Local Stihl dealer closing

[Spike60]

So after 25 years of having a Stihl dealer 1/4 mile away, they are closing this weekend. They are moving the saw business to their Contractor Tool supply place in another town 25 miles away. All 3 of the folks who work there will still have jobs at the other location, so it all ends well. Except for a lot of the local folks who don't want to drive there. We aren't considering Stihl or taking the stuff in for repair, which all really falls under the heading of not needing anything more on our plate at this point. No parts, no experience, no special tools, and I just don't want more to do.

But folks are already coming in for things as that store is pretty much packed up and there's nothing there. All kinds of little things will be driving people nuts. Simple stuff like trimmer head parts, that we aren't going to have. Our approach is primarily going to be, "Hey, we're still here doing what we've always done, but we're not in a position to work on Stihl products." Honestly, I wouldn't even say we're qualified to service that stuff and still live up to our reputation.

On the saw side, I thought I'd invest in some bars and chains to fit the Stihls, but I'm not all that up to speed with that and I'd like some of my Stihl friends here to give me a little education. I know the standard 3/8 20 and 24 inch loops are the same DL as Husky, and usually in .050. 18" is 66 DL, but I don't think they are very common. The .325 gets me confused. I know the deal with the 67, 74, and 81 DL loops, but is that stuff pretty much all .063 or .050? What are they generally sold with?

The 3/8 LP stuff is similar. I have 50 and 55 DL loops in .050, but how many of their little saws go out the door with .043 chains on them? I'm not looking to have everything, just the top 5-10 loops and see where it goes.

What about spark plugs? Do many saws use something besides the basic BPMR7A? They use any little CMR plugs like the 550/562? Ya know 98% of the people coming in asking for a plug won't know what they need. I'm not going to stock any of the 4-mix plugs or whatever the cut off saws might use. Speaking of 4-mix; do those things require a special oil, or will the Husky XP oil be OK? Don't want to burn up somebody's machine cause I sold them the wrong oil. LOL

Thanks for any help guys...…….

 

[Czed]

.325 .63 gauge is what all my stihl branded 16 18 20 inch bars are.
They were oem on the 261 390
And other's
Very common on steals

 

[Czed]

.50 gauge 84dl on 461s
I've seen.

 

[Ryan Browne]

At least around here, every Stihl .325 setup is .063. I don't think you can buy .325 .050 bars from Stihl in the US, though you can get chain in that size from them. They put .325 on a lot of saws, probably most saws up to a 291. 3/8lp is mostly .050 I think except pole saws and little stuff like the 150 and probably 193.

 

[Czed]

Make sure you charge 30.00
Plus tax
Per each 72dl .50 gauge lol
Local dealer
And be out of stock

 

[Jon1212]

Bob,

I see your approach to all of this to be completely upfront, professional, and totally understandable. Which is very indicative of who you are, so, well done.

As for the bars and chains.

The .325 stuff that comes with a new saw is .063, 67, 74, 81 are the most common. 68dl's are fitted to the new 250 and 251 saws with a 3005 18".

The 3/8P 043 (61PMM3) in 55dl is what Stihl provides with the 170, 171, 180, 181 saws.

 

[paragonbuilder]

@treemonkey
@Cobby08
@fordf150

 

[Spike60]

All good info guys, and much appreciated.

Looks like I've already got some of the common loops covered. I have those .325 loops in .063.

Thanks Jon for the tip on the 55DL .043, cause there are a lot of those 170/180 saws out there!

 

[Czed]

All good info guys, and much appreciated.

Looks like I've already got some of the common loops covered. I have those .325 loops in .063.

Thanks Jon for the tip on the 55DL .043, cause there are a lot of those 170/180 saws out there!

.25 apiece
The only reason i stop at the stihl dealer
if you grind the square shoulder off
It's a husky tuner

 

[ABarrick]

As for the 4mix oil, Stihl really promotes the Ultra for those engines. I personally do use it, and have for years. I've never had a problem with any of my 4mix stuff and it does seem to burn clean in them. (I've never had a problem with ultra in my 2t stuff either for that matter despite the opinion of it on here) It is a full synthetic vs the XP oil which is a blend. I would bet any quality full synthetic would be fine but I have no proof to back that up.

 

[Spike60]

Thanks for the oil info!

