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New saw came back beat up

Started by MNBobcat, March 12, 2018, 09:49:53 PM

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MNBobcat

I bought a new Dolmar 6100    It will be a year old in April of 2018.  I've had it in to the dealer 3 or 4 times because of issues with it not running right.  The last time, they sent it to the Dolmar/Makita factory shop.  All the Makita did was adjust the carb which of course means they didn't fix anything.  The problem only shows up when it's really cold out.

Anyway, this saw has never been set on a hard surface.  When I put oil and fuel in it, I lay it on a towel.  I normally don't treat a saw that gently but I wanted to keep this one in nice shape and it's still pretty new.  It doesn't go anywhere.  I keep it in my shop and I walk outside and cut wood and it goes back in the shop and when I set it down it sets on a dirt floor with the chain resting up so that it's out of the dirt.

When I've hauled it to the dealer, it goes inside of a plastic bag and then I put it in a cardboard box.

This is what it looked like when I got it back today.  

All that missing paint is brand new.  Wasn't like that when I dropped it off.  Also, the chain guide is dinged up and has a tear in it.

Should I rake the dealer over the coals and demand a new saw or am I being too critical?

They've tried to be decent to work with in getting this saw fixed but I'm not happy that my new saw is looking like this already.



 


John Mc

Do you have the serial numbers on your original saw? It sounds as though they gave you someone else's saw. I'd complain, and do so as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the less credible your complaint will seem to them.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

MNBobcat

I'm certain it's my saw.  The factory mounted it in a machine and ran it and i suspect the vibration from the machine wore the paint off.

John Mc

Quote from: MNBobcat on March 12, 2018, 10:37:43 PM
I'm certain it's my saw.  The factory mounted it in a machine and ran it and i suspect the vibration from the machine wore the paint off.
Is that normal machine wear on your chain catcher as well?
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

thecfarm

Wow!! Something went on with that saw. The paint worn off,probably they will just repaint it. But that bent chain catcher took something to bend that.
I would be decent about it,and I bet they will fix it for ya.
Who knows what happened when it was sent out.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

ZeroJunk

Looks like it threw a chain to me while testing.

MNBobcat

I'm less concerned about the chain catcher then I am the missing paint.  I was trying to take care of this saw and keep it looking like new.  I've never done that with a saw before. But it looked like new when I handed it over to the dealer.

coxy

the guys at the shop said it ran good while cutting 10 cords of wood  :o

mike_belben

Thats from a foot sliding it out of the way on a concrete floor a few times. With a bar on it.. Note the heavy forward and bar side concentration.  
Praise The Lord

Jeff

Its cut wood since that chain catcher was damaged, you can see the buildup in the tear.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

coxy

all joking aside i would check the serial numbers it has happened before sometimes by mistake and some on purpose

Southside

So at first I thought maybe you were being a bit sensitive about the whole thing, then I put it in the context of if I had sent off a piece of equipment that I had taken great care of and it returned in that condition.

Well, that led to me flipping over my 3 year old 372 that rides in the skidder and fells for it's living. This is not a saw that is set on a towel or otherwise babied, nor is it abused, it simply works for a living and is treated with the care due an expensive piece of equipment. The photo is of my saw bottom. After looking at it I agree you have a very valid complaint and should address it with the dealership. There is a good chance that is not your saw is my guess. 





 
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

starmac

Well I am like southside, and didn't pay a lot of attention to the damage at first, cuz my saws are work saws and have never been babied. That said after looking at pictures of his I went and looked at my OLD 266, and there is no telling how many miles it has rode in the back of the pickup and it looks no worse, maybe even better than his 372. I have to wonder if the powder coating or what ever it is they coat these saws with is not thinner on new saws, or maybe even dolmar uses something different. It does make one wonder how yours got the paint rubbed off that quick, when I compared it to mine and knowing what kind of life mine has led. 
Old LT40HD, old log truck, old MM forklift, and several huskies.

Spike60

Chain catcher is bent enough that it needs to be replaced anyway, so they at least owe you that. The deal with the paint rubbed off is a little different. That corner even looks a little rounded off, so it got rubbed pretty good there. If there is a bucking spike on the saw, that didn't happen while cutting.

When you are trying to find a problem that isn't obvious, you have to put some run time on the saw. But a shop throwing the chain? And calling tech service now and then is OK, but good shops don't have to send a saw to the factory. :) Which brings up: Is this thing fixed and running right yet?

