Sears Lightweight Chainsaw - Who made them for Sears??

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XPLRN

Dad ^^^^ wouldn't understand the CAD!!! :-)
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Anyone know what the vintage of this saw is and who made this saw for Sears?? Are there parts still available or ??? Sorta looks a bit Homelite-esqe!???

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Seeking more info..........

Built by Roper in the mid to late 60's.

Thanks, any idea as to which model the one in the pictures might be? I've looked thru the 'Roper' section in the 'Chain Saw Collectors Corner' and didn't come up with any identifying info. Same thing with the 'Craftsman' section at the same website.

If by chance you have one like this could you tell me where the I.D. tag is located? Is it fair to presume that since it's not a name brand like Homelite/McCulloch or others that parts would be pretty inaccessible??
 
Thanks, any idea as to which model the one in the pictures might be? I've looked thru the 'Roper' section in the 'Chain Saw Collectors Corner' and didn't come up with any identifying info. Same thing with the 'Craftsman' section at the same website.

If by chance you have one like this could you tell me where the I.D. tag is located? Is it fair to presume that since it's not a name brand like Homelite/McCulloch or others that parts would be pretty inaccessible??

The model number should be on the underside of the air filter cover and I have no idea if Roper sold a similar model or not. I can tell you that the model number on this saw will start with 917, which is the same as the Sears branded David Bradley chainsaws. I have two of those laying around here and one is labeled as a Sportster, just like yours. They are 3.7 cid, which is 60.5cc, and it would have come with a 18" b/c, the saws were better know as a 3.7/18". There are still plenty of parts saws on Ebay and there is one Ebay seller that parts out a lot of these, I believe his name is cheapchainsawparts.

Here is the last one I bought
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The model number should be on the underside of the air filter cover and I have no idea if Roper sold a similar model or not. I can tell you that the model number on this saw will start with 917, which is the same as the Sears branded David Bradley chainsaws. I have two of those laying around here and one is labeled as a Sportster, just like yours. They are 3.7 cid, which is 60.5cc, and it would have come with a 18" b/c, the saws were better know as a 3.7/18".

Thanks a lot for your info and pictures. Actually it's not my saw but one I'm thinking about picking up......just trying to find out some additional intel on it.


I went back to the 'Chain Saw Collector Corner' and searched under the 'Craftsman' manufacturer link and there are 70+ models that start with 917. So I am going to communicate with the guy and have him look under the air filter cover and see if after all these years there might be an identifying tag there.
 
Thanks a lot for your info and pictures. Actually it's not my saw but one I'm thinking about picking up......just trying to find out some additional intel on it.


I went back to the 'Chain Saw Collector Corner' and searched under the 'Craftsman' manufacturer link and there are 70+ models that start with 917. So I am going to communicate with the guy and have him look under the air filter cover and see if after all these years there might be an identifying tag there.

The tags under the air filter cover seem to hold up very well, in the 70's they moved the tag to the bottom and they did not hold up quite as well. I have four of the 70's style saws, one of those is NOS, and two of the 60's style. Acres site is very weak in the Craftsman categories, I have looked for these saws before myself. Maybe I should submit some pictures and info to him to get some of the holes filled. BTW, every air filter cover I have ever seen is cracked and replacements are not available.

Here are some pictures of my Craftsman Sportster, notice how bad the saw looks but the stickers are still in very good condition.
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Also look on the underside of the saw for a sticker, Roper put them there.

The Roper chainsaw from the 70's did have the sticker on the bottom, which is usually missing or unreadable.

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The tags under the air filter cover seem to hold up very well, in the 70's they moved the tag to the bottom and they did not hold up quite as well. I have four of the 70's style saws, one of those is NOS, and two of the 60's style. Acres site is very weak in the Craftsman categories, I have looked for these saws before myself. Maybe I should submit some pictures and info to him to get some of the holes filled. BTW, every air filter cover I have ever seen is cracked and replacements are not available.

Here are some pictures of my Craftsman Sportster, notice how bad the saw looks but the stickers are still in very good condition.
100_2246.jpg

100_2250.jpg




The Roper chainsaw from the 70's did have the sticker on the bottom, which is usually missing or unreadable.

