TurtleWoods72

From my extensive research online, reports vary. Negatives seemed to be; gumming up oil pumps, bars and chains becoming mouldy and rancid, bars and chains wearing out faster, smelling like a chip shop. Positives seemed to be; cheap and readily available, environmentally friendly and better for your health when breathing in the mist, and one guy said his dog would lick the saws clean in the back of the truck on the way home, saving him cleaning time. I hope the scabbards were on! I'll let you try it and report back. I don't think its too far off what the Bio Oils are, except they contain additives and secret potions to make it more..... ...expensive.

Don't bother, doesn't work. First thing I tried when my Stihl wasn't oiling properly..

Got any Vera's? Seems you did, you pulled in all the 'undesirables' of Arbtalk in one fell swoop!

Damn you..BEAT me to it

I came to the wrong thread, I was going to advise Cod Liver Oil and Glucasamine supplements.

Desert_Extrusion Quality Trimmer Line for Professionals and Homeowners Desert Extrusion Vortex. I swear by the stuff. Even makes a cool whizzing sound when you crank up the revs. Have given sample quantities out to my mates who've come back begging to buy more. I just gave them another 5 metres or so and told them to buy it off ebay like I did. Top tip. Buy the large spools, it works out cheaper. Topper tip. Soak enough to fill your trimmer head in a u let of water for a week or so before use. This makes it less brittle and it won't break as often. Although this line is tough as old boots. Last tip. Junk the standard bump feed head and get a Portek Grass Gator or similar. Cut lengths of the line, whack em in the bucket to soak and then grab a handful and head into the weeds. Love my setups since I made these simple changes.

Knob*

Nor have I! Been up every night stripping that bloody Stihl down!

I needed that Stihl man, I was struggling! And I'll need the 9010 when I start struggling some more.

Come on, I want to know about this badger fur.......

Err, the original discussion over this saw was in March 2014. Might not still be a 'live enquiry' so to speak.

So...it's complete Apart from the engine? Sorry. Couldn't resist! Ebay? gumtree?

Sorry Joe, I missed this earlier as I was replying when you posted. Thanks for your help. I don't mind the piss taking. In fact it was an inspiration to rise above and conquer lol I'll still meet you for a coffee when I'm over rugby way. That's if you can be seen in public with a Stihl user?.? I wouldn't say I feel a right twonk per se, as hindsight is a wonderful thing The gnawing irony is that if I hadn't been such a tight arse and tried to use up that annoying half bottle of old Makita bar oil, and walked to the other end of the garage where the Oregon stuff was sitting unopened I'd have had a different journey. Do I facepalm slightly, yes. Do I regret the way it turned out? Hell no!! I had a good lesson in the mechanics and principles of chainsaw design, lubrication etc. I've seen the clutch, the oiler, the chainbrake mechanism..it was all thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating. I'm considering tearing down all my other saws just for fun! I thank you all for all your help, and the last post and explaination of the Makita/Husqvarna vs Stihl oiling/bar designs and oil weights was the icing on the cake! Thanks. Oh, and didnt I mention the use of Makita oil in one of my first posts? Thanks, you all rule

I'm all for starting off humble and blagging it a bit. I know I did with several ventures in the past. I almost cringe looking back at how little I invested to 'go pro'. However it was all I had, every last penny. My Escort van was £400 and would have cost twice that to get through its next MOT. We still don't know whether the OP is using this to knock a few daisies over in the back garden, start a small gardening round, or replace his fleet of SRM-520's, so further pontification is futile.

Disclaimer: Other quality small vans are available I used to own one which was I it sprang to mind. Nowt wrong with the old Berlingo!

"It rips" ... Compared to what? My FS90? My Kaaz Danarm Kawasaki VF500? My Kawasaki KBL23A's? Or the Ryobi thing he got from Screwfix last summer? I'm not decrying the OP for his purchase, which is why I asked what he was intending to do with it. Why you're jumping to his defence while admitting you wouldn't use one because your Echos would last 10x as long (making them a better buy unless they're over £900 each) and the vibes would make them uncomfortable to use for prolonged periods is beyond me. You've made a perfect case for not buying them for pro use yourself, before giving the OP a chance to qualify what it was bought for. Relax man! I'm not attacking the guy for buying it, I asked a question.

Good point! I still haven't had a reply from HuskyDusky as to who was selling the 365 for £450 and whether that included VAT, so I've no idea what he's using it for either. If it's just firewood he can have my low hours DCS4301 for less than either if he's within 50 miles of me, and delivered free too! Maybe he'll be back soon to shed more light on the situation...

Lol, love it!

Haha, thanks eggs mate. I think this experience has been more fun than frustrating really. I'm a pretty patient chap, and being an engineer of sorts I'm always interested to learn how things work. I'm glad I had a valid reason to investigate this problem, find a solution and get to tear down my saw (very carefully) in the process. I actually said to my girlfriend tonight "I've spent more time dismantling, cleaning, re-assembling and farting about with this saw than using it!" Her reply was "it's been nothing but trouble from day one" I'm just hoping she doesn't clock that there's no longer a reason for it to be in the dining table, since the 'investigation is closed' lol.

Congratulations! Want to give away your old one?

Depends who you're working for. If and old chap's bought the Lidl trimmer and just thought after a few months "sod it I'll get a pro in with some heavy duty kit"... Then matey rocks up in a Berlingo with his home user Lidl strimmer and starts hacking away at the grass, I'd imagine some doubts would spring into the customers mind. The main argument for charging more than customers think they should pay has always been "to buy the kit I'm using today would set you back £xxxx's. Are you going to spend that for a one off / twice a month / etc job?" Same reason the guys pressure washing new build houses/driveways aren't asking if they can plug their Aldi pressure washer into the customers socket in a long extension. Do it right or don't do it at all.

Update: After a busy day at work and getting home late, bursting to try it out, I ventured out into the back with the saw, filled with Oregon oil and a splash of diesel to clear out the goopy Makita crap. Took a panel of cardboard out and laid it down, revved the saw up and started oil painting like Picasso After laying a dozen or so good oil stripes I whipped it through a bit of old wood I had lying around (little branches, nothing too hard ) and it cut with venom. Then killed the engine and inspected it. Chain looking dark and shiny, rather than brown, blue, burnt and dry? check Chain, bar, bar nuts and side case all cool to the touch? check Happy Turtlewoods? :thumbup: checkamungous !!

As does my MS391 now, thank goodness Maybe by Xmas. Not this week.. The pennies are all spended Porky.

Are you using this at home or for a business? If at home, great. If you rock up at a customers site with a ninety quid Lidl strimmer and try to charge him £300 per day, you might raise a few 'credibility' eyebrows. Just saying like.

Buy the Dolmar before I do