Husqvarna 61 experts: Is this natural?

[BigDee]

My newest Husqv 61 appears to be a 1980 -- Silver tag with just 6 digits 041144.

I have seen 61s with broken chain brakes, but this one has no chain brake at all, just an engraved plastic cover with no date code inside just Made in Sweden 501 53 49 01. Also, I found no date code on the recoil. I am still excavating inside the cowl, but it also appears to have no date. "Rancher" decal, check.



And under the clutch cover, like everywhere else, I found a very thick layer of very fine DUST that probably discouraged the last sawyer, and underneath that, no oil pump. What? Wait it is an orange oil pump, matching the rest of the crankcase. Is this natural?


Peering down along the cylinder I see plus plus plusses. 501 5333 KS and some more numbers I couldn't read maybe 1654-5. All of this is below the lowest fin on the clutch side. The only other KS cylinder that I have for a 61 has a clear 85 date on the recoil side, but this one is bare. Anyway, is this a closed port 61? Compression is a whopping 185 on the same gauge that says my 166SE is 165. Whatever it really is, it is PLENTY.

The carb is the familiar Tillotoson 163A. The filter looks good, a little smaller that my 166 and black plastic with double layer mesh.

It runs strong and sounds good. Unfortunately there is a chip in the paint below the recoil, and a few more under the clutch cover. O well.

So who can tell me, closed port?

Thanks. Don

 

[old 040]

as far as i know, all 61's were open port, unless someone put a 162 cylinder on it, these were also sold with the chainbrake as an option.............

 

[Perry pioneer]

Saw looks clean very nice.

 

[Landmark]

Just sold one like this. Open port with ks p/c. Have another one to build that has a clutch cover like yours. Doesnt look the safest design but is a nice clean cover.

 

[huskihl]

Oil pump is behind the clutch, a white plastic pump drive, and a thin washer. That black screw with #'s 1-4 and a notch is how you adjust it.

 

[BigDee]

Saw looks clean very nice.

It is about the cleanest saw I have ever had, except for the time I bought a new one in 1984. The 61 has a spur sprocket. The Made in Canada Husqvarna bar is probably the most worn thing on it. The chain was so dull that maybe they were chopping with it.

I pulled the muffler and everything is pristine within. I hope someone will ID my KS cylinder. Looking through the exhaust I did not see anything that looks like the bottom edge of a port. Maybe that +++ is not so meaningful.

 

[BigDee]

Oil pump is behind the clutch, a white plastic pump drive, and a thin washer. That black screw with #'s 1-4 and a notch is how you adjust it.

Right, but every other one I have seen was a bare casting, in high contrast to the crankcase. Were they all painted at one time or would this have happened later?

 

[huskihl]

They're still a quite powerful and dependable saw. Same basic saw as a 625 jred

 

[BigDee]

Just sold one like this. Open port with ks p/c. Have another one to build that has a clutch cover like yours. Doesnt look the safest design but is a nice clean cover.

Was that the one on the trading post with the great pics? Was the orange cover visible there?

 

[huskihl]

Right, but every other one I have seen was a bare casting, in high contrast to the crankcase. Were they all painted at one time or would this have happened later?

Mine was a bare casting. Yours is more beautifuller. But mine's red

 

[BigDee]

Doesnt look the safest design but is a nice clean cover.

I agree. Maybe best for the shelf.

 

[BigDee]

Mine was a bare casting. Yours is more beautifuller. But mine's red

Thank you. I have a red one, a 630, and its pump housing is bare too. Beautifuller. yeah.

 

[Landmark]

Was that the one on the trading post with the great pics? Was the orange cover visible there?

Yes that was it but It had the grey top cover

 

[spindrift7mm]

BigDee, nice old saw ! Your's is the only one this old that I've seen since I got mine 7 years ago. It's same as yours except 50% condition wise. These are the earliest version of the 61s. Mine is closed port and original as it has a screw boss for the cover which is different from later white tops as it's held down by one screw on top of cylinder. Along with the non brake clutch cover its clutch/crank is coarse thread. Luckaly your's doesn't seem to need parts as mine does. My clutch was bad but I found I could use early fine thread shoes and springs to rebuild my spyder but finding a top cover has been impossible so it sits in a box clean and painted, waiting. Ken

 

[BigDee]

BigDee, nice old saw ! Your's is the only one this old that I've seen since I got mine 7 years ago. It's same as yours except 50% condition wise. These are the earliest version of the 61s. Mine is closed port and original as it has a screw boss for the cover which is different from later white tops as it's held down by one screw on top of cylinder. Along with the non brake clutch cover its clutch/crank is coarse thread. Luckaly your's doesn't seem to need parts as mine does. My clutch was bad but I found I could use early fine thread shoes and springs to rebuild my spyder but finding a top cover has been impossible so it sits in a box clean and painted, waiting. Ken

Like this?:

Maybe it is mis-stamped, but the silver tag says Practica, 12650, that's it, just five digits. When I was redoing mine, which is open port, I found the cover was going to cost more than the rest of the saw so I did a glue job on it. The grey top 61 has the metal handle chain brake so I think the one on the practica is probably a later addition, but I have not checked inside for a date.

And Ken, what did you paint? Don

 

[spindrift7mm]

I split the case and had some industrial enamel matched for it. So I have 10 years worth of old Husky paint and have built mostly Stihls for 6 yrs. Well I did score a 346oe and a 254 recently, both are runners but will get gone thru and painted. On the 61 mine does have Practica on the tag , must mean Rancher somewhere else. Mine is ported and should hold it's own with the later saws, Kinda Practica Elsleeper. I'll post some pic this fall if I get caught up enough to get to my projects. Ken

 

[Jim Duggan]

Is it possible to install a chain brake on the old 61 that didn't come with one?

 

[BigDee]

Is it possible to install a chain brake on the old 61 that didn't come with one?

I put a have put covers with chainbrakes on 61s but it has been a while ago. The 61s I still own have the old Swede-o-matic brake with the metal bale. I think a modern brake assembly puts the flag very close to the saw's top handle. The first time I put an inexpensive aftermarket brake assembly on a 61 it would trigger with minimal excuse. After several dis- and re-assemblies without success I bought another from a different source and it was the same. Then I got a third one and it had the same hair trigger. It turned out that the spring inside the flag was installed backwards on all three, right from the factory. I flipped the springs and all work fine.

If I recall correctly, either brake interferes with the decomp when a 52mm cylinder is installed to make like a 272.

And look at this:
https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/super-nice-husqvarna-61.335476/

 

[Jim Duggan]

I put a have put covers with chainbrakes on 61s but it has been a while ago. The 61s I still own have the old Swede-o-matic brake with the metal bale. I think a modern brake assembly puts the flag very close to the saw's top handle. The first time I put an inexpensive aftermarket brake assembly on a 61 it would trigger with minimal excuse. After several dis- and re-assemblies without success I bought another from a different source and it was the same. Then I got a third one and it had the same hair trigger. It turned out that the spring inside the flag was installed backwards on all three, right from the factory. I flipped the springs and all work fine.

If I recall correctly, either brake interferes with the decomp when a 52mm cylinder is installed to make like a 272.

And look at this:
https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/super-nice-husqvarna-61.335476/

I did buy an OEM Husqvarna cover and brake. I'll check the spring if there are any issues. Thank you!