Tune ups at your local shops?

[Lakeside53]

Musch

.

We've helped this out by charging storage after 15 days from a piece of equipment being done and the owner contacted via phone or 2 messages left on different days and no return call or no arrangements for pick-up made. After 30 days we liquidate the equipment for the bill. No one has left a piece of equipment that was worth fixing to be liquidated.

You can legallly sell the equipment after 30 days??

 

[Haywire Haywood]

I gotta say this about DOLMARatOs. He's kept his cool while several people have challenged his shop practices. Speaks volumes. What could have easily turned into a cat fight has been a cool discussion of the reasoning behind how he runs his shop.

He gets a little rep for that one.

Ian

 

[BostonBull]

The purpose of this thread for me was to see what is going on in different shops around the country. I am thinking of adding a secnd tune-up option.

We currenty offer a tune-up for $65. This consists of; New plug, New fuel Filter, blow off cooling fins and area around carb, check and blow off air filter, and adjust the carb. If the customer requests a chain sharpening we will do that also.

My new tune-up will be $90. This will consist of all of the above AND replace air filter, rebuild carb, replace srocket and needle bearings. Check clutch operation, remove flywheel cover and blow out all dust, go through whole saw and check all bolts are tightened down, and check the armarture (sp?) air gap.

What do you guys think of this?

On a side note. If we get a saw in for a reapiar and find it isnt worth repairing we will 9 times out of 10 not charge the customer anything and depending on the model let them trade it towards money off a new model.

 

[Leebo]

The purpose of this thread for me was to see what is going on in different shops around the country. I am thinking of adding a secnd tune-up option.

We currenty offer a tune-up for $65. This consists of; New plug, New fuel Filter, blow off cooling fins and area around carb, check and blow off air filter, and adjust the carb. If the customer requests a chain sharpening we will do that also.

My new tune-up will be $90. This will consist of all of the above AND replace air filter, rebuild carb, replace srocket and needle bearings. Check clutch operation, remove flywheel cover and blow out all dust, go through whole saw and check all bolts are tightened down, and check the armarture (sp?) air gap.

What do you guys think of this?

On a side note. If we get a saw in for a reapiar and find it isnt worth repairing we will 9 times out of 10 not charge the customer anything and depending on the model let them trade it towards money off a new model.

Sounds reasonable. That's about the going rate around here at the Stihl dealer. The posted labor rate is $65/hr.

 

[spike60]

At our store the basic tune up is $30, (1/2 hour labor), plus parts. Everything gets a plug, and most will get a fuel filter. Just cause it's white, doesn't mean it's OK. Sometimes I'll dump the fuel and see how much dirt and stuff is in the tank. Starter dogs usually get a shot of WD. Sometimes we dress the bar rails down if they are only slightly out, otherwise we call the customer and recommend replacing the bar. Carb adjustments are dnoe with a tach, but I find that more often it is the lo speed screw that requires adjustment to set the idle and acceleration, as opposed to the hi speed. The chain is sharpened of course, but if it's really peened over from hitting rocks, he gets a new one. And finally we try to clean it up pretty good because it should really look like it was worked on when the customer picks it up.

We only work on our own brands, (Husky, Jonsered and Dolmar), so we don't have the problem that dolmaratO's has with walkaways. I fact, we like it when someone walks away from a Husky because we can make more money on the used parts than on the estimate. (we sell used parts such as handles and tanks for 1/2 price, so everybody wins). We also try to do a little triage, (spelled wrong?), when the saw is brought it. How does the compression feel? Are the bar and chain shot? Any broken mounts? That way, the customer can say "go ahead and do it", without us having to get a green light by tracking him down on the phone.

Another reason we don't work on other brands, (in addition to all of the stuff I went on about in the Ma and Pa thread), is that you just can't work as efficiently on stuff you are not set up for. Example: Yesterday I was working on a Husky 55 and it needed a choke lever. Looked it up on the computer, it's in draw B6, I put it on the saw and it's done. If it was some other brand, how would I look it up and where would I get it from? It's just not worth my time to have to chase parts for say an Echo, by calling another dealer, (and wasting his time cause I don't have look-up materials), having him ship it,(more cost), all for a $5 part.

 

[spike60]

Gee, I think I need to raise my price a bit! Maybe I'll go to $45, (3/4 hour)!

