Hello. My name is Jim. I have CAD. Here is my summer haul. And some questions.

[Eccentric]

Glad to hear it. Be sure it's not tuned too lean on the H side. Make certain that it's 4-stroking at Wide Open Throttle (WOT) unloaded and JUST cleans up when under full load in the cut. These saws don't handle running too lean well.

 

[jfhoss]

Thanks Eccentric. I think I'm going to practice the High adjustment on one of my others to really understand the 4 stroking. I hear a burble when I adjust at WOT. Is that the sound?

Oh and you've been a big help. I have a bad feeling this disease is going to make my wife start to ask if I have a girlfriend in the shop.

 

[Eccentric]

That's the sound. You need to be able to hear when the burble goes away and the saw runs 'clean'.......and hear when the burble returns.

 

[jerrycmorrow]

That's a Roper, not a Poulan. Not sure of the model Roper it's rebranded off of.

not this one brian, i also have the 3.7 craftsman/roper. different saw altogether.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

That's the sound. You need to be able to hear when the burble goes away and the saw runs 'clean'.......and hear when the burble returns.

One thing I do is check the "H" screw after I adjust it. If it's near the initial setting it's probably okay. If the setting when you're done is like 1/4 turn out you have a problem.

 

[Eccentric]

Yep.

One thing I do is check the "H" screw after I adjust it. If it's near the initial setting it's probably okay. If the setting when you're done is like 1/4 turn out you have a problem.

....or if it's 2.5 turns out you have a big problem...


Now there are exceptions. Some Homelites with the 'semi fixed jet" HS carbs are intended to run around 1/4 out from seated ( I'll post the tech bulletin later).....and some Wild Thing type Poulans want about 2.5 turns out after a muffler mod.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

....or if it's 2.5 turns out you have a big problem...


Now there are exceptions. Some Homelites with the 'semi fixed jet" HS carbs are intended to run around 1/4 out from seated ( I'll post the tech bulletin later).....and some Wild Thing type Poulans want about 2.5 turns out after a muffler mod.

I have a couple of newer Craftsman plastic saws that are set at about 2 1/2 turns out. The haven't had a muffler mod either, they just won't run unless you give them some gas. I guess it's possible they have bad seals but the saws really aren't worth spending any money on.

 

[homelitejim]

I don't mind the fixed jet carb on my SP 81 but than again I have one with the fixed jet and one that is fully adjustable, both cut like a champ. I would definitely find a bar in the 24"+ range for the SP 81 anything less and the power of the saw is wasted, unless a .404 full comp set up is used. Welcome, may CAD fill your shop with piles of saws.
Here is a video of my fixed jet SP81, fat at the start but leans out nicely in the cut.

[video=youtube;Iq7bk6eS5vs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq7bk6eS5vs[/video]

 

[jfhoss]

Sorry all I've been out with work and family. I had a chance two nights ago to swap carbs on the sp 81. I ran it through a 20 inch freshly cut ash. When I finished the first cut I set down the saw and started running around the yard. I felt like I just won a drag race. This thing slices through wood with ease. I still need to work on the chain and rakers. It doesn't bite right away, but when I tilt it into the wood it's immediate. I need to look for a spike on the front. That would help and stop me from pushing the front of the oiler into the wood. I think I'll probably just buy a new bar and chain. Maybe 24 or 28 inch. Any suggestions on bar brand and chain size? I also did a compression test on the 81. Only 135. The gauge held at 135. I don't know if the gauge works though because I tried it on other saws and the gauge would not hold the mark. It does have the valve.

That was a rambling paragraph. I also have the little Super 2 running like the animal she is. I had swapped the Oil and Pressure lines around and used it as a fogger the first couple cuts. Works better when it's all set up properly.

 

[Jon1212]

Sorry all I've been out with work and family. I had a chance two nights ago to swap carbs on the sp 81. I ran it through a 20 inch freshly cut ash. When I finished the first cut I set down the saw and started running around the yard. I felt like I just won a drag race. This thing slices through wood with ease. I still need to work on the chain and rakers. It doesn't bite right away, but when I tilt it into the wood it's immediate. I need to look for a spike on the front. That would help and stop me from pushing the front of the oiler into the wood. I think I'll probably just buy a new bar and chain. Maybe 24 or 28 inch. Any suggestions on bar brand and chain size? I also did a compression test on the 81. Only 135. The gauge held at 135. I don't know if the gauge works though because I tried it on other saws and the gauge would not hold the mark. It does have the valve.

