the all aussie dribble thread!

[koshari]

Thanks for that guys, I had never given a Makita Chainsaw a thought, I have seen them in Bunnings, just walked past and but them into the same basket as half the other junk they sell.

They certainly seem to be much better value than the Stihls I have been looking at, my mate just bought a 391 with similar specs to the Makita and it cost over $1100!

My only concern is that maybe that saw its a little big for what I want to do? Or am I better off going slightly larger than what I need, I have also just seen some decent priced Echos, my Dads one has never given him any trouble in 25 years.

locally stihl seem to have priced themselves out of the market IMO thats why i got my ms261 from the US. Makitas are made by dolmar so there plenty going for them in that respect, if you are looking at getting a pro saw the range really begins at 50cc ( disregarding the ms200t which is a very well built saw if your after a top handle arborists saw).

i recken if you can get a saw landed from the US get a 346xp or a ms261, otherwise go with a makita.

 

[AUSSIE1]

Thanks for that guys, I had never given a Makita Chainsaw a thought, I have seen them in Bunnings, just walked past and but them into the same basket as half the other junk they sell.

They certainly seem to be much better value than the Stihls I have been looking at, my mate just bought a 391 with similar specs to the Makita and it cost over $1100!

My only concern is that maybe that saw its a little big for what I want to do? Or am I better off going slightly larger than what I need, I have also just seen some decent priced Echos, my Dads one has never given him any trouble in 25 years.

You'll soon find out this saw won't be too big for what you want to do.

As Rick said, free freight and full 24 month warranty for $749.00

Makita 64cc Petrol Chainsaw 2-Stroke DCS6401 | eBay

 

[masculator]

As your missus would say bigger is always better! same thing applies to chainsaws I reckon, you might need 45 cc for the backyard, then a little way down the line you find you need 60cc, then 70 then 90 and then you just have to have 120cc!

seriously though the 6401 would be a good saw if you can handle it. It is a little bit heavier than what you were looking at with a 261 or a 346 but it will go a lot harder.

avoid the echos, they are not the saws they once were or werent, and I have heard many complaints from owners.

 

[Hulsty]

Yeah, like THAT'S gonna happen with a saw involving an AS member Rick...

It will be hard to resist, nearly everything else has been modded, even the whipper snipper has received a tickle, needs a new coil though.

 

[Hulsty]

locally stihl seem to have priced themselves out of the market IMO thats why i got my ms261 from the US. Makitas are made by dolmar so there plenty going for them in that respect, if you are looking at getting a pro saw the range really begins at 50cc ( disregarding the ms200t which is a very well built saw if your after a top handle arborists saw).

i recken if you can get a saw landed from the US get a 346xp or a ms261, otherwise go with a makita.

I did look at getting a Stihl from the US but you cant buy them online and have them shipped, all the dealers showed I could reserve for local pickup!

 

[porky616]

right i got this 088 stripped right down to the flywheel but cant get it to move, are they on a tapered shaft or are they threaded, just need to crack the case and cast a hairy eyeball over the crank and make a final decision on its fate

 

[Terry Syd]

Here's an interesting article with a formula for computing the size of your carburetor.

Modifications - Explorer (FLPHG) Powered Hang Glider Harness

Using the formula, the size of the carb for my 50cc saw (at 12,000 rpm) would be between 16 and 22mm. The combined area of my 570 carb and the strato port is equivalent to a 19mm carb.

I suspect that the lower POPs on karts may have a lot to do with the larger carbs relative to the engine displacement. The lower POPs are necessary on the karts because the signal in the venturi is lower than on a small chainsaw carb.

 

[Hulsty]

You'll soon find out this saw won't be too big for what you want to do.

As Rick said, free freight and full 24 month warranty for $749.00

Makita 64cc Petrol Chainsaw 2-Stroke DCS6401 | eBay

I did some calling around today and no one locally can beat that price, best I could do locally was $800+GST

 

[Rudolf73]

I did some calling around today and no one locally can beat that price, best I could do locally was $800+GST

Yeah $749 is a really good price.

 

[AUSSIE1]

I did some calling around today and no one locally can beat that price, best I could do locally was $800+GST

Yeah $749 is a really good price.

Yeah that's a deal a mate went with for his 4wd saw. We looked into it at the time and it couldn't be beat.

 

[masculator]

right i got this 088 stripped right down to the flywheel but cant get it to move, are they on a tapered shaft or are they threaded, just need to crack the case and cast a hairy eyeball over the crank and make a final decision on its fate

From memory they are on a tapered shaft with a locating woodruff key. Sometimes if they have been on the saw for a very long time they can be hard to get to budge. I am assuming that you have undone the nut that holds it on! I saw a thread on here recently about making a puller for them using a tapered pipe thread bung drilled and tapped to run another bolt through the guts. If it is an ally flywheel you can make a wedge out of softwood to drive between the crankcase and flywheel then with the nut on a few turns get a centre punch in the machining centre and give a sharp rap with a wooden mallet. by sharp rap I do not mean belt the crap out of it but it should be enough to pop it off.

