You Ham Fisted Nut !

[Gary Courtney]

Well ! I ran my 500i yesterday after a fresh build and I am really suprised. Was cleaning it up today and for some stupid thought I decided to check my case bolts and i'll be a monkies uncle I broke the first one I touched with my ham fisted A**. had to tear it down and remove it then replace it. Why aluminum bolts?

 

[Outback]

Same reason you have torque to yield in your car. Just replace with steel. The couple of grams aren't going to matter.

 

[EFSM]

Well ! I ran my 500i yesterday after a fresh build and I am really suprised. Was cleaning it up today and for some stupid thought I decided to check my case bolts and i'll be a monkies uncle I broke the first one I touched with my ham fisted A**. had to tear it down and remove it then replace it. Why aluminum bolts?

My understanding is that Husqvarna and Stihl are both doing it for weight savings. It seems to me that there is somewhere better to cut the weight of a paper clip.

 

[Gary Courtney]

My understanding is that Husqvarna and Stihl are both doing it for weight savings. It seems to me that there is somewhere better to cut the weight of a paper clip.

I looked in my 5mm Sihl screws and could not find any steel screws. I sure hope if I have to take it back apartin the future they do not snap

 

[legdelimber]

Anyone running a screw machine? What's tooling life of rolling threads and mashing the heads on steel vs aluminum?
What about lubricants?
How well does the machine stay in adjustment?
Does the electric bill drop off enough to count against the cost of the aluminum stock over steel?
I've never touched a screw machine, but have worked in a shop that had several.
Older machines of course. Bunch of cams and linkages and clatter and splattering.
The guy that ran them (piece work) seemed to constantly walk back and forth to keep something going.

 

[Brad Button]

Use a 1/4 drive torque wrench next time and tighten to Stihl's specs.

 

[Gary Courtney]

Use a 1/4 drive torque wrench next time and tighten to Stihl's specs.

You are correct. I had one but it must be out of calibration as the last saw I used it on was set for specs and snapped one off so I have laid it to the side and as thread title states!

 

[Mad Professor]

You are correct. I had one but it must be out of calibration as the last saw I used it on was set for specs and snapped one off so I have laid it to the side and as thread title states!

I'd replace them ALL with steel cap screws. Any good hardware store......

 

[Woodtroll]

I didn't know Stihl was doing that. Aluminum screws seem to be a poor choice for chainsaw hardware, especially since many aluminum alloys can be prone to stress fractures. Sure, my aluminum-screwed chainsaw is three ounces lighter (or whatever), but at what cost to longevity and serviceability? That doesn't seem to me to be a good trade-off.

 

[Gary Courtney]

I didn't know Stihl was doing that. Aluminum screws seem to be a poor choice for chainsaw hardware, especially since many aluminum alloys can be prone to stress fractures. Sure, my aluminum-screwed chainsaw is three ounces lighter (or whatever), but at what cost to longevity and serviceability? That doesn't seem to me to be a good trade-off.

Just wonder when you get ready to tear apart again if they would snap?

 

[Woodtroll]

Just wonder when you get ready to tear apart again if they would snap?

Yep, makes you wonder. I despise design changes that lessen reliability.

 

[Sloughfoot]

They say weight savings but I don't doubt it's about cost cutting. Same as wood siding vs steel vs aluminum vs vinyl vs ......... Whichever is cheapest is the flavor of the day and a BS reason comes with it about how it's an improvement.

 

[Motorka]

U want light saw. They must take it somewhere.

 

[Gary Courtney]

U want light saw. They must take it somewhere.

They didn't ask me !

 

[jmester]

I thought most of the new stihl aluminum fasteners are torque to yield which means they are single use and should be replaced if disassembled. Page from 500i service manual.

 

[Mad Professor]

They built Stihl 500 as nice, as an 009........

Yep 009.

My 009 had cheap s/t screws in the muffler which failed, stripped out and muffler a rattle box......

SS Cap screws fix.

How many 500 be going 30 years from now? With aluminum screws.