Chain Saw Poll

Help Support CattleToday:

What's your favorite chainsaw?

  • Stihl

    Votes: 46 59.0%
  • Husqvarna

    Votes: 22 28.2%
  • Jonsered

    Votes: 3 3.8%
  • Echo

    Votes: 3 3.8%
  • Poulan

    Votes: 3 3.8%
  • Sachs Dolmer

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • Other

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • More than on

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    78
  • Poll closed .
I was wrong on the "big" saw. I thought it was a Sachs Dolmar. It's a Dolmar PS-6800 i. Do any of you have any experience with this saw? There is a small lever on the right side of the throttle that turns, but no label on it. I'm pretty sure it's the choke, and is choked when it is in the up position?

I took the air filter off and started it using starting fluid. Ran good til fluid was gone, died. Two or three times. Switched the choke lever the other way, and started it again and it ran pretty good. Started it three or four times without fluid after that. Back in business it appears. This saw has too much compression to have to jerk on it too awful much.

I'm not gonna drain the gas every time either. Preservative may be a waste, but my old weedeater hasn't had ANYTHING done to the motor, carbs, or lines. Nothing. It's about 17 yrs old and nothing but treated gas ran through it. I believe I'll keep using it. If it is dumb luck, I'll take it. Stabil is cheap.
 
Its really easy to tell if the choke is open or closed. Pull the air cleaner and look in the carburetor, if you can see in the choke is off or open.
 
I am a Husky man myself but in any of the ones nowadays you better spend the money for a pro series saw if you plan to run it much. The difference in them is huge. Stihl is good and the old Echo and Poulans were beasts. I have an echo 702vl that belonged to my dad from probably late 70s hands down best cutting saw I have run and I have run a bunch. It will make a man out of you tho- you won't run it one handed!

Dolmar is a good saw and I think the lever you are talking about is usually to lock the throttle open the choke should be a lever or knob elsewhere. They put those on the old saws before the lawyers got in on things.
 
Yes, it is the choke apparently. I've done some research on it and found an old post where someone was outlining the starting procedure for their 6800. I couldn't see the lever turning a flapper in the throat, but it made it smoke and run rougher though. I can't find one for sale used, but have found some parts numbers for it and supposedly they were made up to around 2000 or so.

SmokinM, this lever is on the right hand side of the machine beside the handhold. Apparently the decal indicating the position of the lever and it's function has been worn off of this saw. The throttle lock button is on the left hand side of the handhold itself, with the release bar on the top side of the handhold.
 
talltimber":20r4ft0k said:
Yes, it is the choke apparently. I've done some research on it and found an old post where someone was outlining the starting procedure for their 6800. I couldn't see the lever turning a flapper in the throat, but it made it smoke and run rougher though. I can't find one for sale used, but have found some parts numbers for it and supposedly they were made up to around 2000 or so.

SmokinM, this lever is on the right hand side of the machine beside the handhold. Apparently the decal indicating the position of the lever and it's function has been worn off of this saw. The throttle lock button is on the left hand side of the handhold itself, with the release bar on the top side of the handhold.

The "i" version Dolmars have a Tillotson carb with no choke. When you turn the so called choke leaver on, it opens a direct fuel path from the fuel pump to the venturi of the carb. The fuel exits through a small orifice close to a #60.


hqdefault.jpg
 
A couple loggers around here like the Husky 390xp and 395xp saws. They say the Stihls are good saws, but the Huskys are better balanced and easier to work on.

images
 
Sorry I misread I thought you meant on the handle. Every saw has a trick to start it seems just like old trucks. Not knowing the right steps is better than a security system.
 
I only have 2 problems with Huskys. A lot heavier then the equivilent Stihl and no local support for them. We have 2 Stihl dealers in town, no Husky dealers
 
Stihl exclusively since 2001 before I didn't have much money and had one stihl saw one husky and homelite and poulans.
 
That is husky's big problem... a good dealer network...

That said.. the local shop is a Stihl shop, and they're dumber than a sack of hammers in there... I asked if they had ever square filed a chain, they said yes, just yesterday.. but what they did wasn't square file, but file at 90* to the bar for a milling saw... Plenty of other instances of those guys not knowing what they're talking about
 
Nesikep":qsp3lcho said:
That is husky's big problem... a good dealer network...

That said.. the local shop is a Stihl shop, and they're dumber than a sack of hammers in there... I asked if they had ever square filed a chain, they said yes, just yesterday.. but what they did wasn't square file, but file at 90* to the bar for a milling saw... Plenty of other instances of those guys not knowing what they're talking about
Sounds like the shop that used to sell Huskys in town.
 
Anazazi.. I just ran a 550 XP, it was a really nice little saw.

This shop in my town are jerks.. I ordered a carb kit for my bike.. it took them 3 weeks to get it and they charged me $15 shipping!.. I guess someone has to pay for the mule team's hay
 
The husqvarna dealer here has been around for longer than I have. Its a one man shop. There have been a couple times when he hasn't even charged me for what he did. Adjusting the carb and such. When he gets to old to do it I dont know where Ill take it. I had a Stihl once and it ran fine right up until somebody else decided they needed it more than I did. I liked it better than the Husqvarna
 
Craig Miller":jem56ft9 said:
The husqvarna dealer here has been around for longer than I have. Its a one man shop. There have been a couple times when he hasn't even charged me for what he did. Adjusting the carb and such. When he gets to old to do it I dont know where Ill take it. I had a Stihl once and it ran fine right up until somebody else decided they needed it more than I did. I liked it better than the Husqvarna
The JD dealer started doing Stihl a couple of years ago.. The main guy that I use is the 2nd generation doing them from the same shop. He's in his 50s so I don;t know how will take it over when he retires like he did from his dad.
 
I bought a Husqvarna 550XP in 2014. It was difficult to start when cold and restart when either hot. I wasn't impressed with power over my Dad's 350. The issue was likely with the autotune module but the dealer could not fix. Also had issues with chain binding and the pull start assembly broke and was repaired under warranty. Sold it and bought a 365 and will mod it to make a 372, its a great saw but heavy. I cut some big oaks that were overhanging fields last summer and the saw ripped right through them.

I would like to try a Dolmar out, both the 5105 and 6100 but there are no dealers around to demo.

Having a good dealer around is nice while under warranty, but afterwards I see little utility to them. The old-school non-computerized saws are fairly easy to fix and there are youtube videos for everything.
 
Nesikep":1ar95k1g said:
dave, I hear the primer button is critical to restarting them, even when hot


I usually do not touch the bubble; it works anyway.
 

Latest posts

Top