That was a rambling paragraph. I also have the little Super 2 running like the animal she is. I had swapped the Oil and Pressure lines around and used it as a fogger the first couple cuts. Works better when it's all set up properly.

I have an appreciation for the run on sentence when your excitement over a cool saw is evident.........LOL!!!
Go with a 28" bar on the SP81, as the seem to balance really well at that length, though I believe Aaron runs up to a 32" on his.
No real reccomendation on brand, though I hear Carton bars aren't real good. Those older McCullochs do look really good with an NOS "McBar" on them.

 

[heimannm]

The 82 cc McCulloch saws are really fun to operate. I like a 24 or 28" bar for the kind of wood I normally cut (ash and maple) but you really feel like a stud monkey when you put it in some pine.

Mark

 

[Eccentric]

I have an appreciation for the run on sentence when your excitement over a cool saw is evident.........LOL!!!
Go with a 28" bar on the SP81, as the seem to balance really well at that length, though I believe Aaron runs up to a 32" on his.
No real reccomendation on brand, though I hear Carton bars aren't real good. Those older McCullochs do look really good with an NOS "McBar" on them.

I have a 32" on my runner SP-81. It's just a tad nose heavy with that b/c but still carries well. It had a 28" RN McCulloch SpeedMac bar on it when I got the saw. Did balance better with that. That RN bar is in need of a rehab, and the 32" b/c came to me on another saw (an ex local county road crew PM700 that now wears an NOS Windsor 24" bar)..............so that's what the SP-81 wears now. So far it's pulled it fine in large oak and maple. I recently picked up another SP-81 that's a 'rebuilder'. It has a 33" b/c on it. That extra inch of b/c made a significant difference in the balance of the saw. It's much more nose heavy than my saw with the 32" b/c.

There are a few ebay sellers that list 28" NOS McCulloch bars with new 3/8" pitch chains. That'd be a dandy way to go. NOS 24" McCulloch b/c's are listed sometimes too. These McCulloch bars are all Mac branded Windsor Speed Tip bars. Also, Oregon D176 mount bars are still being made in lengths up to 28". They're available from Baileys and other Oregon sources.

 

[Warped5]

The 82 cc McCulloch saws are really fun to operate. I like a 24 or 28" bar for the kind of wood I normally cut (ash and maple) but you really feel like a stud monkey when you put it in some pine.

Mark

I never thought I'd see a Mark Heimann post that contained the term 'stud monkey' ... :hmm3grin2orange:

I have a 32" on my runner SP-81. It's just a tad nose heavy with that b/c but still carries well. It had a 28" RN McCulloch SpeedMac bar on it when I got the saw. Did balance better with that. That RN bar is in need of a rehab, and the 32" b/c came to me on another saw (an ex local county road crew PM700 that now wears an NOS Windsor 24" bar)..............so that's what the SP-81 wears now. So far it's pulled it fine in large oak and maple. I recently picked up another SP-81 that's a 'rebuilder'. It has a 33" b/c on it. That extra inch of b/c made a significant difference in the balance of the saw. It's much more nose heavy than my saw with the 32" b/c.

There are a few ebay sellers that list 28" NOS McCulloch bars with new 3/8" pitch chains. That'd be a dandy way to go. NOS 24" McCulloch b/c's are listed sometimes too. These McCulloch bars are all Mac branded Windsor Speed Tip bars. Also, Oregon D176 mount bars are still being made in lengths up to 28". They're available from Baileys and other Oregon sources.

I got a 32" from site sponsor Edge & Engine a couple months ago ...

Kyle said they were few and far between.

 

[homelitejim]

I have a couple of 24's in Oregon Pro and McCulloch, and a 26 inch Windsor. I would not run anything under 24" unless it was a 20" sporting full comp .404 on a 8 pin rim.