Install too much bar for your saw and you’ll overwork your saw or, worse yet, tear it up. But how much is too much? This article will give you the guidelines you need to make a wise decision about your chainsaw bar selection.

Around the Home Chainsaws

The typical “around the home” chainsaw is a lightweight, but versatile, saw that runs around the 40cc range. These are great saws for everything from keeping trees trimmed to cutting firewood for a cosy winter blaze.

A saw of this size will typically come with a 14-16” bar standard. It can handle anything up to a 20” bar but anything longer and the saw is just pulling through too much wood for that 40cc engine. I would also only suggest using a 20” bar on a 40cc saw if you plan on simple cross cutting. If you intend to rip anything, the saw will bog down if you’re using a 20” bar.

For anything smaller than a 40cc engine, a 20” bar is really too much.

Getting Serious

If you’re serious about your wood cutting, you probably own a saw that’s more in the 70-90cc range. For saws of this caliber, you can go as high as a 24” bar. A 24” inch bar will nicely handle trees 30” in diameter.

I’ve heard of guys using a 36” bar on a 70cc saw, but, again this will depend on the type of cutting you’re doing. If you strictly cross cut (and you keep your saw sharp), you might get away with it. However, if you feel the need for a 36” bar, I would also suggest you get a 90cc saw. It’s a lot more money up front, but you’ll probably save in repairs in the long run.

Chainsaw Bar Selection

Your chainsaw is like any piece of equipment you own. Work it extremely hard and it will need repairs or die earlier. However, if you’re reasonable about what your saw can handle, it will last you a long time.

This smaller Dolmar saw weighs in at 23.9 lbs, so it’s really easy to use. In fact, it’s the lightest in the 16” class. Despite it’s light weight, the PC-8140 has the best power to weight ratio.

The center of gravity on this saw is located just under the front handle. This gives the saw excellent balance. Couple that with the saw’s light weight and you can just about use the saw all day without breaking a sweat.

The PC-8140 has a high performance V-belt which contributes, in large part to the outstanding power to weight ratio. The belt transmits more power to the disc while causing minimal wear and tear. More power with less repairs. You’ve gotta  love that.

The saw also has an impressive dampening system drastically cutting vibrations. Again, this is just another feature that make this saw a great saw for home projects. You can work all weekend without the fatigue caused by constant vibration.

The PC-8140 has an eight liter pressurized water tank for dust control and cleaning up the saw is easy.

This is a little concrete saw with a lot of muscle. It’s great for home use and lightweight work around the job site.

Replacing a lawn mower electric starter is a rather simple procedure. Here’s how it’s done.

Locating the Starter

The electric starter for your lawn mower is located on the side of your machine. It’s usually hiding behind a dust cover and it’s about the size of a soda can.

Near one end of the starter, you’ll find the red power cable. When you’ve located the power cable you know you’re looking at the starter.

Remove the bolts on the dust cover and pull the dust cover off to completely expose the starter.

Replacing the Starter

The first thing you’ll want to remove when replacing your lawn mower’s starter is the cable. Loosen the nut that holds the cable on the post and pull the cable off. If the cable is caked with anything, now would be a good time to get a wire brush and scrub it clean.

Once the cable is removed, you’ll need to unbolt the starter itself. There are two bolts that hold the starter in place. Loosen and remove those bolts and the starter will come right out.

A starter can be rebuilt. If you have a rebuilt shop in your area you might want to consider taking the old starter in. However, the labor on a rebuild can make it worth it to spend the extra money and just buy a brand new lawn mower starter.

If you’re simply replacing your starter outright. You’ll simply bolt the new starter in place and tighten the cable back in place.

Fire It Up

Now that you’ve replaced your worn out starter with a brand new one, it’s time to take it outside and fire it up.

Signs of Belt Wear

Some signs of damage are obvious. A belt that’s lost chunks or is heavily frayed is in obvious need of replacement. Replace these immediately. A belt in this condition could snap and should be replaced.

