BishBashBosh

Pioneer 620? Something of a classic, have fun getting it going. Couple of links which might be of interest, or not if it's not a 620:blushing: -Repair thread with photos -YouTube [ame] [/ame]

Love it. Having denailed a half dozen pallets to make a 3 metre footbridge I salute your patience. It's never too late! The hinges don't do credit to the rest of your creation imo, but you were on a budget and probably got the ironmongery for not much over a tenner. Some nice brushed nickel would look a bit more modern and less contrasty perhaps? How are you waterproofing it? If you've used regular white PVA it won't take well to any water penetration. Epoxy is expensive but works well for laminating, you can even lay it up on the surface to make a very durable and waterproof surface. Looks great, keep the pics coming.

Did some Googling and found a chainsaw collectors forum with some nice info and photos of various Solo 635's. Here's a couple of links: -Solo 635, 636 (60135) - Chainsaw Collectors.se"]Link 1 -big solo question - Chainsaw Collectors.se"]Link 2 [i'm having a bit of trouble with embedded links, if the above don't work try Googling this> Solo 635, 636 (60135) - Chainsaw Collectors.se Solo 635, 636 (60135) - Chainsaw Collectors.se[/url] 635, 636 (60135) - Chainsaw Collectors.se 635, 636 (60135) - Chainsaw Collectors.se]. And lastly an old Solo ad with some specs. HTH

Nice german made Solo. At first glance it looks like a 635, which was about 90cc, relatively slow revving by modern standards, 5-6HP range. The "chain brake" is interesting! I might be way off, but I used one (635) 25 years ago in Zimbabwe and it looks familiar, it was "oldish" then (early 90s) so probably of 1970's vintage. I've a vague recollection that the orange/white version was a Super 635 and had it's own model number (642?). There would have been an ally serial & model number plate riveted just below the fuel cap, might still be there hiding under the accumulated sludge? Hopefully a collector will be able to correct my errors/give you some informed opinion!

They sound very different to a traditional 2 stroke, so assessing performance by ear can be misleading. It might be bouncing off the rev limiter or as you suspect over fueling and not accelerating. Put a tacho on it and you'll KNOW what it's revving to (Manual states 10 500rpm) and what the appropriate course of action is. HTH

I've never found any difference amongst Oregon chains where only the last letter is different. The first 2 numbers and 2/3 letters give you all the info about size and cutter type. 90PX is 90PX. From various type-91 chains I've had over the years I noted that manufacturer made loops and those made up by the retailer had a different last letter and packaging, otherwise the chains were identical.

I've got the Echo ES250ES. When first delivered it was way out of tune, the retailer clearly hadn't actually PDI'd or tested it, so wouldn't rev beyond about 5500rpm (book figure 7300rpm) and would bog on acceleration, returned it and the retuned blower is much improved. The little mulching blades within the impeller fan were also beyond blunt (you want a lawnmower blade style edge, these were essentially a 2mm flat). It takes a couple of minutes to warm up before it will deliver full rpm, but has only had around 8 tanks of fuel through it, and delivers most of the blower performance from start up. For a budget/homeowner machine it feels pretty well made, is very easy starting whether hot or cold,delivers enough performance for what I use a blower for and is frugal on fuel. The throttle lock is very handy and the supplied accessory tubes are robust and standing up well to use. The intake is on the left, if you use it righthanded it'll try and suck your trousers/knife lanyard or anything loose into the impeller, the grill is a little more open than some machines so it's worth bearing in mind. If you want to move damp leaves and larger debris then none of the handheld blowers will be very satisfactory imo, but mine gets used on dry leaves, grass clippings off the drive/concrete/gravel beds, chainsaw chippings, blasting the crud off my little ride on mower and drying the car when I occasionally wash it. It does all those things well. The vac feature is useful, but has its limitations. For picking up leaves on gravel landscaped areas it's handy, but again they'll need to be dry. If you get over ambitious with it you'll soon block the intake tube, but it is nice to have the feature sometimes. The vacuum impeller blades are plastic fins on the flywheel, so it'll only take something solid to damage them. Once I'd formed an edge on the mulching blades it does a decent job of chopping up piles of leaves for composting for example. Overall I find it a handy and reliable little tool within the limits that applies to all small hand held blowers.HTH

