The Forestry Forum

Can anyone give me some tips on removing the clutch drums on a 55 rancher and 3120? I would like to grease the bearings and replace rim sprokets. I know I need a piston stop but I cant seem to find one. Any tips?

Dale

You can buy piston stops from your Husky or Stihl dealer for about $10. You want a metal one if you choose the screw in type and you can buy the long version and use it on all of your saws. The plastic screw in stops may break if loaded at an angle, they were originally made for the horizontal cylinder saws where the plug entered perpendicular to the crown of the piston.

A cheap and workable substitute is enough clean starter(or lint free, minimally compressible) rope fed through the plug hole to lock the piston, then it`s a left hand thread to remove the clutch. Be careful that you don`t allow the rope to go into your exhaust port as you feed it into the cylinder.

Russ

I got the job done. It was very easy and took about 10 minutes. I got the non screw in type piston stop and it worked like a charm. Now I can always be sure my needle bearings are greased. My other Husky's have the in board clutch and those are really easy to do.

Dale

Figured it out when I rebuilt my father-in-laws mower on Memorial day a few years ago.  Briggs with overhead valves.  Had to pull the valve springs, but didn't want to pull the head.  He thought I was smart then, but it completely flipped him out when I rebuilt his carb with a couple of salvaged screws from a junked computer, some epoxy, a piece of wire, and a beer can.

Up here, we call that McGyvering after a TV character who could make a bomb or just about anything else from a paper clip and a wad of chewing gum. ;D

I use and impact wrench, no need to use a piston stop. Same as getting pulley of an alternator.