Husq 540iXP brake band issues

B

BurOakTom

New member
Location
NE IL
I bought a 540iXP (rear handle, battery) in late 2024. Just over 1 year later, the brake band broke. The replacement lasted about as long; this past weekend I found it broken again.

BrokenBrakeBand.webp

This pic is the 1st break; the 2nd one broke about 1/8" / 3 mm more to the left (away from the curved end). So both times in the same general area.

I did do the repair myself rather than paying the dealer; I'm no expert but not an idiot at the workbench so I don't think I could have done anything wrong there.

This saw sees an intermediate amount of use -- less than by most pros (I expect) but much more than by a typical homeowner. I am not a pro myself; 98% of my chainsaw work is as a volunteer removing invasive and other undesirable brush and trees as part of ecological restorations, averaging ~3 hrs a week. At the time of the 1st break it had recorded between 20 and 21 hours of motor run time out of about 100 hrs of power-on time; running time is probably around 45 hrs now.

I don't *think* I'm using it improperly. I've had multiple chainsaw use & maintenance training sessions, including one from our states' ISA chapter. I *am* constantly dis-engaging and then re-engaging the brake between cuts, but I do wait til the chain has almost stopped; I'm not slamming it on while under power. So the brake almost never gets engaged while the saw is actually running; maybe once every 2-3 months, typically when I'm working in a tight area and catch the arm on something. So I don't feel like I'm asking a lot of what is supposed to be a durable product.

Has anybody else seen this? Is there anything I could possibly be doing to cause it? Are Husqs, or at least their battery saws, known for short brake band life?

Thanks for any insights. I'm buying several replacements; guess I have to start stocking this as a consumable :-(
 
That is surprising and it certainly doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong. I don't have an answer for you, but I have 4 different Husky battery saws in that general series that get/have had regular pro level use and never had one fail on me. Now that I think about it, not sure I've had one fail on any saw I've owned, ever...
 
27RMT0N said:
That is surprising and it certainly doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong. I don't have an answer for you, but I have 4 different Husky battery saws in that general series that get/have had regular pro level use and never had one fail on me. Now that I think about it, not sure I've had one fail on any saw I've owned, ever...
Click to expand...
We don't have any Husqy battery saws, all Stihl shop, but in 20+ years of cutting I've never seen a a brake band fail, and we have a lot of saws, and employees using them who aren't always very kind to them. Makes me think that saw has something wrong with it to cause those failures.
 
ATH said:
I'd ask the dealer or Husqvarna directly.
Click to expand...
I'll try. Have to stop by the shop anyway to order replacement(s). But with little hope; in my limited experience Husq's explanation is always "you're doing it wrong".

Reach said:
Makes me think that saw has something wrong with it to cause those failures.
Click to expand...

Maybe, though I have trouble imagining what with the saw, other than material defects in the band itself, could possibly cause this.
 
and FYI...what makes this problem harder to notice is that the saw also cuts power to the motor when the chain brake is engaged. So even with the brake band broken the chain stops pretty much like one would expect, just not quite as quickly.

The first time it happened I had no idea until finishing a sharpening on the bench vise and moving to re-engage the brake only to realize it had been on the entire time. "Huh? How was I able to move the chain by hand?!?" Take the cover off and, "oh..."
 
There's probably a flaw on another part that is causing this to happen. Hard to imagine having multiple failures of a part that's supposed to last a loooooong time. Figure out what it's connected to and follow the breadcrumbs until you find the culprit. I bought a really expensive Berger carbon fiber telescoping pole saw a few months ago as an indulgence at Black Friday prices. After only about 10 uses, the plastic cap on the butt of the saw cracked, which is problematic because A) that is the attachment point for pulling the saw up in to the tree, and B) it cost $450. I took the cap the rest of the way off carefully and discovered that one of the small sections was about 3/8" of an inch too long, so when I would push the saw back to it's compact size, that section would smash against the inside of the butt cap before it hit the stop on the section it slid inside. This was not user error, but a flaw in manufacturing so it does happen. I cut the excess off that section, turned a new end cap made of Ash, and put it on with silicon and super glue. Better than before and lots prettier. Take that saw apart and look at it and you'll find the problem.
 
Last edited:
the only time I’ve known of brake bands to snap is from a training saw. The brake was engaged religiously and often while the chain was moving rapidly. This was in a husky 353 I believe
 
Njdelaney said:
Take that saw apart and look at it and you'll find the problem.
Click to expand...
I'll give it a shot. Have certainly had that succeed in other contexts. Nothing caught my eye during the 1st repair but a closer look never hurts. Just theorizing, however, I have trouble imagining what sort of defect could lead to this.
 
BurOakTom said:
I'll check that out, thanks. And if I get the spare drive sprocket (what the band grabs) that I've been considering it'll be easy to compare 'em.


"linkage"...from the brake handle to the brake itself?
Click to expand...
Yes, in my case it cause the brake to ever so slightly make contact wearing on the band.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom