LEMONS!

[scoutcub]

I do work for 3 guys who do lawn and garden type care. Mainly own mowing business but also have equipment ranging from mowers, saws, dump trucks, diesel pickups, BobCats, Bull Dozer, Back Hoe, ect. Anyway, they run nothing but Stihl but are done with them.

The Stihl stuff of the last 4 years or so is nothing compared to the older stuff. Pressed parts instead of bolts and studs, cheap plastics, ect. One guy has a Poulan Pro that has outlasted his last Stihl saw. They are all going Husky or Efco. The new Efco stuff is not cheap but is about 1/3 the weight and more HP per saw.

Chris

I've been very lucky in the tractor and vehicle depts, no real lemons.
However, this past spring when my no-name weedwhipper of 15 years quit, and I was gone, the wife was coerced by the BIL (who loves to spend my money) to buy a new Stihl weedwhipper. Once I got home I looked it over with a frown, and decided to give it a run. First of all it wouldn't start, then some kind of compression release was kicking in and out, then once I finally got it running I ran out of line 1/2 way thru my job....what kind of alien scientist mind designed the refill, cause I couldn't figure it out. Probably the same mind who designed the gas cap, cause after it ran out of fuel it took me 20 minutes to put the cap back on with this screwy twist lock system that keeps getting stuck halfway to lock???
Granted maybe I should have looked at the owners manual first, but c'mon.....a weedwhipper????
The cherry on top......this thing cost over 300 bucks..... :thumbdown::shocked: !!!!!

Now the wife says she will never buy anything without me again cause i always give her grief about the stihl.....

 

[Dargo]

That shows that any company can have bad units. I probably have 10-12 different Stihl products and I've never had any fail, ever. My oldest Stihl trimmer was bought at auction from our county highway department at auction. They only dump their stuff when they feel it's worn out. That was back when I had a mowing business and used it every day for hours just like they did. It still runs just fine to this day. It was one of the first FS108 models made.

I was hesitant to buy their new 4 cycle stuff that runs on pre-mix, but it's been great. I toasted a different pole trimmer (little chain saw on a pole) before I bought my Stihl. It too was a 4 cycle, but a normal 4 cycle. I never thought about the angles I'd hold it when using it and roasted it by running it sideways. With the Stihl, that isn't an issue. You do have to follow the starting instructions on all the new Stihl 4 cycle stuff when starting them or they seem hard to start. However, if you do what it says on the label, I've never had any starting issues at all, and I have at least 5 of their 4 strokes.

 

[PA hayseed]

I own a troy built rear tine tiller, I use it after i have my plants in for between the rows (I use the 6' to get the whole garden first). Troy built was bought out a couple of years ago, and since that time their products have taken a turn for the worse...
Looked it up, MTD bought them out. MTD Corporate :: About MTD Products

The MTD family of brands includes Cub Cadet, Cub Cadet Commercial, Cub Cadet Yanmar, Troy-Bilt, White Outdoor, Yard-Man, Yard Machines, Bolens, Arnold, GardenWay, MTD Pro and MTD Gold. MTD products can be found in all channels of distribution such as home improvement stores, hardware stores, mass retailers, independent dealers and farm supply stores.

 

[PA hayseed]

GM's bond holders and the U.S. Gov determined what would happen with the old common shares. China may only own "x%" of the stock, but I wonder how much preferred or bonds they hold.

My first chey was a cavalier, beat it unmercifully, 6 years later I sold it to someone else who put another 60k on it before it died. I put about 150k on it. Not bad for a 13k car new. Can't say I have had the same experience with my chevy trucks. My first S10 I put about 140k on it before i traded it in. The second one had about 140k on it before I traded it in too. The first 1500 I had found a deer in the middle of the road at about 65 mph and didn't run right after that. My current 2500 isn't the best truck I have ever owned and likely won't buy one again.

I have my own issues with GM after they bailed on the common shares. Thank goodness I was more invested in Ford at the time.

 

[Builder]

I thought China bought the rolling blow job called Hummer to get a foot into the USA market for their crappy cars.

The Chinese bought Volvo after Ford sucked them dry and spit them out.

China’s Geely to Buy Ford’s Volvo in Record Deal (Update1) - BusinessWeek

I bet you everyone on this website owns 100 American branded items in their house that are either made in China or part chinese owned.

Some guys here think Chinese stuff is the best made stuff in the world. I recall a post where a guy said his Jinma tractor was better than all the comparable size tractors made by all the major name brands.

I forget who said that though.........

 

[mjncad]

I knew the Chinese bought Volvo, which pissed me off. But I also thought they bought Hummer, or did that deal fall through leaving Hummer to go limp?

Didn't India's Tata or Mahindra buy Jaguar?

 

[BethesdaEC]

I knew the Chinese bought Volvo, which pissed me off. But I also thought they bought Hummer, or did that deal fall through leaving Hummer to go limp?

Didn't India's Tata or Mahindra buy Jaguar?

China's Geely bought Volvo, and India's Tata bought JLR Jaguar/Land Rover. These three brands were the brands that comprised Ford's Premier Auto Group PAG which has been completely disassembled. They were great trophies, but honestly they were bleeding Ford. Alan Mulally moves to turn around Ford have been brilliant, he has taken Ford from a daily fleet queen to a manufacture who can demand a premium without the heavy reliance on rebates that have heavily driven the US industry in the past. In the last two years or so, Ford's market shares has risen about 2%, partly due to quality and product line and also due to huge quality drops of Toyota and the sheer ugliness of the Honda line up.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Woodpile:

Only thing I buy from Husqvarna is their chain saws. I'm on my third saw from them. First one had a bad block casting and blew the piston after an hour's use. Apparently it was a well known problem. They replaced it, no questions asked, which put them in good light with me.

The second saw worked perfectly for a year until I dropped a 50 foot pine on top of it. I'd been cutting and pinched the blade, trapping it in the tree. Took a wedge and a hammer to the cut to break the tree loose. Tree started down, released the chainsaw, which promptly rolled down the stump and under the falling tree. Go ahead and laugh. Expensive way to learn to unbolt the engine from the blade before proceeding to release it.

Third saw has lasted 5 years and still goign strong with nothing but regular cleaning, and making sure the fluid levels are topped up.

 

[Joe H]

Husky isn't all it seems either. I have one that stripped the gear that drives the oil pump. Cheesey plastic gear. Also have a Poulon wildthing I think with the same gear and an old crapsman someone gave me for parts same gear.

When I had the Husky apart I tried all the pieces from the other saws. Cases fit, make 3 multi-colored saws with all the Chinees bits. S

So your Husky may not be what you think it is.

Also have an 034AV Stihl that always runs, and a smaller Stihl that always runs.

Joe H

 

[Dargo]

The Chinese bought Volvo after Ford sucked them dry and spit them out.

China’s Geely to Buy Ford’s Volvo in Record Deal (Update1) - BusinessWeek

I bet you everyone on this website owns 100 American branded items in their house that are either made in China or part chinese owned.

Some guys here think Chinese stuff is the best made stuff in the world. I recall a post where a guy said his Jinma tractor was better than all the comparable size tractors made by all the major name brands.

I forget who said that though.........

I don't think I'd offend you if I said I wouldn't want a Volvo. One of my best friends owns a Volvo dealership and I was looking to buy a S80 from him and he had me buy an Acura TL from him instead. I'll say I think the Volvo looked really cool, but in 2 years and 65k miles, the Acura has been perfect.