Makita EA5600F review

[Wilhelm]

No bugs on my PS-550.
I got her dual spikes and chisel chain and she is keeping up quite well with my big girls.

 

[homeheater]

If You have the coin You can't go wrong with a PS-5105/EA5000!
As far as I am aware the initial issues were related to the PS-5000 and PS-5100.
The PS-5105 is dubbed as reliable.

If funds are tight the PS-550/EA5600 is a little more affordable and makes up with a little more cc.
I have been actively using my PS-550, she has yet to fail me.
I love the fact that I can get up to 45 minutes of runtime on a tank of fuel continuously bucking clean beech logs.
The PS-550 has absolutely no hot restart issues.

5600 is not necessarily more affordable. I had my eyes on a brand new 2015 5105 with 4 bills on the tag. Less than a 5600.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Right now, you can get some great deals on Dolmar brand saws in the USA if you look around. Of course, the downside is that local dealer support has completely dried up around here. None of our Dolmar dealers have switched to Makita as far as I know. I would guess that is the case in alot of places.

 

[Ford3000]

Ok, I can get a 5600 for 470.00, or an EA5000
for 557.00, these are euro prices.

Is the muffler on the EA5000 a non cat one, think I
read this somewhere, which was put forward as the reason
for the weight difference between it and the 5105.
The EA5000 I can get has a round boss on the cylinder fins on the drive side of
the saw, I am lead to believe this is the older design, which was replaced
to aid cooling and gave a boost in power from 3.3hp to 3.75hp.

 

[Ford3000]

No bugs on my PS-550.
I got her dual spikes and chisel chain and she is keeping up quite well with my big girls.

That’s what I have found so far, only good comments regarding the PS-550.
It’s not to save money I was looking at this saw, it’s just the saw is not too heavy, yet can pull a 3/8 chain, the only other saws I considered were the new 550xp 2, and the MS261, as they are light enough formy bad back.
But after thought, these saws are for the forrest, at most one felling cut,
and maybe Two more heavy cuts, the rest is limbing.
Now If I cut a tree 14-20 inches in dia, and 40 foot tall,
and buck it into 12 inch logs, that’s 20 heavy cuts, 20 smaller, and all the
limbs need bucked too, that is a whole lot more cutting than a forester
is going to be doing per tree felled, I don’t think these screaming fast
550 or 261 would last me too long in this scenario.

The PS-550 seems slower revving and more torquey, and this drew
my interest. I considered Echo 620, but it would get heavy real quick
for my sore back.
I had the Echo 501sx, great saw, but I just want a bit more power.

 

[Ford3000]

Where are you located? Here in the states, there are still a fair number of NIB 5105's out there for under $500.00.

Ireland

 

[Locust Cutter]

That’s what I have found so far, only good comments regarding the PS-550.
It’s not to save money I was looking at this saw, it’s just the saw is not too heavy, yet can pull a 3/8 chain, the only other saws I considered were the new 550xp 2, and the MS261, as they are light enough formy bad back.
But after thought, these saws are for the forrest, at most one felling cut,
and maybe Two more heavy cuts, the rest is limbing.
Now If I cut a tree 14-20 inches in dia, and 40 foot tall,
and buck it into 12 inch logs, that’s 20 heavy cuts, 20 smaller, and all the
limbs need bucked too, that is a whole lot more cutting than a forester
is going to be doing per tree felled, I don’t think these screaming fast
550 or 261 would last me too long in this scenario.

The PS-550 seems slower revving and more torquey, and this drew
my interest. I considered Echo 620, but it would get heavy real quick
for my sore back.
I had the Echo 501sx, great saw, but I just want a bit more power.

There are entire Osage Orange (2760 Janka), various Oaks, Red Elms and many White Ash and Hackleberrys that I've felled/bucked/limbed completely with wither either my muffler modded MS261 v1, muffler modded and de-comped 550XP mkI, or my ported 346xp. They punch far above their weight and will last a long time with a bit of care and smart operation. These were all 18" and smaller trees with a lot of canopy and a good amount of larger bucking cuts. I would guess of the 8-15 cords/year that I routinely cut, probably 40-50% is done with these three.

This year the 261 didn't even come out until a month ago as I was having far too much fun with the two Husqvarnas. I only recently dug the 261 out and ran it, simply because it needed to be used, and remembered just how good it is. Last Sunday, I cut 3/4 of a 7' x 14'x 2.5' dump trailer load of White Oak, Ash and Hackleberry. That works out to around 183.75 Cubic foot of trailer volume for around 1.43 cords of wood loaded. The largest trunk was 16" DBH. The MS261 cut every bit of that over the course of 3-4 tanks of fuel (with some idling in the mix while maneuvering a tractor around). The reason these saws cost what they do, is because of the build quality, the performance to weight and the longevity. I would like to try an EA5600/PS550 and may very well recommend them to s a few friends, instead of a MS291 or Husky 455 for the money, BUT, I understand why my saws cost what they did. Don't be afraid to use one, a lot!