100_2054.jpg

100_2061.jpg

Once again, thanks so much for your knowledge and awesome illustrative pictures!!! The pictured I.D. tag locations help a lot. Interesting to see the difference in the manufacturing location between the two pictured saws. International outsourcing to mexico........what a mess.

Amazing how all the aircleaner covers crack.......
 
great underdog saws!

i have an affinity for these saws. dad used his 1980 version(just like the late 70's one shown above) for years... antivibe and automatic oilers along with electronic ignition on it, rebuilt it using an aftermarket homelite super xl piston with no problems. no nos parts out there except for air filters. rotary still makes them i think. they mostly had 17-18" bars stock but the older ones some had a 21" with .325 chain. the engine is a torque monster, i open up my mufflers w/o baffles and they'll pull a 24" bar through oak no problems. don't pay too much tho, unless it's ready to rock and roll, parts saws on ebay add up quickly on these things. pull the muffler to check the piston, most i find are scored pretty good. good cylinders are hard to find.View attachment 190495
 
red craftsman/ropers

i have 2 of the red craftsman/ropers,3.7-18"bars.one of them with new bar and chain.if anyone is interested pm me .i dont use them any more.i have a ms250,sears/solo 650 and a husky 372 modded by mitch.
 
i have 2 of the red craftsman/ropers,3.7-18"bars.one of them with new bar and chain.if anyone is interested pm me .i dont use them any more.i have a ms250,sears/solo 650 and a husky 372 modded by mitch.

Try the classifieds on this site, you may find a taker. I would take em off your hands but I am already swimming in those old saws.

http://www.arboristsite.com/classifieds.php
 
The plastic air filter covers do not survive when you stack heavy objects on top of them.

I find them very hard to pull over/start as the recoil pulley is undersize for 60cc.

Configuration if very similar (copied from?) to the Homelite XL-100 series.

That is for sure, every bit of it.
The covers will crack if you look at them cross eyed. Most I have seen have the edges broken off or they are cracked from the center from being overtightened.

These saws do take some muscle to pull them over, thank god for the compression release or you would be snapping starter ropes every other day.

They do oddly resemble the older Homelite saws, probably a marketing ploy to play off of Homelite's reputation.
 
Hey guys I have a Crafstman I think its a 3.7 anywho there is the little button or... errrr... not sure what it is that is right to the left of the oiler button Can anyone tell me what it is for?
 
Hey guys I have a Crafstman I think its a 3.7 anywho there is the little button or... errrr... not sure what it is that is right to the left of the oiler button Can anyone tell me what it is for?

I believe what you have is a D44, or one of the other models like it, and that would be a knob to control the oil flow of the auto oiler. If you could post a picture I could tell you for sure.
 
Here's a little gem that my neighbor picked up for $20 at a flea market. He knows I collect saws, so the price was right and he grabbed it for me. I agree, they're super-torquey for a little saw. BTW, the roller nose bar is mine; I just got the powerhead from my neighbor.
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The tags under the air filter cover seem to hold up very well, in the 70's they moved the tag to the bottom and they did not hold up quite as well. I have four of the 70's style saws, one of those is NOS, and two of the 60's style. Acres site is very weak in the Craftsman categories, I have looked for these saws before myself. Maybe I should submit some pictures and info to him to get some of the holes filled. BTW, every air filter cover I have ever seen is cracked and replacements are not available.

Here are some pictures of my Craftsman Sportster, notice how bad the saw looks but the stickers are still in very good condition.
100_2246.jpg

100_2250.jpg




The Roper chainsaw from the 70's did have the sticker on the bottom, which is usually missing or unreadable.

100_2054.jpg

100_2061.jpg

To roanoker: did this saw have auto oiling with manual assist? or just manual?
 
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Saws like the one in the top two pictures were manual only, to the best of my knowledge. The saw in the bottom two pictures has a auto oiler with manual over ride.

The nephew just got this one and brought it over. Fresh fuel and some tweaking and it really runs well... Has the original bar and ~ 150 pounds of comp. Hasn't been used much. But if it's an auto oiler, I don't think it's pumping enough to get the job done. Is it just a really low volume pump? Or should it be adequate?
 

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