Nice video. I have been rebuilding chain saws for about 40 years. One of the secrets to longevity is not never let your saw's fuel tank run out of fuel. Why? If you are running it at full throttle cutting a log and the fuel starts to run out, a lean condition will likely happen causing heat and the piston to score. Over time, the scores are deeper, more of them and the compression will start to drop. I have seen it countless times, especially in cold climates where often you would think that it should not happen.
I have my father's Stihl 044 arctic he sold to a friend 20 years ago. I bought it back for the same price of $250 and there are still original machining marks on the piston.
i have NEVER loaned my 044 to anyone , neither should anyone else !!!!!! I purchased mine new in 1985 and I have taken very good care of it and it has taken very good care of me !!!!!!
What's more, is that when the return it "wrecked", they then just say "well it was old anyway". WTF, is everyone raised by parents that have no morals?
I had a 041 farm boss. Cut about 3/4 way through the tree (large tree) tree twisted and pinched my saw in. My buddy started cutting it out and tree twisted more saw fell on ground and tree came straight down on it. Had to dig it out. Bar only thing salvaged. It's hard for me to loan things to people I know that can't afford to replace them if they destroy them.
Nice looking 044, moment I heard Rich utter the word "scored", so sad. Seeing the interior was heartbreaking, especially considering the care the owner had for the saw. Have a 038 Mag II I bought right after High School for a firewood business I ran. Still have that saw and it gets used from time to time, although I migrated to some lighter Husky saws. Love Stihl, grew up next to a guy named Sven Johnson, and for us chainsaw kids, it was like talking with a true celebrity especially since he gave us all Stihl posters of him cutting cookies. So true about loaning tools and equipment. Love the statement that I will bring what ever you want to borrow with me! Great video!
I've made a rule. Don't loan out tools especially saws of any kind. If you do, you might have to retrieve it from a friend of the guy you loaned it to.
As general rule for me, if anyone, absolutely anybody wants to borrow any tools or equipment of mine, there is a compulsory security deposit equivalent to the current RRP of the loaned equipment,. This deposit is only refundable if said equipment is returned undamaged in the same working condition before it was loaned, and returned within a respectable amount timeframe. If any tools or equipment is returned damaged or not returned at all, you lose your entire deposit. As far as I am concerned these are fair, just and honest terms and conditions. Especially if the person I am loaning any tools or equipment happens to very comfortably live on a good six figure income and is either to cheap or simply to greedy and self entitled to purchase their own gear.
One time when I was deployed, I was talking to my wife on the phone. She said her Dad, who is super liberal, never owned a pickup or chainsaw in his life wanted to borrow my MS461. I just about lost my mind.
You never saw one crushed quite so bad? I only owned on Husky. I threw it under a skidder tire when the operator pulled on the landing. It was crushed pretty bad.
I can relate. A liberal anti-gun writer for a local newspaper worked with my wife. He went through a spell of writing anti-2A pieces. During one of the ammo dry spells, he actually asked her if I would provide him with ammo for the range and his out-of-town family shoot with.
I went to my husqy dealer this morning (North of Chattanooga, TN) to check on a parts order and the system was not working. A group from our church has helped in the Spartanburg area and is going back this weekend. Unreal the size of trees that fell like dominos. Glad you are doing well!
Just got my loaner saw back from friend who said his son said it wasnt running right..brought back n soon as i saw the chain n saw covered i dust i knew it was a goner..bar oil resevoir was bone dry..7 yrs ive ran piss outta that $100 china saw off amazon w no issue..til now..just finished machine work on $10 cylinder n made pop up on the domed piston n bout ready to slap it back together..
If you can’t sharpen a chain, you probably shouldn’t being using a saw. And will just run the chain dull and keep going. I’ll never loan mine out after watching this.
This is a great reminder to do a deep inspection of our older saws, and to replace all the rubber components BEFORE we destroy our favorite old equipment. Thanks for the posting Richard!
That reminds me of how my neighbour's excavator met it's fate, when he lent it to the wrong person, on a nearby farm. 30K worth of fine machinery became an expensive paperweight!
I only lend tools that have a hassle free lifetime warranty, and if you have to borrow the same tool from me three times,then you need to buy yourself one....all other tools are "I will do the job for you and you pay me. My brother loaned his 290 pro to our brother in law....he ran it with straight gas after the first tank....
Absolutely. Cold seizure is a very common failure amongst "chainsaw borrowers." My buddy asked me to look at his saw a few years ago. It had no compression, so I checked the piston and the ring was fused. I asked if he fired it up and went right to work, he said "No, I leant it to my neighbor." 😮
those are hard to start if you are not a Stihl guy. mine has crazy comp. and no decomp. I have one of the first years. I think they went from 1988-2006?? I got a ms400 a rear or so back. the 044 is like an early 90s 2-stroke motocross bike. the ms400 is like a 2015 KTM xcw200 2-stroke. a different kind of power. the 044 has way more low end. the idea of the ms400 was to not pile up the hours on my one owner sweetheart 044 only used to trim rose bushes on Sunday at the church! lol great vidjas Mr.
