[AT] OT: McCulloch Chainsaw

[Larry D Goss]

Amen, Farmer, AMEN!  I now have a shop built on the site where you parked 
your trailer and the WUV when we first met years ago.  I CAN repair almost 
anything I need to, but even though I'm "retired" I have to figure that my 
time is worth something.  The commercial repair shops in town are now 
charging $65 an hour for their time.  I don't charge my customers anywhere 
close to that, but they still want to bring things to me for repair that it 
makes no sense to put the time into.  If a customer wants something fixed 
for sentimental reasons, I'll do it, but I'm to the point that I'll replace 
a carburetor before I'll take the time to clean the gunk out of it.  Even on 
the expensive trimmers and chain saws, a brand new carburetor only costs 
about the same as an hour's labor and takes less than 10 minutes to install. 
When it comes to failed ignition, the parts often cost more than the value 
of a brand new product.  I recommend to customers that they simply buy a new 
one.

That philosophy can come back to bite you sometimes.  I thought I had a 
reconditioned Power King with a 60-inch deck sold to a customer last month, 
but the elderly gentleman wanted to "talk to his kids" first.  A couple of 
days later, he called and informed me that his boys had pooled their 
resources and bought him a brand new ZTR.  They spent better than three 
times as much as I was asking for the Power King, but the "boys" were happy.

Which reminds me, I've got to look up the availability of parts for a 
Troy-Bilt sickle bar mower for Cecil.  When you have a unit that is as 
unique as that one is, it's worthwhile to look for the OEM parts so it 
continues to work like it's supposed to.

Larry

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Francis Robinson" <robinson at svs.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 2:24 AM
Subject: Re: [AT] OT: McCulloch Chainsaw


>    Hi David:
>
>    Those coils can and do fail but it is not the more common failing of
> those ignitions. Be sure that you disconnect the grounding (short out) 
> wire
> from the kill switch to be sure that the switch or a bad wire is not
> grounding out the spark.
>    Also check that the crankshaft bearings are not worn enough to allow 
> the
> points setting to change as you try to start it. Grab the crank by both 
> ends
> and shake it to see if it is loose enough for your shaking it to make the
> points open or close just from bearing slop.
>    You can test the ignition also using a cheapie .98 cent two lead neon
> test light like you use to test an outlet. Try connecting it to the coil
> where the spark plug wire takes off to be sure that that wire has not
> failed. Those little neon lights only need something like 60 or 70 volts 
> to
> fire them but will take 50,000 volts no sweat. Neon test lights are
> generally used to test high out-put electric fences.
>    If all else fails buy a coil...   :-)
>
>    BTW, I have used chainsaws for many many years and once got another
> couple of more years out of one by installing one of the little electronic
> ignition modules after I found that the crank bearings were badly worn and
> was having trouble finding a set. In these days of much cheaper saws I 
> just
> intend to keep my saws replaced regularly even if they don't accumulate 
> many
> hours. I can sell a clean two year old saw for well over half of new price
> and I seldom even change a spark plug except when selling the saw. I may
> wear out a couple of chains and maybe even a bar but I always have a new
> engine, new safety equipment (chain brakes etc.) and never an old tired 
> fuel
> syatem that can fail at just the wrong time. I did keep my last string
> trimmer too long and the fuel line fell apart. Gads, I hate working on
> string trimmers and chain saws. Most small engine shops have a trash 
> hopper
> full of string trimmers...   :-)   They are just too awkward and time
> consuming. Labor charges get too high too fast. They are generally fully
> repairable but it is silly to put $75 in repairing a $100 trimmer. I 
> bought
> a new one this year and "might" keep it two years. Three years is too 
> long.
> :-)
>
>
>
> --
> "farmer"
>
> Francis Robinson
> Central Indiana, USA
> robinson at svs.net
>
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