Husqvarna 3120XP Resurrection

[HolmenTree]

Stupid question, the saw is running a .404 chain now, does this mean I would have to change the drive sprocket to run a .375 chain?

Yes you need to change both the drive sprocket and bar tip to run .375 chain.
Your best to order a new b/c from your supplier.
.404 is pricer then .375, but you have almost twice the chain with .404
Alot more cutter for longer filing life, less stetching in the chassis, takes more abuse in dirt, rocks, holds a better edge.
I'd stick with .404 for what that saw was designed for.

[HolmenTree]

Don't forget to order a Oregon Powermatch sprocket nose tip.

To add to my previous post , I took for granted you had a Power match bar on your saw. I can't make out from your photo if it is or not, post a side photo of the bar nose for me.
You may have either  the old style medium or slimline contour bar nose.
Hard to find those noses today, just buy a new bar.

[Stu in Tokyo]

The saw was bought new in 2006.



  

  

 
Both sides of the nose of the bar.

 

 

The drive sprocket says "Power Mate 404-7" so I assume it is a 404 seven tooth driver sprocket.
Does that look badly worn to you?
I guess they are not expensive, so I should add one to my order.

I agree on a new chain\bar combo purchase but I'm not sure if I should buy the 404 or the 375, I think I'll most likely sell the saw, really I don't need it here in Tokyo, my 185CD does a good job on my mill when I need it.

Cheers!

[01crewcab]

It doesn't hurt to replace both. You have the old style 3 rivet Oregon tip.

[beenthere]

Appears that the tip has been changed once (at least) from the looks of the three rivets.

Wondering if you can recover your investment in new bar if you are for-sure going to sell it. Maybe sell it as is.... ??

[HolmenTree]

The saw was bought new in 2006.
Both sides of the nose of the bar.
The drive sprocket says "Power Mate 404-7" so I assume it is a 404 seven tooth driver sprocket.
Does that look badly worn to you?
I guess they are not expensive, so I should add one to my order.

I agree on a new chain\bar combo purchase but I'm not sure if I should buy the 404 or the 375, I think I'll most likely sell the saw, really I don't need it here in Tokyo, my 185CD does a good job on my mill when I need it.

Cheers!

Yep not a Powermatch bar or the original one. That's a Oregon medium contour bar from the 1970s, actually replaced the old roller from the '60s, then came the slimline contour much the same nose joint but a bit narrower and had a 90° step in on both sides of the rails. In 1984 the PowerMatch guide bar was introduced what we have today, [I field tested the first PowerMatch bars and radial port rim sprockets]. The 3120XP was introduced in 1989.
The drive sprocket looks suprisingly good, it's a 7 T radial port rim. But if your gonna go new b/c get a new rim too.
I'd stick with the .404. If you got a good deal on the saw and want to make a profit go ahead and sell it, but it would sure beat your old 185 to heck as a milling saw.

[Al_Smith]

--plus the fact if it's not abused that big ole saw will last forever .

[HolmenTree]

OK this is driving me nuts  ;D


On the tip is says OREGON 404 and it is a solid nosed bar, no sprocket......

I can't find any info on this bar, anyone have an idea?

I might as well answer this too :D
No from your pic this is not a solid tip bar, the sprocket and bearings were burnt out and the previous owner treated it as a solid nose bar and keep running it like that,

only problem is there is no stellite to support that chain. :D

[clww]

That saw is in pretty good shape to have been abused so much. smiley_dizzy

[Ianab]

That saw is in pretty good shape to have been abused so much. smiley_dizzy

Probably actually has very few hours on the saw. You can do a lot of damage with a blunt chain, worn out bar and the chain brake on in a VERY short time  :D But as long as the gas has oil in it the engine shouldn't die.

I know Japan has some local forestry industry. Where do those guys buy parts and supplies? Probably not in down town Tokyo I guess, but there must be saw shops in the more "rural" areas?

Ian

[Al_Smith]

I'm not so certain the saw engine was abused but they certainly did a number on the cutting system .
Now on that tip I'm not certain if a replacement is made for that old old of style .I'm also in agreement to stay with .404 chain .