Thanks so much for the videos you make available. I have learned so much from your channel and "Coton Top" as well. Prayers for all of those impacted by hurricane Helene and for you and others who support all of those individuals working to help people in need.
I've got a neighbor here that borrowed a saw I had about 15 years ago, I made it clear that it wasn't in the same shape when it came back he bought it. He brought it back dead with a bent bar. He made payments for three months and owned that saw he screwed up. He's since bought and wrecked about 20 saws. He started out buying cheap saws, then moved on to Husky and now Stihl, at least now when they hit the trash pile they're worth grabbing and fixing. He's run them lean, without oil, run a few over, pinched a few and dropped trees on a few. The last one got dropped in the swimming pool running. The one before that, a 261, was full of mud, it looked like it had sunk in mud. The crankcase and carb were both packed with mud and dirt. The chain was missing 8 teeth and the bar was burnt blue. He had it for four days before tossing it, mad because the saw shop told him its too far gone to fix. $750 in the trash on day 5. Its now all apart on my bench waiting for parts. He somehow melted the recoil assembly on a 361 a while back, it got so hot the plastic handle melted before it seized up. He told me he ran out of oil and only had a few more trees to cut, and didn't see where it would hurt anything to run a few tanks of straight gas. This coming from a guy who burned up a half dozen other saws the same way. He just bought a fresh 261 the other day which means its time to start watching his trash can on trash day. I know where it'll end up. I'm thinking he's finally going to try and cut up the massive tree he dropped on his garden tractor a few months ago with the first 261. Its been sitting there with one rear wheel buried in the ground under a 40" wide tree trunk sort of pointed skyward.
Had a shop in KC for 36 years with my Dad and he used to tell people "LOAN THEM YOUR TOOTHBRUSH OR YOUR GIRLFRIEND - FINE! BUT NEVER ANYTHING WITH AN ENGINE ON IT !!! "
Had some fun with Milton here in central Florida. I don't make a living with a chainsaw, but have always had at least one and the requests for help with trees. So have many worn out chains under my belt. When done, drain and run'm dry, but either way the sitting is as hard on'm as the running
My dad and 1 good friend of mine who I know cares for his stuff as I do are the only 2 people I would loan a saw to. My dad taught me how to care for stuff so I know it will be cared for as if I were using it. I have my grandfathers 044, cared for the same way as this one, it got to where it does not want to idle after about 10-15 minutes of running, I figure the impulse or the pump diaphragm is getting hard, I put a new line on it when I replaced the tank so that's the only other 2 options. As you said I have stopped using it until I have a chance to figure it out. I actually have bought a new saw as a result so I have something dependable and can have time to maintain/fix some of my older stuff.
I bought one in 2001 or 2002 ( Can't remember ) and here it is almost 2025 and had a farm with 240 acres to use it on and believe me , it got plenty of use . cause 110 acres was mature woods. I still have that saw and it is still original except for the many bars and chains I have used . Even the filters are original, air and fuel because I would clean the air filter after each use and filtered the fuel before it ever went into that saw . Well crap , I did change the plug !.Just 2 short pulls with switch off then switch to full choke and 1 or 2 pulls it fires ,then switch to run and 1 or 2 pulls and it is running even after sitting for awhile . Best saw IMO that Stihl ever made and it will probably out last me ! If you have one , never sell it or lend it to a friend if you can . I know I won't . Sorry your saw got ruined by your friend .
I loaned my 661 to a neighbour and it came back looking worse than that. He kept running it and did not sharpen the chain (I did tell him to sharpen the chain and gave him the tool to do it after each tank of fuel or when it started to not cut well). Saw was in great shape before he borrowed it. I wound up throwing it away because the repair shop said the cost for a new piston, cylinder kit and the cost to replace the crank was half the cost of a new one. The saw was 8 years old. MORAL of the story. NEVER lend tools to a neighbour.
@@richardflagg3084i had a customer bring a saw that got used as a trencher once... amd their pole saw... and another saw. When one motor died the worker grabbed another.
100% on don't loan out any equipment to some doesn't know the difference between when its running good or bad. We had a pole pruner that was being used to prune trees in our Hazelnut orchard by contract worker. I noticed that they had thrown a chain when I drove by. On the way out I noticed that the thrown a chain again. I stopped to see what was going on. The new chain that was installed in morning looked like it was 10 years old. The bar was not oiling, and the sprocket was worn-out. The person running the saw did not cause the problem, but they didn't understand that when you throw a chain multiple times and the chain is dry stop running it!
I remember as a child my mother and father complaining about the weedeater not running right or the mower or some engine not running right, As an adult and a gearhead, I pride myself on keeping all engines around my house, running smoothly, And find carbureted engines much easier to work on than fuel injected, as diagnosing problems is magnitudes Easier with carbs.
My wife used to get grumpy with me because I don’t loan out chainsaws. Then she went with me to get a new chain. She said let em get their own saws. Saws are expensive to buy and not cheap to maintain.
Condition of saws in the 1st 30 seconds. Logging for 27 years. The golden rule was never leave your saw on the ground. Plunge your bar into a standing tree, no more than an inch inside of the bark about shoulder height . Otherwise, it will get ran over.
