lloydh

Time for some follow up on my repaired saw now that it's seen some action, including some alaskan milling… Since the brake band was replaced the dragging issue hasn't recurred and after frequent inspection I'm glad to say there are no signs of the new band wearing prematurely like the original one. I'm now used to the more sensitive brake lever and it's only engaged accidentally once or twice while in actual use; Spud, you may be right about inertial — either way I do actually think it's safer now.

Update: I took in my saw in for repair today and had the brake band replaced. I noticed the brake handle was much easier to operate straight away and there is no longer a protrusion when you look at the band with the sprocket cover off. I fired up the saw outside the dealers and soon thought I'd traded one problem for another as a couple of times the brake 'bounced' back on after releasing the brake handle. Back to the workshop it went… In the end the mechanic couldn't replicate the problem by revving the saw and tipping it around. When I demonstrated he suggested that I manipulate the brake handle differently so that it didn't spring back so much. Honestly I'm not confident it's 100% as it should be but I did try another Efco 8200 on the shelf and the brake at least felt like mine does now. We'll see after the saw gets some real world use.

I'm not certain but I think the wear to the inside of the sprocket cover is also from the brake band riding over the 'turrets' that are designed to keep the band in centre area. Hopefully it's only cosmetic as I think it's just a new brake band that my dealer has ordered in for the repair. I take your point though that there could be fundamental alignment problems — fingers crossed this isn't the case. I sent my dealer the same photos I posted above and I'm happy to take their lead on the repair so long as it's a permanent fix. Thanks for the suggestions though, and I will ask about the cover wear.

Spud, I agree but I think something's causing that part of the band to leave the channel it should sit in. I have popped it back where it should sit with a screwdriver, but after refitting the sprocket cover and cycling the brake on/off it returns to the way it is now. I know the chance is virtually zero but it's as if the band itself is a couple mm too short and it's moving over as a 'shortcut' to where it's supposed to be.

Yes, tell me about it. Almost all of the brake-related searches I did were new Husky owners who couldn't get their sprocket covers back on. That definitely wasn't the case here and with the tension on my saw's brake I doubt you could actually remove the sprocket cover with the brake on! Glad to hear the play isn't a problem. Lloyd

Thanks for the help. My dealer immediately offered a warranty repair and I'm hoping to get the saw fixed early next week. My only concern is the unidentified cause of the wear, like an alignment issue as peatff suggested. I noticed that the rim sprocket can slide laterally about 3-5mm on the clutch drum splines — as you can see in my photo below. Is this normal? I could only find videos of rim sprockets on inbound clutches, held on with e-clips.

I just bought a new Efco MT 8200 80cc saw and have noticed that the brake seems to be dragging when disengaged. My dealer is a 3 hour drive away so I'm hoping for some advice from someone with more knowledge of saws than me. The problem manifests in it being extremely difficult to move the chain along the bar by hand (or with a file when sharpening) even with a slack chain. The saw has an outboard clutch drum and the brake assembly is part of the sprocket cover. With the sprocket cover removed the chain moves freely, but as it's tightened on, the part of the brake band nearest the sprocket cover contacts the clutch drum and drags. You can see that this part of the brake band is showing wear in the attached photos — this is after running around 2 tanks. To be honest I haven't noticed anything unusual during use; the brake engages and disengages consistently and the saw accelerates normally. I guess the engine is overcoming the drag without much difficulty. Just to clarify, the brake mechanism itself isn't stuck on — it clicks on/off and stops the chain from spinning in use. Thanks.