 

[DOLMARatOs]

Around here the $90.00 tune-up or what i'd like to look at as a total package tune-up would go great on a Stihl, big husky, etc. Doesn't work well on a $99.99 saw.

This is a great post, sorry that it gets off topic a little but then again, they all do.

Lakeside53: I totally get you on the commercial customers breaking everything. I was in the commercial mowing business here for years but Snapper THE brand here in Northern IL, so it turns out that i sell very few commercial units at all and mostly to homeowners with large lots.

Saws deffinately don't pay the bills in this area but they help. I still don't understand why a few thinks it takes 2 weeks for me to get parts for all these off the wall brands. Parts take 2 days for just about anything. I have a huge inventory of parts for the brands I sell and a great deal of inventory for brands I service. Granted I would totally love to have a Sthil dealership or a Husky one because then I could probably stay afloat servicing only these brands, maybe.

Ok, as to liquidating equipment after 30 days, no problems here. Equipment is considered abandoned after 30 days. Liquidating equipment rarely happens. Less than 2 times in a year. Mostly when the people get the telephone message or I tell them that they are being charged storage, they'll come pick it up and pay the bill. Or they will call me up and tell me to go ahead and scrap the unit.

I guess the biggest thing to remember about my particular set-up is that we aren't a saw shop. Point of fact is that we are an OPE shop or mower shop first, then handheld equipment and snowthrowers, then saws. Saws only make up about 1/6th of our service work and we almost never get a Stihl or Husky to work on. The majority of the saws we see are Pull-on and Crapsman (same thing of course). We have a Stihl dealer just north of us. They have been around for 30 years. They only work on the brands they sell with no exceptions and they don't stock very many parts so everything gets ordered in. We also have a Husky dealer down the road a bit that doesn't do any service work really and sells mostly saws on eBay to overseas.

 

[Gumneck]

Hi Mike. I have some hearing lose at varying frequencies and have a hard time trying to hear the changes in sound on the Madsen's wav file. I talked myself into buying a tachometer to set my carbs with. Just a small adjustment can radically affect your saw. Maybe good, maybe bad. On saws with limiter coils you definetly need a tachometer to keep from leaning out the saw. You look at the display on the tach and you read a number, no guessing at a sound you may be unsure of. Here is a tach to look at. I have one and it works great. Good luck. Vince
http://store.baileys-online.com/cgi-bin/baileys/1112?mv_session_id=qtn9tC8p&product_sku=17122

Vince, I can relate to your post. I dont have too much hearing loss..huh, what was that? Anyway, my tuning skills are not very good. Was wondering if that tuner works on any make saws. What about other power equipment besides weedeaters and such could you use it on. Lawnmower engines,motorcycles maybe?

 

[JUDGE1162]

I get a tune up done on my saw every spring this is what I have done

New plug
clean the saw (take it apart and clean it, blow out the fins, clean out the gas and oil tanks, etc)
new filters (air and gas)
New gas line
true up the bar
sharpen the chain
adjust the carb

Pay $45 to $55 depending on the cost of parts.

Now my questions:

rebuild carb? maybe I don't understand what this mean but how is that a tune up item?

Replace srocket and needle bearings? how often does this need to be done?

BostonBull you can do all that extra work for $25? or is it $25 plus parts?

BostonBull to me your $90 tune up seems like a saw overhaul and at a good price if it was offered I would do it every 4 or 5 years.

spike60, $30 is a good price (how much normally for parts? New plug, New fuel Filter, new air filter)

 

[BostonBull]

I get a tune up done on my saw every spring this is what I have done

New plug
clean the saw (take it apart and clean it, blow out the fins, clean out the gas and oil tanks, etc)
new filters (air and gas)
New gas line
true up the bar
sharpen the chain
adjust the carb

Pay $45 to $55 depending on the cost of parts.

Now my questions:

rebuild carb? maybe I don't understand what this mean but how is that a tune up item?

Replace srocket and needle bearings? how often does this need to be done?

BostonBull you can do all that extra work for $25? or is it $25 plus parts?

BostonBull to me your $90 tune up seems like a saw overhaul and at a good price if it was offered I would do it every 4 or 5 years.

spike60, $30 is a good price (how much normally for parts? New plug, New fuel Filter, new air filter)

A carb rebuild consists of new diaphrams new springand metering valve set-up, new jets and lo and hi speed needles.