Years ago my neighbor called me at work saying his saw stopped and asked to borrow mine to cut a tree down. I allowed him. I didn’t hear back from him for like 6 hours. I get home, there is a tree leaning on his house and go in my shed and the chain is off of the saw and the bar is bent. Then he told me he got the saw stuck in the tree as it fell. Lesson learned and I got the longer bar as a replacement.
While I don’t lend tools out normally, I lent a friend a torpedo heater once, I mean how the hell can you screw a bloody heater up? Well let me tell you when I got that heater back after a couple days it looked like it spent years on the Russian front. It was completely clogged up with some sort of foam, crushed, had multiple holes in the fuel tank, I’m talking complete destruction. The best part is when I asked what the hell happened to it, he was like what are you talking about! The thing I can’t wrap my head around is how someone can completely destroy something and then just return it like nothing happened. Personally if I borrowed something and even scratched the paint I’d be offering to buy the person a new one. On the other hand I’ve borrowed stuff from friends and ended up having to fix the damn thing before I could even use it. I don’t lend stuff out, and I don’t borrow other peoples stuff. Both situations end up costing me time and money!
Add another item to your "DO NOT LOAN" list: log splitters! I loaned mine to my son-in-law's brother! It came back needing a new motor! NEVER AGAIN! Lee
If you’ve never run a chain saw regularly you can’t appreciate the maintenance that’s involved in a saw, I can’t think of another machine that’s as maintenance work as a chain saw.
How someone treats a tool says a lot about them as a person, especially if it's not their tool. Quickest way to learn to hate someone is to lend them something.
Half the stuff I loaned out came back either broken or didn't make it back. I don't do that anymore. I'm not selfish, I just don't want to pay for my stuff twice. Where my stuff goes I go.
If you live in hurricane zone: keep clean eth-free gas, spare carb parts, spare chains, sharpening tools (files/bits/gauges), and run extra oil thru your saw (40:1 maybe, 25:1 under real duress), and do not loan the saw - just say no. 044 is a saw i would never loan!
Bought a well used 044 and it was great. Then after a few the wire that drives the oil pump got out of place somehow, and wore a hole through the crankcase into the chain oil reservoir.....
how do you tell if it is 10mm or 12mm? I have one I got new late 80s early 90s as I recall. I think the serial number is 129xxx not sure why I know that off the top of my head? thank you for enlightening me. those 044 in real nice shape bring huge bucks. more than it was new..how much were the 044 in 1990? great vidjas rich Canadarago lake NY
Sad to see but all too common with two strokes. I think the occasional user is better off renting a saw sometimes considering the cost of repairs exceeding the value of most quality saws. Saws aren’t that hard to fix but parts are expensive.
Most people who always want to borrow tools and equipment don't know how to use them properly and have little respect for them. They usually don't want to pay for the damage they do on the stuff they borrow. Let them go to a rental place if they need tools and equipment and don't want to buy their own.
Only 1 person i loan saws to he's my best friend and has run saws for 40 years like i have! I know i will get my saw back in as good or better shape as when he got it! He has his own saws but sometimes you just never know and for whatever reasin he needs a saw! I've also borrowed his saw before back in the day so its gone both ways!
Richard, every time I hear of someone lending anything to a friend or relative I just cringe 😬. They end up breaking it, but don’t want the responsibility of paying to have it fixed. I just will not lend anything to anyone if I can help it….
Yeah, I loaned out my Stihl. Regretted it. Son-in-law managed to somehow mangle the throttle trigger assembly. Not sure how he managed that... I'm real hard on my saw, but never broke it!
I almost never loan out a saw, anything else gas powered, or other tools that require technical expertise, but I do keep an old garage sale saw on life support, just for that purpose....just in case they decide to trench in an electric line or something with it.
NEVER loan your truck, boat, saw, or wife. In that order. -If have an old Wild Thing that I've loaned out a few times. Came back worse for wear each time. One friend complained "That thing vibrates. Why didn't you loan me your Husqvarna"? Hah. He cut a load of wood with it. Isn't that bad.
10:30 - My God that chain is screaming for help. It's not just dull, that thing was leaned on so hard trying to get it to cut again that the cutters are like deformed and bent over. Really tough on a saw to try to run chain like that. It's hard to imagine that chain cutting at all. It was probably burning its way through the wood 😆
I'll help cut wood all day but NEVER will lend my Stihls out. I bought a $99 Black Max on clearance for just this reason, that's the one you can borrow.
I just ran the 1980's whatever homelite gas leaf blower - I fixed it up (carbon coked near solid 10" muffler tube) on the front lawn since me bro called and needed one. So I take 2 hours getting gas ready , good mix, non ethanol, and run it - all set. He brings it back the next day claiming it leaked all the fuel onto the garage floor and "was too weak". He also says "he found a leaf blower in the garage". Yeah buddy. How he fried it up I'll never know.