One problem here is that the saw really isn't new, even though the owner kept it looking that way. It's a year old. So a new saw isn't likely here, but they really should make a gesture of some kind. This is a mess for sure. :o

Husqvarna-Jonsered
Ashokan Turf and Timber
845-657-6395

coxy

it shouldn't matter if the saw is a 100 years old should not come back looking like that  if i barrowed your 3year old saw that looked like new and returned it looking like a 10 year old saw you would be pithed off to  :)

MNBobcat

I was too disgusted yesterday, to look the saw over closer, after the wife got home from picking up the saw.  I had to cut with it tonight so I shot some more photos.  Everything with a blue arrow is damage caused by either the dealer or the Makita service center.

I did check the serial number and it is my saw.



 

 

Southside

Not to add to your misery but looking at the last photo there appears to be a tool mark on the handle that lines up with the arrow lowest and to the right.  The left most arrows in the same photo appear to be teeth marks from a pair of pliers.  Makes it look like it was wrenched into a vice or something.  

I brought a cutter bar off a Kuhn disc mower to a "machine shop" one time to have a wallowed out bearing hole fixed - the guys work came off looking a lot like what your saw does, it was a complete mess.  It is amazing how many hacks there are out there.  

Did it run any better?   
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

MNBobcat

Thanks for looking over the photos and sharing your thoughts.  I'm in contact with the Makita service center.  The lady I emailed the photos to is going to show them to her boss.  She wanted me to send the saw back but I can't do that.  I burn 20 cords a year and I only cut enough wood for a day or two at a time.  I can't be without a saw.  The dealer was kind enough to give me a loaner while my saw was at Makita.  Hopefully they will look over the photos and agree that there is no excuse for a customer saw to be beaten up like that.


It ran fine tonight.  I don't expect to see any problems with it though until next December or January when it gets cold again.  To me it acts like something expands and sucks air where it shouldn't but it's hard to say.

Tin Horse

Did someone at the repair shop take it home to test it and it fell off their truck and hit the pavement?
Looks like it had impact.
Bell 1000 Wood Processor. Enercraft 30HTL, Case 580SL. Kioti 7320.

MNBobcat

The dealer took it home last weekend after it came back from Makita.  He ran 2 tanks through it.  He told me today that it went into the trunk of his car, then to the woods where it was set on the ground.  In other words, he was saying he didn't do anything that would have caused the damage.

Makita, on the other hand, put the saw into some kind of machine where they run it for about an hour (so I was told) under varying loads.  Who knows if it fell out of the machine or what?

Tin Horse

I've had odd issues with a few Dolamar saws in the past. Not sure if I'll buy another one since the transition to Makita.
I feel that around here it's where to find the best dealer support that is often the problem.
Bell 1000 Wood Processor. Enercraft 30HTL, Case 580SL. Kioti 7320.

DelawhereJoe

It definitely looks like the saw was left running on concrete or blacktop for some time to have it sand off the paint like that. The other matter is that chain catch that thing it rather messed up and in need of replacing. I don't think the factory is going to use a machine that damages a saw just to test it, kinda like denting a car to repair the motor, just doesn't work like that.
WD-40, DUCT TAPE, 024, 026, 362c-m, 041, homelite xl, JD 2510

starmac

I will agree that the factory wouldn't use a machine that would damage it, but it could have been operator error, like not clamped right or tight and it could move of whatever. Like I said, my old 266 has had a hard life, and it sure doesn't look like that.
Old LT40HD, old log truck, old MM forklift, and several huskies.

Spike60

Quote from: coxy on March 13, 2018, 05:54:22 PM
it shouldn't matter if the saw is a 100 years old should not come back looking like that  if i barrowed your 3year old saw that looked like new and returned it looking like a 10 year old saw you would be pithed off to  :)
Oh, sure I would. Absolutely. I'm just as fussy keeping them clean as bobcat is. The cleaner they are, the more I fuss over them to keep them that way. The problem here IMO is that the people testing/working on the saw didn't recognize that the owner took extra good care of it. And they should have made an effort to keep it that way. But they didn't, and it passed through too many hands as well. I see saws like that come in now and then. Guy keeps it in a case and doesn't have scratch on it. I'll put a clean piece of cardboard on the bench before I work on it. But I "get it" because I'm anal about keeping saws clean myself.
But the unfortunate reality is that those scuffs, especially the ones in the second pic with all of the blue arrows, are what would be called "normal wear and tear" in most cases, especially on the bottom of the saw. And I fear that's the direction this would go if pursued. For a year old saw doing 20 cords of wood, she still looks pretty good.
Again, I'm not in any way defending those clowns at all. But what happened can't be undone.
Husqvarna-Jonsered
Ashokan Turf and Timber
845-657-6395

MNBobcat

Thanks guys.  I just found out from Makita that if I ship them my saw they will send me a new one next day air.  I had to talk to the service manager at the factory service center.  Glad they are willing to step up and take care of the problem.  

They sent me a shipping label, too.  :)


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