pleasant

Yes, they were/are both farmer grade saws, but when the 038 range was made, they were based and designed on a more basic pro saw chassis and engine, rather than the newer/current 280/370/371/390/391 etc range which, as I say is based on a beefed up domestic design, so the quality of the old 038 is far and away better than the current farmer range- even though they are considered for the same usage.

Rest assured the MS391 is nothing like the 038 range. The MS391 is a landowner or farmer range chainsaw, designed for more intensive use than a domestic users saw but not for arborists and full time chainsaw professional users. The design is basically a beefed up domestic range chassis with the cheap to make clamshell engines fitted. Power to weight ratio is not good either. They are fine if you need a saw for use as part of your work, but not if you work is solely chainsaw based, so someone like a gardener who has multiple tools for multiple tasks during a working week.

The briggs and stratton quantum single cylinder vertical crank series engines have been the most reliable engines i have come across in nearly 30 years of repairing....far more reliable and forgiving of a lack of maintenance than say the honda gcv engines.

.404" chain IS 0.63" already. What do you mean?

Yup, I had that forearm affliction yesterday after the first cut of my own (very damp) grass!

😁How much you paying for this valuable data content?👍

ompression and leakdown tests then

Or a porn star 😁

.....just dont blame the mower for not filling the grassbag right up and clogging and throwing uncollected grass out the side of the deck when you cut in anything other than dry grass and weather. If cut grass sticks to your boots when you walk on the lawn then it will stick to the surfaces of the mower when cutting. The votrex effect of a blade to lift the grass prior to cutting it also compromised due to grass being wet and heavy. Had many people complain about their machines not being efficient collectors, then when you actually get to the root of the problem they've either used it whilst raining or after several days of rain and the grass is still wet through.in effect all the mower has become is a petrol driven kenwood juicer.

Having been a dealer for efco and latterly oleo mac products for nearly 30 years, i can assure you the GSH range of saws from oleo-mac (which is what we are discussing) are chinese sourced with italian design input. The GSH range are specifically a budget home owner product for those who occasionally need a larger than normal saw. Both oleo-mac and Efco are the same company, selling identical machines under the different brand names in different parts of the world. Oleo-mac products were sold into the uk market In the 80s and 90s, then they re-branded the products (and colour) as efco for the uk and usa. Since covid lockdown the parent company decided to streamline the company and saw no sense in selling the same products under different names across the world. The decision was taken to drop the efco name and everything was re-named oleo-mac in those previous efco branded countries. This coincided with the introduction of the budget GSH range of products, which were introduced as a cheaper option to their solely italian made products, As for the efco mt3700, these are a completely different and earlier product range and are italian......ive been to the production facility in piano italy to see them being made. Again these are a budget home owner range made to compete with the stihl ms171 181 product, so it should come as no surprise that if you purchase one of these as a professional user you 'wouldn't want to run it as a pro all day' because thats noit what its for.

Yup...could be. Maybe just a gummed up needle bearing even?

There is a special tool to remove those limiters, but like has been said there are ways around this. Does the idle speed fluctuate...can you set up up fine, then after revving up does it need re setting again? Does it run fine otherwise? Erratic idle can indicate an air leak which if not cured will lean out your fuel oil mix and result in engine damage if not nipped in the bud early enough

Cost..and they are not based on copies of older designs either. It's cost money to ensure saws pass industry AV standards for pro use, not just in the UK, but also the world market. Not just the cost of development, design and parts but also the cost to have them additionally tested plus the cost of the tests. If you produce a saw for the domestic market, then it's not an issue if they don't meet AV specs for pro use. A domestic user isn't going to be using a saw for 8 hours a day either

I sell these, and for a pro user to say they are good given the work he's put it through, which is far and away more than its designed for, is good to hear. My most popular saw is the slightly smaller GSH510 with the 18" bar. A lot of saw for not a lot of money. They are only a domestic use saw with little pro user warranty, and are ideal for a home owner who has had a large tree felled that needs cutting into logs, or has had a delivery of larger than normal diameter logs. Chinese, but with a lot of italian input. I think they are good.

I beleive the same steel is used in the manufacture of chinese screw heads.

No one wants to receive a fine if they weren't driving so it should be self policing if you just have a simple drivers log book. If one of my colleagues tried to drive off in the van i had just been driving, with me still signed in as the last driver,. Then I would be bloody quick to make sure I had signed it over to him.

Honesty?

Ok

I used to go to school with Flex Hone....nice lad. Was best mates with Matt Paint, Mark Down, and some girl called Ophelia Balls.

That's a gouge....not a score in my book.

Hmmmm.... I wouldn't order a piston just yet. If you need a barrel as well, you won't buy one of those without a piston included, so if you buy a piston now, you could end up with two pistons and waste your money not using one of them. And here's the manual: https://www.hlsproparts.com/v/vspfiles/downloadables/WM_40-44-340-344-444-1987_1018808-96.pdf

Crankcase air leak due to aged crank seals? If the piston and barrel are scored dont just change them before checking those seals.

Ideally 100psi minimum to at least have a chance of at least firing....a bit. A good, used saw ideal psi would be 125psi to 150psi. New or hardly used psi 160-175psi 90psi is too low to be healthy.....whip of the exhaust and have a look at the condition of the piston. Suggests wear / scoring to me. Incidentally, I have one in my collection. They are a good reliable saw and quite collectable. Working and nice they go for £150-£200 even as old as they are.

Not necessarily, although aside from consumable items, most parts new are obsolete from Stihl now. The duromatic bar and chain together are worth £25 alone. Chain cover...another £15, top cover, £20...there's £60 quid without thinking about it too much....even if those parts were still available new (I know the bar and chain are) they would cost a lot more than that so would still sell even if available new.