Saw Mods Why Is It ALWAYS The Manufacturer's Fault When A Modded Saw Fails?

Kind of an online thing as everyone is trying to hype and sell something. Well.... not everyone; but MOST of the channels promoting products vs. simply sharing their world and experience. Channels like Bjarne Butler's are an exception as his world is spectacular therefore is pure entertainment along with a lot of knowledge shared. A little "merch" is really a celebration of a really interesting place for those who enjoy. He doesn't have to sell a thing as the channel & subject is simply excellent. Other's, usually the bigger & better ones cross the barrier into a sales & marketing platform with that combination of great content AND folks in the industry wanting to leverage that platform. AND some of the small upstart channels even tell u up front they are all about the promotions and business. They WANT to be the marketing arm for a price. I ignore a lot of that. And one of the anomalies of our hobby is saw are cheap and easy to tweak therefor there is a LOT of emphasis on that, especially online where folks want to first rationalize , justify, then promote a service that feeds into the environment they have created. That's a good thing , what entrepreneurs do. So this video might be construed as a bit of a wet blanket, but shouldn't be. It's about clarifying a small trend in this morass.

[@ToddAdams1234]

Walt, you’re exactly right. Jacob (Guilty of TreeSon) should have done that field reset, because it’s a matter of fact that I was thinking about that exact same thing. You’re also correct about that starting assembly on his 592. It’s almost like I watched that video! 😉

[@RMosher11]

I saw that same video Walt and I agree with you completely. I watch another channel called Bjarne Butler that does heli logging in the mountains of I believe BC and he uses a 592 that he had Donny Walker "Walkerize" and this guy cuts massive trees down all day everyday and seems to love the saw. I think prior to that he used a Walkerized 390xp. Also beautiful terrain, fella basically works in a post card haha. Take care.

[@afleetcommand]

Yup, Bjarne Butler's channel IS the one I watch. Absolutely the best channel on KZbin for me. That saw is worked, my 585 for four months gets works as well. No reason for a 592 to have those issues as an occasional use saw unless it was screwed up.

[@cedarrocksawshop3876]

Well said Walt. These newer generation saws I won’t even touch until warranty period is out. Even if it’s a simple repair I tell them to take it back to where they bought it. After warranty period I’ll work on it but not until then. Folks are too proud to own up to the fact they aren’t perfect. If you don’t make mistakes you ain’t doing nothing. It is what it is. Saws from the manufacturer are excellent, sure there are rare times where a warranty is required but very rare. I do know folks that have had warranty issues the dealers wouldn’t stand behind for whatever reason and I hope to acquire those saws for my testing purposes. I love those old J-Red saws, fantastic machines.

[@IndianaDoug]

To add, if folks decide to modify their machines remember, there are LEVELS to this game. There are tons of simple bolt ons for example. Many aftermarket filtration system work better than oem from what I’ve seen. This is one example where modding is beneficial.

[@afleetcommand]

filters & mufflers. It's where machining happens all bets are off

[@camrynrhodes798]

I agree .if it not broke you can't fix it . Leave it alone 👍👍

[@BGWenterprises]

Legally the end manufacturer is responsible for the product. So someone that modifies a saw is the end manufacturer. . God forbid someone gets hurt, because a saw failed in the middle of falling a tree. The end manufacturer is responsible legally in my understanding of law. 0.01c

[@twowheelsdown2002]

You get far more bang for the buck out of having a sharp chain! I personally think a lot of people compensate for crappy chains by hopping up their saws. When I started falling timber, I was round filing, but my bullbuck sold me his Simington, and my falling partner with 30 years experience gave me an old grinding wheel and helped me get set up. He also had me get a roll of Oregon full comp chain. From then on, my saws cut like a freaking beast! I had been working like a dog trying to show I could hang with the experienced cutters. My bullbuck even caught me kicking on the chain brake, and jogging to the next tree, which is why he sold me his grinder. I went from busting ass to fall/limb/buck 26-28 trees in 6 hours while the good guys were doing 30-32, to doing 32-36 trees. All those mods aren't going to speed you up 25-30%. And while those mods probably decrease reliability, that sharp chain actually increases it because it's less strain on the saw.

[@nseric1233]

I watched the same video and commented on it that the guy who ported the saw messed it up. Everything that broke was worked on while porting it lol.

[@StuInTheSticks]

I have never understood why people feel the need to purchase a brand new saw then right away have it sent off to be "hacked up" sorry "professionally ported", if you need that much extra out of a saw then just buy one that's the next model or two up. Don't get me wrong ported saw's are fun I know cause I play around doing my own porting but never for someone else and only on older saws that are already considered junk and at the end of their service life, therefore nothing to loose so to speak so rebuild and mod that's the fun factor. When working for a living with a saw I have always stuck with a plain jane stock saw for one reason; reliable service day after day that's it. I will take one of my modified saw's out with me when logging but I also have one or two stock saw's with me as well why? because first sign of an issue with the modified saw it get's parked and it's back to work with those stock saw's. At the end of the day work has to get done and that's the real world most of us deal with not hyped up bullshit stories or good marketing like you mentioned. As always straight forward honest insight of the saw world much appreciated Walt keep up the great content.

