Eddy_t

Pretty much, it's something to do with a fault at Stihl's manufacturing depot when drilling/centring the clutch drums for the mid-range saws, that and the crappy plastic cages. It's easily remedied with Oregon metal bearings and clutch drums.

Looks normal to me, rowan is a fairly short lived tree that grows large quickly. There's a half dead limb in the picture, but no canker. Regrowth from the base is normal, simply, you have 3 choices: do nothing as the main part will die and be replaced by the epicormic, reduce to start the retrenchment process (which will extend the life of the crown, but eventually it'll die back to the epicormic), or finally, fell it as its dying back, leave the epicormic as it'll regrow as coppice.

Modern Stihl saws don't light people's fires, the 50-70cc range lacks that go that the Huskies have.

Husky 365 from f r Jones comes out below £550, and it's only a mod away from a 372xp

All saws are expected to last 2 years, that's the warranty. The 560 is only half way through its 3rd year of manufacture. Anything lasts longer if it's well maintained. If you're 560 shed its ring pin, that definitely is a manufacturing fault, aggravated by the fact that modern saws are so restricted.

Actually, would you do me a favour, could you remove the top cover and metal cylinder shroud, take a photo of the cylinder and post it up? I was watching the eBay listing myself, the saw has had a few new parts, such as cover, clutch cover, front and rear handles, muffler and dogs.

It has an automatic, adjustable oil pump (which is a bugger to adjust, 10mm spanner) and a manual pump for more oil, if running 4ft+ bars. Choke is operated by pulling the lever forward until the wire catches it, to release the choke, push it forward. There is no half choke! There is no chainbrake! There never was for the 1106 series of saws. But the chain doesn't move fast enough for violent kick-back, if correctly limited, it produces a meagre 16m/s of chain speed! If the spring on the wind-vane is worn, you'll find it does a fair bit less.

Tree surgeons and timber millers are usually the most superstitious!

Is that the wrist pin or the circlip? Or the ring pin?

Somebody summoned me?! It's a contra s, precursor to the 090, so it's 137cc. Check to make sure it has the proper 3 shoe clutch, and hasn't been fitted with the 1109 six-shoe

I dunno, both my personal and work saws are 560's, we use and abuse them daily, with some of my colleagues using their 560's to dig trenches for cable laying, most don't even get cleaned. As for your dealers call on warranty, I think it's more than just a snagged ring, especially if it locked solid.

I've had the muffler fall off mine and finished cutting before stopping it, without seizing it, what are you doing wrong josh?!

They all blunt at the same rate, the difference is that chisel chain has a single point of cutting edge, whereas other chains have multiple or larger cutting edges. The increased cutting surfaces of semi, chamfer and micro-chisel increases stress on the power unit of the saw. Narrow kerf bars help decrease the drag to compensate for the sapping of the power running these types of chain. Sharpening takes practice, and a bit of experimentation to find what works best for your cutting style. On another note, Oregon chains are made of a harder steel than Stihl chain, but Stihl uses more chrome plating, which protects a bit more from damage when cutting dirty wood or if you're prone to decking the bar. Niko (sawtroll) is also right in that the Oregon cutters are slightly longer. This is an intentional design for the US chainsaw racers who file the backs off (clipped heels), similar to Stihl comfort chain. This is better for bore cutting, where the heels of the cutters contact the back of the timber more than the cutting edge, slowing cut speed and increasing vibration.

It was sunny!

Maritime or lodgepole pine, not scots. One of them looks a bit ropey. Yes, you can plant a beech hedge, it will grow fine.

Manual (and sticker) says to use the sissy button (don't). The 550/560 like to have the crap revved out of it to set the autotune. Don't blip the throttle to warm the saw, as the rpm's are dropping when you open the throttle, and rising when you let go, leading to an over-rich low mixture, and a lean high mix. A hot saw should start on idle, so just pull the starter.

The autotune/m-tronic saws are brilliant, and tune the saws to the given parameters, but unless the correct oil is used at the correct specifications, it's still likely to break. Your dolmars will end up the same way, they already are using the new type of strato ports, it's only a matter of time until husky gives them the m-tronic/first gen autotune.

On mature oaks, it's better to leave a stub to give the tree chance to compartmentalise the larger wound.

You can get clip-on bar covers for the 192/193/200/201, a bit of para cord attached to the loop on the cover and a carabiner to stop it falling to the floor when not in use, or clip the saw higher on your harness.

How fast and aggressive do you want, full chisel chain is the most aggressive you can get stock, but a bit of filing here and there will make it faster and more aggressive, especially if you follow the Oregon racing specs. Picco super for your 200t, and Oregon LPX for a ground saw.

Drinking water also makes you pee more... So water dehydrates you!

Pfft I'd be lucky, our trousers are class 2's as well!

Yesterday all our machines had to have full throttle starts, chipper overheated 5 times, in the end the saws wouldn't restart, and no shade to put them in!

Any Husqvarna dealer