Homelite XL-12

[Mike mandry]

Hello everyone, been enjoying all your info & expertiese here.

I have a few old XL-12 Homelites that are in very good shape.
In your opinion, what is the largest (pratical) bar these will run.

I usually run them with a 16" & have a 20 for larger stuff.

Also have a 24, but have never used it.

Any info/feedback/ideas (except homelite jokes, of course- unless it is about the newer junk) would be appreciated.

Yeah, yeah some day, I will break down and get a "Real saw" from Germany, or Sweden, but I have to wear out the Homie's first.

Mike

 

[eyolf]

In your stable of XL's, do you have the really old green, red and white ones, the blue and white, the red, black and white, or the late production red or blue super XL?

Either the xl-12 or super XL will accomodate a 20" bar, but is more comfortable with the 16" in most situations. Now and then one sees them on E-bay with any and all size bars, including some real honkers, and you just have to wonder what they were thinking. Of course, if you want to, you CAN cut a small limb with a long bar.

If you try to bury that 24" in hardwood and power your way through...

 

[Dave]

On the 5 (or 6?) that I've had I always ran 16". We won't talk about how I used to run a 36" bar with full skip on a XL-400 to split logs in the sawmill. ( this is where I would put the EEK smilie if it wasn't missing)

 

[Mike mandry]

Wow, you guys dont &^%$ around around here. Lets see, I have 4 of the old blue/white ones, and 2 of the newer ones (red)

I have just completely rebuilt one of the old blue ones (cosmetic & motor)- havent even fired it up yet-still have to do the carb.

Have another blue one that was given to me by a friend that probably has less than 15 hours on it. Still has the original Homelite 20" hardnose bar, Homelite chain, and sprocket. He gave it to me (took me 5 years to talk him out of it) because we thought the rod had broke. It was siezed up; tore into it & found that a bolt behind the flywheel had come loose & backed out into it, binding it up. Replaced the bolt, rebuilt the carb & wham-o, she runs like a new one. (good deal huh ??)

The other blue one, my Grandfather left me when he passed away & went to luberjack heaven (He loved to cut wood)

Have another blue for parts ($20 @ the flea market) & Its a good one 120# compression & good spark-havent fooled with it yet.

One of the red ones is like new & the other aint too shabby.

Any of you guys know anything about a toy Homelite 150 (blue) made in the early 70's I have one - my grandfather gave it to me when I was a kid. Boy, did i love that thing. Still have it- in about 300 pieces. Woluld love to put it back together, but missing some parts.

Mike

 

[Dave]

I can't recommend buying an XL-12 for parts- every time I try it I end up changing the spark plug and using it.

 

[mikey]

I have a red/black xl-12 that belong to my dad originially.It has a 16"hard nose bar,with manuel only chain oiler.Cutting with it is cool,not many R's,but lots of torque.Lots of weight too,just hoist it up on the log and balance it and let the weight of the saw take it thru.What size is the engine(cc's)and does the xl super have a larger engine?Old saws are works of art.

 

[Mike mandry]

XL-12 is 3.3 CID (54cc)

SXL is 3.5 CID (57CC)

Take care of that thing, they seem to last forever

Mike

 

[tony marks]

amen ,its a fact.if i run across one ,think ill try an get it. just for old times sake.
mine was blue super xl 18 i think.
really didnt pay much att to that stuff in those days. anybody know what cc it had . ive seen heavier homelites ,but she was plenty heavy.thanks to any body with the info. just curious.

 

[Methoss084]

Mike

Ah yes, the elusive GREEN XL12, if you have this gem and are willing to part with it please let me know.

 

[John in MA]

Did they ever make a toally green XL12, or did the first ones have the blue body/green cover scheme that older Homelites did?

 

[Methoss084]

From the research I've done, I think that the only XL12 with any kind of green on it, had green and red color scheme. The totally green XL12 I saw a couple years back was apparently a hoax .
An unjust cruel hoax!

 

[sedanman]

Lombard XL-12?

 

[Methoss084]

Yep, and if it was green and white it would say "holiday" on it.

 

[Dave]

Love that "muffler"

 

[Mike mandry]

One of my older XL-12's has that same style muffler. I have never run it (its in good running condition) How loud are those set-ups ??

Mike

 

[treeclimber165]

Originally posted by Dave
Love that "muffler"

Yeah, that wouldn't suck any sand into the cylinder making a stump cut, would it?

 

[tundraotto]

no kidding - unless it has a good spark arrestor screen.

 

[Dave]

being half-deaf, not much bothers me but those old chainsaw headers make me grit my teeth.

 

[Greg Carberry]

I'll tell ya if you havent run that one with the stack your in for a suprise They are louder than most any saw makes your ears hurt and will give you a headache. I dont use em without the best ear protection.

I've tried them with a muffler but they run better with the stack.

The XL12 must have been a good design as it looks like alot of other companies copied it. There are lombards,poulans pioneers and probably others that look similar. Some parts even fit, I have the Pioneer equivlent to the XL12 and it cuts slow but very well.

 

[Methoss084]

You just gotta love the DEAFINING exhaust note from a well tuned 3-16 Lombard or the beautiful ear crackling pitch from a Poulan 306A. I wish I knew what ear protection was back then