Some signs are more subtle. Your belt may be cracked. Those cracks can remain hidden when the belt is still wrapped around the pulleys. Often you need to bend the belt backwards to see the cracks. However, these cracks can still fail suddenly.

Probably the most subtle of all the signs of belt wear is a stretched or loose belt. Belts that are stretched are inefficient. They can slip causing your fuel efficiency to drop. Switch these with new belts and you’ll burn less fuel over the course of the coming mowing season.

Belt Replacement

The belt on a power lawn mower wraps around a pulley on the drive shaft on one end and the other end is wrapped around the gear box that drives the wheels.

As always, when working on your mower, remove the plug wire from the spark plug. That way you know the mower won’t start while you repair it.

There may be a housing over the drive belt. You’ll need to remove this first. This will expose the belt.

Often, you can remove the belt without removing the blade. Start at the pulley on the gear box and work the belt over one side of the pulley. Then turn the pulley (and the belt) until it slips off the pulley completely. With the belt off the gear box pulley, you can remove the worn belt from the drive shaft pulley and slip it over the blade.

Install the new belt, bolt the housing back in place, reconnect your plug wire, and you’re ready to go.

Last fall we talked about storing your lawn mower for the winter, and much of that advice also holds true for your snowblower. However, snow blowers require some extra attention when it comes to storage.

Preparing the Engine

Make sure your snow blower’s engine is completely empty of fuel before putting it away for the season. You’ll want to add some fuel stabilizer first, then start the engine and let it run until it quits. The stabilizer will stabilize any small amounts of fuel that might be left in the tank, but it’s best to run it until it’s dry.

Pull the spark plug and inspect it. If it’s gummed up or corroded, replace it. Otherwise, check the gap to ensure the plug is properly gapped and reinstall the spark plug.

Next, check any filters to make sure they’re clean. If necessary, replace those now. That way, you won’t get caught with a snow blower that won’t start in the first snow storm of the season next year.

Finally, if you have a 4 cycle engine, change the oil. Fresh oil will keep your engine running for many years and help avoid costly repairs.

The Exterior

It’s a good idea to wipe down the entire exterior with a light layer of oil. That’ll keep rust from forming and keep your machine running and looking like new.

You’ll want to get a grease gun and grease the auger shaft. If you don’t have one on hand, they don’t cost too much, or you might be able to find a neighbor who would let you borrow one. Just snap the gun on the nipple located on the shaft and squeeze some fresh grease into the drive shaft.

Also, inspect exterior parts to see if they need replacing. Check the skid shoes and scraper bar for any wear, and inspect the belt(s). If any of these are worn down, replace them now.

Check your auger’s paddles. Don’t let these paddles wear down to the metal. If they’re wearing to the metal, get some new snowblower paddles. Order them now and you’ll have plenty of time to install them before next snow season.

Final Thoughts

You’ll want to store your snow blower in a dry place, but if your storage tends to get damp, you may want to prop the auger housing up on 2X4 boards to keep it high and dry. You should also throw a tarp, towel, or old bed sheet over the machine during storage. This will keep dust from gathering in the working parts of your snow blower.

Once you’re done properly preparing your snowblower for storage, you can rest assured that no matter when that first snow storm hits, you’ll be ready to fire up the snowblower and clear that snow away.

There are 3 areas you need to consider when mowing the lawn. They are as follows.

Protect Your Eyes

Medical technology has come a long way since the first time a person ever mowed a lawn. However, eye replacement surgery is not one of those advancements.

Taking care of your eyes is priority one when mowing lawn. They can’t be replaced, so take good care of them.

Get yourself a good pair of safety glasses and wear them every time you mow the lawn. We recommend wrap-around style glasses. They protect the sides better than simple side shields, and they just plain look cool too.

If you have prescription glasses and don’t want to drop another $200 for prescription safety glasses just for mowing the lawn, you can buy some side shields to mount on your existing prescription glasses. They’re in expensive and easy to remove when you’re finished with the lawn.

