Made a good trade

[RBoots]

I've been working at a logging/clearing project on the weekend at a coworker buddy's farm. He doesn't want any of the trees wasted, so a lot of our crew from work has been coming out to get loads of firewood logs after I cut the timber out of it. Well, one of the guys accidentally put straight gas in his Stihl MS460. He ran it for a bit, less than a tank of gas until he realized what he had done when it quit on him. He figured it was junk, so he gave it to one of our other buddies. He then went out and bought a new MS661. My buddy he gave it to wanted a little bigger saw than his MS210, but not quite that big. He figured it would be alright though since it was free, and just pay me to rebuild it. I kinda wanted it so I offered to buy it from him,but he said he couldn't sell it since it was given to him. I decided to ask him if he would trade my MS290 for it, and he said that was exactly the size saw he was looking for. The MS290 was given to me with loose jug bolts after he went and bought a new one. I rebuilt and resealed the little MS290, put new handle bushings and carb boot in it. It ran really well, and my buddy that received the MS460 had been running it and really liked it. So, that was the deal we made, the rebuilt MS290 for an MS460 Magnum that I assumed to need a total rebuild. Well, I looked down the carb port and the spark plug hole and there isn't any scoring I could see. Still had good compression, so I put some gas in it to see what would happen. Pulled the rope and it started right up on the first pull. Ran pretty good actually, let it warm up a bit. Sounds good, throttles up well, I'm just gonna run it and see what, if anything happens. If it needs a new cylinder, crank, piston, etc later on, so be it. I was telling another buddy about it that runs a tree/firewood service, and he said their workers have done that quite a few times over the years, and it usually doesn't hurt the saw too bad as long as they don't keep doing it. What do you think of my trade? I think I did ok, only had around $85 in the MS290. I think the MS460 is around $900 new. only has a 20" bar, and I don't like bending down with those short bars.

Ross

 

[jeffcat]

Leave everything as is and giggle and skip down the road. They think they got a good deal. You did too. They DON'T need anymore information than that. Nothing sneeky. Just good horse trading. Need a 24 inch, maybe a little more?

 

[Janicholson]

Every deal that has everyone grinning (except the plain gas guy) is a good deal. I wish it well. I saw a Toyota Camry go down the freeway 8 miles with no oil Loos oil plug from a botched quick lube joint. We put in oil and cranked it till it primed. Started it and in 4 seconds it quieted down and had 45psi at idle. There was a conditional warrantee from the lube joint, and they paid for the new oil and service. Jim

 

[RBoots]

I like the 24" or 25" bar. My 576XP Husky has a 25" bar on it, and it's a real good fit for me. It seems to me that the Stihl might have a shorter profile front to back, but I won't go over a 25" bar anymore. I used to have a 36" bar I used quite frequently, but told myself if I can't cut it with a 24 or 25" bar, I don't need to cut it anymore. Doesn't matter how nasty, gnarly the tree is, I use all of it down to about 3". If it isn't timber, it goes for firewood. And I don't cut unless it's coming down either way per someone else's instruction. I don't cut my own big trees like that. I hate to do it, but I have cut some massive old field oaks for people, but when they get where you habe to bury a 36" bar through both sides, and there isn't a log in it, it's a lot of work to get those old nasty trees turned into firewood!

 

[RBoots]

Wow Jim, even that one would have me cringing lol!

Ross

 

[Jeff NWOH]

I'd say you made a good trade even if you would have had to go through it. I have a 461. It's a heck of a saw. You'll like it.

I bought an 044 that had no compression off craigslist. It was advertised as running for $250 at a pawnshop. I tried to start it and it obviously wouldn't. Their "mechanic" looked at it and told clerk it was junk. I ended buying for $100. The piston was a mess but jug cleaned up. New piston, gaskets, and seals. Nice saw for about $160.

 

[Steve@Advance]

Replaced the oil pump in an old Pontiac that had been driven about 6 miles (that they admitted to) with the shaft twisted off.

No appearant damage.

 

[johnlobb]

I know what you mean about those big ol' nasty trees, Ross! I cut down a few old Box elders this fall that fit that description! Some of the rounds stalled the splitter! I still feel it in my back where I had to load them to move them...

 

[showcrop]

When my buddy had the compact and cover contract at the landfill another buddy would go see him there on the day that he did it. They would go look at the metal pile while on "break" they would pull a lot of good gas powered equipment out of there, and get it running well for very little effort. So many people have more money than brains and just can't be bothered.

 

[bishopNlouisiana]

I had a ECHO chain saw for years until my nephew borrowed it for a weekend. He ask me what kind of gas does it need. I said regular. I thought ne knew chainsaws ran on mixed regular gas.
He brought it back to me on Sunday because the engine had locked up, frozen.

He said he used regular gas in it and I questioned him then about which mix did he use, 40-1 0r 50-1? He said he used regular gas not mix.

He was always a good boy and now he a great dad of two boys of his own.

I took the chain saw apart and the piston had frozen to the wall. I finally broke the piston free and found no signs of damage.
I filled it up with mixed oil and gas and the chainsaw fired right up. That was 14 years ago and the ECHO has cut hundreds of trees down and cut them up too.

Great chainsaw until the coil went out.

It was my fault for not explaining the mix/oil. Actually after the freeze the saw seemed to run better.

 

[GordoSD]

I keptmy stihl until age 77. That's about the max for old shoulder to start them. Went to a 40 volt Ryobi and I love it.

 

[D beatty]

I picked up a MS 460 with a 24" and 28" bar that was 3 months old on an estate auction for $420.00 and a new one at that time was $1,200.00 so you did all right. It starts easier than my smaller Stihls but it has a compression release.