£341 delivered from FP&G. They seem to be one of the few retailers who've yet to increase their prices. Dolly 420 is also nice. I'd call these (Echo 390, Dolmar 420) more snedding saws, capable of working hard when needed and doing moderate felling. A pruning saw to me is used for small stuff/hedging cuts etc where compact size and lightweight are an acceptable trade off against speed when you are occasionally cutting near bar length. Dolly PS32, 35 , Echo 310, 352 etc

Worth it given your usage imo, and yes the 5w30 won't do you any favours! Definitely use the recommended spec oil. Here's a link with some of the Tuff Torq part numbers and specific drive designators. Find your mower's part number and compare with the oil spec given in the link above [click on the appropriate blue part number, then click Parts and the first item is the required oil spec]. At least 5w50 fully synthetic is easy to buy these days (Halfords/Amazon/Ebay), a few years ago you'd have needed luck and a deep wallet.

Definitely get something you can sit on, mowing whilst enjoying a tin of your favourite cool beverage is one of life's pleasures. The X155, or 135 for that matter would easily deal with your cutting requirements, although the 135's I've seen didn't have anti-scalp wheels which are handy at times. Nice to have the collection capability of a rear discharge imo, cut & collect around the house stops the cuttings getting dragged indoors and keeps the good lady (or your life-partner:001_tongue:) happy. Spend the money you save over a "300-series" on 2 or 3 cases of good Bordeaux and some bubbly.

For domestic users Tuff Torq state that "...the transaxle will outlast the life of the machine, but changing the oil will extend the life of the transmission...in commercial use oil changing is recommended after 50 hrs and 200 hours thereafter". If yours has drain plugs then it's a fairly simple job and worth doing imo if you're uncertain of its history and give it more than light use. Use the correct oil, Eg.K62 (J20C Hy-gard HV) and K62E (OEM was 10W-30, now use 5W-50 fully synthetic motor oil) have different specs: -Clean everything down before disassembly and be scrupulous in ensuring no contamination/crud enters the system. -Collect the old oil so you know exactly how much came out. -Accurately fill with correct grade lube and follow the purge procedure (link below). TuffTorq site link. Purging procedure , unit ID etc.

Breezy again now. I was clearing the willow that came down in my garden on Wednesday, but I've finished early given the amount of movement in the surrounding trees. The willow's a fun job...covered in ivy, hung up, over a fence and the brook. Thankfully the power line was undergrounded a couple of years ago or it'd have been a full house.

The 135 I had was an excellent and reliable little saw, and better than the MS181's I've used. Hopefully yours will be the same. The easystart recoil assembly makes starting virtually effortless, and it's a bit more robust having four teeth to engage the flywheel rather than the standard starter's two. Although you don't often see the 135e version, cost no doubt. They're about £60 from Husky (gulp), but make the saw a bit nicer to use if you're doing lots of starts and short runs. I've got an unneeded complete starter assembly in my parts bin if you ever need one at a bargain price.

Saturday morning bunfight:fight: Whatever the causes the effect is the same. New chains go slack after only a few minutes and need adjustment. I check chain tension quite frequently. It takes less than a second and helps get the best out of your equipment, both performance and longevity. Although you only have to watch a few YouTube videos to see that much of the world likes fresh air between the bar and chain!

Don't forget to check the tension on a new chain after a few cuts. You'll get plenty of stretch in just the first few minutes of use IME, particularly with .325 chain on moderately powerful saws, and can go from too tight to hanging off the bar in no time.

As Piston Skirt says they are dead easy to get a reading off. I've got an Oppama one off Ebay, works fine and accurate when tested against 2 other Tachos. Essential kit IMO, saws aren't all supplied "tuned", a tacho will get you in the ballpark, limiter coils make accurate tuning solely by ear virtually impossible, but someone will doubtless disagree. (often a contentious issue, wily old woodsman vs scientific approach!There's some more views in this thread from knowledgeable forum folk.) Over revving is definitely an issue, my 390ESX was tuned very lean. Book figure max rpm 13500, I bottled out as the rpm approached 14000 and was still accelerating keenly. Adjusted richer and run hard but only in the cut/under load. I'm confident that both my current saw and blower had not been run or tuned by the dealer, both needed adjustment. It's a fairly simple process, there's a pdf for Echo Carb adjustments and procedure in this thread. Make sure that the saw is reasonably clean (plug/filters/exhaust/clutch cover not rammed with gunk), chain correctly tensionned and warmed up. No need to hold it WOT endlessly, a few seconds is all it takes...and don't get distracted by the tacho, you're still holding a high speed flesh muncher. The acid test is that the saw is stable at idle, accelerates cleanly and develops power under load. Once you've run a few tank fulls through the tuned saw take a look at the plug as an indicator of whether the mix is about right. HTH

Looks like £235 for 12 months RFL. Vehicle Tax Rate tables Car & Light goods vehicles registered before 1st March 2001.

