Dolmar 6400/7300/7900

JD_Kid · March 04, 2006, 06:49:59 PM

Hi ya's
Sad day :'( my 120 si i think has given up it starting smokeing around the drive drum and haveing a look at it some thing has gone wrong big time ,the shaft will move in and out 1/2 an inch so i'm guessing a clip has let go but it's also chewed the oiler houseing and with needing new rings etc etc i think i'll have to let it die this time ..but ya all know what that means :

any how i'm sticking in house with another dolmar now heres the prob no 68 cc saws now knowing the 120 si is a tad older it's Hp maybe low for a 68 cc saw by todays standards so heres the question what would ya buy ?? i have a 109 for smaller stuff and also a PS9010 with a 36 inch bar for bigger stuff so i want to run around the 20-24 inch range bar i'm thinking the PS 7300 or with the 6400 being a new saw is it grunty eneff OH yea another factor comes in to this a bit i will need it for thining pines in a year or so ...so kinda want to keep it light or dose one just go nuts and sell the 109 too and trade in on a 7900 and a 5100 ..
what do ya think ?? also any one know the Hp for the 120 si ?? i have not got it in the owners book maybe that will help in makeing up my mind
thanks
JD

Ianab · March 04, 2006, 10:32:16 PM

I've got a 7900 with 28" bar, I've not used a lot yet, but I'm very pleased with it, it's a nice saw

Splash out and get the 7900. The others are exactly the same weight, just less less CC / power / $$.
The lower models are perfectly good saws, just dont have the power to weight of the 7900
I'm guessing the 7900 is probably about the same weight as your 120si but has almost the power of your 9010.

Out of interest Dolmar claim 4.6 kw from the 7900 and 4.9kw from the 9010. But the 9010 wieghs over 2.5 kgs more,

Cheers

Ian

JD_Kid · March 05, 2006, 02:10:08 PM

Hi ya Ianab
yea i think the 120 was about 6.2 kg dry another idea crossed my mind tho put a 24-28 inch on the 9010 and buy a ps 5100 to use as a thining saw with a 18 inch on it ... mind you 78 cc while thining would be handy too ..guess i'll ne the kid outside the saw shops looking in for a few days
catch ya
JD

ehp · March 05, 2006, 03:39:37 PM

you will find that a 7900 cuts very close to the 9010 and is alot lighter and nicer saw to run, I am not saying the 9010 is not a nice saw but I know I have ran both alot and I like the 7900 cause it is alot easier on the back, as far as the 5100 goes they are a nice saw but I will keep the bar length to 18 inch if cutting hardwood

ComputerUser · March 05, 2006, 07:41:08 PM

Short answer: The 7900.

[img width=450 --Photos MUST be in the Forestry Forum gallery!!!!!--.com/albums/e113/michiganpowerequipment/resized_Hoffmanized_1.jpg[/img]

I fail to see the point of the 6400 or 7300 - when compared to the 7900 you are working with a powerhead of the same size and weight, but with less power. The 7900 is at its best with a 20" or 24" bar, as the 28"+ don't balance the way the shorter ones do.

As for selling your 109 for a 5100, if it's still getting the job done, why change?

Ianab · March 05, 2006, 10:38:55 PM

Yeah, with the 28" bar the saw is a little nose heavy, probably due to the saw itself being so light, a 24" would be better balanced. But we commonly have trees that a 28" bar wont cut, even boring from both sides :

But I guess thats what the 36" bar on a 9010 is for

Ian

Hoop · March 05, 2006, 11:20:12 PM

The guy I work with has a Dolmar 7900. He said I could use it if I wanted to try it out and see if I like it. Husqvarna pretty much lost me (and scores of others) when they replaced the long lasting 372 with that junkheap 575. I scored a couple of new 372's, but even excellent saws don't run forever.

JD_Kid · March 06, 2006, 05:08:42 AM

Hi ya's
thanks for ya replys ..well i had a think on it and with useing a smaller saw a lot more i have brought a 25 inch .404 bar to run on the 9010 (the 36 is .404 thats why the .404 on short bar) and have brought a PS 5000 now thats got me beet a bit due to people talking about the 5100 or maybe the saw shops got it wrong .. the 109 i'll keep as it gets used a lot with fenceing and around the garden ..if i did not have the 9010 the 7900 would have been a tool to get ..yea the 9010 will get hevey fast but with mainly used for felling and cutting log's for my mill ya not doing a lot of cutting with smaller limbs and off cuts being cut up for fire wood a 18 inch will do most of that eazy .. any how thanks for ya views
catch ya
JD

SteveB · March 08, 2006, 12:52:54 PM

Do any of the Dolmars sold in Canada have decompression valves? The 5100 looks real good and a great price. You can call me a whimp, but I really like how easy these new decompression valves on Stihl/Husky make startup.

Ianab · March 08, 2006, 02:10:51 PM

Hi Steve

The 6400 - 7900 series all have decompress buttons.
I've found my 7900 pretty easy to start, couple of pulls with choke and it coughs, reset the decomp button and put the choke in, it starts next pull.

Cheers

Ian

JD_Kid · March 08, 2006, 02:20:23 PM

Hi ya's
got my 5000 home nice and new etc etc and it has a decompress button in it and so has the 9010 cold it's needed but if it's been running i have no probs cranking the 9010 over but then built like an ape helps :D
catch ya
JD