 

[koshari]

my new chaps juse cleared customs, any day now

Customs clearance processing complete, July 10, 2011, 7:10 pm, AUSTRALIA

 

[porky616]

From memory they are on a tapered shaft with a locating woodruff key. Sometimes if they have been on the saw for a very long time they can be hard to get to budge. I am assuming that you have undone the nut that holds it on! I saw a thread on here recently about making a puller for them using a tapered pipe thread bung drilled and tapped to run another bolt through the guts. If it is an ally flywheel you can make a wedge out of softwood to drive between the crankcase and flywheel then with the nut on a few turns get a centre punch in the machining centre and give a sharp rap with a wooden mallet. by sharp rap I do not mean belt the crap out of it but it should be enough to pop it off.

yeah plastic wheel on this one, mite take it to work and chuck it in the washing machine again. mite warm it up enough to free it up. if not a 4 pounder from about shoulder height should crack it just nice

 

[masculator]

Make or buy yourself a flywheel puller. they just screw into the thread on the flywheel and then have a bolt go thru the guts that screws against the end of the crank.

 

[MCW]

yeah plastic wheel on this one, mite take it to work and chuck it in the washing machine again. mite warm it up enough to free it up. if not a 4 pounder from about shoulder height should crack it just nice

Emphasise the crack part

 

[Karl Robbers]

Our local bj bearings has the6401 makitas for $869 or 899 if you could stretch the budget a little bit, or maybe look at the likes of a shindaiwa or oleo mac they are reasonably priced and fairly good machines. The oleo macs have a 5 year warranty to boot.

Oleo Macs would want to have improved a lot! The happiest day of my life was when mine got stolen, I almost feel sorry for the mongrel who stole it.
In fact I don't know of anybody who sells them in tasmania anymore.
While I don't own one being basically all Husqvarna, the Makitas do seem a good package, let down perhaps by their dealer network if anything, I would definitely consider one.

 

[MCW]

While I don't own one being basically all Husqvarna, the Makitas do seem a good package, let down perhaps by their dealer network if anything, I would definitely consider one.

Actually you've got one of the most proactive Makita chainsaw dealers I've seen in Australia at New Norfolk (New Norfolk Mowers and Cycles - I've got one of their pens ). They had a big display and some very sharp pricing at Agfest a couple of years ago. The 7901's were $1069 from memory. The owner was extremely happy to talk to me when I told him I was running a Dolmar 7900 at the time. He had a full range of spares in stock for them as well.
One brand I've seen a lot of in Tassie is Jonsered. Nearly every ute I saw carting wood across the north of the state had a Jred roped down on top of the pile I love Tassie by the way! You lucky mongrel...

 

[Karl Robbers]

Actually you've got one of the most proactive Makita chainsaw dealers I've seen in Australia at New Norfolk (New Norfolk Mowers and Cycles - I've got one of their pens ). They had a big display and some very sharp pricing at Agfest a couple of years ago. The 7901's were $1069 from memory. The owner was extremely happy to talk to me when I told him I was running a Dolmar 7900 at the time. He had a full range of spares in stock for them as well.
One brand I've seen a lot of in Tassie is Jonsered. Nearly every ute I saw carting wood across the north of the state had a Jred roped down on top of the pile I love Tassie by the way! You lucky mongrel...

You are right, New Norfolk Mowers and cycles are very pro active, I spent some time with them at Agfest this year, (helped them sell a Fiskars super splitter to a customer!). They are at the opposite end of the state to me unfortunately.
I used to be very friendly with the Jonsereds dealer here, but since the new owners took over I avoid them like the plague, which pains me as this was a 20yr+ relationship.
Husky and Stihl seem to be the big two at the moment, while I have a definite preference for the husky product, their local dealer is not on my christmas card list. Lucky there is the internet eh.

 

[Hulsty]

You'll soon find out this saw won't be too big for what you want to do.

As Rick said, free freight and full 24 month warranty for $749.00

Makita 64cc Petrol Chainsaw 2-Stroke DCS6401 | eBay

Bought it, thanks for the advice everyone, should be here in a few days. I would like to get some safety and maintenance gear. I have gloves, glass and ear muffs. I was thinking of some chaps, any recommendations and where to get? I have seen some on ebay for ~$100. I also need some files/guides etc for chain maintenance, I have never done it before.

 

[Rudolf73]

Bought it, thanks for the advice everyone, should be here in a few days. I would like to get some safety and maintenance gear. I have gloves, glass and ear muffs. I was thinking of some chaps, any recommendations and where to get? I have seen some on ebay for ~$100. I also need some files/guides etc for chain maintenance, I have never done it before.

Congrats! we would like to see some pics when it arrives haha. Husqvarna chaps are good I hear not sure how much they are though, same with stihl chaps but they are some crazy price like $300+. So yeah $100 sounds good as long as they are decent quality. With regards to filing, do some searching and reading here on AS - there is lots of info on hand filing chains. Also have a chat to Matt (MCW) on here about spare chains, files, guides, etc. he makes some good deals Oh and he stocks some parts for your makita also.