Some insurance policies contain exclusions regarding tree proximity, and this may be the reason behind the surveyor's recommendation. My current building's policy states no trees over 3 metres within 10m. Some insurers still use Cutler and Richardson's "Tree Roots and Buildings" (1989) which is widely regarded as very overcautious. It's been my experience that surveyors look for anything to cover their arse/justify the cost... requires re-wiring/re-roofing are favourites!

Here you go, The Children's Trust, scroll down the page for donation options... https://www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/ Probably worth getting confirmation that it's the correct charity as sometimes people support local charities with similar names etc. HTH

Other way around, Stihl are rebranded Nilfisks. Looks like a good recommendation IMO. I've had several domestic Karcher's and they've had durability issues, replaced with a Nilfisk a couple of years ago and it's been much better. Matt Storrs> get a decent patio cleaner attachment, makes for a faster and much cleaner job. Sometimes one comes bundled with the machine but it's invariably the budget version. These are too light IME and with a half decent washer they take off. I bought an adaptor to use my old Karcher one on the Nilfisk, but Nilfisk's Patio Plus is the one to go for (£33 from Argos), the handles make it easier to use them on vertical surfaces whilst the extra weight prevents lift off.

Absolutely fine. Husky XP oil is a fully synthetic biodegradeable oil, as is Aspen's FRT oil. Mixing your own with Aspen 4 won't save you any money, but will work fine. I used Aspen 4 and mixed with Stihl HP Ultra, as I didn't like the smell of Aspen's oil, no difference in performance/cleanliness etc. I now used Stihl Motomix as it's available locally and saves me mixing my own. HTH

As above if you want to stick with Husky brand or Oregon's recently updated Narrow Kerf chain > Oregon 95TXL. F.R.Jones have some excellent Black Friday deals on at the moment, 64DL Oregon 95TXL is only £11 +delivery. Here's a link

I'm still not sure if we're discussing Narrow Kerf .325 chains (Oregon type 95) or 3/8 LoPro in this thread. Anyway, I'm guessing 3/8LP. 3/8 LoPro is generally .050 (1.3mm) guage, a completely different beast to regular 3/8, smaller in all the critical dimensions. It's also available in .043 guage (1.1mm), but that's really aimed at the smaller saws,top handles and pole saws. 325 narrow kerf (oregon 95) has a guage of 1.3mm too, and the cutters are narrower than regular 325, purportedly giving a 15% "faster cut". That's a bit meaningless IMO, the real benefit is that with the 40-50cc saws there's a bit less drag and you can keep the revs where you want them more easily and that's where the speed benefit comes from. Typically at those power levels you'll be using a bar no longer than 18", so being a little thinner rigidity isn't an issue for most. The 15" Sugi bar supplied with my Echo 390 is very stiff, and of course a fair bit lighter (625g) and another 230g for the chain is a useful weight saving.

As said above, some have gaskets most don't. You can try a simple paper gasket to see if that's where the problem lies. Use some thin card to make the gaskets, ensuring the oiler holes aren't covered. Run the saw for a couple of minutes and then leave it on a piece of cardboard to see if it's still dumping oil. If that does the job then use either the liquid gasket mentioned above or buy some gasket paper and make up a few using the "prototypes" as a template. Some budget saws do leak their chain oil, it's just a product of the tolerances used in manufacture. Opening the chain oil cover and retightening after use can relieve any positive pressure which causes some weeping, but if yours is a gusher then that probably won't help much, the obvious solution is to drain the chain oil out at the end of each day or store the saw bar uppermost. HTH

"Assuming" they are the same as the 2510 then the service manual states "small-d" for the correct tool, no limiter caps. You can view/download the pdf Echo Carb Adjustment Table in this thread with Echo's specs etc. HTH