Protect Your Ears

Your hearing is another one of those “once it’s gone, it’s gone” things. You can’t repair damaged hearing, and the deceptive thing about hearing loss is that it isn’t sudden. It happens so slowly that you probably don’t even know it’s happening until it’s really bad.

Ear plugs are a really cheap form of hearing protection. They’re cheap enough that most industrial plants hand them out like candy, but they work well enough that they’re OSHA approved.

The main problem with ear plugs is that you have to keep replacing them. After squishing them down a couple times, they just don’t expand enough to block out noise properly and you need to replace them.

We recommend getting a good pair of ear muffs. They’ll last you season after season and save you money in the long run.

Protect Your Hands

While protecting your hands when mowing seems like overkill, lawn care can be brutal on your hands, especially in the early part of the season.

Those first couple times mowing in the new mowing season can rub some pretty nasty blisters on your hands. A lightweight pair of gloves will save you from blisters and also any lacerations you might get from picking up the clutter that accumulates in your lawn over the course of the winter.

Take Care of Yourself

Protect yourself and you’ll enjoy that nicely groomed lawn all the more.

We’re not going to get into all the details of an engine overhaul. Instead, there are a couple key things that people often miss when overhauling an engine that can cause you serious problems down the road and cost you more money in the long run. And, since we’re trying to save money here, I thought I’d save you the hassle by covering these keys to a money saving overhaul.

Address the Root Problem

Before you even start to overhaul your engine, you would be wise to give some thought to the root cause of the problems your saw is having.

For example, if you’re overhauling your saw’s engine because the cylinder is scoured, ask yourself how it got that way. Is the saw sucking in dirt and debris? Is your fuel mix wrong?

There’s little sense in overhauling your engine if you don’t address the problems that cause the damage in the first place.

Keep Your Work Area Immaculate

Unlike many repair jobs, an engine overhaul really needs to be done in an environment that’s immaculate. The slightest debris from your workbench on any one of these parts can cause you a lot of headache in the near future.

This would be a great opportunity to upgrade your wood top workbench by adding a sheet metal top to it. The metal top will give you a very clean surface to work with as you overhaul your concrete saw engine, but it will also be a great addition to your shop for future repairs. Once you’ve worked on a metal top, you’ll never want to go back to wood again.

Like Brand New

Now that we’ve addressed the root cause of your need to overhaul your concrete saw engine and have also ensured that the overhaul itself is as clean as possible, you’re ready to fire up that “brand new” saw.

The good news is that repairing a snowblower’s auger drive belt is a fairly simple procedure.

A Quick Investigation

Before doing too much tear-down, you’ll first want to find out whether your drive belts need to be replaced at all. For a quick inspection, remove the pulley cover. This will tell you immediately if your belts have just slipped off the pulley’s or are actually broken.

Even if you find the belts have simply slipped off the pulleys, this would be a good time to inspect them closely for any wearing or cracks. If the belts are damaged at all, you’ll probably want to replace them now since you’ve already started breaking down the snow blower.

Also, if your cover is cracked, this would be a good time to replace that as well.

Two Halves of a Snowblower

The next thing you’ll do is remove the bolts that hold the two halves of your snowblower together. When doing this, make sure you have something supporting the handles. Without the auger attached to the handlebars, that half of the snow blower will want to tip over that direction. Place a wheel barrow or something under the handles. That way when it tips that direction, the handles will come to rest on the wheel barrow.

You’ll now have access to completely remove the belt from your snowblower.

Installing the New Snowblower Belt

Installation is basically the reverse of removal. The thing you’ll want to be certain of when installing the new belt is that the belt is tucked inside the tension pulley properly and aligned with the drive pulley correctly. Some snow blowers will have a guide bolt that keeps the belt on the pulley. This will need to be removed so you can insert the new belt.

