ChainSaw Oil-2 cycle

[skent]

Bird. . .

From the people I know who have actually had one (and now including you), They all loved them. Light weight, not as loud, and durability. I got mine used, I think it's date code is late 70's. The thing always ran good as long as the blade was kept sharp. I usually kept the lawn boy at the house and the Toro/sears#1/sears#2/Troy Bilt at the farm. The Sears uses Tecumseh engines which last typically 5 years.

With the exception of that one time I tried to be cheap. . . .Lawnboy has been great.

BUT Now I see that Lawnboy is using 4 stroke Tecumseh on two of their models. Different reviews have rated these as poor performers. They still have two models with the 2 stroke engines and I'm wondering if I should get one now before they disappear.

Steve

 

[Bird]

Steve, I put off buying a DR trimmer/mower as long as their biggest one was a Tecumseh engine. As far as I know the Tecumseh might be the best engine in the world, but after that lemon I got on the Toro in '69, I've never owned another Tecumseh; takes awhile to get over something like that for me./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif Of course, after the lemon Ford I bought new in '66, I wouldn't even think about buying a Ford product for 25 years, and now the last 4 I've bought have been Fords./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird

 

[skent]

Sears #1 : Tecumseh engine. Sears called it their Eager 1 (eager to die!?) engine. Two year warrenty. On the Third mowing season, would have to stop every 30 minutes to fill it up with oil and check the gas. I questioned Sears (salesman) about the ad saying "cast Iron Cylinder liner". "OH yeah - thats on the black Eager engines, you have a red one." Ran it for two more years and the deck rotted out at the handle mounting.

The Sears #2 (el-stupido went back - please sir may I have another) was bought from a co-worker that was moving. it was less than a year old (and had the black engine), gave him $100 for it. It lasted a little longer but still started using mass quantities of oil by the fourth season. Final drive on the system was plastic gears that were a constant problem. Now you may say I don't take care of my mowers, but all get a good quality oil change 3 times over the summer (works out to less than every 25 hours), and have had many B&S, Tecumseh, Clinton and Wisconson engines in my care, and the Tecumseh have been the only ones to have a repeatable life problem. Troy Bily tiller is 18 years old, B&S 8HP, has tilled and cultivated a 4000 sq foot garden every year and still goin' strong.

Steve

 

[fishman]

Bird,

I know what you mean about Lawn Boys. My parents had one they bought used in the mid-70's and it is still in use today. Only problem has been the plastic motor housing cracking. I bought one new in about 1983 for my fledgling lawn care business and made many thousands of dollars with it. Quite a lucrative operation for a high-school student. Only thing that I ever replaced were the plastic wheels (bought steel after the first ones wore out) and a couple of blades. My parents still have it, and now that I think about it, I might throw it in the back of my truck the next time I visit !/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>would have to stop every 30 minutes to fill it up with oil</font color=blue>

Now there's a problem I never had with my Tecumseh. I never added any oil; I just had to change the oil about every 2 hours because the crankcase would fill up with gasoline./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif In fact, I was afraid the darned thing might explode some day.

Bird

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: ChainSaw Oil-2 cycle-DR Kawasaki

Ok Bird… You can now place your order…/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

The 494 cc Kawasaki engine on the PRO is capable of operating for hours on end, even in the most rigorous conditions.

…a smaller DR mower uses ; ENGINE: 10.5 HP BRIGGS & STRATTON, 4-cycle, I/C engine: 28.4 cu. in. Cast-iron cylinder sleeve, Cobalite(TM) valve. Made in U.S.A..

 

[Bird]

Re: ChainSaw Oil-2 cycle-DR Kawasaki

I don't need that machine, John, since I have a brush hog for the tractor, but when I first inquired about their string trimmer/mowers, the biggest they had (6hp) was Tecumseh engines only. Then they started building them with a Briggs & Stratton and I bought one; it's 3 years old this week and got another 4 hours put on it yesterday.

Bird

 

[heehaw]

i am amazed that no one even mentioned any type of synthetic 2 cycle oil?? several of the dealers around here will double your warranty on a weedwacker or chain saw if you use their pre-packaged synthetic oil mix. myself?? i've used nothing but amsoil 100-1 mix in my stihl weedwacker, homelite chainsaws, honda moped, lawnboy lawnmower and everything else i have used over the last 10-15 years. never a problem with any of the equipment, and i have one gas can for 2cycle stuff.
heehaw

 

[fishman]

Heehaw,

Sounds like good stuff. How much does it cost?

 

[skent]

100:1 works OK in your 24:1, 32:1, 40:1, 50:1 ratios??????

Stevie likes! Tell us more!!!!!

