So, as of lately (the last 3 months or so) I’ve been on a bit of chainsaw / small 2 stroke repair kick.
Anyway, I’m going to use this thread as a log of my adventures with chainsaws and small power equipment, and wanted to open it up to others who might share the same hobby, or just want to follow along and maybe learn / share some tips and knowledge along the way.
For some backstory, one of my early childhood memories is going to the small, non-supercenter Walmart the next town over with my Dad. I distinctly remember spending 15 to 20 minutes in the farm and garden section with him as he looked at a new Poulan Chainsaw, specifically the 1950 Woodshark Model. This was probably 1997 / 1998
~ 4 year old me was enamored with the Lime Green, almost Chartreuse color, and the cartoonized Great White Shark biting through a log on the box (and the pull start cover). I don’t remember what he paid, but I think it was less than 100 dollars for the new saw, complete with storage case.
Growing up, with supplemental wood heat, I remember getting bundled up in winter clothes to go stack, or split wood with Dad and being surrounded by the cackle of the little Wood Shark putting in work, and the smoky haze of cheap 2 Stroke oil being burnt while Dad would cut and noodle logs.
I distinctly remember one time, in early 2007, where we spent the better part of a day cutting our way in to our farm. There was an ice storm in January where we accumulated upwards of 1.5 inches of ice, and it brought down a lot of trees and limbs, and prevented us from getting down the mile long driveway to the cabin.
Anyway, it took us about 8 hours of cutting and dragging limbs, branches, and downed trees out of the way to make it to the cabin. At one point, Dad stopped and re-filled the trusty Woodshark, and fired it back up. It ran OK for a few seconds, but then started running poorly and just pouring blue smoke out, and ended up filling up the valley we were in with hazy smoke.
After a short time, he realized that he had dumped in diesel by mistake, and dumped it out and re-filled with some fresh premix. After cleaning the spark plug, the little Woodshark was back in action.
Eventually, he stepped up to a Husqvarna 455 Rancher and let the old Poulan sit. I messed with it in College, put a new piston ring, fuel lines, spark plug and primer bulb, but was never able to get it run reliably. I, regrettably, cut my losses and threw it away on a scrap run.
My last semester of college, I ended up living in an apartment above an RV repair shop (a large pole barn). The only method of heat was a wood stove. My dad’s buddy who owned the repair shop gave me a ~1987 Poulan 2800 that had been sitting for years, and I was able to shoestring it along enough to keep me warm thru the winter months. I ended up having to put all new fuel lines and bar / chain on it, as the bar that came on it had a pinched nose sprocket. But I was content with my free Green Machine.
Fast Forward to now: one of my Dad’s co-workers lives down in the city, and during trash day, while taking out his trash bags, has found upwards of 4 chainsaws thrown in there, at different times. Apparently, one of his neighbors need for a chainsaw would be pretty sporadic, and by the time he’d need a chainsaw again, the carburetor would be gummed up, or the fuel lines would be rotten, and he’d just go buy a new one.
My Dad’s co-worker picked them all up and brought them into work, and as a result, Dad has brought home at least 4, including my go to “bigger” saw, my Poulan 3300, affectionately known as my Trash-can Poulan.
When I brought it home, the chain was off the bar, and the fuel lines were all gone. I was able to get it to fire on pre-mix down the throat, and upon firing off, there was metal on metal sound under the clutch cover. Upon further inspection, the drive links were totally gone off of the chain, and the clutch had exploded.
With new fuel and impulse lines, fresh fuel, a muffler mod, and a new clutch and chain, the thing was back in action. I pre-emptively bought a carb kit because I figured it would need it, but with fresh fuel, and some minor adjustment, it rips.
The dopamine hit of an uncorked 2 stroke brapping to life and making chips triggered something in my brain, and since then, I’ve been on a chainsaw repair kick.
This has led to the refurbishment of the following:
1980’s Poulan Micro XXV Top Handle (needed a carb kit and fuel lines / filter). I use this one for limbing and small stuff, super handy. My dad gave me this saw years ago, and I used it in College for cutting dirt bike trails, but where it’s origin is unknown.
1987 Poulan 2800 – re-did the fuel lines / impulse line / filter, gave it a muffler mod and tuned it, now it’s back to operable status
Early 1970’s Pioneer 1072 – this one is special. This was my Grandpa’s saw that my Dad took with him when he moved out to go tech school. All mag, no anti-vibe, old school. This one required a carb kit and fuel lines / filter, but fired up and runs good. This one doesn’t get used, but I keep it in running shape just because I can. Feel a connection to my Grandpa when I mess with this one.
Dumpster Saw #1: 2013 Craftsman-branded Poulan 42cc Stratoport – this one had hardly been used, but had been sitting for a while. The fuel was rancid, and the ethanol in the fuel had killed the fuel lines. I ended up replacing the carb, fuel lines, primer bulb, and air filter on this one, and gave it to my brother in law as a Christmas present, with 2 new chains, a set of wedges, and a chain sharpening kit and bar / engine oil.
Dumpster Saw #2: 2007 Poulan 42cc Stratoport – this one had some signs of use, but I assume the PO used ethanol free fuel. The lines were in good shape, and this one fired up on pre-mix but required some tuning. My guess is, since it wouldn’t take full throttle, that the PO dumped it and bought Dumpster Saw #1, which ironically is identical other than color scheme. After getting it running and tuned in, the saw felt weak compared to the non-strato saw. So I recently gave this one a muffler mod and re-tuned it and it's much better.