Here is my hack for a chainsaw I'll lend put. Old Husky 268 non xp. When lending it out, I remove the dogs and replace them with what I call slicks. No bite, smooth dogs. Can't use the dull chain override feature then. I supply the fuel mix. Bar oil also. When the chain is dull, operator will quit using the saw. Usually too lazy to push hard enough to make the chain actually cut.😂
Richard you ever work on a 045 Sthil. Just wondering. Dad bought one new in the late 70s. Came with points and he eventually put electronic ignition. I accidentally got rid of it.
So, why was the exhaust side of the piston scored? Overheated? I watched twice and didn’t hear why. I require 2 forms of ID and a credit card before I lend tools - and that’s for family. Loaned a tool once and I couldn’t get it back as they had loaned it to their neighbor. Never again.
My best guess is that it overheated due to a dull chain and high revs causing minor scoring. Then the continued running caused further scoring as the metal transfer created A LOT of friction. I'll cover this later this week on the rebuild video.
When people ask me for a loan of a saw . I tell them to go to a hire shop . I have every right to say no . To many things can go wrong, and most people out there know nothing about chain saws.
I’m currently at 7:20. The other day I was cutting with my ms660 all original with a 3’ bar. All of a sudden it went lean, lean bad enough to feel it mid cut. I shut it down immediately pulled the bar and put it back in the truck with a couple ideas what it could be. I finished out the day with my 440 with a 28” not as ideal but still. The next day I did a pressure vac test on the 660 I had a PTO seal out, I replaced a $5.00 seal, checked the piston cleaned the saw and is running like a Swiss watch. To your point shutting it down saved me $250-$300.
I have a simple policy with my tools. All of my tools. If you need to borrow something, I come along with it. Not up for that? You didn't need the tool.
Yes sir. "Never loan out your woman, never loan out your chainsaw". So deep, eloquent and meaningful. Maybe not in that order but yea, words to live by 👍
I learned don't loan out tools when i was a teenager, loaned a snapon wrench out, guy claimed he lost it. Kept hounding him to find it. Finally he brought me a Stanley whench 6 months later. Told him to f off, were not friends anymore. He acted insulted. Some people's children...
If you loan a saw, set it at 40:1 or 25:1 oil-rich, and then run the H screw rich too. Else, don't loan it out. Nope! You know enough not to do this, Richard. Or you do now.
Nice video. I have been rebuilding chain saws for about 40 years. One of the secrets to longevity is not never let your saw's fuel tank run out of fuel. Why? If you are running it at full throttle cutting a log and the fuel starts to run out, a lean condition will likely happen causing heat and the piston to score. Over time, the scores are deeper, more of them and the compression will start to drop. I have seen it countless times, especially in cold climates where often you would think that it should not happen.
I have my father's Stihl 044 arctic he sold to a friend 20 years ago. I bought it back for the same price of $250 and there are still original machining marks on the piston.
i have NEVER loaned my 044 to anyone , neither should anyone else !!!!!! I purchased mine new in 1985 and I have taken very good care of it and it has taken very good care of me !!!!!!
The worse about lending a tool , is having to ask it back after a few days when the borrower ask if he could borrow it for a few hours .
Every time I’ve loaned my chainsaw it is not taken care of and then they feel compelled to show the contempt they have for you.
What's more, is that when the return it "wrecked", they then just say "well it was old anyway". WTF, is everyone raised by parents that have no morals?
And DIRTY.
My father shared this saying when someone asked to borrow a tool. “I don’t lend tools but I can lend a hand.”
Wise words from a caring man.
Exactly. I say I don't loan out but I'll come operate it for you
Exactly.
I had a 041 farm boss. Cut about 3/4 way through the tree (large tree) tree twisted and pinched my saw in. My buddy started cutting it out and tree twisted more saw fell on ground and tree came straight down on it. Had to dig it out. Bar only thing salvaged. It's hard for me to loan things to people I know that can't afford to replace them if they destroy them.
All you have to do is stop hanging out with the poors 😂
Nice looking 044, moment I heard Rich utter the word "scored", so sad. Seeing the interior was heartbreaking, especially considering the care the owner had for the saw. Have a 038 Mag II I bought right after High School for a firewood business I ran. Still have that saw and it gets used from time to time, although I migrated to some lighter Husky saws. Love Stihl, grew up next to a guy named Sven Johnson, and for us chainsaw kids, it was like talking with a true celebrity especially since he gave us all Stihl posters of him cutting cookies. So true about loaning tools and equipment. Love the statement that I will bring what ever you want to borrow with me! Great video!
Ouch! Over half of the people who ask me to borrow a saw suddenly don't need it anymore when I offer to bring one with me🤷🏻♂️
Used to tell my neighbour oh the lawnmower needs fuel
Yup, agree 1000%!! Lent my new saw to a neighbor and he burned out the bar and chain. It's my own damn fault for being a nice guy. Lesson learned!!
We live and learn...
I've made a rule. Don't loan out tools especially saws of any kind. If you do, you might have to retrieve it from a friend of the guy you loaned it to.
As general rule for me, if anyone, absolutely anybody wants to borrow any tools or equipment of mine, there is a compulsory security deposit equivalent to the current RRP of the loaned equipment,. This deposit is only refundable if said equipment is returned undamaged in the same working condition before it was loaned, and returned within a respectable amount timeframe. If any tools or equipment is returned damaged or not returned at all, you lose your entire deposit.