I've got 5 saws larger than 100 cc and each one has .404 chain .

Were it I ,I believe I'd hang at least a 36" bar on that thing if not a 42" because a saw of that size was made for large wood .They don't get used much but if the occasion arises they are worth having around .

[Stu in Tokyo]

I'd love to keep the saw, but I live in downtown Tokyo, and I now own four chainsaws  granted two of them are electric, but here in Tokyo an electric saw is a good thing.

Let me explain my thinking, and then you guys please poke holes in it  ;D

I own the 185CD, it is a circa 1976 saw, I can still get parts for it, so it should last a while yet, I think it is of the older longer stroke engine type, so it has a lot of torque and pulls well enough while in the mill. We don't get many big trees here, there was this war that ended 68 years ago, the city was bombed and fire bombed, so you never see a tree that is over 65 year old, most are under 50 years old if that. I think for the occasional milling job, like once every five years, the 185CD will do just fine.

Off the mill the 185CD is a beast, it is almost as heavy as the 3120XP within a pound or two, it also has no safety brake, not a huge deal, guys ran saws for a long time before the brakes came out, but still, not the best saw to be running off the mill, heavy, and not as safe as it could be. The 185CD also has a custom muffler I built for it from a 2-smoke off road bike muffler, it really works well, I get good power, and the saw runs fine with it, it redirects the sound straight up when running the mill (good thing in a city of 12 million) and on the mill the lack of the brake is a non-issue. The last point is that even in good condition I would not get $300 for the saw, no way.

I plan to fix up the 3120XP and sell it, they are 285,000 yen new here that is about $3000 just so you know, I think fixed up in good shape, with a new bar, chain and the carb rebuilt, I should be able to get a fair price. maybe a 1/3 of the new price. Once the saw sells, then I'll buy a good smaller gas saw, something with a 16" to 18" bar, something that I can use more easily. One reason I want a smaller easier to handle saw like that is because of where I live, Japan, we have earthquakes. They say that Tokyo is well over due for a big quake, it will happen. If it does, or maybe when it does a small light gas chainsaw is a good thing to have. They found after the Kobe earthquake in 1995 one tool that most of the local volunteer fire departments did NOT have were chainsaws. Most of the older buildings here, the ones that fall down, are made using what we would call balloon framing or even timber framing. If you have to cut through a bunch of 4" x 4" or larger timbers to get to someone trapped in a house, what better tool than a smaller gas powered chainsaw. As an aside the reason the small local volunteer fire departments did not have chainsaws was that the government bureaucrats did not think the were a safe thing to let the volunteer FDs handle. When the big one hits we know we are on our own for at least three days, no help will come, maybe even a week, as Tokyo is the center of government and of the disaster relief agencies too, so a week we will have to rescue or neighbours and fight our own fires, that is why each neighbourhood has a volunteer FD.

So I think that selling this big saw is the right way to go, but replace it with a good smaller saw.

What do you think, does that make sense?

Then I have to wonder, should I just sell the power head, forget about a bar and chain?

I think that without the bar and chain, it would look much less attractive to a buyer, then again, this is not a saw that an amateur will buy, so leaving the choice of bar and chain to the new owner might be the best idea. Maybe I'll just sell it with the old bar and chain on it, or just the power head?

Cheers!

[Ianab]

I think you are right that anyone who has any business buying that saw will be able to source a bar and chain to suit.

Having it starting and running smoothly is the important thing.

I'd ditch that bar and chain. Seeing that on a saw would make me wonder what other abuse it had suffered. Without those, it looks MUCH better.   :D

You can always buy a bar and chain later if you don't get any interest in the power head only, and a good bar and chain for that size saw would be a decent hunk of $$, that you could put towards the smaller saw.

Ian

[Stu in Tokyo]

I think you are right that anyone who has any business buying that saw will be able to source a bar and chain to suit.

Having it starting and running smoothly is the important thing.

