High Quality Chainsaw Bars Husqvarna Toys

how about a Oklahoma,AR,MO,KS,TX,+IA GTG thread?

KS Plainsman

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I started a second post on Wednesday, stopped mid post and deleted it, then just edited my first post. For some reason, even though I delete it, if I don't go back and delete it again before I make another post, it shows up like it did in your post @BrettL. I didn't even notice until you quoted my post. :)

Anyways, what do you mean "sold out their ma and pop shops"? By sending 461's to big box stores, or did I miss something else? I only deal with 1 Stihl place and like most chainsaw dealers out here, it's in a tractor and implement dealer.
 

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Jason, good reviews from 2 of my coworkers and friend. All 3 of them are Very happy with there performance.

@KS Plainsman in regards to Stihl:

I will freely admit to having been a long time Stihl user and fanboy but what they have done corporate
wide is sickening to me.

I have 3 Stihl dealers near me, 1) is 0.9 miles from my house. 2) 1.2 miles 3) 3.7 miles

None of them worth a *s-word as far as Stihl service or parts availability.

But they have plenty of New saws to sell you!

They must have taken their business plan from John Deere, control and saturate.
Squeeze out any small private franchise owners by using corporate policy followed by
"Sorry I have no control over this, it's coming down from above"

*f-wording frustrating!!

Ok back to my pizza and beer.
 

BrettL

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I started a second post on Wednesday, stopped mid post and deleted it, then just edited my first post. For some reason, even though I delete it, if I don't go back and delete it again before I make another post, it shows up like it did in your post @BrettL. I didn't even notice until you quoted my post. :)

Anyways, what do you mean "sold out their ma and pop shops"? By sending 461's to big box stores, or did I miss something else? I only deal with 1 Stihl place and like most chainsaw dealers out here, it's in a tractor and implement dealer.

We've been very fortunate in the Wichita area. I can think of 4 Stihl dealers off the top of my head that service what they sell. The last few years however, Stihl has started letting Ace Hardware, a large chain, sell Stihl products. Same with Northern Tool. On a good day, theres an outside chance that somebody from Ace could put a chain on(probably backwards).lol When I was at Northern Tool, I saw the 362 and 461. I would hope that anyone that spends that kind of money would ask about service after the sale.

I cant say firsthand how well any of the local pro shops handle their service departments. I've never had reason to take a saw in because I've never had a major issue with my Stihls. If/when I do, I'll fit it myself. Of the 4 saws I've bought new, none have needed warranty.
 

KS Plainsman

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Jason, good reviews from 2 of my coworkers and friend. All 3 of them are Very happy with there performance.

@KS Plainsman in regards to Stihl:

I will freely admit to having been a long time Stihl user and fanboy but what they have done corporate
wide is sickening to me.

I have 3 Stihl dealers near me, 1) is 0.9 miles from my house. 2) 1.2 miles 3) 3.7 miles

None of them worth a *s-word as far as Stihl service or parts availability.

But they have plenty of New saws to sell you!

They must have taken their business plan from John Deere, control and saturate.
Squeeze out any small private franchise owners by using corporate policy followed by
"Sorry I have no control over this, it's coming down from above"

*frenching frustrating!!

Ok back to my pizza and beer.

Ah, I see. I admit, until 2 years ago, I used nothing but old McCulloch's and the only reason I bought new Stihl's, was because I wanted to start getting into tree removal's and needed bigger saws. Also, my dealer sounds about like what you mentioned, he never really has a "why" answer on things I ask, just "I'm not real sure", or "that's what my Rep told me".

Like one thing that was stupid to me, when I bought my 461's was, he couldn't get them with a wrap handle bar, even though it was listed on my dealer's portion of the Stihl site. He said "No, my Rep told me they don't have wrap versions of the 461 and neither of us are sure why they are listed on our site I can't even order them with it either". Even though I told him other people can get them, like out west and they were on Ebay as well, but for some reason, they had no answer.

That dealership I bought those from is definitely only interested in selling saws, because any question I have for him, he never seems to know, so I come here to find my answer and then inform him. For instance, he didn't know the difference between full chisel and semi chisel chain, when I bought my saws. He had no idea the difference. No joke.

After that, I bought my 2 660's from somewhere else online and skipped dealing with them the next 2 times.

I figured it was just because selling Stihl equipment is just an extra thing for them. They are more worried about half million dollar tractors and expensive ag equipment.

I guess I didn't realize that was an industry wide mentality. I figured it was just an "out here" thing, since tree work and logging is almost non existent out here.

Thanks for the explanation Sir. I'm admittedly a little out of the loop on alot of things, so I wanted to make sure what I was missing.