As far as I am concerned these are fair, just and honest terms and conditions. Especially if the person I am loaning any tools or equipment happens to very comfortably live on a good six figure income and is either to cheap or simply to greedy and self entitled to purchase their own gear.
@@thedoctor2102 Do you have them sign a contract also? lol
@ not sure if you could call a handwritten piece of paper with a couple of T&Cs and a receipt could called a contract.
One time when I was deployed, I was talking to my wife on the phone. She said her Dad, who is super liberal, never owned a pickup or chainsaw in his life wanted to borrow my MS461. I just about lost my mind.
Well at least it was wanted to rather than had 😂
If only you could take it with😂
You never saw one crushed quite so bad? I only owned on Husky. I threw it under a skidder tire when the operator pulled on the landing. It was crushed pretty bad.
That’s definitely grounds for divorce!!
I can relate. A liberal anti-gun writer for a local newspaper worked with my wife.
He went through a spell of writing anti-2A pieces. During one of the ammo dry spells, he actually asked her if I would provide him with ammo for the range and his out-of-town family shoot with.
Needing a couple to a few "loaner" saws is a great excuse to add some saws to a chainsaw junkies collection! Pro tip haha
That why poulans are worth owning.
I went to my husqy dealer this morning (North of Chattanooga, TN) to check on a parts order and the system was not working. A group from our church has helped in the Spartanburg area and is going back this weekend. Unreal the size of trees that fell like dominos. Glad you are doing well!
Same here in Western NC, the amount of trees down is just unbelievable.....
Was it around spencer tennessee?
On a positive note, the oil cap on the Husky looked salvagable. Thats gotta be one of the worst I've seen.
I did harvest the chain tensioner for another customer 🤣😎
@@richardflagg3084cannibal
Every Stihl owner should have a Poulan for a loaner.
Just got my loaner saw back from friend who said his son said it wasnt running right..brought back n soon as i saw the chain n saw covered i dust i knew it was a goner..bar oil resevoir was bone dry..7 yrs ive ran piss outta that $100 china saw off amazon w no issue..til now..just finished machine work on $10 cylinder n made pop up on the domed piston n bout ready to slap it back together..
If you can’t sharpen a chain, you probably shouldn’t being using a saw. And will just run the chain dull and keep going. I’ll never loan mine out after watching this.
This is a great reminder to do a deep inspection of our older saws, and to replace all the rubber components BEFORE we destroy our favorite old equipment. Thanks for the posting Richard!
That reminds me of how my neighbour's excavator met it's fate, when he lent it to the wrong person, on a nearby farm.
30K worth of fine machinery became an expensive paperweight!
Ooooffff
@@richardflagg3084
After many heated words, a sound, much like that, was heard in the local watering hole, that very night.
How did you know? ;)
Great job on the video thanks again. Hard lesson learned. Great talking to you today and looking forward to meeting you.
I only lend tools that have a hassle free lifetime warranty, and if you have to borrow the same tool from me three times,then you need to buy yourself one....all other tools are "I will do the job for you and you pay me. My brother loaned his 290 pro to our brother in law....he ran it with straight gas after the first tank....
Unfortunately it happens more often than it should.
That can be caused by NOT allowing a proper warm up before placing saw under heavy load, cutting as soon as it starts.
Absolutely. Cold seizure is a very common failure amongst "chainsaw borrowers." My buddy asked me to look at his saw a few years ago. It had no compression, so I checked the piston and the ring was fused. I asked if he fired it up and went right to work, he said "No, I leant it to my neighbor." 😮
Yes sir ! When people ask to borrow my saw I ask if I can borrow their wife or girlfriend - the look is priceless I go it’s the same thing 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣
those are hard to start if you are not a Stihl guy. mine has crazy comp. and no decomp. I have one of the first years. I think they went from 1988-2006?? I got a ms400 a rear or so back. the 044 is like an early 90s 2-stroke motocross bike. the ms400 is like a 2015 KTM xcw200 2-stroke. a different kind of power. the 044 has way more low end. the idea of the ms400 was to not pile up the hours on my one owner sweetheart 044 only used to trim rose bushes on Sunday at the church! lol great vidjas Mr.
Thanks so much for the videos you make available. I have learned so much from your channel and "Coton Top" as well. Prayers for all of those impacted by hurricane Helene and for you and others who support all of those individuals working to help people in need.
I've got a neighbor here that borrowed a saw I had about 15 years ago, I made it clear that it wasn't in the same shape when it came back he bought it. He brought it back dead with a bent bar. He made payments for three months and owned that saw he screwed up. He's since bought and wrecked about 20 saws. He started out buying cheap saws, then moved on to Husky and now Stihl, at least now when they hit the trash pile they're worth grabbing and fixing.
He's run them lean, without oil, run a few over, pinched a few and dropped trees on a few. The last one got dropped in the swimming pool running. The one before that, a 261, was full of mud, it looked like it had sunk in mud. The crankcase and carb were both packed with mud and dirt. The chain was missing 8 teeth and the bar was burnt blue. He had it for four days before tossing it, mad because the saw shop told him its too far gone to fix. $750 in the trash on day 5.
