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Post by footstep on Jan 11, 2023 12:02:29 GMT -5
I picked up a piston from little red barn for one of the homelite 360 iam working on, this is the first time I purchased anything from them, the piston was 30.00 compared to 50+ for a used one or 70+ for a nos, uppon arrival the piston looked good. Now with the trouble, the pin was undersized & would fall out of the connecting rod, no problem as I still had the original pin that I prefer to use anyway, installed the bearing, nice & tight fit, then I went to install the rings & noticed there extremely oversized.   |
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kb2
Dumpster Diver
Posts: 20
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Post by kb2 on Jan 11, 2023 12:48:13 GMT -5
Couple years ago, I was rebuilding a XL 12 and bought a piston from the little red barn and still have it. one of the rings broke. I looked at the fresh brake and there was literally a void between the brake. I don't know if rings are available for these pistons and I didn't even care. My opinion is they are junk.
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Post by blythkd on Jan 11, 2023 19:36:48 GMT -5
If the old wrist pin is bigger O.D. than the new one, will it go through in the bearings in the piston?
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Post by jselden78 on Jan 11, 2023 21:49:59 GMT -5
I bought a piston for a C-72 from them too it’s still on the shelf. I broke a ring on it as well but assumed it was my fault. The piston seemed okay but when I talked it hit the lines on the crank. I took it to work and compared both pistons. The red barn one had a thicker skirt. Machinist friend of mine at work turned that skirt out for me where I had the correct clearance but I never got another ring for it. I called them and showed them pictures of what I had to do to the piston. I even accepted responsibility for the broken ring and offered to purchase two new rings. He said he would send them to me at no charge. Several years later still haven’t seen the rings. Contacted him two more times for the rings but still never received them.
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Post by edju1958 on Jan 11, 2023 22:12:43 GMT -5
Now I'm hearing the piston kits from "Lil Red Barn for Homelite are garbage.Some of you here may know that I'm a McCulloch collector too.I belong to a couple of Mac forums as well as the Homelite forum here.The pistons for the Macs are OK,BUT the wrist pins are undersized & they fall out of the bearings.On a Mac the wrist pin must be pressed in,there are no clips to hold them in like in a Homelite.I know 2 people who've had their entire engine ruined due to the wrist pin backing out because it had a loose fit.Many people have complained to Lil Red Barn about the sloppy fitment & Lee Smith (the owner of LRB) refuses to do anything to correct it.I also have a LRB piston kit that is sitting in the box that I bought about 2 yrs.ago from an unscrupulous seller on eBay who listed it as a Homelite piston kit.He is from Canada & for me to ship it back wouldn't have been worth my while.I don't buy muchj of anything from Lil Red Barn just because of his not so honest sales practices.
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Post by xl130 on Jan 12, 2023 2:29:43 GMT -5
LRB is hit and miss in my experience. If you pay bargain basement prices then you may get what you pay for. I have tried their piston kits, bars and sprockets on and I have personally had mixed results.
I prefer Proline piston kits for Homelite saws. A combination of pistons and good quality rings can make a big difference.
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Post by jselden78 on Jan 12, 2023 11:24:51 GMT -5
I have bought a couple of bars from there, mostly old stock Total which have been great. I did by the house brand there, the slot didn't fit the studs but didn't take much filing at all to make it fit. The oil hole lined up fine and the bar has held up well...for being used once and sitting on the shelf for 2 years.
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Post by footstep on Jan 13, 2023 0:45:22 GMT -5
If the old wrist pin is bigger O.D. than the new one, will it go through in the bearings in the piston? On the 360 the wrist pin gets pressed into the connecting rod, and you use the old bearings from the factory piston. Latest update. I called them and sent them pics, they sent me a new set of rings ( I must be lucky huh) got them today and tried to install them, the damn things are way out of spec, there so wide I can't even get the piston in. Very true you get what ya pay for. Good thing I got them from sleazebay & not their website, it's gonna cost me $3.50 to send them back, so I guess it's a cheap lesson. |
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Post by blythkd on Jan 13, 2023 8:02:04 GMT -5
If the old wrist pin is bigger O.D. than the new one, will it go through in the bearings in the piston? On the 360 the wrist pin gets pressed into the connecting rod, and you use the old bearings from the factory piston. I didn't realize you have to use your old bearings. That's strike 3 for me, right there. |
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Post by footstep on Jan 13, 2023 18:03:33 GMT -5
Now I'm hearing the piston kits from "Lil Red Barn for Homelite are garbage.Some of you here may know that I'm a McCulloch collector too.I belong to a couple of Mac forums as well as the Homelite forum here.The pistons for the Macs are OK,BUT the wrist pins are undersized & they fall out of the bearings.On a Mac the wrist pin must be pressed in,there are no clips to hold them in like in a Homelite.I know 2 people who've had their entire engine ruined due to the wrist pin backing out because it had a loose fit.Many people have complained to Lil Red Barn about the sloppy fitment & Lee Smith (the owner of LRB) refuses to do anything to correct it.I also have a LRB piston kit that is sitting in the box that I bought about 2 yrs.ago from an unscrupulous seller on eBay who listed it as a Homelite piston kit.He is from Canada & for me to ship it back wouldn't have been worth my while.I don't buy muchj of anything from Lil Red Barn just because of his not so honest sales practices. Lee contacted me today after I issued a return request, he asked if the new rings he sent fit? I told him they were too wide and I couldn't get the piston fitted, so clearly his description of not cheap china made is not accurate, maybe after getting slack his practice in business may have changed, stay tuned for the update. |
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Post by footstep on Jan 13, 2023 18:05:52 GMT -5
On the 360 the wrist pin gets pressed into the connecting rod, and you use the old bearings from the factory piston. I didn't realize you have to use your old bearings. That's strike 3 for me, right there. It's better than using some cheap China made out of spec bearings, but yes I agree. Lucky for me dozerdude1 on ebay had some nos pistons on hand for a good price, he's also in oregon so shipping time is fast and his items are always perfect or just as described. |
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Post by bdm53ent on Jan 14, 2023 11:04:06 GMT -5
he's also in oregon so shipping time is fast. Funny you say that. Im in Southaven MS and I get Leons parts in two days! That reminds me Ive got to make an order. |
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Post by onlyhomelites on Jan 17, 2023 22:36:40 GMT -5
Lucky for me dozerdude1 on ebay had some nos pistons on hand for a good price, he's also in oregon so shipping time is fast and his items are always perfect or just as described. +1...Jim has been a good friend of mine for quite a few years; he's old school, honest and fair! |
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Post by footstep on Jan 21, 2023 14:24:17 GMT -5
Lucky for me dozerdude1 on ebay had some nos pistons on hand for a good price, he's also in oregon so shipping time is fast and his items are always perfect or just as described. +1...Jim has been a good friend of mine for quite a few years; he's old school, honest and fair! Just like yourself, you can always guarantee your gonna get exactly as advertised, I would have gotten one from you, but Jim's price was to good to pass up. |
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