Dolmar ps-510 vs. 5105

Besides the hp specs of 3.3 vs 3.9 for the 5105 any other good reason to pick one or the other? These saws look like a good deal compared to husky and stihl 50cc pro saws. I know i've read some things on why one would get one over the other, but don't remember. I wanna say the 510 is a better buy for some reason, even with that .5 hp rating difference is this true?

 

510 is designed to sell against the ranchers and farm boss's..
5105 is meant to compete against the 346's and 261's...
Both are old tech.
But super rugged and good performers..
I prefer the 5105..

 

Ok, thanks hedgerow. I'd take one of each, 550xp, 261c(got one), dolmar 5105 if I could. The pro 50cc class is real good for my firewooding.

 

The 5105 is even more durable than the 261 IMHO...
As far as sheer beating around/falling off loader/hitting with firewood/ etc.
They also hold prime and start great...
The cat mufflers suck though.. So they always get an extra hole or two somewhere...

 

I bought the 5105 love it. its a cutting machine. when the warranty runs out the cats outta here.

 

I tell ya the masterminded 261c I got is a real easy one to start also. I never put the choke setting on after the saw is warmed up. Cold maybe 3 pulls on choke to get it running. At most 2 pulls on run position if the saw has cooled down a bit and 1 pull if hot/very warm every time. I've read that the manual and other users recommend always putting the saw into choke when restarting....i don't know but I don't go by this. I always take up slack to compression before giving a good pull though.

 

I see new 5105's go for high $400's on ebay w/18" setup. That's a pretty decent deal I'm thinking.

 

I paid $425 for one about 4 years ago.

 

Can't speak to the 5105 - haven't run one, but I bought my 510 about 5-6 years ago and it has been an awesome saw - great power for a 50cc saw and built well. Maintenance is simple. This ad has been on the local NH CL for that last few weeks - if I needed another saw, I'd be driving the hour to get one (or more) of these. http://nh.craigslist.org/for/4693202769.html

Cheers!

 

I ran a 510 for 2 years and then bought the 5105. The 5105 has a noticeable increase in power and is a tad lighter. Having always run Stihl saws the first thing you notice is the 5105 anti-vibe is much better than Stihl. Great saw with a 18" or 20" bar. Cat sucks. When the warranty is out, so is the cat.

 

Warranty or not a cat muffler has gotta go first thing, I say. Retune and have fun. I get the wanting to keep a warranty alive but in my opinion, how many times are they actually needed, from what I hear, past the break in period of a saw? I've only bought 2 new saws in my lifetime though Good to hear the av is as good as anything out there. The dolmars i looked at online seem like a hybrid stihl/husky in the style of parts used(from afar anyways)...air filter like husky, inboard clutch like stihl, spring av like husky and now stihl...i gotta try one of these 5150's for myself is all i know.

 

I almost pulled the trigger on a 5105 last spring. Found it on CL listed for $200 and it sat there for a week, he only had it listed as a "Dolmar saw" and you had to blow the picture up to see what it was. I offered $150 through email and he accepted it, but it was an hour east from where I work, and I would have had a 1.5 hour trip home and just didn't have the free time then. I'm still kicking myself for passing up on that, I was going to give it to my dad. After running a pro 50cc saw, he doesn't seem to like his MS310 as much as he used to.

 

Thanks for the link NHwood.

 

I just got a 5100S from another member for $295, very nice little saw. I like to think the 'S' stands for 'screamer' although Dolmar says it stands for 'Speed', what ever, they were 15000 rpm saws.

They had a reputation for bottom end problems, which stems from not using loctite 301/306 on the case bearings. If you are the least bit handy you can put one back together for not much $. The one I just got was fine but I took it apart and replaced the mains with 306 and new seals, now runs great.

 

Edit to the above should have been 601/603 Loc-Tite. It is a bear getting old!

 

I've had a 5105 with a 5100 muffler for some 4 years.

A couple years ago I ran a man's 510 along with my 5105. There's not a whole lot of difference between them out in the woods.

 

Me thinks I confused the 510 and 5100 when I read that the older 5100 would be a better deal somehow, but anyways good to know the difference of the 510 and 5105. Looks to be approx. $75 or so price difference with what I see online. Not much more for a 5105 if you ask me.

 

Gonna try and snag one from the craigslist link, thanks again NHwood.