Hey Mark, thanks for the thorough reply! I agree about the difficulty presented by converting this thing to DD... I thought it was odd that Acres had it listed as "convertible", as not all gear drives are listed as such... Whatever the case, I wasn't planning to convert it anyhow... More like a grab for information/ parts. I have yet to put the saw in wood, and once I do, I will be in a better position to decide if I want to keep it or trade it off. I'm leaning toward keeping it, as I just dumped my general purpose saw for a motorcycle... Ever tried to cut firewood with 1970 ironhead? Geez... Thanks again bud!The 10 Series G saws were not intended to be converted to direct drive so there is no easy change over available. The direct drive 10 Series saws have the automatic oil pump in the oil tank at the front of the saw. The gear drive saws have a unique oil tank/crankcase that only works with the gear box, the automatic oil pump is driven off the output shaft in the gearbox. On the direct drive saws, the crankcase/oil tank is also the mounting point for the bar. On the gear drive saws the bar mounts to the gearbox. I won't say it can't be done, but it would not be easy and would require a lot of custom fabrication to make it work.
The G70 and other 10 Series gear drive saws were normally aimed at pulp wood cutters. I think because so much pulp wood was cut with bow bars, the extra pull was often appreciated.
If you are interested in trading the G70 for an equivalent direct drive 10 Series like a 7-10 or PM700 I think I could arrange something. I think you might enjoy the higher chain speed for blocking and milling. You might consider using 3/8 LP if you plan to do much milling as the smaller cutters are frequently employed for milling. I can set you up with a NOS 28" hardnose bar but I will have to check to see what gauge it is. A sprocket nose bar would be friendlier for milling though.
Mark
Cam