So knowing that now, is Husky better about supporting the little guy, or are they the same way?
 

KS Plainsman

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We've been very fortunate in the Wichita area. I can think of 4 Stihl dealers off the top of my head that service what they sell. The last few years however, Stihl has started letting Ace Hardware, a large chain, sell Stihl products. Same with Northern Tool. On a good day, theres an outside chance that somebody from Ace could put a chain on(probably backwards).lol When I was at Northern Tool, I saw the 362 and 461. I would hope that anyone that spends that kind of money would ask about service after the sale.

I cant say firsthand how well any of the local pro shops handle their service departments. I've never had reason to take a saw in because I've never had a major issue with my Stihls. If/when I do, I'll fit it myself. Of the 4 saws I've bought new, none have needed warranty.

I see where y'all are coming from now. I didn't realize all that was happening. I know the dealer I used twice, does work on the saws they sell, because I did ask about it when I bought the first one. $1200 bucks is alot of money for me, so I definitely made sure they handle any issues, should they arise.

My warranty just expired this month actually and both my saws have ran perfect so far, but I work on all my own stuff, regardless of what it is, so I won't use them unless I buy a new saw and it happens to need warranty work. So I'm not sure how good they are, but they do at least work on the stuff they sell and working on ag equipment, I'd hope they are competent enough to handle a chainsaw.
 

BrettL

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Ah, I see. I admit, until 2 years ago, I used nothing but old McCulloch's and the only reason I bought new Stihl's, was because I wanted to start getting into tree removal's and needed bigger saws. Also, my dealer sounds about like what you mentioned, he never really has a "why" answer on things I ask, just "I'm not real sure", or "that's what my Rep told me".

Like one thing that was stupid to me, when I bought my 461's was, he couldn't get them with a wrap handle bar, even though it was listed on my dealer's portion of the Stihl site. He said "No, my Rep told me they don't have wrap versions of the 461 and neither of us are sure why they are listed on our site I can't even order them with it either". Even though I told him other people can get them, like out west and they were on Ebay as well, but for some reason, they had no answer.

That dealership I bought those from is definitely only interested in selling saws, because any question I have for him, he never seems to know, so I come here to find my answer and then inform him. For instance, he didn't know the difference between full chisel and semi chisel chain, when I bought my saws. He had no idea the difference. No joke.

After that, I bought my 2 660's from somewhere else online and skipped dealing with them the next 2 times.

I figured it was just because selling Stihl equipment is just an extra thing for them. They are more worried about half million dollar tractors and expensive ag equipment.

I guess I didn't realize that was an industry wide mentality. I figured it was just an "out here" thing, since tree work and logging is almost non existent out here.

Thanks for the explanation Sir. I'm admittedly a little out of the loop on alot of things, so I wanted to make sure what I was missing.

So knowing that now, is Husky better about supporting the little guy, or are they the same way?

I really think it's the dealer. A dealer might hypothetically have Husky and Stihl. Service should be the same on both.

In Wichita, one Stihl dealer is a tire shop that sells lawn equipment, Echo saws and other equipment.

Another, Salsbury, is a commercial supply outlet for all manner of tools that also sells Stihl.

S&D is a ma and pop shop, family run. Lawn equipment and a full line Stihl dealer. The wife at the parts counter is knowledgeable. Ask her for a chain, she'll ask "what guage? " Theyve been in business for a while.

My go to shop is a small, family run shop called the Rental Ranch. They're a full line Stihl dealer.

Maximum Tractor sells Husqvarna and those guys REALLY know their stuff.

Theres another Husqvarna dealer in Benton. That's east of Wichita about 20 miles. Good, knowledgeable guy.

Theres others I'm forgetting but those are the main ones. I dont know where you are in Kansas but a trip to Wichita might be worth the drive the next time you make a big investment.
 

KS Plainsman

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I really think it's the dealer. A dealer might hypothetically have Husky and Stihl. Service should be the same on both.

In Wichita, one Stihl dealer is a tire shop that sells lawn equipment, Echo saws and other equipment.

Another, Salsbury, is a commercial supply outlet for all manner of tools that also sells Stihl.

S&D is a ma and pop shop, family run. Lawn equipment and a full line Stihl dealer. The wife at the parts counter is knowledgeable. Ask her for a chain, she'll ask "what guage? " Theyve been in business for a while.

My go to shop is a small, family run shop called the Rental Ranch. They're a full line Stihl dealer.

Maximum Tractor sells Husqvarna and those guys REALLY know their stuff.