 

[OldJack]

Ok, I can get a 5600 for 470.00, or an EA5000
for 557.00, these are euro prices.

Is the muffler on the EA5000 a non cat one, think I
read this somewhere, which was put forward as the reason
for the weight difference between it and the 5105.
The EA5000 I can get has a round boss on the cylinder fins on the drive side of
the saw, I am lead to believe this is the older design, which was replaced
to aid cooling and gave a boost in power from 3.3hp to 3.75hp.

The EA5000 - 5105 Cylinder is of the closed transfer port type instead of the cheaper and less efficient open port type. These are the ports that transfer the fuel-air charge from the crankcase to the combustion chamber. That's the round boss below the cylinder fins on the flywheel side and there's one on the chain side behind the bar mount too.



Here's a closed port cylinder.



Here's an open port Dolmar 6400 cylinder.

 

[Ford3000]

There are entire Osage Orange (2760 Janka), various Oaks, Red Elms and many White Ash and Hackleberrys that I've felled/bucked/limbed completely with wither either my muffler modded MS261 v1, muffler modded and de-comped 550XP mkI, or my ported 346xp. They punch far above their weight and will last a long time with a bit of care and smart operation. These were all 18" and smaller trees with a lot of canopy and a good amount of larger bucking cuts. I would guess of the 8-15 cords/year that I routinely cut, probably 40-50% is done with these three.

This year the 261 didn't even come out until a month ago as I was having far too much fun with the two Husqvarnas. I only recently dug the 261 out and ran it, simply because it needed to be used, and remembered just how good it is. Last Sunday, I cut 3/4 of a 7' x 14'x 2.5' dump trailer load of White Oak, Ash and Hackleberry. That works out to around 183.75 Cubic foot of trailer volume for around 1.43 cords of wood loaded. The largest trunk was 16" DBH. The MS261 cut every bit of that over the course of 3-4 tanks of fuel (with some idling in the mix while maneuvering a tractor around). The reason these saws cost what they do, is because of the build quality, the performance to weight and the longevity. I would like to try an EA5600/PS550 and may very well recommend them to s a few friends, instead of a MS291 or Husky 455 for the money, BUT, I understand why my saws cost what they did. Don't be afraid to use one, a lot!

Thanks for commenting, you certainly trust the modern pro saws.
I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place, if it wasn’t for my back I would
use a bigger saw and be done with it.
Had a look at the 550 XP MK2, it seems well built, accounting for its weight
increase.

 

[Ford3000]

Hi @OldJack the boss am talking about is in the middle of the fins,
as seen on the image below.

 

[OldJack]

I think that boss is for a compression release, if the manufacturer wants to install one. I vaguely recall something about one company making cylinders for a number of manufacturers. There's the same boss on my 5105 too.

 

[Simondo]

Hi @OldJack the boss am talking about is in the middle of the fins,
as seen on the image below.
View attachment 205577

The complicated number situation with the Mak and Dol versions of this saw can give some confusion and when you add in the early ones using DSC before the numbers , more so !
The Makita EA....5000 is equivalent to a Dolmar PS...5105 and as the cylinder ...Can.. have a de-comp fitted ... hence the un tapped boss you see on the EA 5000.
Dolmar PS 5105 saws seem to not have the cylinder (some have)with the boss in the casting ..In General..or at least I have not seen one.
If you want the 3.75Hp 45mm closed port saws then the above is what you...safely ...can buy . There is a 3.3 hp Open port saw ..Mak 5121 (equivalent to Dol Ps-500) that is often sold in a red steel box and that is a 3.3 hp open port saw.

Ps...the open "Hex port" set up on Dol /Mak saws are ...Far ...from a poor choice. Ps 35..ps420..ps6400 and more use this design .

 

[Ford3000]

I think that boss is for a compression release, if the manufacturer wants to install one. I vaguely recall something about one company making cylinders for a number of manufacturers. There's the same boss on my 5105 too.

Thanks @OldJack , I can actually see the same boss on your profile picture.
How do you find the air filter on your saw, is the flocked or the nylon you use.
The Makita EA5000 here comes with .325, what do you use on the 5101.

 

[Ford3000]

The complicated number situation with the Mak and Dol versions of this saw can give some confusion and when you add in the early ones using DSC before the numbers , more so !
The Makita EA....5000 is equivalent to a Dolmar PS...5105 and as the cylinder ...Can.. have a de-comp fitted ... hence the un tapped boss you see on the EA 5000.
Dolmar PS 5105 saws seem to not have the cylinder (some have)with the boss in the casting ..In General..or at least I have not seen one.
If you want the 3.75Hp 45mm closed port saws then the above is what you...safely ...can buy . There is a 3.3 hp Open port saw ..Mak 5121 (equivalent to Dol Ps-500) that is often sold in a red steel box and that is a 3.3 hp open port saw.

