat hard to get a drill started on the round surface - and it may help to file or grind a small flat spot for the drill to start in - or use a center punch. Drill a hole just a bit bigger than the wire you will use - and any wire that is pliable and can be formed will work - it it gets rusty and weak you may have to replace it. I have attached a picture that shows how to wire two bolts together.

2) On motorcycle sprockets there are tabs that are used to keep the bolts from backing out. These tabs are made from steel and after the bolts are tight the tab is bent up along or two sides of the hex to prevent them from turning. You could make a tab from sheet metal that will fit your 350 and then bend the tabs up after the bolts are in place (These tabs will not work with allen heads). I have attached a photo of a new tab for a motorcycle sprocket - the piece between the holes is curved as it bolts onto a round hub and if you make one the piece between will be straight.

I believe either of these methods should work for you - but I would also use Locktite in addition.

 

[mga]

thanks.

the original bolts are round head allen. i'm not sure if they are case hardened or not. i didn't get around yet to do the file test. if they are case hardened, i can have them EDM'd by a friend of mine. that should put a nice clean hole in them.

i believe the locking washers that connect the two bolts are called french washers? don't they usually use them on lawn mower mufflers or on some manifold bolts? bending the tab up locks them in place. unfortuately for me, the heads of the bolts are round.

i like the wire idea. if they come loose again, i'll go that route. if i have to keep torquing the bolts every time i use the saw, eventually i'm going to ruin the threads in the motor head. so, locking them securely once is definately the way to do it.

thanks again.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

Good....You are familiar with the lock tabs and know how they work. I suppose if you can find hex bolts that are the same diameter and thread pitch you could change the allen bolts to hex bolts. I don't know if Husky uses metric, witworth or SAE threads.

If you wire the bolts - pull the wire in a manner that it resists the rotation and tries to pull the bolt head tighter. In the example photo I attached the wire direction is correct.

Seems like Husky could solve this problem pretty easily if it is common - they would just need some drilled bolts and safety wire (or hex bolts and a lock tab). When I was looking on eBay to see what the muffler/bolts looked like the first listing I pulled up had a loose muffler and burned plastic.

 

[mga]

i ran the saw for about an hour today cutting up some logs. so far, the lock washers and loc-tite seem to be working...so far. but, i'm still going to wire them up when i get a chance. there is nothing worse than having your saw fall apart when your in a tree.

i'm thinking the problem is that as the engine gets hot, the threaded holes in the aluminum(?) head expand more than the bolts do. i believe they are using the wrong bolt and thread for that application and they are becoming loose because of that. when i get a chance i'll check them with a thread gauge and see what they are.

it's just my theory.

 

[sawinredneck]

I think the threads are 3mm X 1.5.
I am not sure if the bolt heads are hard, never tried that?
You could try and "stake" the threads. About 1/4" from the end of the threads take a center punch and punch a pin mark on them. Don't get crazy, just enough to deform the threads a little, otherwise you take the threads right out of the head, it's aluminum. Another old machinist trick is to either put a bolt in the threaded hole and tap it with a hammer (this will bring those "loose holes" into tollerance enough that the go/no go gauge will work properly in inspection, or put on a grade 8 nut and smack the head of the bolt, this will tighten up the threads on the bolt in that area.
These are simple things that might help, just don't get carried away with the hammer!!!! But a little deformation of the threads and loc-tite seem to go a long way!!!

 

[sawinredneck]

Andy you get a 5100 yet??




.

Nope, I think my next really stupid check, it won't be long before have another 68hr week, I am going to just go buy a new 361.
Then I am going to take two wtupid checks and get me an 880 with at least a 48", and hang the sucker from the cieling in the garage!

 

[Kansas]

I may have to un-package my 345 and answer my own question if some Husky tech and specs person doesnt answer it soon.

Here is the other question that I thought would get answered as a matter of fact but didnt, does the 350 have a brace? y'all muffler moddin guys know which one I am talking about?!

 

[aokpops]

thats same crap I had with stihl .wonder if the workers went to different plants ?I know want your going through you want cut wood not tighten bolts . don,t know what to do with a shack apartpart saw .

 

[Vibes]

Sorry to hear your having this problem. I have the Jonsered 2150 witch is the same saw only red. It is a darn nice saw and has cut alot of wood in 4 years I have owned it. I'm wondering, did you buy it from a dealer or at the box stores.

I would think the dealer would safty wire it for free. Hope you get this fixed up. That Husky is a good saw and it should be good for a while if taken care of.

 

[Freakingstang]

I may have to un-package my 345 and answer my own question if some Husky tech and specs person doesnt answer it soon.

Here is the other question that I thought would get answered as a matter of fact but didnt, does the 350 have a brace? y'all muffler moddin guys know which one I am talking about?!

No, the 350 and 345 do not have the brace. The third mounting point for the brace really seems to help. The pro series mag case saws have this brace 346, 351, 353, etc.

I never had my 346 muffler bolts back out when it was spinning 16K, but dad's 350 bolts constantly backed out until I put the brace on it. He now has a 5100....lol

 

[Kansas]

No, the 350 and 345 do not have the brace. The third mounting point for the brace really seems to help. The pro series mag case saws have this brace 346, 351, 353, etc.

I never had my 346 muffler bolts back out when it was spinning 16K, but dad's 350 bolts constantly backed out until I put the brace on it. He now has a 5100....lol

Thanks Steve thats what I was hoping someone could answer for the original poster! Sometimes looking at a problem from the outside in is the best way to solve issues and in this case a factory muffler brace should fix his saw.

 

[mga]

Thanks Steve thats what I was hoping someone could answer for the original poster! Sometimes looking at a problem from the outside in is the best way to solve issues and in this case a factory muffler brace should fix his saw.

a brace? how or where would it attach?

so, you're saying that vibration is causing the bolts to loosen up?

 

[Kansas]

a brace? how or where would it attach?

so, you're saying that vibration is causing the bolts to loosen up?

Yes thats correct mga.Look at the muffler as a weight hanging off those toothpick sized bolts there is no way they can stay tight. Now you brace them at the end of the lever and there ya go support city no more problem.


check out post #31 of JeffandJess's 2153/346ne top end thread a decent pic of one is there. also post #57 on Bucks lets get ready to rummmble thread.


Where to get the brace? good question I dont know sorry maybe Freakenstang or someone has that answer hopefully. HTH

 

[mga]

thanks! i found this pic:

that would be the brace mounted to the front of the muffler...right? it appears to be resting on the lower body...right?

should i just go buy one?

 

[Kansas]

thanks! i found this pic:

that would be the brace mounted to the front of the muffler...right? it appears to be resting on the lower body...right?

should i just go buy one?

Welcome mga!
Yep thats it nothing to it but support for the muffler. Yes get one, I would call Baileys since they are a site sponser and Husky dealer and please post the outcome if it solves the problem or not.

FWIW You have a great light weight saw dont be thinking it isnt a quality saw it is high quality, only it is a home owner grade is all like I said, Husky and the other good saw makers have to cheapen them up (for lack of a better term) to compete with some lesser quality saws price wise for the homeowner share of the pie. (who is mainly price driven) With some plastic here and leave a bracket off there is how its done thats just business. HTH