Its now all apart on my bench waiting for parts.
He somehow melted the recoil assembly on a 361 a while back, it got so hot the plastic handle melted before it seized up. He told me he ran out of oil and only had a few more trees to cut, and didn't see where it would hurt anything to run a few tanks of straight gas. This coming from a guy who burned up a half dozen other saws the same way.
He just bought a fresh 261 the other day which means its time to start watching his trash can on trash day. I know where it'll end up. I'm thinking he's finally going to try and cut up the massive tree he dropped on his garden tractor a few months ago with the first 261. Its been sitting there with one rear wheel buried in the ground under a 40" wide tree trunk sort of pointed skyward.
And then they loaned their chainsaw to the neighbor!!!!! Thats the small engine mechanic scary campfire story.
Had a shop in KC for 36 years with my Dad and he used to tell people "LOAN THEM YOUR TOOTHBRUSH OR YOUR GIRLFRIEND - FINE! BUT NEVER ANYTHING WITH AN ENGINE ON IT !!! "
Had some fun with Milton here in central Florida.
I don't make a living with a chainsaw, but have always had at least one and the requests for help with trees. So have many worn out chains under my belt.
When done, drain and run'm dry, but either way the sitting is as hard on'm as the running
There are some excellent words of wisdom in this video, and I'm not talking about just the chainsaw tech either. Thank you sir!!!
"Hey look thats a flywheel" had me dying!
My dad and 1 good friend of mine who I know cares for his stuff as I do are the only 2 people I would loan a saw to. My dad taught me how to care for stuff so I know it will be cared for as if I were using it.
I have my grandfathers 044, cared for the same way as this one, it got to where it does not want to idle after about 10-15 minutes of running, I figure the impulse or the pump diaphragm is getting hard, I put a new line on it when I replaced the tank so that's the only other 2 options. As you said I have stopped using it until I have a chance to figure it out. I actually have bought a new saw as a result so I have something dependable and can have time to maintain/fix some of my older stuff.
Ol’ boy has built so many saws he didn’t even realize he loosened the cylinder bolts. He can re build saws in his sleep.
It's been a blur for the last 4 weeks.
Thanks for all your tips. I just got my first Sthil to deal with trees that fell in the disaster. My Ryobi was not running well.
I bought one in 2001 or 2002 ( Can't remember ) and here it is almost 2025 and had a farm with 240 acres to use it on and believe me , it got plenty of use . cause 110 acres was mature woods. I still have that saw and it is still original except for the many bars and chains I have used . Even the filters are original, air and fuel because I would clean the air filter after each use and filtered the fuel before it ever went into that saw . Well crap , I did change the plug !.Just 2 short pulls with switch off then switch to full choke and 1 or 2 pulls it fires ,then switch to run and 1 or 2 pulls and it is running even after sitting for awhile . Best saw IMO that Stihl ever made and it will probably out last me ! If you have one , never sell it or lend it to a friend if you can . I know I won't . Sorry your saw got ruined by your friend .
I loaned my 661 to a neighbour and it came back looking worse than that. He kept running it and did not sharpen the chain (I did tell him to sharpen the chain and gave him the tool to do it after each tank of fuel or when it started to not cut well). Saw was in great shape before he borrowed it. I wound up throwing it away because the repair shop said the cost for a new piston, cylinder kit and the cost to replace the crank was half the cost of a new one. The saw was 8 years old. MORAL of the story. NEVER lend tools to a neighbour.
I let my dad use my 036 that just got rebuilt while I was there. Turned around and saw a bunch of cut marks in the dirt where he had bucked a log.
He thought it doubled as a trencher...
@@richardflagg3084i had a customer bring a saw that got used as a trencher once... amd their pole saw... and another saw. When one motor died the worker grabbed another.
@@Super-Dave-Outdoors Oooofff
Saw was ruined with those junk dawgs and that useless barkbox,sad to see such abuse.
100% on don't loan out any equipment to some doesn't know the difference between when its running good or bad.
We had a pole pruner that was being used to prune trees in our Hazelnut orchard by contract worker. I noticed that they had thrown a chain when I drove by. On the way out I noticed that the thrown a chain again. I stopped to see what was going on. The new chain that was installed in morning looked like it was 10 years old. The bar was not oiling, and the sprocket was worn-out. The person running the saw did not cause the problem, but they didn't understand that when you throw a chain multiple times and the chain is dry stop running it!
I remember as a child my mother and father complaining about the weedeater not running right or the mower or some engine not running right, As an adult and a gearhead, I pride myself on keeping all engines around my house, running smoothly, And find carbureted engines much easier to work on than fuel injected, as diagnosing problems is magnitudes Easier with carbs.
My wife used to get grumpy with me because I don’t loan out chainsaws. Then she went with me to get a new chain. She said let em get their own saws. Saws are expensive to buy and not cheap to maintain.
Yup, I live in a remote Alaskan village, I have tools to repair my truck and snogo, don't lend them out ever.
nice video, I had a friend who would consistently blow up saws, when he would ask to use mine I would flat up tell him no.