[@fabzacres-blackcat]

The saw CAN be modified and produce 1)more power , 2) increased mileage (wood cut per gallon) and 3) similar longevity as stock … The “issue” is that we have unqualified saw building “hacks” out there who are lured in by the opportunity for quick 💰 WITHOUT the prerequisite machining / porting / saw building skills / life experience and can seemingly destroy an anvil with a rubber mallet. THAT’S the issue in a nutshell ! We have “utube” porters who are learning how to build saws on the customers dime (which is completely unethical) and then when the inevitable grenade explodes REFUSE to accept responsibility for their “shoddy” work. Fortunately these individuals are being called out and exposed and their “careers” will be very very short lived

[@StuInTheSticks]

@@fabzacres-blackcat Of course saw's can be ported/modified for all the reason's you mentioned but at what cost to the people paying the tab, that's my point what's the net net benefit to cost ratio. Overall net gain to the end user is not what it's all cracked up to be with ported saw's, are they fun to run yes they are; do they put a smile on your face yes they do but it's an expensive "fun factor" if you have to pay someone else to do your port work. I would have to argue with you on the fuel use point you can't produce horsepower without burning fuel and if you want to produce lot's of power then your going to burn more fuel. Opening up port's to push more air and fuel through an engine your going to use more fuel simple math, that's why when you port a saw you have to also open your jet's to push more of that fuel. This is when the problem's start what I mean is all the things that make a ported saw great on one hand comes at a cost on the other. HEAT is the enemy of any two stroke engine wick up a saw then you soon discover they get HOT and fast, you add more fuel/air more compression and some timing advance and you have yourself yes a hot blooded saw that can cut a log cookie 2.5 second's faster but you also have a saw that will always run hotter no matter what. All that extra power will have an effect on a saw chasse no matter how it's ported it was never built with those parameters in mind when it was designed so it's service life will be shorter no matter how you want to argue it. I will agree with you that there is far to many people selling "porting services" that they cannot and should not be providing, it's one thing if you and I want to build our own ported saw's for our own entertainment or for KZbin content but it really should be left at that for the most part.

[@fabzacres-blackcat]

@@StuInTheSticks everything is contingent upon the guy building the saw and his life experience / capabilities / multiple areas of Expertise and his ability to consistently build good saws … Rednecks in the woods with lathes never seems to work out long term as far as longevity goes . What you are PAYING 💰 for is a PROVEN build that was developed/designed / improved on over time ! Thats what you SHOULD be paying for at least imho. The saw should be a minimum of the next class up cc wise or slightly better. In the case of the 562xp I’ve been working on it will equal a stock 572xp with a piped can 20” bars 18” under timber. As far as fuel economy your logic is unfortunately incorrect and flawed - you’re not considering the chain / chassis for one, the build now gets more wood cut per gallon than a stock saw. The RUNTIME per tank is down a fuzz but TOTAL wood cut per gallon has increased , and noticeably so. How is this possible ? Well going by conventional thinking it isn’t … I assure you that it is and you have not only these words but video evidence on my channel. Throw all the pre-conceived notions of what can be done to a saw in the garbage , save it for the forums - I cut in real timber not fantasy island

[@fabzacres-blackcat]

@@StuInTheStickswell, I wouldn’t go back to running a stock saw … nope 👎… IF the build is proven and folk want to pay for your services then so be it - as far as the cost / benefit surely you jest or have you simply not run a properly built saw! Two guys with built saws can do the work of 3 men with stockers and reap the profits accordingly 😂 I for one have no issue cashing in on a lifetime of experience provided the guy/gal is a professional- that’s the other issue, these hacks don’t care WHO they build for … as long as they are getting paid let the good times roll baby

[@StuInTheSticks]

@@fabzacres-blackcat We all have our personal preferences to what we like or don't be it a stock or ported saw to each their own. A well ported saw is nice and I have run them but if your paying big money for a new saw which now pretty much all pro grade saw's are pricy, then add in the shipping cost both ways if you want your saw done by someone of your choice who lives across the country plus the cost of said port job compared to walking into your local dealer picking up a saw and going to work right away; now that's efficiency not waiting around for month's on a saw to be ported. Sorry but in real world logging there's not much profit's to be reaped, that's bold brag talk and I've heard this kind of talk all the time usually by guy's trying to get you to work a low pay contract for them with the promises of " there's so much money to be made on this job it just falls on the floor" reality is the reason you need to get it done so fast is there's no money in doing these kind of job's in the first place. You work on thin margin's as it is and shelling out nearly twice as much money for a saw that makes a cut a second or two faster is not how you make money in the logging game, keeping at it day after day for the long haul is how it's done.