I'd ditch that bar and chain. Seeing that on a saw would make me wonder what other abuse it had suffered. Without those, it looks MUCH better.   :D

You can always buy a bar and chain later if you don't get any interest in the power head only, and a good bar and chain for that size saw would be a decent hunk of $$, that you could put towards the smaller saw.

Ian

Thanks Ian, that sounds like a plan!

[HolmenTree]

Yes just sell the powerhead only, much easier to ship in a compact package saving you and the customer some money, plus the customer can decide with his own bar size.

Just put in a new carb kit and replace the sprocket cover complete with new brake band and lever.
Baileys Woodsmen Supply sells brand new OEM 3120XP sprocket covers fully complete with brake band, lever, sawdust flap,chain adjuster, felling dog and decal for $149.99 [cheaper then a new 32"bar/chain]
part #HVP 503 13 5503

Our sponsor here CHAINSAWR may have a good used one for a much lower price.

[Stu in Tokyo]

Yes just sell the powerhead only, much easier to ship in a compact package saving you and the customer some money, plus the customer can decide with his own bar size.

Just put in a new carb kit and replace the sprocket cover complete with new brake band and lever.
Baileys Woodsmen Supply sells brand new OEM 3120XP sprocket covers fully complete with brake band, lever, sawdust flap,chain adjuster, felling dog and decal for $149.99 [cheaper then a new 32"bar/chain]
part #HVP 503 13 5503

Our sponsor here CHAINSAWR may have a good used one for a much lower price.

Thanks, I'll look into that!

[JohnG28]

I think your thought process sounds pretty logical to me. A good smaller saw sounds like it would make good sense given your situation. Plus you can have a smaller saw that's still reasonably sized seeing as you're downgrading from a 3120. ;D You may want to get a bar of some sort, maybe a 20" to conserve cost, maybe used like HolmenTree said, just so you can run the saw for a potential buyer as well as yourself once you get it done. Even if you're selling it sure it wouldn't hurt to give her a test or two before selling. ;D

[Stu in Tokyo]

I think your thought process sounds pretty logical to me. A good smaller saw sounds like it would make good sense given your situation. Plus you can have a smaller saw that's still reasonably sized seeing as you're downgrading from a 3120. ;D You may want to get a bar of some sort, maybe a 20" to conserve cost, maybe used like HolmenTree said, just so you can run the saw for a potential buyer as well as yourself once you get it done. Even if you're selling it sure it wouldn't hurt to give her a test or two before selling. ;D

I think I'll just run the old bar and chain on the saw in a video showing the saw running, but then not include them, as they are toast. I VERY much doubt the buyer will actually show up here in Tokyo to buy the saw, most likely they will be from outside of Tokyo somewhere and shipping will be a lot, like A LOT cheaper than making the trip into Tokyo to pick up the saw.

Cheers!

[Stu in Tokyo]

Yes just sell the powerhead only, much easier to ship in a compact package saving you and the customer some money, plus the customer can decide with his own bar size.

Just put in a new carb kit and replace the sprocket cover complete with new brake band and lever.
Baileys Woodsmen Supply sells brand new OEM 3120XP sprocket covers fully complete with brake band, lever, sawdust flap,chain adjuster, felling dog and decal for $149.99 [cheaper then a new 32"bar/chain]
part #HVP 503 13 5503

Our sponsor here CHAINSAWR may have a good used one for a much lower price.

I looked at CHINSAWR but they did not have any used sprocket covers for this saw, thanks for the suggestion!

I agree that replacing the whole sprocket cover would be the best idea, but that is $150 plus shipping, the handle, sticker and brake band cost $39.10. There is no real damage to the sprocket cover, I could paint it if I wanted too, but I bet cleaned up with a new sticker on there, no one would know. The $110 will buy me a new better bar and some chain for my 185CD which I use in the mill.
I run a 24" bar on the 185CD, I'll maybe up that to a 28" when I buy a new bar and chain, and I was also thinking that maybe an 18" bar and chain on that saw just to have around would not be a bad idea, but I still want a smaller gas saw.

Thanks again everyone for the help!

Cheers!