550 XP on the spot buy..

[Guest Gimlet]

Well it's packed up already. Cutting up some wind blown limbs today. Hadn't exactly been working it hard. Set it down for a moment (still running, brake on) to clear some brash, picked it up again, let the brake off and it wouldn't spin up. Chain drive was seized up somewhere.

Stopped it and unscrew the chain drive cover and I couldn't get it off, like the brake wouldn't let go. Got the cover free in the end and I can't see what's wrong, but the cover won't go back on, it won't turn with the chain connected and the sprocket in the bar end was seized. I think the chain oiler wasn't working. The bar was very dry (chain oil tank was full).

 

Barely six weeks old so I won't be fiddling with it myself. Into a Husky dealer on warranty.

 

Went back home and got out my old 365. Even though it's a touch down on compression, it's ten times the saw that 550 is. Wish I hadn't bought it.

 

Edited January 29, 2022 by Gimlet

[AHPP]

Husky chainbrakes I think are proof of the existence of god and that he’s a prick. How else could the joint top chainsaw maker in the world still be making such rubbish after all these years. I can count on no fingers how many times I’ve been on YouTube on my phone on my knees in a garden, relearning how to put the side cover on a Stihl with an internal clutch and brake.

 

[GWYNFIL]

5 hours ago, Gimlet said:

Well it's packed up already. Cutting up some wind blown limbs today. Hadn't exactly been working it hard. Set it down for a moment (still running, brake on) to clear some brash, picked it up again, let the brake off and it wouldn't spin up. Chain drive was seized up somewhere.

Stopped it and unscrew the chain drive cover and I couldn't get it off, like the brake wouldn't let go. Got the cover free in the end and I can't see what's wrong, but the cover won't go back on, it won't turn with the chain connected and the sprocket in the bar end was seized. I think the chain oiler wasn't working. The bar was very dry (chain oil tank was full).

 

Barely six weeks old so I won't be fiddling with it myself. Into a Husky dealer on warranty.

 

Went back home and got out my old 365. Even though it's a touch down on compression, it's ten times the saw that 550 is. Wish I hadn't bought it.

 

oh s*it i bought one last month! Second hand.

[Mick Dempsey]

Sounds to me like the oil hole blocked or something similar.

 

Edited January 30, 2022 by Mick Dempsey

[Peasgood]

There is a certain knack to getting the cover off a 550. I have the saw, I don't have the knack.

[IronMike]

2 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Sounds to me like the oil hole blocked or something similar.

 

My 550 has recently started doing exactly this. I was running a Sugi 18 inch bar but swapped it to a Tsumura one and it seems to have sorted it for now. To be fair, mines been hammered in forestry for 18 months, it's doing well otherwise.

[spudulike]

Most common issue is trying to remove the cover with the brake engaged and if you can get it off.....it won't go back on again until you have disengaged the brake. The rest of the issue sounds like a blocked chain oiler hole......seen that before and on pro kit and pro outfits.

Stihl aren't the saints out there as I have written off many MS261s in pristine condition but with worn cranks from Stihls attempt at cheapening the crank assembly!!!! I reckon they made ££££ on replacement clutch drums and bearings...not good!!

[adw]

Miss use of the chain brake is the most common reason for brake bands breaking, continual knocking it on with the saw at high revs, I appreciate instructors tell you to engage the brake when moving, but not walloping it before the machine has returned to idle, removing the brake cover before disengaging the brake is very common, this will be why they cannot refit the cover as the band is now smaller than the drum, there is a tool to re engage it on 300 series saws, but on the 550/560 machines you have to part engage the cover and use the hand guard to engage it, or you could always remove the clutch and drum so as the cover will then readily fit back onto as to use the hand guard to engage it, the mark 11 550/560 machines now have a new style pump, sprocket and pump drive,this to improve sealing and function, so be careful ordering sprockets and pump gears as they are not compatible with the old set up, I have already seen the wrong sprocket fitted against a new style pump gear which jammed everything and destroyed the components.

[Guest Gimlet]

The brake was definitely off when I attempted to remove the cover. I investigated in the first place because it wouldn't spin up with the brake off. 

 

After reading this I think I'll investigate myself before taking it to a dealer. It should be purely warranty work but I'm sure they'll find something to charge me for..

Edited January 30, 2022 by Gimlet

[adw]

Check the pump drive gear has not melted to the pump body, it can happen it the clutch spins off on the over run, and spins back on trapping the gear as no longer correctly aligned, this will force the gear into the pump and friction weld to it.