Theres another Husqvarna dealer in Benton. That's east of Wichita about 20 miles. Good, knowledgeable guy.

Theres others I'm forgetting but those are the main ones. I dont know where you are in Kansas but a trip to Wichita might be worth the drive the next time you make a big investment.

I'm clear out west on I-70 by Oakley. So Wichita is probably about 4 hours away, but I have a few cousins down there and a buddy over in Cherryvale I would like to visit, so even though it's a ways away, it still might be worth it. I like supporting companies that at least make the effort to know about what they are selling, or at least hire someone who knows.

I only know of 1 Husky dealer out here, at least within an hour distance and it's in a car dealership, so I don't know how they are. I've never ran a Husky, let alone owned one.
 

Semotony

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Near me 3 places have Stihl. The one been here longest goes from clothing, boots at one end, zero turns plumbing wiring hardware,, animal feeds & random miscelaneous. Had a mechanic who is at the other end from clothes. One row of Stihl, with more saws than husky aisle. Family Center it is.
I had lost one of the fixed in place bar nuts out of 661c :( the mechanic brought out a standard nut & had to go out to the shelf example to take one apart "I've never had one of these apart." He had 3 huskies on the sales counter ( in front of parts area) each partly apart :nono: each a different size unit.
Didn't order a reel of chain from them, when they didn't seem to0 comprehend which was desired. Got it from the JD tractor dealer who needed to order almost any saw that is wanted. Very few there IIRC
And then there is Rural (king?) Forget sometimes. Where I've seen a couple of new Stihl saws I picked em up, just to see. Knowledgeable personnel :roto2nuse:. NOT at any of them
At least Family center is decent about getting parts for my Stihl saws, and having most of the loops I might need hanging on the other side of the shelf from saws. They don't know chisel chain, even tho it's right there, needs a different file/sharpen:facepalm:
Farmington MO area
 

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I'm clear out west on I-70 by Oakley. So Wichita is probably about 4 hours away, but I have a few cousins down there and a buddy over in Cherryvale I would like to visit, so even though it's a ways away, it still might be worth it. I like supporting companies that at least make the effort to know about what they are selling, or at least hire someone who knows.

I only know of 1 Husky dealer out here, at least within an hour distance and it's in a car dealership, so I don't know how they are. I've never ran a Husky, let alone owned one.

A Husqy dealer in a car dealership; about as random as it gets!!!
 

Hedgerow

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Ah, I see. I admit, until 2 years ago, I used nothing but old McCulloch's and the only reason I bought new Stihl's, was because I wanted to start getting into tree removal's and needed bigger saws. Also, my dealer sounds about like what you mentioned, he never really has a "why" answer on things I ask, just "I'm not real sure", or "that's what my Rep told me".

Like one thing that was stupid to me, when I bought my 461's was, he couldn't get them with a wrap handle bar, even though it was listed on my dealer's portion of the Stihl site. He said "No, my Rep told me they don't have wrap versions of the 461 and neither of us are sure why they are listed on our site I can't even order them with it either". Even though I told him other people can get them, like out west and they were on Ebay as well, but for some reason, they had no answer.

That dealership I bought those from is definitely only interested in selling saws, because any question I have for him, he never seems to know, so I come here to find my answer and then inform him. For instance, he didn't know the difference between full chisel and semi chisel chain, when I bought my saws. He had no idea the difference. No joke.

After that, I bought my 2 660's from somewhere else online and skipped dealing with them the next 2 times.

I figured it was just because selling Stihl equipment is just an extra thing for them. They are more worried about half million dollar tractors and expensive ag equipment.

I guess I didn't realize that was an industry wide mentality. I figured it was just an "out here" thing, since tree work and logging is almost non existent out here.

Thanks for the explanation Sir. I'm admittedly a little out of the loop on alot of things, so I wanted to make sure what I was missing.

So knowing that now, is Husky better about supporting the little guy, or are they the same way?
It's all on the dealership themselves to be "in the know" on the products they sell..
They either actively gain the knowledge they need, or become complacent and useless rube's..

Parts books can get you numbers if you know how to get there, but they don't teach you the right questions to ask. And anyone who doesn't actually use power equipment, is at a disadvantage already.
 

Hedgerow

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I have had the guy at the parts counter actually swivel the computer screen around and have me point at the *s-word I needed. He took it from there.. They do, at least keep all the "consumables" in stock for both husky and stihl saws from the late 80's forward.
Now, when asked about the new 500i, I got that "Oh *s-word, he just asked me about something I don't got", look..

I do that to him every so often to remind him there's levels to this *s-word...
 

