problem with M3414 chainsaw

[bt3]

Excellent thread. The best info I have read on chainsaws here. Do not stop, gentlemen. Please respond to specific problems in the forum.

Thanks. Yes, we have a great group here, and luckily, not too many trolls flaming for the sake of throwing insults around. We are here to help and share what we have learned.

I love talking Chainsaws as apart from my mower work, I use my saw the most because of my heavily wooded lots that are now in the midst of old aging trees that need constant trimming if not felling. With the two Titans Stihl and Husqvarna tipping the heavyweight championship both ways, it's a very interesting debate. Truly, I really do wonder what would have happened if Homelite had been managed differently and they had remained true to their original vision of amazing, reliable and stellar trimmers and saws and had avoided being sold and gutted. I suspect they would be another titan today. Alas, it is not to be. At least we have two great saws to choose from for the homeowner. Some would argue that there are more than two and that's fine. If the saw runs great for you and does the job, that's what's important. I CAN remember when McCulloch was considered a Titan in the Chainsaw world. They still may be to some.

 

[bertsmobile1]

People are the problem.
Indian used to make the worlds best motorcycle in the 20' & 30's
A HD is what you bought if you could not afford an Indian.
HD survived, Indian didn't.
HD is now Amercia's only mass motorcycle manufacturer and Indian is a name used to market stuff to people who do not know any better.

I use this little story all the time to explain this reluctance of the market to understand & purchase good quality ans as such the reluctance of companies to make high quality goods.

There were two very famous Henry's in automotive history and both of them started companies that still exist ( in name at least ) today bearing their family name.
One made the best vehicles possible, testing them to failure, then improving the part that failed and testing again.
He scoured the entire world to find the best most reliable components to put in his cars then spent years making them even better
His cars were so good they carried a lifetime warrantee that carried on from the original purchaser to their next direct generation.

The other also tested his cars till the first major part failed, then downgraded every thing else so it would fail around the same time.
His vehicles we so bad they just held together long enough to pass a limited time / mileage period.
In fact his first big offering was so badly made it gained mythical status due to the myriad of ingenious improvisied repairs carried out to keep them on the road.
He scoured the planet always looking for the cheapest part that was just barely good enough to do the job

One man was so successful that he and his family for several generations were amongst the wealthiest people in the world.
The other man died in relative obscurity with barely enough to cover the cost of his funeral despite the fact that his vehicles adorned nearly every palace in the world.

One mans name was Royce, the other Ford guess which descriptions go with the names.

 

[d_sharier]

Bt3, Your Snapper story belongs in the "highlight reel". It was my experience that the first year of marriage is hell anyway, it would have been a good time for me to sneak something like that in. LOL. As far as Homelite goes, man they made some great saws. I still actively search for the old Super XL's ( blue and the red ones) and some of the older models. The Super XL's were some bad XXX saws. Easy to work on, tons of power, and bullet proof. I don't know why Homelite didn't jump on the AV train early enough. That was the downside to some of the bigger units. Cut with a SXLAO for a few hours and it becomes difficult to eat dinner that evening. Arms still vibrating . LOL. Now they have went the way of McCulloch, Jonsered, Troy-Bilt, Cub, Bolens, most of the old titans. It is sad that the founders of these companies built a name and reputation that meant something, only to be sold out to the highest bidder that rapes the name into bankruptcy making as much profit as they can along the way. I can't tell you how many times I have heard "Man!, My grandpa's Cub is still going strong and he bought it before I was born, What do you mean mine is scrap?"


bertsmobile1, Kudos on one of the best analogies I have heard to date. :thumbsup: People are the problem. When I say things like that people take offense to it. My response is, if you are offended by that statement, you fall into the problem category. It has been my experience that (generally speaking) people only want the best possible outcome, requiring the least possible amount of effort, without having to educate themselves, and most importantly " the cheapest price possible" It is all a scam. Engineering and quality are no longer a factor in business. It is all marketing. Marketing is the big section in the 'pie charts" these days. I see it all of the time, flat out lies about products, complete misrepresentations that go unchecked. It is like people get hypnotized by these flashy lights and catchy buzz words and pay absolutely no attention the the only thing that is tangible, the product. In this industry my favorite is "Commercial Grade" Most people read statements like that and give zero thought to what it is actually saying. They say "commercial grade" great it is a commercial unit!!!!Gotta get me one!!. Paying no attention to the fact that labeling something with those words actually states "This is not a commercial unit, but it is commercial grade" I see it all over this industry, companies label things like this to grab the attention of the "low-information crowd" The worst part is, these companies get your money one way or the other. They do a really good job of playing off people's need for instant gratification. "I gotta have cheap" so I'll buy this $120 throw-away saw and replace it every 2 seasons, instead of spending $400 or $500 on one that will last 15 or 20 years. I am a huge Lawn-Boy fan. I had a few guys ask me what I thought about these new "Saber Edge" mowers that feature a LB cloned deck. It falls into this very category. I wrote my 2 cents on the topic in another thread on this forum. I remember being taught (when I was a kid, only 33 now so not long ago) that our country was built on innovation, new ideas, and quality. It seems now people as a whole are only concerned with their immediate need, in their immediate time. This type of think only offer regression, not progression. It is sad, but now I am getting political so I am going to end my incoherent babbling and finish my coffee.

Good day gentleman

 

[motoman]

Well...some forums have a "front porch" section for philosophical discussions . Anyway the intents are good. We await , I believe, the day when manufacturing slowly creeps back into the US (Australia?). The Chinese worker is slowly pushing his wage up and driving stuff to Vietnam and India. I like some Japanese cars. Yesterday I heard China will export cars to the US big time in about 5 years, but sales here are something else. Cut Indian some slack . Their newest owners have produced some good stuff recently. The new Scout is really pretty impressive. I really like the direct side view (but that's the only view). In the market for a lathe and fearful of good ole US stuff (WWII) I am sifting the Asian brands. The mainline China units come with sand in the gears and are a kit, but do work. Taiwan stuff is better. Keep up this dialogue. It helps educate younger readers.Cheers.:laughing:

 

[bertsmobile1]

Getting way off topic, but once an industry has closed down it is almost impossible to restart it.
go to the stock market and say "I want to raise $3, billion to buy some land, build a factory to make better quality chain saws" and see how far you get.
You can substitute Chain saw for any manufactured item.
Go to the stock market and say "I want to raise $ 300, billion to trade synthetic futures " and you will be drowning in cash.

Any company that announces it will be upgrading its factory to make more product , at a higher quality and thus a much greater profit will instantly have the hedge funs short sell it into oblivion after which the corperate raider will walk in and make a killing liquidating the companies assets.
If Briggs announced tomorrow thta it was going to close every plant in the USA, Mexico, Canada& Brazil and move all it's manufaturing to China it's share price would skyrocket

That is the way unbridaled capitalism works.
Now the UK got away with it by becomming the worlds bankers, but the US won't.
The only thing that keeps the US afloat at the moment is most of the worlds oil futures are traded through US Futures markets thus the world needs US $.
The econd that stops happening your $ will drop like a stone and the US will be bankrupt.
This is the real reason why the US went into Iraq.
Saddam Husain had transferred all of Iraqu's oil futures to the Frankfurt Futures exchange in response to the tightening of sanctions
OZ will do OK till all the holes in the ground are depleted , then we will be in worse state as ther is no reason for Australia to exist in world views.
But the Land of the Free & the home of the brave is going to be in deep doggie dun it