Muddy42

If there is nothing wrong with the setup and the sweep is happy, don't change it. Regarding the liner, the sweep should be able to tell if it was failing pretty easily - you feel it with the rods or you can use a camera. Listen to your sweep not a stove installer - installers have a huge incentive to get us to replace stoves every few years. My personal opinion is that old stoves are tougher than modern ones and most draw better.

Ah even better if you have a longer bar and powerful saw to use when you occasionally need it. Sorry I was a bit brief with my suggestion of 20" bar. A lot of this is personal choice and it depends what you cut. I cut a lot of hardwood and dislike underpowered combinations (a long bar given the power of the saw) and try to get the cutting done with the shortest bar possible. Of your list I've only used husky and oregon bars - both fine.

Personally for a 70ish cc saw and UK harwood/oak, id go for a 20 inch bar as the ‘everyday’ bar.

I have used arc in the past but dont own one anymore. Currently its either MIG with argon mix or gassless. I am a rookie and only get marginally better welds with gas but I quite like the simplicity of gassless with the same setup.

Im away from home otherwise Id check and photograph it. Its a 2023 model. im sure mine has holes in the white plastic shell to allow your tuning screwdriver to reach an adjustable carb if one was fitted.

Yes the best have the same socket so its a case of switching them over externally. I have to take the cover off and swap wires over internally which is a pain. Or I plan to make new leads.

That may be true but I always understood the mtronic 261 was still backwards compatible? The plastics even have holes for carb adjustment. I thought you could just replace ignition, carb, wiring etc and your good to go.

Its the other end of the welding spectrum but a handy feature is the ability to switch the polarity, this is better for gasless welding which is ideal for quick/rough/dirtier/occasional welding or outside or if you run out if gas. I got stung with my cheap MIG, which is a fiddle to switch over.

The different parts will everything from the starter coil, ignition module, wiring, to the carb. Some of the run/off/choke mechanism will be different too. To do a proper comparison you’d need to compare part numbers. As suggested above I would suggest you dont worry too much. I have an mtronic 261 and I wouldnt take it back to non mtronic now. Firstly the above list of parts would be too expensive but secondly because the newer stihl mtronic systems are good even though I dont fully understand them yet.

I don't think they can force you to fell, so you are right to talk about compensation for agreeing. Sitka is a commercial timber so you should be able to value the volume of timber extracted pretty accurately. Yes to requesting a road - it will be a huge benefit to you in the future. I wouldn't mention stump removal. This will be a huge amount of work that is not normal when felling sitka plantations. I'd just ask for some extra cash instead. Yes you can mention amenity value, even though in my opinion Sitka plantations have very little. But it would be valid to try and bring up the future timber value you are forgoing by felling early.

Blades, fixed string heads and bump heads - Ive used them all to be honest their are arguments for each. I have that Husqvarna bump head and it works well. I agree with you that a bump head is probably fine for just medium height grass (under knee high) and say a 2.5mm - 3mm string. Any thicker string than this can cause feeding issues, plus at 3mm I'd stick to round string. But if the string is properly assembled and lubricated, the bump feature means that you can go for hours without needing to change string. When you need to tackle waist high grass, weeds or brambles, that's when you need blades or thicker string and a fixed head. Blades can help you push the capabilities of a medium sized machine, but your 545rxt will be fine with any of the above. Personally I've gone off blades, because they seem to cause extra vibration and/or engine wear. I was forever replacing parts in the head. I only use one setup at the moment - 53cc engine 555RXT, Oregon jet fit head and 4mm string. The majority of what I cut is thick grass and brambles, this mulches everything in its path and turns it to dust. I get through two fuel tanks before I have to replace the 4mm string (one tank if cutting near rocks or fences). It can even do some neater lawn height grass with reduced throttle (you need to pay attention and take your time to avoid scalping).

The air filter cover doesn't look right either. I'd go with 240. Edit: Hang on non flippy caps. 026? or I have no clue.

8 year thread revival, nice! The diamond edge square stuff is amazing, better than oregon flexiblade. I use 4mm string in a fixed oregon jet fit head rather than a bump head. You'll find that bump heads cant take as thick a string as fixed head ones. When using the bump head, I use the thickest diameter string the manual says it can handle.

I just don't have the upper body strength! Most of my strimming is overgrown grass (more than knee height) so it makes sense to have a big machine. My other machine is a 35cc four stroke, which is definitely not up to the job. I am building up to the idea of buying something in between in terms of power.

Yup sounds like an air leak - pressure test it.

Wow I didn't know that, another brand name that's stuck and we use without thinking. A quick google shows a lot of companies will be in breach of naming standards. To be fair I also don't like many of the US terms: - we don't use the term brush, so why brushcutter. What's the line between brush and grass? - weedwacker is just silly - I'm doing more than just trimming I currently use Husqvarna 555rxt with a oregon jet fit. Its great, but if I'm honest its a bit heavy. Its fine for a few tanks but too heavy to use all day.

Thanks. Yes we've just been bolting in whole replacement sections, scavenged from another fence that was being replaced. Works well.

A bowsaw is about £10. Personally I would never be without one. Great for small jobs and cheap replacement blades when the children leave it outside. Just buy one whilst you decide what other saw to get.

I would sharpen that with a triangular file. I clamp the saw between two thin pieces of wood and set it in a vice. Then, like sharepning a chainsaw, some teeth are sharpened from the left some from the right. Just follow what has been done previously. Eventually you need to reset the 'set' (the amount each tooth sticks out left or right to prevent binding) with a special tool, but I do this infrequently. 21 inch bowsaws are cheap and excellent. Replace the blades regularly to avoid fatigue.

Yes, replacement tips would be around 50% of the cost of a new bar according to chainsawbars.co.uk True, I try to use the smallest bar for the job and my MS 261 probably can handle 90% of what I cut. But occasionally I have to clear up some monster trees, block up unsplitable logs and then there is milling. That's what makes this saga even more frustrating, these bars have had so little use, the paint is immaculate!

Yes I may well just have to replace the bars Gareth. Very annoying.

I don't think so. When the siezures started, I even tried starting off with the tension slackened off a quarter of a turn, but this didn't help.

Cheers. I'll get in touch with Gator. I can see arguments both ways - thicker oil would stick, but thinner oil would 'flow' along the bar groove better. Potentially thick oil (for a given outdoor temperature) could stress the oil pump. You don't want all the oil to be flung off the tip because you want some for the return chain journey where most of the cutting takes place. You want the oil to lubricate and keep the bar nose sprocket cool. Its a tough ask ! All my saws are pro saws with adjustable oilers set to max, so 'volume of oil' shouldn't be a problem. i keep the bar grooves scrupulously clean and ensure oil pumps are working. My main concern is having to replace bars prematurely which would be seriously expensive and frustrating - neither has even worn out a chain yet!

Thanks. I'm looking into it. Is it also ok in longer bars >25 inches ?

Ive been struggling with Rotatech over the past few months to be honest. Its the 25 litre one - ISO 100 Universal Chainsaw Chain & Bar Oil. Bars, chains and nose sprockets were poorly lubricated, hot and I had a few situations where everything siezed up completed. Damm nearly ruined a few bars as it left the nose sprockets stiff. Ive got the bar tips submerged in a mix of bar oil and diesel at the moment and I turn the teeth periodically in the oil with a screwdriver. I think its working. I should add that before and after this I was using Oregon bar oil and everything was fine. I think the Rotatech oil is just too thick.