What spare parts should a "full service" dealer have in stock?
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How dose one go about this “selling of chainsaw” I just can’t seem to figure it out. I go to a place give the guy money and come home with a saw and the old lady gets mad. I must be doing something wrong
Huskybill
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I had 15 restored Husqvarna vintage dirtbikes. My old lady said no more within six weeks I had 27. When she said no more I heard buy, buy, buy.
Now she’s saying the same chit with chain saws.
Now she’s saying the same chit with chain saws.
To answer your original question in all fairness 036 & 038 are old school saws . MS 362 or MS 500i likely more product on the shelf . However To your question 7 or 8 pin standard spline rim sprockets are not uncommon , as are clutch drum sprockets , ignition coil / modules , air & fuel filters along with other common saw fasteners or clips & fuel caps , replacement carbs or carb components & gaskets sets , etc . You said full service , that's my opinion . I actually quit doing business with our local Stihl Dealer for the same reason , along with their proprietary dogma ! Hope you find a better source of your needs conveniently.
thenne1713
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Problem is they can buy $500 in assorted small parts for $10 shipping vs (everything special order which means the $2-$5 parts is now +$10 shipping)= More in shipping than parts, only one getting rich is UPS; I.e. shipping= same for 6 chains as 1-chain. Next time, customer will goto internet and DEALER GOT ZIP?
Manuel2904
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Usually, a chainsaw dealer or specialized store should have everything to repair or upgrade a chainsaw, without much cost or effort. The parts customers usually search the most are bars and chains, but carburetors, filters, sprockets and gaskets set tend to have a high demand at any season. If you're still looking for a rim sprocket for your 038 and 036, take a look at our store by clicking the links on the signature.
T1 for our shops on the west coast to Gerry
I think that for most outdated ( pre-strato ) saws its a long time coming
Keith
lucky you still have a wife!
Huskybill
Addicted to ArboristSite
I still have 8 more bikes to restore yet. Plus saws now. Just trying to keep busy
My son works for a dealer that sells Husky, Stihl and other outdoor power equipment. They also have a service shop. It's a big organization... My son noticed that there was a lot of parts inventory billed out using the same generic part number... It turns out that much of the inventory was not added to the inventory system period. He fixed that problem... they can now identify what they have, the cost, and quantity on hand. They can also tell what they sell a lot of and what basically never sells. That worked out so well that he's now working on the same thing for the service shop. In the process of working on the shop he found, for example, multiple units of Stihl saw sub-assemblies (recoil starters, carburetors, etc.) that had clearly been sitting around. In one case there were a half dozen recoil starters that had been siting around so long they had rust on them... This is an item that they regularly ordered one at a time because they didn't know they had a bunch sitting on a shelf.
I could see the problem myself. Just one example: I needed a head gasket for a Tecumseh Snow King 5 HP engine. The shop guy looked in at least a half dozen different places along different walls before he found it... Then he and the other shop guy talked about what they should charge... In the end it was $7. I could live with that as on-line they were more. If it isn't a common part stocked in the store like a chain, spark plug, filter or blade, I have my son order parts as it's too frustrating to watch the shop guys muddle through. My son and his manager have been able to get me everything I've needed in a timely fashion... That said, for things I consider consumables like chains, rim sprockets, E-clips, filters, etc. I maintain my own inventory. Some of those consumables are in my field kit as I've had E-clips disappear while sawing and in the process lost the washer, the cage bearing, and/or rim sprocket. Nothing worse than cutting a mile from the closest road and need an E-clip... a total waste of time and it's a productivity killer to not have a part on hand that is worth about a nickel.
In conclusion, poor management and inventory control are the root of the problem in many shops.
I could see the problem myself. Just one example: I needed a head gasket for a Tecumseh Snow King 5 HP engine. The shop guy looked in at least a half dozen different places along different walls before he found it... Then he and the other shop guy talked about what they should charge... In the end it was $7. I could live with that as on-line they were more. If it isn't a common part stocked in the store like a chain, spark plug, filter or blade, I have my son order parts as it's too frustrating to watch the shop guys muddle through. My son and his manager have been able to get me everything I've needed in a timely fashion... That said, for things I consider consumables like chains, rim sprockets, E-clips, filters, etc. I maintain my own inventory. Some of those consumables are in my field kit as I've had E-clips disappear while sawing and in the process lost the washer, the cage bearing, and/or rim sprocket. Nothing worse than cutting a mile from the closest road and need an E-clip... a total waste of time and it's a productivity killer to not have a part on hand that is worth about a nickel.
In conclusion, poor management and inventory control are the root of the problem in many shops.
That's pathetic really. At my shop we stock probably a couple thousand Stihl parts. Been in business since 1963.
You won’t find a rim on the shelf around here either. A few years ago I used my last one and I had to drive an hour past atleast 3 big Stihl dealers to go fetch one. Guy told me I was the only one around here wearing rims out. I don’t keep track well, but I’m gonna guess a rim only lasts 50 cords ish. I’ve been buying sleeves of 10 8 pin rims off Amazon for dirt cheap. I can see not keeping a 8, but those 7’s probably fit 90% of the 50cc up saws.