Condition of saws in the 1st 30 seconds.
Logging for 27 years.
The golden rule was never leave your saw on the ground.
Plunge your bar into a standing tree, no more than an inch inside of the bark about shoulder height .
Otherwise, it will get ran over.
Years ago my neighbor called me at work saying his saw stopped and asked to borrow mine to cut a tree down. I allowed him. I didn’t hear back from him for like 6 hours.
I get home, there is a tree leaning on his house and go in my shed and the chain is off of the saw and the bar is bent. Then he told me he got the saw stuck in the tree as it fell. Lesson learned and I got the longer bar as a replacement.
While I don’t lend tools out normally, I lent a friend a torpedo heater once, I mean how the hell can you screw a bloody heater up? Well let me tell you when I got that heater back after a couple days it looked like it spent years on the Russian front. It was completely clogged up with some sort of foam, crushed, had multiple holes in the fuel tank, I’m talking complete destruction. The best part is when I asked what the hell happened to it, he was like what are you talking about! The thing I can’t wrap my head around is how someone can completely destroy something and then just return it like nothing happened. Personally if I borrowed something and even scratched the paint I’d be offering to buy the person a new one. On the other hand I’ve borrowed stuff from friends and ended up having to fix the damn thing before I could even use it. I don’t lend stuff out, and I don’t borrow other peoples stuff. Both situations end up costing me time and money!
Add another item to your "DO NOT LOAN" list: log splitters! I loaned mine to my son-in-law's brother! It came back needing a new motor! NEVER AGAIN! Lee
If you’ve never run a chain saw regularly you can’t appreciate the maintenance that’s involved in a saw, I can’t think of another machine that’s as maintenance work as a chain saw.
How someone treats a tool says a lot about them as a person, especially if it's not their tool. Quickest way to learn to hate someone is to lend them something.
This is why I don’t loan out anything.
Everything loaned is broken or dead. Never loan!
Half the stuff I loaned out came back either broken or didn't make it back. I don't do that anymore. I'm not selfish, I just don't want to pay for my stuff twice. Where my stuff goes I go.
If you live in hurricane zone: keep clean eth-free gas, spare carb parts, spare chains, sharpening tools (files/bits/gauges), and run extra oil thru your saw (40:1 maybe, 25:1 under real duress), and do not loan the saw - just say no. 044 is a saw i would never loan!
Man that sucks,
No way i would loan my 044 to ANYONE,
I do have a Rancher I’d loan out though 😂
Bought a well used 044 and it was great.
Then after a few the wire that drives the oil pump got out of place somehow, and wore a hole through the crankcase into the chain oil reservoir.....
Damn...
Stihl started using those red limiter caps in 1998/1999. Had a 99 029 super that had them installed from the factory.
Talked with him after I posted the video and he said he actually bought it in 1997. He had the carburetor replaced in the last ten years.
044 is a classic saw. I heard a comment a long time ago, never loan your gun, or your chainsaw.
how do you tell if it is 10mm or 12mm? I have one I got new late 80s early 90s as I recall. I think the serial number is 129xxx not sure why I know that off the top of my head? thank you for enlightening me. those 044 in real nice shape bring huge bucks. more than it was new..how much were the 044 in 1990? great vidjas rich Canadarago lake NY
“Broken” is one word🤣
I have a O44 . How do you tell the difference between a 10 and 12 mm saw. Always been curious! !
The flywheel side case half is slightly different above the top left corner of the starter housing.
Sad to see but all too common with two strokes. I think the occasional user is better off renting a saw sometimes considering the cost of repairs exceeding the value of most quality saws. Saws aren’t that hard to fix but parts are expensive.
For some reason my mates never get to borrow my saws.
I always tell them, "My mechanic wants to have a look at it."
Most people who always want to borrow tools and equipment don't know how to use them properly and have little respect for them. They usually don't want to pay for the damage they do on the stuff they borrow. Let them go to a rental place if they need tools and equipment and don't want to buy their own.
I swear, everyone I’ve ever loaned my 16’ trailer to comes back bragging about how much they overloaded it.🙄
So what causes scoring on the exhaust and not the intake?
Only 1 person i loan saws to he's my best friend and has run saws for 40 years like i have! I know i will get my saw back in as good or better shape as when he got it! He has his own saws but sometimes you just never know and for whatever reasin he needs a saw! I've also borrowed his saw before back in the day so its gone both ways!
Richard, every time I hear of someone lending anything to a friend or relative I just cringe 😬. They end up breaking it, but don’t want the responsibility of paying to have it fixed. I just will not lend anything to anyone if I can help it….
Yeah, I loaned out my Stihl. Regretted it. Son-in-law managed to somehow mangle the throttle trigger assembly. Not sure how he managed that... I'm real hard on my saw, but never broke it!
I almost never loan out a saw, anything else gas powered, or other tools that require technical expertise, but I do keep an old garage sale saw on life support, just for that purpose....just in case they decide to trench in an electric line or something with it.
My neighbor ran regular gas not mix in my saw, it came back broke. Don't lend your equipment, I learned the hard way
NEVER loan your truck, boat, saw, or wife.