Dumpster Saw #3: Homelite 150 Auto – this one is kind of unique. All mag saw, no anti-vibe or chain brake. Fired up on pre-mix, so I ordered a carb kit and some other parts. I ended up buying a parts saw for some recoil stuff. Unfortunately, the recoil uses a 1 way bearing on the end of the crank (incorporated into the flywheel nut), and somehow, broke the end of the crank off, along with the nut. So now, the parts saw is the project.
These have a unique design where the entire engine / clutch assembly comes out with like 9 bolts, which makes for easy access for certain things, but difficult access for working on the carb and stuff. And the aforementioned recoil assembly is a bit of weak link. I’ve got the carb rebuilt, but I need to transfer it over to the part’s saw and see what happens. Plans for this one are to get it running, sharpen the chain, then preserve it and leave it at the cabin for use as a backup saw.
1975-ish Stihl 015L Tophandle – my Great uncle gave this to me. When I got it, the recoil wasn’t functioning. It turned out that the flip out pawls on the flywheel that catch the dogs on the recoil were seized, and upon trying to break them loose, I broke off one of the threaded pins in the flywheel. I was able to drill out and modify an M6 bolt in place of it, and now the recoil works. I’ve got a carb kit / molded fuel line for this one, and it fires up and runs, but needs some carb work and an air filter. And a new chain, which is 1/4" pitch and a little difficult to find locally.
2001-ish Poulan Pro 42cc Non-stratoport – Buddie’s old saw he gave me. Has definitely seen some use. Muffler port heated up the plastic chassis and warped it, and the bar studs pulled out so it has some modified bolts in place now. Runs, but needs a carb kit / air filter (which I have) just haven’t made time for it yet. Definitely seems to have more ummmph than the newer stratoports.
Homelite Super XL-Auto – Not sure where this one came from, but my Dad thinks he bought it at a garage / estate sale. Super nice, and has been well taken care of. I got it off the shelf where it’s sat for at least 5 years, dumped some pre-mix in, and in a few minutes had it running and idling really well. Not sure what plans I have for this one, but my buddy sharpened the chain on it, so it’s ready for action. Super Loud exhaust on this one too – just a cool, old school saw.
BIL’s McCulloch Pro-Mac 55: This one is a bit more of a project. Apparently, it was his grandpa’s saw, and for as long my BIL can remember, it sat in the basement of his grandparents house. When his grandpa died, he brought it home with him, but BIL tried (but failed) to get it running. I snuck it out of his house before Christmas with the intent to get it running and give it back to him as a surprise. It had no spark, so I cleaned the points and was able to get some good spark. However, the crank bearings have a lot of side to side play. I rebuilt the carb, and was able to get it to fire up, but the bottom end doesn’t sound happy, likely due to the crank bearings. Service parts for this are difficult to come by, but it’s very mechanically similar to the 10-10, which are pretty ubiquitous. I’ve got a line on a 10-10 parts saw that should have a good long block. Besides the engine swap, it needs a thorough cleaning, and the fuel and oil tanks resealed (they bolt on and seal to the chassis, which is unique.
I plan on getting this one running, and clean it up real nice, and make a wall display with a wood slab I cut. I want it to be functional, even though a modern saw is much safer, and probably more appropriate for the homeowner duties than this dinosaur. So I want to get it running, then preserve it and leave it on display for his mancave.
Dad’s 2013 Husqvarna 455 Rancher – Dad bought this new and used it for quite a while. I worked at a Motorcycle dealership in College that happened to sell Husqvarna’s, and I had it in for some warranty work while I worked there. Dad always had issues with it puking bar oil, and then had some issues with it running. Turns out the factory fuel line dissolved, even though he always used ethanol free fuel, and gummed up the carb and fuel tank.
Dad pulled it apart years ago to repair it, then got sidetracked, and threw it all in a box, and went out and bought an Echo CS590 Timberwolf. The Husky had been apart for 4 years, and one night I had enough and decided to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. He had purchased a new carb, which I installed, cleaned the tank, made new fuel lines, and reassembled. Working on this thing was pretty difficult, the way it’s designed. It’s really more of a homeowner saw than a commercial / farm saw, which is what it was marketed as. That said, it’s back together, short of a few missing bolts, and runs. Still need to get it properly tuned. I was happy to be done with this one though – to remove the carb, the entirety of the handle has to come off.
Anyway, I’m going to use this thread as a log of my adventures with chainsaws and small power equipment.
Future projects include:
Air Cleaner Mod / Swap on my Poulan 2800 / 3300. The factory air filters are no longer available and difficult to come by. The later model 1950 / 2150 airbox looks like it may fit under the cover, and uses a foam air filter that are widely available.
Harbor Freight Chain Grinder Mods. The swap to an Oregon wheel made this 90% better, but the locking mechanism is pretty flimsy. Need to make something more secure to hold the chain with.
Echo / John Deere Saw: Dad has had an old Echo saw up on the shelf for years, hat was re-branded and sold as a John Deere. Not sure what model or size, but I know it was heavy. Maybe a 60V? Regardless, I want to get it down and get it fired up and brapping.
I really want one of the goofy, 42cc, non-stratoport Green and Purple Poulan Wildthings, if nothing else for the novelty of it. That, and a replacement 1950 Woodshark, just for the novelty.
I do plan on doing a “build” on a 372XP Clone from Holzzforma. They are Chinese clones of the Husky 372XP now that the patents have ran out. The higher end Pro unit I have had my eye on have Genuine Walbro Carbs, Italian Caber Rings, and some other upgraded parts, and are supposed to cut even with an OEM saw. Leaning towards a 24 or 28 inch bar, and planning on a dual port muffler and more freely flowing intake right off the bat.
I need to get some more pics of the saws individually, but here are some pics of a recent storage solution we figured out for the bulk of the saws.
The Pioneer
Who else tinkers / fools with Chainsaws?