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I work in heavy truck parts all day long. There is no way to know everything about everything. On top of trying to stay trained on the newest OEM models I also am expected to know what brand of aftermarket accessory crap is on a truck that drives by on the interstate at 65mph everyday. "You know the white one" they walk amongst us.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

KS Plainsman

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A Husqy dealer in a car dealership; about as random as it gets!!!

They seem to just stuff them in wherever out here.

It's all on the dealership themselves to be "in the know" on the products they sell..
They either actively gain the knowledge they need, or become complacent and useless rube's..

Parts books can get you numbers if you know how to get there, but they don't teach you the right questions to ask. And anyone who doesn't actually use power equipment, is at a disadvantage already.

And out here, when it's not a major part of their sales, they tend to lack on things Also, the average person probably doesn't care about alot of the things that the rest of us do. We don't have logging out here and tree services are few and far between. Most people just "need a chainsaw for cleanup" and as long as it starts and runs, that's all alot of people care about. So I try to remember that, but it's still kinda frustrating. I would never sell anything I don't know about and would keep learning as much as possible about that item, whatever it is. That's honestly the reason I joined this site, I had questions and my Stihl dealer, didn't have the answers.

I broke a top plastic on my 461 and called to order another one and no *s-word, it took about a half an hour for him to figure out what was what, find it and get it ordered. I even gave him the part number off of the piece. He kept telling me "It keeps giving me a different number." 2 weeks later I got a call, telling me it showed up.
 

67L36Driver

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Thanks to the MediaCat chain letter I usually walk into Jack Horners list in hand w/numbers. Provided it’s pre 2012.

They look up most parts anyway to keep me honest. [emoji6]

Almost never pay list price. Except when dealing with Tyler. He’s related to the owner.[emoji19]

Six Stihl dealers within twenty minute drive but Horners is the only one worth spit. Often has the common parts on hand in depth.

One Husky dealer (lawnmower shop) up toward Savanna. Not worth the drive. eBay is quicker.

Jeff’s Small engines is Echo dealer now. Three or four little new models on hand. Time will tell.

Iffin I’m in a hurry, Bishops in Perry Ks is the place to go. Worth a day just to hang out and (rarely) browse the junk saws. [emoji108]
 

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Also, the average person probably doesn't care about alot of the things that the rest of us do. We don't have logging out here and tree services are few and far between. Most people just "need a chainsaw for cleanup" and as long as it starts and runs, that's all alot of people care about.

BINGO!!!! We think we are normal, but, in fact we are not. We don't have logging but we do have tree services (lots of them). Most people think we are nuts for loving to cut wood, collect old magnesium, restore vintage chainsaws, own more than 2 saws, process firewood, and God forbid race a chainsaw. Like you said, as long as it starts and runs... And most people have no desire to work on one.
 

KS Plainsman

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BINGO!!!! We think we are normal, but, in fact we are not. We don't have logging but we do have tree services (lots of them). Most people think we are nuts for loving to cut wood, collect old magnesium, restore vintage chainsaws, own more than 2 saws, process firewood, and God forbid race a chainsaw. Like you said, as long as it starts and runs... And most people have no desire to work on one.

That's a fact. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone told me I need a log splitter, since I process all my firewood by hand and I honestly enjoy it! I keep telling people, "as long as I can do it by hand, I'm going to do it by hand. Someday I may not have a choice". They don't get it, at all. There's something about tree work and firewood for me, it allows me to clear my head a bit, of the day to day stuff. I do chuckle at the expressions I get when I break out my 660 with a 36" bar to cut a stump. It's nothing special at all and completely stock, besides a MaxFlow filter and an exhaust, but when everyone is used to 50cc homeowner saws (nothing wrong with that at all) a 660 with long bar is abnormal and usually gets a reaction.
 

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That's a fact. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone told me I need a log splitter, since I process all my firewood by hand and I honestly enjoy it! I keep telling people, "as long as I can do it by hand, I'm going to do it by hand. Someday I may not have a choice". They don't get it, at all. There's something about tree work and firewood for me, it allows me to clear my head a bit, of the day to day stuff. I do chuckle at the expressions I get when I break out my 660 with a 36" bar to cut a stump. It's nothing special at all and completely stock, besides a MaxFlow filter and an exhaust, but when everyone is used to 50cc homeowner saws (nothing wrong with that at all) a 660 with long bar is abnormal and usually gets a reaction.
YUUUP! Ya awta c the looks with a 661 powering a 60" bar in an Alaskan mill walking down a fat log. hehehe:risas3:
Kyle, is that 5' 2 6' by 20 foot stump still available?? Like to get to that before my 70th b'day in December while I may be still up to it
 
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