Steve

 

[heehaw]

there are several folks that deal in the synthetic oil, and are usually readin these post, i haven't bought any in several years, so i don't know what the price is nowadays. I bought enough to last me at least another 5-6 years back when i was tryin to sell it. from what i remember, it will work in any 2cycle engine made since some time in the 60's, and it is mixed 100-1 for all engines. from my experience it gives less smoke and great performance. Bird, who is it that usually has the prices for amsoil?? i've got several friends that use nothing but amsoil synthetic 2 cycle oil in their boats. i'll see if i can find any prices on the net to pass on.
heehaw

 

[Bird]

heehaw & fishman, I have price lists, but Amsoil lists 3 different 2-cycle oils and of course they list retail and dealer cost for different sized containers. The 100:1 pre-mix is shown at $2.85 per 8 oz bottle or a dozen 8 oz bottles for $33, quart bottle is $7.75 or a dozen quarts for $91.80, etc. Mark Chalkley was the guy with all the information on Amsoil in the past. If anyone wants more specific information, send me a private e-mail and I'll try to help. Of course, they now have a "preferred customer" program (I think that's what they called it), so you can buy at dealer cost. You might want to just go to http://www.amsoil.com and do a little reading.

Bird

 

[lschultz]

If any of you fellows want any of the Amsoil products send me a email at lschultz@techisp.com and I'll get you some.I have been selling it since 95.I sell it at my cost + shipping.It's good oil so if I can help anybody out let me know.
I read about amsoil back in 1972 when it first came out.I did not believe what they claim and I said who would pay that much for a quart of oil.Followed it through the years.Then after we moved to the country and we started commuteing about 145 miles round trip it, seems like I was changing oil on one of my vechicles every month.Then I remembered amsoil and did some more checking and decided to give it a try.And it is worth the money.I have not regreted it.I use it in everything I own.So if I can help you let me know.Thanks.

Larry Schultz

 

[cfjulian]

I recently had a bad experience with a group of Stihl saws and one Homelite after switching to Royal Purple brand 2-cycle oil. I had used it previously on my McCulloch saw with no trouble and on my Echo weed whipper. When I tried using it on my big Homelite saw, the saw seized up. Since it was old, I thought it was just tired. A couple months later, I hired a sawmill to cut a white oak into timber. This tree was 40" in diameter. A friend cut it down and then I had to cut off the branches and split the main trunk which was too large for the sawmill. First, my Stihl 260 quit after 1/2 hour. I thought that maybe the plug fouled out. I then got out my 660 and started splitting the log. Since we were looking for 17' timbers, this was a long split through a big tree. I cut for about 10 minutes and the 660 stalled and would not restart. I went to my other 660 and resumed the cut. After only 5 minutes, that too quit. I took these saws back to the dealer to be looked at. In the mean time, I ended up buying an 880 in order to complete the job. They supplied the first tank of gas. I got through the rest of the tree with no problem. When I went to pick up my saws, the repair man a Weingartz told me that all three had scored the pistons and cylinders because of bad oil. I had been running 25 to 1 Royal Purple oil. This was the air cooled variety. The repairs amounted to just under $2000.00 for these three plus the Homelite that had burned up earlier. I contacted the dealer for Royal Purple. He said to bring in a sample of the fuel. Weingartz gave me a jar of the fuel from the tank of one of the 660s. The people at Royal Purple tested the oil and told me that it was actually more like 20 to 1 but thought that in the handling and transport, some gas may have evaporated. The rep said that the oil was indeed their synthetic oil and that it passed all of their tests. I wanted to know if they were willing to pay for all the damage to my saws. The rep at Royal Purple told me no, the oil met their specifications and so they would not pay for any damage. He did tell me that the oil was the right type for air cooled chain saws and that he had used it extensively in his weed whipper with no trouble. I asked if I had to sue to get satisfaction. He then said that once a law suit was discussed, end of discussion, I would need to talk to their attorney. Since getting the saws back, I have extensively used all of them with no trouble using the Stihl brand oil and cutting big oaks and ash trees. I no longer buy anything from Royal Purple, even though I was buying by the drum at work.

 

[vsteel]

The people at Royal Purple tested the oil and told me that it was actually more like 20 to 1 but thought that in the handling and transport, some gas may have evaporated.

Are you running the current Sthil oil at 20:1? Did you adjust the carb to run 20:1? If you didn't adjust the carb I would guess the problem with the saws was they were running to lean.

 

[cfjulian]

I readjusted the carb with the Royal Purple oil on the 660s. The 260 was adjusted by Weingartz when I had it tuned up, with the Royal Purple in the tank. When I switched to the Stihl oil, I again readjusted the carbs and use 50 to 1 oil. The dealer stated that they should be able to run on 50 to 1 with no problem. I had gone to the 25 to 1 mix when the Homelite burned up. I could tell it was running hot even though I was using premium gas and had tuned it up. I thought that the oil seemed thinner than I was used to.

 

[mjfox6]

You buy $1000-$1700 chainsaws and run them with the incorrect mix ratio?

I'd love to try out that 880. The 660 is a beast, I can't imagine that thing!

 

[cfjulian]

The 660's are nice but I end up using the 880 more than the 660's because lately, I have been cutting big hardwood logs. The ones in the river are hardest to cut. The water really bogs down even the largest saws. I have thought that something bigger than the 880 would be nice. They are rough on the shoulders after an hour or so though.

 

[mjfox6]

Ever try a carbide-tipped chain?

Wait, when you say "in" the river, does that mean you are cutting them while they are floating in the water?

 

[schmism]

bigger than 880.... hmmm better start saving for an old 090.

i run 32:1 mix 4oz to 1 gal fuel. i tune carbs to that. No issues.

If the saw is screamin it will cut nice, for about 30min till you burn it up.