I'm going to keep my mouth shut on oil for the 4-mix units until I know what the heck I'm talking about. Husky has 2 oils, HP and XP. The XP has the JASO FD rating, so it's as good as it gets. But does Stihl have 3 oils, with only one of them recommended for the 4-mix products, which is the Ultra that you mentioned?

 

[Czed]

Thanks for the oil info!

I'm going to keep my mouth shut on oil for the 4-mix units until I know what the heck I'm talking about. Husky has 2 oils, HP and XP. The XP has the JASO FD rating, so it's as good as it gets. But does Stihl have 3 oils, with only one of them recommended for the 4-mix products, which is the Ultra that you mentioned?

You haven't lived until you
Work on 4 mix trimmers/brushcutters lol

 

[Spike60]

Don't worry, it ain't gonna happen.

 

[Czed]

Don't worry, it ain't gonna happen.

Snob

 

[Stump Shot]

My BR600 back pack blower runs just fine on XP oil. Never had a drop of Stihl oil in it ever, even the commercial user I got it from used anything else but Stihl.

 

[Stump Shot]

I would also consider selling an aftermarket version of the HD/HD2 air filter common to the larger pro line. This as an olive branch to the professionals in the area. This will go a long way with some folks and they will remember that. Just a thought.

 

[Spike60]

I would also consider selling an aftermarket version of the HD/HD2 air filter common to the larger pro line. This as an olive branch to the professionals in the area. This will go a long way with some folks and they will remember that. Just a thought.

Steve; we were talking about the AM parts options just this morning. I agree with the "olive branch" concept. Think we ought to have some fuel filters also. Just some of the over-the-counter things that people will buy for their own maintenance. Simple stuff like bar nuts.

 

[Simondo]

So after 25 years of having a Stihl dealer 1/4 mile away, they are closing this weekend. They are moving the saw business to their Contractor Tool supply place in another town 25 miles away. All 3 of the folks who work there will still have jobs at the other location, so it all ends well. Except for a lot of the local folks who don't want to drive there. We aren't considering Stihl or taking the stuff in for repair, which all really falls under the heading of not needing anything more on our plate at this point. No parts, no experience, no special tools, and I just don't want more to do.

But folks are already coming in for things as that store is pretty much packed up and there's nothing there. All kinds of little things will be driving people nuts. Simple stuff like trimmer head parts, that we aren't going to have. Our approach is primarily going to be, "Hey, we're still here doing what we've always done, but we're not in a position to work on Stihl products." Honestly, I wouldn't even say we're qualified to service that stuff and still live up to our reputation.

On the saw side, I thought I'd invest in some bars and chains to fit the Stihls, but I'm not all that up to speed with that and I'd like some of my Stihl friends here to give me a little education. I know the standard 3/8 20 and 24 inch loops are the same DL as Husky, and usually in .050. 18" is 66 DL, but I don't think they are very common. The .325 gets me confused. I know the deal with the 67, 74, and 81 DL loops, but is that stuff pretty much all .063 or .050? What are they generally sold with?

The 3/8 LP stuff is similar. I have 50 and 55 DL loops in .050, but how many of their little saws go out the door with .043 chains on them? I'm not looking to have everything, just the top 5-10 loops and see where it goes.

What about spark plugs? Do many saws use something besides the basic BPMR7A? They use any little CMR plugs like the 550/562? Ya know 98% of the people coming in asking for a plug won't know what they need. I'm not going to stock any of the 4-mix plugs or whatever the cut off saws might use. Speaking of 4-mix; do those things require a special oil, or will the Husky XP oil be OK? Don't want to burn up somebody's machine cause I sold them the wrong oil. LOL

Thanks for any help guys...…….

@Spike60
The 171 181 and 211 use the CMR6H plug if you use the NGK sort (strat engine).. 170 ,180...(older design cylinder) BPMR7A

 

[Stump Shot]

Steve; we were talking about the AM parts options just this morning. I agree with the "olive branch" concept. Think we ought to have some fuel filters also. Just some of the over-the-counter things that people will buy for their own maintenance. Simple stuff like bar nuts.

Cause let's face it, Stihl filters get dirty fast.

 

[PA Dan]

Steve; we were talking about the AM parts options just this morning. I agree with the "olive branch" concept. Think we ought to have some fuel filters also. Just some of the over-the-counter things that people will buy for their own maintenance. Simple stuff like bar nuts.

Great ideas Bob and will probably go a long way with your locals! You will probably even sway some over to the dark side![emoji33][emoji23]