Once the new snow blower belt is installed, you’ll be ready to put the two halves of the snowblower back together. This can be a bit tricky if you’re working by yourself, so I suggest you find a friend to help you put your snow blower back together. That way you’ll have twice as many hands, and half as much frustration.

Keep Spare Snow Blower Belts Handy

Your snow blower is ready to start throwing snow again. However, you never know when you’re going to hit some heavy snow and break another belt. So, you’ll probably want another set of belts on hand. Just hang them on a hook on your garage wall and you’ll be ready for your next snow blower belt repair.

Discount Online Parts Facebook Page

Happy New Year everyone! I hope your new year is productive, fun, and filled with great memories. I wanted to do a little something different for our end-of-year post. For this post, I want to invite you to our Facebook community. It’s a great place to chat with other people who do their own repairs. Plus, we offer exclusive deals to our Facebook community that no one else gets.

Power Equipment Repair Q & A

Our wall is open, go ahead and post a question and we’d be happy to answer it for you. The really nice thing about posting your question on our Facebook page is that there are lots and lots of people who do both hobby and professional repair on our fan page. That’s a ton of experience to draw from. If anyone can answer your question, the folks on the DOP Facebook page can.

Share Your Experiences

If you’ve overcome some obstacle in your repair attempts or have discovered a neat tip or trick to make repairs easier, post it on our page. We love making repair less of a headache and your tips might just be the thing to make someone’s life easier.

Get Exclusive Deals

We want our relationship with our customers to go beyond an exchange of parts for money. We want to get to know you more and find out how we can help you even better. That’s why our Facebook page is so important to us.

In exchange for liking our page and getting involved in the community, we regularly offer special pricing and discounts you can’t get anywhere else. Have a friend who’s doing some repair? Tell them about our Facebook page and they can get a great deal on the parts they need for their repair.

Leave a Great Review

If you’ve had a great experience with DOP, we would really appreciate it if you post a short review. We’re always striving to make our customers’ experience a great one and we’d love to know how we’ve done that for you so we can do more of it.

Come on over and “like” us now.

Decompression Valve Repair

If your concrete saw is bogging down, the problem may be a leaky decompression valve.

Decompression Valve Problems

Heavy cutting is going to make your saw work harder. That’s a given. However, if your saw is bogging down to the point that it just isn’t able to cut properly under the heavy workload, you might have a leaky decompression valve on your hands.

Much like your spark plug, the decompression valve is exposed on the inside of the combustion chamber. We’ve discussed these issues with regards to chainsaw tune up, and the same issues apply to the decompression valve. They can have carbon build-up or be caked with oil, just like a spark plug gets. And, all that build up can interfere with their ability to close, which causes leaks.

Decompression Valve Clean Up and Maintenance

Much like a spark plug, the decompression valve is simply removed with a deep-well socket or a wrench. Remove the housing and unscrew the valve.

Unlike a spark plug, which simply must be replaced when it accumulates build-up or gets corroded, your decompression valve can be cleaned. Soak it for 15 to 20 minutes in gasoline, or spray it down with some WD-40 and let it sit.

Then, use an old tooth brush to scrub the caked on stuff off the valve. Make sure there is no build-up interfering with the valve’s ability to close.

Reinstall the valve and see if it functions better under heavy cutting conditions.

Replacing a Decompression Valve

If the saw is still giving you problems, you may need to simply replace the decompression valve. Your valve might be too worn or corroded to seal properly any more and you may have no other alternative but to replace it.

The good news is, a decompression valve is an inexpensive part. So, replacing it won’t hurt your pocket book too much.

Keeping Ahead of the Game

I would highly suggest you at least give some thought to checking your decompression valve every time you check your spark plug. You should be checking your spark plug as a part of your regular maintenance on your saw. If your spark plug has a good deal of build-up, it’s likely that your decompression valve also has a good amount of build-up and needs some attention.

As with anything, regular maintenance is the best policy, but it’s nice to know that replacement of your decompression valve is a really simple procedure if it becomes necessary.