The Dolmars are here!

[TonyM]

Got my first few Dolmar saws in today. Two 7900's and a 540. Wow, those 7900's are sweet. I didn't get a chance to run one yet, but they seem really well built and have a unique but appealing look. I think I might skip work tomorrow and hit the woods and make some chips! I weighed one with a 20" bar with my trusty fish scale, both tanks empty, at 17 lbs. For grins, the 372 with a 20" and a little gas and oil weighed in at 17.5 lbs. This old Craftsman Poulan that I've got in for service that cuts only slighly faster than a butter knife weighed 18.5 lbs w/ a 20" bar!

 

[Lawn Masters]

Well please, post some pics of these basd boys for us, I'd LOVE to see a 540, never heard of that model. I'm used to hearing about the 7900s but a 540 is new to me.

 

[sedanman]

540 is actually on it's way out from what I hear. Good saw but will be replaces with a miniature version of the 7900.

 

[glens]

The other night Jeff Sikkema and myself weighed several saws on his "not for trade" electronic scale.  Unused MS460 was as specified (actually better) at 14.3_lb dry without bar/chain.  Same condition PS7900 was same weight, as was a used 372XP with a trace of sawdust and splashes each of oil and gas.  The Dolmar weight was greater than stated in their literature.  So was the Husky, but more on that in a bit.

Hanging by the top center of the front handle, the rear handle of the Dolmar touched the workbench while the front was still a couple inches up.  With the 460, it was at least twice the nose-up angle.  It would thus seem that with the equivalent bar/chain installed, the Dolmar would carry in a more nose-down attitude.

Unused MS660 was exactly as specified at 16.3_lb dry, no bar/chain.&nbsp; Unused Husky 385 was 1 or 2 tenths <i>more</i>, and a Husky 394 was 18.3_lb.&nbsp; None of the saws had full-wrap handles or any unusual accessories.

We couldn't figure what it was that Husky was doing to come up with their deflated weight figures.&nbsp; It wasn't the weight of the clutch covers or anything obviously systematic.

I'd like to add that a seat-of-the-pants comparison between my 036 w/20" and a 357XP w/(shorter)" at Dan's showed the 357 to weigh more as well.

Maybe this should have been another thread... (I hope Ben Walker sees it!)

Glen

 

[166]

The PS7900 weighs exactly 13.8lbs Power Head Only No Bar+Chain and no side cover.

 

[166]

Here's a picture of the PS540

 

[glens]

Originally posted by 166
The PS7900 weighs exactly 13.6lbs Power Head Only No Bar+Chain and no side cover.

It <i>may</i>, I wouldn't know.&nbsp; We didn't weigh it that way; it had the side cover/tensioner attached, as any saw would when being weighed as "power head only" since the cutting attachments and the mechanisms which secure them are two distinct entities.

Glen

 

[Saw Man]

Unfortunate, and I think misleading that some,..no make that many companies have been advertising weights "w/o cutting attachments" which can also mean the clutch-chain brake cover AND neither the bucking spike is included.

When we did the 372, we had to also take off the bucking spike which means the front AV spring also had to come off.
It then made the advertised weight.


It's not just with saws,
String trimmers are being shown with fake weights (IMHO) because the line head, shoulder strap, and grass guard aren't weighed.

Blowers too, being shown w/o weighing the tubes.

Term used for such misleading advertising is, "Marketing Speak".

Makers are trying to equal the playing field by doing what the others are, but I find it personally offensive no matter who does it.

 

[tony marks]

the wt of a saw with br an chain is going to vary according to what cutting setup u are using.. glen about the 17 lbs for the dolmer 7900 .. my 372 with oil drained nd tank emty ,weighs 18 lbs ,,so that sound s good..there wont be one in my future as ive pretty much got my linup set.. but that dolmar sure is saomething to think about.. good luck..

 

[max2cam]

That Dolmar 540 is a good looking saw all right. Excellent color combo too. What do they cost?

http://www.atthecreation.com/

 

[TonyM]

I won't yet comment on my prices or on selling anything, as I am not yet a sponsor. I will say that the MSRP on a $540 with a 16" is $370. You can pick up the Makita equivalent from several online retailers and ebay for around $280 with a little searching. I bought a supposedly used PS-540 off from ebay once for a total of $192. When I got it, it had never had gas or oil in it, and had a small scratch in the plastic.

