PM2000 owners - a couple of questions

[Matt Winterowd]

I've had a PM2000 for coming up on 3 years now, and I've been very pleased with it overall. Aside from just being generally well built and smooth performer, one of the features that I like most is the built-in caster system. It has it's trade-offs, but I still prefer it to an add-on mobile base. However, the last time I tried to move it, I found that it took considerable force to pull the handle out into the caster adjustment position. (read: prying with a 2x4) It's always been a little stiff on mine (not the effortless action shown on the promo video), but it's never been an issue until now. I subsequently ended up having to tap it back in with a mallet. The thing is, I'm not having any luck getting any lubrication in to wherever it's binding. I've tried shooting Progold 2000 (what else would you use on a PM2000?:rolleyes:) into every entry point I can get at around the handle and inside around the angle worm gear, but no joy.

So, here's the main question: Am I missing a lubrication point for this stuff? Is there a way short of taking the top off and/or flipping the saw over to get lubricant in there? I don't see anything in the manual.

Ok, so the other questions I have are more academic. I heard at some point that PM had planned to change the caster jack screws to a much coarser pitch to shave down the 1.5 million revolutions it currently takes to raise and lower the machine. Did that actually happen? Not that it makes any difference for me, but I'm just curious.

Also, have any of you just given up on the built-in casters and put it on a mobile base? (I'm sure some of you don't ever move your saws, which is not particularly interesting to me). I have no intention of doing so, but I remember a couple of people complaining that the casters didn't give them enough clearance to work on their floors, etc. Again, just curious.

[Jim Summers]

I've had a PM2000 for coming up on 3 years now, and I've been very pleased with it overall. Aside from just being generally well built and smooth performer, one of the features that I like most is the built-in caster system. It has it's trade-offs, but I still prefer it to an add-on mobile base. However, the last time I tried to move it, I found that it took considerable force to pull the handle out into the caster adjustment position. (read: prying with a 2x4) It's always been a little stiff on mine (not the effortless action shown on the promo video), but it's never been an issue until now. I subsequently ended up having to tap it back in with a mallet. The thing is, I'm not having any luck getting any lubrication in to wherever it's binding. I've tried shooting Progold 2000 (what else would you use on a PM2000?:rolleyes:) into every entry point I can get at around the handle and inside around the angle worm gear, but no joy.

So, here's the main question: Am I missing a lubrication point for this stuff? Is there a way short of taking the top off and/or flipping the saw over to get lubricant in there? I don't see anything in the manual.

Ok, so the other questions I have are more academic. I heard at some point that PM had planned to change the caster jack screws to a much coarser pitch to shave down the 1.5 million revolutions it currently takes to raise and lower the machine. Did that actually happen? Not that it makes any difference for me, but I'm just curious.

Also, have any of you just given up on the built-in casters and put it on a mobile base? (I'm sure some of you don't ever move your saws, which is not particularly interesting to me). I have no intention of doing so, but I remember a couple of people complaining that the casters didn't give them enough clearance to work on their floors, etc. Again, just curious.

Hi Matt,

Luckily my caster jack is working fine. I agree it does take a whole lot of turns to raise and lower it. I need the space under my extension and that was one of the reasons I chose the 2000. In the shop where I work there is a PM66 on a mobile base and it is very solid. I recommend giving PM a shout and see what they say. I think if you had to use a 2x4 as a prybar it may be more than a lubrication issue.

HTH

[Matt Winterowd]

Jim, I am planning on giving them a call, but I just wondering if anyone else had either experienced this or tinkered with that particular mechanism. Just for my own reference, does your hand wheel move in and out very easily, or is there a fair bit of resistance?

[Jim Summers]

Jim, I am planning on giving them a call, but I just wondering if anyone else had either experienced this or tinkered with that particular mechanism. Just for my own reference, does your hand wheel move in and out very easily, or is there a fair bit of resistance?

Hi Matt,

It pulls out easily and then when it starts to engage the jack it take a bit of a tug. But to me it just feels like the teeth settling in. I even kinda wiggle the wheel as I am going out to kinda help it lock in. Going back to tilt mode, is smooth and then just a little jiggle to re-engage.

HTH

[Joe Leigh]

I concur with Jim's assessment, the wheel engages and disengages very smoothly. As for the total height, I've measured a little less than 1/2" fully raised.

[Jon McElwain]

Mine moves in and out smoothly albeit a little heavy. I wonder if your gears got out of sinc?

[Joseph Tarantino]

it will be very interesting to see what informational assistance PM proivides.

[John Lifer]

Mine is very easy to move in and out. It has taken a bit of wiggling to insure it is in place for the elevation of the saw and not the tilt.

[Mitchell Garnett]

I've had a PM2000 about 3 years also. Recently after moving the saw to a temporary position for a few weeks and then moving it back, I found that I couldn't get the gears to engage correctly so I couldn't get the tilt to operate correctly but I also couldn't get the unit down off the casters. Thinking that maybe I'd stripped a gear, I called PM. The technical service guy was very helpful and we quickly found that the issue was "operator error." Following his instructions and using a bit of a wiggle on the hand wheel, I got it to engage and dis-engage properly and it has worked fine since. In looking at what I was doing, I also noticed that I needed to clean out a lot of saw dust I'd overlooked.

The one thing the tech told me was that if I ever did find that I needed to use a lot of force to turn the wheel, I should stop immediately and call tech support. If you force the wheel, you will damage the gearing. And he also acknowledged that you had to turn the crack a couple of hundred times to raise/lower the saw.

I know my issue was a little different that what you report but maybe this helps a little.

[Matt Winterowd]

Just wanted to follow up on this. I called PM and the tech pointed me to a block that's sort of shaped like a W (part 19 in the motor and trunnion assembly diagram). The common shaft runs through three holes, 1 in each upright of the W. Those are really the only points that could bind this action. Once I could envision the area, I could see that I was really only hitting of the holes with lube. Once I crawled in there and shot some lube on each through hole, and worked the handle back and forth, viola, problem solved! Much smoother now than it was new! Still a little wiggle at each end to engage the gears as others have mentioned, but hardly any force needed to move the handle in and out.

[Van Huskey]

Glad they got you taken care of, has been my experience that most of the PM tech support people tend to know their product well. I had watched the thread with interest even though mine sits in one place it may not be there forever and I fugured if it was a lube issue or the like I will probably need to know the "cure" since it will have been sitting so long between moves.

[Jim Summers]

Cool. Glad you got it working again.

[Andrew Yang]

Like the others, my wheel moves in and out fairly smoothly. If you do end up working on the gear train, please note that the mechanism doesn't work when the unit is tipped over on its side. You need to put it upright in order for the mechanism to operate correctly. It makes it a bit of a pain when you're checking to make sure the chain has been tensioned correctly but it's not too bad if you've got an extra set of hands to help out.