Ps...the open "Hex port" set up on Dol /Mak saws are ...Far ...from a poor choice. Ps 35..ps420..ps6400 and more use this design .

Thanks @Simondo
They seem 5105 seems like a good saw, but Stihl and Husky
have gone and upset the equilibrium, with that extra .25Hp in
their 50cc offerings.

And to make things worse, buying a Makita from the UK has now gotten
more expensive, called my credit card people this morning as they stuck
a new charge on transactions that don’t involve the euro, bull***t so they
can cream some more off the UK leaving the EU, tried to tell me the charge
always existed, yet I never incurred an extra 2.65% extra on any UK transaction
before this months statement.

Time to re evaluate, maybe start making fly wheels for AT and MT so
we can put ordinary carbs and coils on them., maybe the coils will do
the trick as they are and we only need to match up a carb when the
techie behind the counter delivers the “it’s going to take 500 for parts
and 5 hours labour including the initial diagnostics fee to fix the saw”.

Why are we burdened with this un-necessary tech on our saws when
they contribute so little to the so called global warming issue.

 

[Wilhelm]

Thanks @Simondo
. . . Time to re evaluate, maybe start making fly wheels for AT and MT so
we can put ordinary carbs and coils on them., maybe the coils will do
the trick as they are and we only need to match up a carb when the
techie behind the counter delivers the “it’s going to take 500 for parts
and 5 hours labour including the initial diagnostics fee to fix the saw”.

Why are we burdened with this un-necessary tech on our saws when
they contribute so little to the so called global warming issue.

I don't know about AT, but Stihl Mtron needs coil, carb and some small bits to convert a saw to a tunable carb.
At least that is needed for the MS661CM, no flywheel change, about 200€ in parts, carb and coil are the most expensive.
Available in Croatia: 241CM ; 261CM + nonCM ; 362 CM + nonCM ; 462CM + nonCM ; 661CM + nonCM
Just saying and no I am not a Stihl guy, my wallet is too thin.

 

[Ford3000]

I don't know about AT, but Stihl Mtron needs coil, carb and some small bits to convert a saw to a tunable carb.
At least that is needed for the MS661CM, no flywheel change, about 200€ in parts, carb and coil are the most expensive.
Available in Croatia: 241CM ; 261CM + nonCM ; 362 CM + nonCM ; 462CM + nonCM ; 661CM + nonCM
Just saying and no I am not a Stihl guy, my wallet is too thin.

@Wilhelm
Unless I can get a better price on an EA5000 there is currently
100.00 euro difference between the price of it and a new 550Xp mk2.
And I will have parts aplenty for the Husqvarna right beside me,
where I would have to order online for the Makita.

 

[Ford3000]

@Wilhelm
Interesting to know the AT saws can be got going without the AT
if need be.
I hope the MT saws are similar, but one always finds a way when
there seems to be none, mans ingenuity can spur all sorts if solutions.

I must tell myself that in case I end up with a AT saw.

 

[OldJack]

Thanks @OldJack , I can actually see the same boss on your profile picture.
How do you find the air filter on your saw, is the flocked or the nylon you use.
The Makita EA5000 here comes with .325, what do you use on the 5101.

The boss is a little hard to see so here's a larger pic.



I have the nylon filter. It keeps the dust out as long as I grease the seams before I snap it together.

For some reason Dolmar sold 5105s with both .325 and 3/8 chain in the USA, but just .325 in Canada. Mine came with Oregon LPX chain.

 

[Ford3000]

I have the nylon filter. It keeps the dust out as long as I grease the seams before I snap it together.

For some reason Dolmar sold 5105s with both .325 and 3/8 chain in the USA, but just .325 in Canada. Mine came with Oregon LPX chain.

Ok, I only ever see the Makita EA5000 with .325 here, from EA7300 I see
Makita sell 3/8, but Dolmar in these parts are available in 3/8 for the 5105.

I asked about the air filter because the filter looks to slide
inside a collar as opposed to a lot of filters that sit down
over a collar, seems more natural to sit Over a collar that
way dust and whatever would not gather on the otherwise
exposed shoulder of the collar.
We usually get the nylon filter here, though the bigger Makita
I had came with both.

 

[Wilhelm]

Makita XS5000, before I ever even ran the saw.



Kevin, Sondre how much wood did You cut with my saw?!
You couldn't get enough of her, huh!

The PS-550/EA5600 has a better filtration IMHO, it is similar to the one on the PS-6100/EA6100.
I like it much better.