Well, I ran three tanks though the PS-7900. I would have ran more, but I'm suffering a painful case of tennis elbow lately, and I could bear no more. First impressions, man that gas tank holds a bunch, but I've been used to running the little saws with little tanks lately. The saw started out a little doggy on acceleration, but within the first tank the hesitation was gone. Man that thing sounds like a big bore two stroke dirt bike while idling. First tank of gas emptied the oil tank as well, so I checked the oiler and it was factory set on max. No problems getting enough oil on the bar. By the third tank she was a smooth running machine, every bit as good of anti-vibe as any Husqvarna I've run. Starts easy, excellent contorls placement and feel, I like the location of the decompression valve, other than one time while I had the saw leaning against my leg, I accidentally pushed in the valve and caused the engine to stall. I like the cable setup on the throttle. It has a more positive feel without the free play that all my other saws have. Air cleaner was spotless after cutting, so I think they have a good thing going with their filtration setup. I took no other saws to time cuts with, as I knew she wouldn't yet be up to full power. Felt pretty strong, maybe not as much as I expected, but it's hard to measure without a stopwatch and other saws. I remember when I first bought a 036 pro and was disappointed that it barely outcut my 029. Well, after it was broke in, it pretty much embarassed the 029, so I'm sure in time the 7900 will wake up, and then I may time some cuts. So far so good. Now, about those darn elbows.....

 

[Typhoon]

Man I just keep hearing great things about the 7900. I have yet to hear a negative thing about it. Looks like im going to have to invest in one of these babies..

 

[firtol88]

No doubt, sure seems like a bunch of people around here are becoming Dolmar dealers.

 

[glens]

becoming Dolmar dealers

Or front men for them...

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Re: becoming Dolmar dealers

Originally posted by glens
Or front men for them...

He He...............oot srednirg yevliS

 

[firtol88]

LOL yevliS & ramloD

 

[TonyM]

All right, I'm a little worried now. I know I said I'd wait for a little more break in time, but my neighbor stopped over and was looking at the 7900, so we went out in the barn and made a couple cuts with it. Then I fired up the bone stock 372XP with many hours on it, and made a cut that I timed just by counting off in my head. Then I picked the 7900 and did the same with one cut. Now I know that I didn't use a stopwatch, and that I didn't use the same bar and chain, and that it was only one cut, but both chains were sharpened by me, and I was expecting a big enough difference that I figured it would be apparent, especially after all this talk about the 7900 cutting with a 385XP. Well, sad to say, the 7900 was not faster than the 372, at least in a piece of 14" black locust. I'm hoping this is do to the break in factor, as well as learning the specific chain sharpening that works well with the Dolmar. I've had a lot more time on the 372XP obviously. I would guess that a saw with 7 more cc's and .9 more Hp should be faster. I hope they didn't accidentaly place PS-7900 stickers on a PS-6400!! I am definitely going to get a few more tanks through the 7900, take it, a stopwatch, the 372, and my files to the woods and see what we can do. It seems like all the timed cuts I see on arboristsite are in softer woods like poplar and basswood. I am cutting a lot of black locust, and that stuff is hard.

Also, after the third tank of gas, I was taking a little break in the woods, and as I was looking at the saw, I noticed a lot of bar oil on the underside of the saw, around the oiler adjustment screw. I went back and read the post about Dolmars drooling oil, and it sounds like I may have the same problem Ben did.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not ready to say the saw is junk, it's actually quite a nice saw. I'm just answering the statement about not hearing anything bad about the 7900's. I think the cutting speed issue will be figured out, but the oil drooling may be a possible issue. It seems when we constantly hear great things about saws or about power porting, we can get some pretty high expectations in our head, and then when we finally get to see for ourselves, it's easy to be disappointed. So I'd rather be upfront about it, and let everyone decide for themselves.

 

[Saw Man]

UPDATE

Dolmar PS540 w/ 16" -18". Heavy Duty has been on Sale for only $299.99.

Tony M,

You'll need 8-10 tanks of good run time to see the saw "breath".

That oiler is a pumper!
"Eco Logic" oil system oils only when clutch turning.
Have "seen" a few where the oil is actually run off. Not leaking.

Easily remedied IF... it's sneaking past the pump output port and the oil tube.

Email me your address, and I'll send you a 'nipple' @ N/C.

 

[WRW]

Tony M,
Were you bearing down on the saws or just letting them work? It could make a difference if you really stress both saws.

 

[TonyM]

Okay, I think I scared Dave Neiger a little. He was pretty prompt to email me this morning

I got home from work, and thought I'd go about this more officially. I got my wife to run the stop watch, and ran three cuts with each saw with the same bar and chain. The 372XP cut 6.4, 5.7 and 5.7, the first being slow because it wasn't warmed up yet, and it four stroked a little. The I swapped the bar and chain to the 7900. The cuts were 6.2, 5.5, 5.8. Then I was going to switch the bars back and do some more cuts whilst playing with raker settings. As I was putting the original bar back on the 7900, I noticed the oil hole was packed with chips. I cleaned it out, and put it on the saw. Then I ran the chain over top some wood to see if it was getting oil, and it seemed sparse. I knew the tank was getting low, but it must have been lower than I thought. I added some bar oil, checked the oiling again, which seemed much better, and made a couple cuts. I think the 7900 would have been into the high 4's on those cuts, but my timer went in back in the house.

I think the oil I was seeing on the underside of the saw was due to the plugged bar hole. I've never had a oil hole plug up like that. Usually I've only had to clean the oil hole when I flip the bar over. I did get the saw pinched a little once during the second tank of fuel, and I may have sucked some big chips under the chain and plugged the hole then.

Rest easy Dave, she's a winner