Yup... and not unusual. I've seen it in many other sales and service businesses... inventory control matters and it can make or break the business. For example, I worked in a bicycle shop 40 years ago and we knew where everything was and what we had. It was the only way to get the work done and out the door, and make money. Turn around was seldom more than a week even at the peak of the season. That shop is 48 years old now and one of the kids who worked with me now owns it. The founder, who I met while he was building the interior of the shop when he first opened, has since passed away.
The past few years the supply chains have been so screwed up that it's been a nightmare for that industry. The owner spent all fall and winter sourcing parts last year. Where he usually had bicycles stocked he had big piles of parts. The net result being that he was about the only shop in the area that could actually work on bikes this past summer. Other shops closed for a couple weeks at a time in the middle of the season as they had no bikes or parts. The only reason my friend could do it was because he had the time and money to buy up all the parts he could find. He also hired techs laid off from other shops.
As part of his inventory control he bought a spoke machine to make spokes instead of buying boxes and boxes of spokes (there are a lot of different lengths, styles, materials and colors). He can source blanks with no problem as relatively few shops make spokes. That not only saves him a lot of money on inventory but he can meet the demand. Sort of like a saw shop buying spools of chain and making loops... In both cases having some simple tools and skills negates the need to stock myriad varieties and having to special order constantly.
The place my son works sells boxed Stihl chains like crazy from a self-service display. Yes a clerk can help folks find the right chain but they stopped making loops as the volume took up too much staff time... and besides, they make good money selling boxed chains!
I recall some old hardware stores that had sheet-metal shops, where they could make any size stove pipe, HVAC parts, etc. Especially good for custom work.
My local STIHL dealer still has reels of chain for special orders, but said that their cost for the standard sized loops, pre-made in boxes, makes it hard to justify making those sizes. Unless they run out.
Philbert
My local Stihl dealer even had spare spark arrester screens in various sizes for when I did a muffler mod on the 372XP. I was impressed by the selection. It's a big shop with many saws on the shelf and parts behind the counter.
I agree that it's frustrating to drive to a shop to pick-up what seems to be a common item -- only to have "we don't stock that anymore". I'm becoming more and more of an internet shopper so I don't have to drive around. With some on-line retailers (i.e. Amazon), delivery comes in 1 or 2 days. I can usually wait that long.
JQ
I agree that it's frustrating to drive to a shop to pick-up what seems to be a common item -- only to have "we don't stock that anymore". I'm becoming more and more of an internet shopper so I don't have to drive around. With some on-line retailers (i.e. Amazon), delivery comes in 1 or 2 days. I can usually wait that long.
JQ
The self-serve aspect of the boxed chains is very appealing too... people can take the stuff to a "door register" and not need help from the hardware desk...
If they know what they are looking for. I help a lot of lost people standing in the chain aisle at home centers. They kind of all look the same!
Philbert
More of a general thread post...
I'm probably a little spoiled, but the local dealer, usually has anything short of a fuel tank for any modern working saw, and most things for older working saws that are common problems.
Barring that anything major, like P+C is a day out at most (usually)
full rack of sprocket rims for all common sizes including big block stuff.
And He will generally keep more common stuff for homeowner saws and various equipment in stock.
The surrounding hardware stores and crappy stealerships will send them saws that need repair, because he keeps parts in stock.
This includes all common chain types, (except I have to special order 3/8 .050g cull comp square chisel chain... apparently I'm the only crazy one using it around here)
That said, any servicing dealer that wants to stay in business should probably follow suit, the hardware stores are selling more saws now, only thing the dealers are good for is servicing for most folks, and to be frank, many of the servicing dealers are scary places for the straights to visit... lots of rough lookin dudes hanging out around a run down service station with loads of poorly cut fire wood everywhere... not the best of images lol, but often times the best service you'll ever find.
I'm probably a little spoiled, but the local dealer, usually has anything short of a fuel tank for any modern working saw, and most things for older working saws that are common problems.
Barring that anything major, like P+C is a day out at most (usually)
full rack of sprocket rims for all common sizes including big block stuff.
And He will generally keep more common stuff for homeowner saws and various equipment in stock.
The surrounding hardware stores and crappy stealerships will send them saws that need repair, because he keeps parts in stock.
This includes all common chain types, (except I have to special order 3/8 .050g cull comp square chisel chain... apparently I'm the only crazy one using it around here)
That said, any servicing dealer that wants to stay in business should probably follow suit, the hardware stores are selling more saws now, only thing the dealers are good for is servicing for most folks, and to be frank, many of the servicing dealers are scary places for the straights to visit... lots of rough lookin dudes hanging out around a run down service station with loads of poorly cut fire wood everywhere... not the best of images lol, but often times the best service you'll ever find.
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