The sprocket and needle bearings should be replced at the max every five chains.

I would do the extra work mentioned for a flat rate of $25 including parts and labor.

It could be called a minor overhaul. In an overhaul I would decarbonixe the complete muffler, new muffler gasket, new headgasket, new piston rings, compression test the lower end, replace clutch shoes, new starter rope.

 

[Lakeside53]

Why would you replace the H&L needles?? or the jets? I done hundreds of carbs, and maybe replaced one needle. A couple more jets, but only a very small number. Even the spring replacement is rare.

 

[BostonBull]

Why would you replace the H&L needles?? or the jets? I done hundreds of carbs, and maybe replaced one needle. A couple more jets, but only a very small number. Even the spring replacement is rare.

I get the reapir kits and replace what comes in them..cant see throwing out all those good parts in the reapir kits.

 

[JUDGE1162]

I guess I would use the $90 service for the extra $25 seems worth it to me even if it would be every other year

 

[Urbicide]

Vince, I can relate to your post. I dont have too much hearing loss..huh, what was that? Anyway, my tuning skills are not very good. Was wondering if that tuner works on any make saws. What about other power equipment besides weedeaters and such could you use it on. Lawnmower engines,motorcycles maybe?

If it has a spark plug it will work. However, the SenDec tach Bailey's sells is designed primarily for high reving 2-cycle engines. For a 4-cycle engine you would have to multiply the reading by 2 since the plug is only fired every other stroke. You can buy tachs that do have switchable settings (2 stroke vs. 4 stroke) but they will probably run a little more.

 

[Lakeside53]

I get the reapir kits and replace what comes in them..cant see throwing out all those good parts in the reapir kits.

What kits give you the H&L needles and jets? The walbro kits don't even come with springs.

 

[BostonBull]

What kits give you the H&L needles and jets? The walbro kits don't even come with springs.

Are you a Stihl dealer?

I sometimes will buy the vendor repair kits which SOMETIMES will have less in them. Most of the time I buy the IPL reapir kits.

 

[Lakeside53]

Are you a Stihl dealer?

I sometimes will buy the vendor repair kits which SOMETIMES will have less in them. Most of the time I buy the IPL reapir kits.

Yes, and I generally buy the vendor kits, but sometimes the Stihl kits for more obscure carbs or if I'm out or in hurry. The IPL kits do not contain the H&L needle valves, jets, or check valves, and cost many times more then the Vendor kits.


A common carb kit - for an 026 cost me $4 -$5 from Walbro, and Stihl's list for $32.70!!! Stihl's has the meeting spring, needle valve, arm, diaphragms and gaskets. The walbro kit K10-WAT has no spring but parts for just about every variation of the WA an WT series imaginable.

 

[BostonBull]

Yes, and I generally buy the vendor kits, but sometimes the Stihl kits for more obsure carbs or if I'm out or in hurry. The IPL kits do not contain the H&L needle valves, jets, or check valves, and cost 2.5 times more then the Vendor kits.

The ipl kits I just got form 200T's did. And the 026 ones also. Maybe just certain saws? We are a new dealer and I was under the impression thats how they all came.

 

[Lakeside53]

The 026 IPL kits have what I describe above. The walbro kits have a lot more parts.

The 200T IPl kit 1129-007-1062 only contains the 2 diaphragms and gaskets, listing for $23.. not even needle valve. I pay a quarter of that from Zama and get the rest of the parts also (arm, needle valve, spring and extra gaskets for other variation on the C1Q type).

You might want to go back and check what you got. Needle valves alone list for for $6 each, and if you order them from Stihl they get back ordered and come via the vendor due to the extremely low demand.

 

[BostonBull]

The 026 IPL kits have what I describe above. The walbro kits have a lot more parts.

The 200T IPl kit 1129-007-1062 only contains the 2 diaphragms and gaskets, listing for $23.. not even needle valve. I pay a quarter of that from Zama and get the rest of the parts also (arm, needle valve, spring and extra gaskets for other variation on the C1Q type).

You might want to go back and check what you got. Needle valves alone list for for $6 each, and if you order them from Stihl they get back ordered and come via the vendor due to the extremely low demand.

The 200T kits I have in the shop are part number... 0000 007 1081 I believe I can check tomorrow if I remember. I am 99% sure these had jets in them and a low speed needle.