Plastic Crankcases

[SawTroll]

The new Dolmar small saws (350/420) are magnesium. ....

Thanks, I thought it could be alu, due to the relatively high weight of those saws........

 

[Jim Mesthene]

The plastic-crankcase Husky saws have a bad reputation around here, for some reason.

Any chance you could do an informal poll, just to guess why?
I'd be curious if the objections were based on longevity issues (bearing trouble), heat issues (melted parts), or general distrust (people were wary of the first Plastic Glocks).
I have a Mag Case saw and a Plastic one. Both perform well for me, but if CAD takes hold, a little evidence would go a long way.

 

[cuttinscott]

Any chance you could do an informal poll, just to guess why?
I'd be curious if the objections were based on longevity issues (bearing trouble), heat issues (melted parts), or general distrust (people were wary of the first Plastic Glocks).
I have a Mag Case saw and a Plastic one. Both perform well for me, but if CAD takes hold, a little evidence would go a long way.

Bar studs pulled, Oil tanks Melted to mention a couple reasons against plastic cases.

Seen many 029's with stripped bar studs and many Husky 350's with melted bar oil tanks due to loose or broken mufflers.
JB WELD TO THE RESCUE


Scott

 

[PB]

Is there a problem with these saws other than being more dificult to work on?

It seems to me most of the people bashing them aren't people who own or use them.

I think they are easier to work on. Just my experience and opinion. I have a few and they have never given me any problems.

 

[drizler]

Gee, I had One And It Tossed The Crank, Does That Count?

Is there a problem with these saws other than being more dificult to work on?

It seems to me most of the people bashing them aren't people who own or use them.

I had a 141 and it managed to suck a cyl mounting nut and trash itself. Dealer couldn't figure it out but Husky came right out and fessed up and gave me a new one. Too bad the first one ran fine and the second one turned out to be a POS that never would start and idle properly.
I carried a Glock 23 .40 cal for 13 years that had a plastic frame. Thanks to faulty ammo I have punched out 3 or 4 rounds that were roughly equal to double loads. Kicked like a 44 mag when one came out of there and the first time it busted the extractor. Never another problem after that and not a hint of wear or failure anywhere in the plastic though. In all the years toting and dropping an M-16 nothing ever broke off one of those either. Now that's serious plastic and rest assured it's NOT what is found on a husquevarna. That is the same breed your coffee pot is made of.
I think that qualifies as an experienced based bash. It never got used very hard either, mostly clearing 4" and less cedar and limbing them for posts. For me anyways the next cheap saw might as well be a Wild Thingy as long as I am going cheap. The last time I looked at least it had a primer bulb.

 

[PB]

For every plastic crank problem, there are just as many mag crank problems. I have seen no evidence that a plastic crankcase decreases the longevity of a saw. Dealers please advise if you have seen anything besides the muffler problem.

 

[wood4heat]

I had a 141 and it managed to suck a cyl mounting nut and trash itself. Dealer couldn't figure it out but Husky came right out and fessed up and gave me a new one. Too bad the first one ran fine and the second one turned out to be a POS that never would start and idle properly.
.

But was that due to the plastic components or a manufacturing flaw? A lot of people have had nothing but good luck with their "plastic" saws and I would bet there are people who have had failures similar to yours with pro saws.

 

[g.moore]

My 2 "plastic saws" have never given me grief with regards to the crankcase. In fact the 025 and 455 ran for 8 hours on Monday, shut down only for fuel and bar oil. The rain hitting them was sizzling they were that hot and never gave me a problem. I had the 025 handling the 10" and smaller and my neighbor had the 455 cutting up to 20", we passed by the big stuff until I bring the 051.

 

[Edge & Engine]

Any chance you could do an informal poll, just to guess why?
I'd be curious if the objections were based on longevity issues (bearing trouble), heat issues (melted parts), or general distrust (people were wary of the first Plastic Glocks).
I have a Mag Case saw and a Plastic one. Both perform well for me, but if CAD takes hold, a little evidence would go a long way.

I've never seen any issues myself. But numerous people I've talked to have a bad opinion of them. One guy said he talked to a Husqvarna dealer about them, and the dealer told him to stay away from them because there were too many issues with the plastic crankcase, seals blowing or something. Anyhow, I DO suspect that it is more the idea of plastic there that turns old-school woodcutters off, not actual proven problems. You know, when you think plastic, you automatically think "cheap" or "flimsy", especially if you're coming from using all metal saws like the old Homelite, McCulloch or Poulan saws.