# McColluch Timber Bear



## fibaz (Oct 30, 2010)

Hey all. Been lurking the last couple of weeks I'd like to say thanks for the great information on carb tuning. 

So a couple of weeks ago I tore up the mother in law's Husq while sawing through the main parts of the trunk of a 200 year old white oak tree, (of course it was poor technique) as I'm a newbie to chainsaws. To make a long story short I got sent home with 4 chainsaws that hadnt been started in years. 

I got the two Poulans running on the first pull with little trouble. I am giving up on the vintage Sears model for now. But the last one is the an early 90's McCoulluch Timber Bear. 

In your opinions, is the Timber Bear worth cleaning up and seeing if she'll run and maybe doing a complete overhaul? 

I admit I am gun shy when I looked at the illustrated parts guides. 

Thanks in advance,

Mike


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## Roanoker494 (Oct 30, 2010)

The timber bear was not the worse saw ever built, but I personally would not put much into one either. I believe the timber bear later became the PM610 which later became the PM650.

Here is a link to the specs on the timber bear
http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.n...1918b2fc251a6ffb88256c3b004fe4ad?OpenDocument


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## Roanoker494 (Oct 30, 2010)

I am a real sucker for the old Sears saws. Do you know what the model number on your Sears saw? Maybe post a picture?


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## Sprintcar (Oct 30, 2010)

The McCulloch Timberbear is the last of the line of the 600 series McCulloch Chainsaws. They aren't bad saws all in all. I know families that swear by and sometimes swear at these saws. They are as follows;

605 58cc
610 60cc
650 60cc
655 60cc
Timber Bear 58cc.

These saws were produced in the hundreds of thousands and there are parts everywhere. The purest will tell me I'm wrong that the Timberbear is 55 or 57 cc but all the cylinders are interchangable.

These saws are summed up as;

Built like a tank
Heavy as :censored:
Ugly as sin
Great ole saws.


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## fibaz (Oct 30, 2010)

Thanks for the replies. 

Roanoker- understood, I'm not going to put too much time into it. At least in teh specs it says it has a Walbro carb as I am fairly familiar with those. Got the original manual and parts guide with it, figure it'll give me something to tinker with for a minute. I just want something a lil bigger than 18" until spring or summer when I finally get another one. 

Also I would post a picture but the digital camera didnt survive my last rafting trip lol. But the Sears model number: 358.355161. What I gather it's an old Poulan design? I may be wrong. 

Sprintcar- thanks, that sounds promising. Glad to know there are still parts for those old tanks floating around. The person I got it from swore by it mostly but cussed it by the end. Hopefully I'll find the time to tinker with it sometime soon. Trying to start cutting next years or the years' after firewood now.


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## Roanoker494 (Oct 30, 2010)

fibaz said:


> Thanks for the replies.
> 
> Roanoker- understood, I'm not going to put too much time into it. At least in teh specs it says it has a Walbro carb as I am fairly familiar with those. Got the original manual and parts guide with it, figure it'll give me something to tinker with for a minute. I just want something a lil bigger than 18" until spring or summer when I finally get another one.
> 
> ...



Yeah, those digital cameras don't care much for the water. Dropped one in the river while fishing, it didn't make it either. 

The 358 part of your number does mean Poulan. It is based off one of the smaller saws, but I am not sure which one. I believe it is one of the Mirco Poulans like this one
http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.n...be49b07a4d4fa22b88256bfc001103c6?OpenDocument


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## fibaz (Oct 30, 2010)

Roanoker494 said:


> Yeah, those digital cameras don't care much for the water. Dropped one in the river while fishing, it didn't make it either.
> 
> The 358 part of your number does mean Poulan. It is based off one of the smaller saws, but I am not sure which one. I believe it is one of the Mirco Poulans like this one
> http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.n...be49b07a4d4fa22b88256bfc001103c6?OpenDocument




Yes sir, just in a white casing with the Craftsman stickers on it. It is of the 16 inch bar and chain variety.


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## Bowtie (Oct 30, 2010)

I would not piss on a timberbear or 610 if it was on fire. I have a completer engine for one that I plan to use for target practice as soon as I get my Remmy VTR .223.


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## Modifiedmark (Oct 31, 2010)

Bowtie said:


> I would not piss on a timberbear or 610 if it was on fire. I have a completer engine for one that I plan to use for target practice as soon as I get my Remmy VTR .223.



I won't disagree with that either. Only a pure Mac lover would have much use for one.


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## gmax (Oct 31, 2010)

Modifiedmark said:


> I won't disagree with that either. Only a pure Mac lover would have much use for one.



They make a good loaner saw, if it doesn't come back well that would be a bonus.


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## Modifiedmark (Oct 31, 2010)

gmax said:


> They make a good loaner saw, if it doesn't come back well that would be a bonus.



I won't disagree with that either.


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## Sheriff420 (Oct 31, 2010)

Hey, I have one of those. It's a late 90's model and it doesn't run either.
The gas I poured out of it when I got the saw was like molasses. 
With the weight of it, I bet you could just wrap a rubber band on the throttle and drop it on a log that you're bucking to save your back.


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## Streblerm (Oct 31, 2010)

Sprintcar said:


> The McCulloch Timberbear is the last of the line of the 600 series McCulloch Chainsaws. They aren't bad saws all in all. I know families that swear by and sometimes swear at these saws. They are as follows;
> 
> 605 58cc
> 610 60cc
> ...