In that order.
-If have an old Wild Thing that I've loaned out a few times. Came back worse for wear each time. One friend complained "That thing vibrates. Why didn't you loan me your Husqvarna"?
Hah. He cut a load of wood with it. Isn't that bad.
10:30 - My God that chain is screaming for help. It's not just dull, that thing was leaned on so hard trying to get it to cut again that the cutters are like deformed and bent over. Really tough on a saw to try to run chain like that. It's hard to imagine that chain cutting at all. It was probably burning its way through the wood 😆
mine has a Zamma carb. if my memory is correct. the 026s have 194 walbro
Never loan out your saw or your wife. But then she will tell them they're doing it wrong. Poor saw can't help
Oooooffffff
I'll help cut wood all day but NEVER will lend my Stihls out. I bought a $99 Black Max on clearance for just this reason, that's the one you can borrow.
I just ran the 1980's whatever homelite gas leaf blower - I fixed it up (carbon coked near solid 10" muffler tube) on the front lawn since me bro called and needed one. So I take 2 hours getting gas ready , good mix, non ethanol, and run it - all set.
He brings it back the next day claiming it leaked all the fuel onto the garage floor and "was too weak". He also says "he found a leaf blower in the garage".
Yeah buddy. How he fried it up I'll never know.
Damn.....
Here is my hack for a chainsaw I'll lend put. Old Husky 268 non xp.
When lending it out, I remove the dogs and replace them with what I call slicks. No bite, smooth dogs.
Can't use the dull chain override feature then. I supply the fuel mix. Bar oil also. When the chain is dull, operator will quit using the saw. Usually too lazy to push hard enough to make the chain actually cut.😂
Nice!
So what causes exhaust side scoring?
Richard you ever work on a 045 Sthil. Just wondering. Dad bought one new in the late 70s. Came with points and he eventually put electronic ignition. I accidentally got rid of it.
I make it a rule not to work on saws that old. It’s like opening a can of worms.
True dat flagg@@richardflagg3084
Great video, Richard! I am subscribed and waiting for your next release! 😊
Thank you! Love your channel too!
Klotz royal purple lucas and penrite oils are the best for power saws or eachos redarmor
Well the good news is the neighbour is buying me a new saw….
So, why was the exhaust side of the piston scored? Overheated? I watched twice and didn’t hear why.
I require 2 forms of ID and a credit card before I lend tools - and that’s for family. Loaned a tool once and I couldn’t get it back as they had loaned it to their neighbor. Never again.
My best guess is that it overheated due to a dull chain and high revs causing minor scoring. Then the continued running caused further scoring as the metal transfer created A LOT of friction. I'll cover this later this week on the rebuild video.
lol your CRS is acting up. Mine too.
Loaned my weed eater to my brother in law and he put straight gas instead of mixed. Last time I loaned him another tool.
When people ask me for a loan of a saw . I tell them to go to a hire shop . I have every right to say no . To many things can go wrong, and most people out there know nothing about chain saws.
Well said !!!
So many blown up saws from the storm. How many are still stuck in trees?! You can always order parts/chain from Madsens, but I'm sure you know that.
That is what happens when you give people a broken tool. It's easy to blame them.
Never loan out anything all you’re gonna get back when it’s broke is “sorry“. I’d like to see people get mad when I tell them no.
I’m currently at 7:20.
The other day I was cutting with my ms660 all original with a 3’ bar. All of a sudden it went lean, lean bad enough to feel it mid cut. I shut it down immediately pulled the bar and put it back in the truck with a couple ideas what it could be. I finished out the day with my 440 with a 28” not as ideal but still.
The next day I did a pressure vac test on the 660 I had a PTO seal out, I replaced a $5.00 seal, checked the piston cleaned the saw and is running like a Swiss watch. To your point shutting it down saved me $250-$300.
Well done!!
Would you have a extra top end for 044 of new old stock
I have a simple policy with my tools. All of my tools. If you need to borrow something, I come along with it. Not up for that? You didn't need the tool.
Way to go Tommy!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ouch. Keep plugging Rich. 🙏👍🇺🇸
I’m sorry. I’m still not clear as to what the neighbor did wrong?
You can cut anything with a borrowed chain saw.
Richard , How do I get in contact with you for poet work??
Yes sir. "Never loan out your woman, never loan out your chainsaw". So deep, eloquent and meaningful. Maybe not in that order but yea, words to live by 👍
Never lend out power tools ! Or go with it and do it for them.
I learned don't loan out tools when i was a teenager, loaned a snapon wrench out, guy claimed he lost it. Kept hounding him to find it. Finally he brought me a Stanley whench 6 months later. Told him to f off, were not friends anymore. He acted insulted. Some people's children...
If you loan a saw, set it at 40:1 or 25:1 oil-rich, and then run the H screw rich too. Else, don't loan it out. Nope! You know enough not to do this, Richard. Or you do now.
Customers saw, not mine.
Rich I have an 066 that’s 30 years old from my father. Would you be interested in porting it and rebuilding it? Really wanna run the saw he ran.