YUP! I like (not love) mine. They have a great sound and mine has been completely reliable. Sure they are a little heavy for their power output, but that's why there are still so many of them around 20+ years later. 

Probably the best saw you could've bought from K-Mart

I would put a few bucks into the old girl. Maybe not a total rebuild, but cleaning and forgotten maintenance will make for a good occasional use or backup saw.


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## fibaz (Oct 31, 2010)

Streblerm said:


> YUP! I like (not love) mine. They have a great sound and mine has been completely reliable. Sure they are a little heavy for their power output, but that's why there are still so many of them around 20+ years later.
> 
> Probably the best saw you could've bought from K-Mart
> 
> I would put a few bucks into the old girl. Maybe not a total rebuild, but cleaning and forgotten maintenance will make for a good occasional use or backup saw.



Thanks, thats what I needed to read/hear. I just need something to occasionally fell bigger trees, and speed up bucking on bigger pieces. So that seems to fit the bill for now. 

Now I get to tinker until I can find the right saw for me down the road.


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## spike60 (Oct 31, 2010)

Streblerm said:


> YUP! I like (not love) mine. They have a great sound and mine has been completely reliable. Sure they are a little heavy for their power output, but that's why there are still so many of them around 20+ years later.
> 
> Probably the best saw you could've bought from K-Mart
> 
> I would put a few bucks into the old girl. Maybe not a total rebuild, but cleaning and forgotten maintenance will make for a good occasional use or backup saw.



I think that's a fair assesment. Most of you guys are being pretty hard on that poor old saw. Kind of like the fat girl that nobody want to dance with. :hmm3grin2orange:

I've got one in excellent shape that I got from ChainsawWhisperer. Heavy for the CC's, but it does have a cool sound and it'll get some work done. In a way, it's like the 455Rancher and MS290 in the overweight for it's size category. A lot of this stuff is perspective. If you pick one up after running a 372, your reaction is "you've got to be kidding". But by itself, it's not half bad. 

If it just needs some carb work and such, then get her going. It will do a fair amount of work, and be a decent backup saw down the road.


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## heimannm (Oct 31, 2010)

The 600 Series McCullochs don't get a lot of love on this site, but they are what they are, heavy, slow, loud, very durable, and very reliable. 

If I could only have one saw would it be a 600? Probably not. None the less, since you have it and parts are available and reasonably priced, why not?

















Mark


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## Bills71 (Apr 18, 2019)

I've had my timber bear for many years now. Its been a very good saw and has cut many trees down over the years. I try to keep up with the maintenance on it and all. I've had very little issues with it and hope to use it many more years. I don't have a preference on brand of saw I use. My only preference is that it runs and runs good. The saws of today dont seem to be built to last... This old McCulloch seems to have been built right the day it was put together....


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## Huskybill (Apr 18, 2019)

Let’s see the newer saws last as long as the older saws and even vintage saws. There’s few and far between for sale that are complete. The older ones need the carbs cleaned, a few drops down the sparkplug hole to prelube the cylinder and rings they should run if they have spark. I get a kick out of my little 9” bar Mac eager beaver, a good edge on the chain, she cuts. Not a world record setter but she starts and cuts. Of course this new gas melted the fuel line time to fix it.
My homey lite leaf blower is from the early 90’s still runs the new gas got the fuel line on that one too twice.


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## Tinman204 (Apr 19, 2019)

OP I say see if you can get the old timber bear running and use it. If you dont like it you can always sell it.

If you aren't sure about what to look for or even where to start with a non running saw make a thread on here and ask questions. Theres so many great members here that will help.

Ive only been at this a couple years and because of sites like this Ive worked on or rebuilt everything from a late 70's homelite to a moden autotune 562xp husqvarna.


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## smokey7 (Apr 20, 2019)

Mighty old post here guys.


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## Chainsawup (Jul 31, 2019)

I purchased my Timber Bear in Sept
98 after getting tired of my 20" 2 speed 58 David Bradley. The Bradley will still cut the world around the McCulloch, but you don't climb trees with Bradley. Mix your premium (no alcohol) gas alittle oil heavy and add 103 Octane. You will notice a great improvement in its ability. It has won battles against Stihl Pro models


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## gumneck (Oct 18, 2021)

I know this thread is ancient but who dont like beating a dead horse or Timber Bear? Just kidding, I have no experience with it so can't say. But.....
There's been a TB on the local offerup site for weeks now in case anyone would like it. It's only 500 buckaroonies.


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## Wood Doctor (Oct 18, 2021)

Proof is in the pudding. One day I decided to mount a 28" bar onto a Mac 5700 (more recent TimberBear) and see what it would cut and if it could pull that bar through big Elm. It did it without breathing too hard:


How on earth I got these big rounds up onto the pickup truck by myself, I really do not remember. Today I would have noodle cut them all into halves or quarters.


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## heimannm (Oct 18, 2021)

The Timber Bear models were all the 3.7 In3 models which were bigger displacement than the 3.4 In3 5700. I suspect the Timber Bear version were also thin ring. I have one equipped with a 24" bar and it pulls it well enough. I have heard others make the same kind of comments about the Timber Bear. Last week I worked on a PM610 thin ring variant for a friend of mine and with a 28" bar buried in oak I could pull very hard on the saw and it just kept chugging.

Mark


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## hwrdpromac7900 (Oct 18, 2021)

Thin ring 600 series definitely better than the early 600 series. The bottom facing exhaust ports hurt the saws performance IMO. The 800 series saws were pretty lame for an 80cc saw. They did have a great look and sound though.


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