McCulloch Chain Saws

[edju1958]

I can honestly say that I've never had wood so hard that it ripped teeth off the chain (unless of course there was a stone in the tree,or a chunk of metal).

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

There are many species of Elm, but "Dutch" is not one of them. "Dutch Elm Disease" was first discovered in the Netherlands, hence the "Dutch" part and how people began to think it was referring to the tree species itself -- like American Elm, Chinese Elm, etc. There is no actual Dutch Elm species.

 

[Goinwheelin]

The flywheel is interchangeable. But I'm not sure if the ignition fits and I'm wondering if you have a 700 cylinder on it. I believe the tank handle isn't original either which of course doesn't matter at all. Ive never tried fitting a electronic coil to the points cylinder but I know the 10-10 cylinder mounts are quite different. Has yours been modified at all? Underneath i mean. Just out of curiosity does your crank have a points lobe? I have a pm10-10 with a lobe so it doesn't really mean much but just curious.

At the end of the day any well running 70cc Mac is a great saw

Also be sure to plug that hole for the rubber needle boot



Yes very similar. Sometimes its rather nice but not sure why. I had a dead standing gum once that split beautifully with an axe. Then I had another dead standing gum in the same location that the splitter wouldn't even touch its ruthless stuff. I had to cut it up with the saw and it ripped Teath off and generally was horrendous but burns ohhh so well

I didn’t notice the holes in the handle. Good eye there. probably a Frankensaw.

 

[Jethro 2t sniffer]

I can honestly say that I've never had wood so hard that it ripped teeth off the chain (unless of course there was a stone in the tree,or a chunk of metal).

Yeah the stringy fibres just grab the chain like wire and if the chain is half used up it yanks off teath.

There are many species of Elm, but "Dutch" is not one of them. "Dutch Elm Disease" was first discovered in the Netherlands, hence the "Dutch" part and how people began to think it was referring to the tree species itself -- like American Elm, Chinese Elm, etc. There is no actual Dutch Elm species.

Hardly ever see any of them down here

I didn’t notice the holes in the handle. Good eye there. probably a Frankensaw.

I'm betting frankensaw also

 

[heimannm]

There were a few cylinder/crankcases made that would accept either the points or electronic ignition coils.



600052 is correct for the 7-10 but according the to IPL's that I have even the last iteration was points ignition.

I had a friend call me today wondering if a chainsaw could run backwards...of course I have heard of it happening but I've never experienced myself. He was having trouble with a 10-10S he'd recently acquired and saw it running backwards at one point when he was trying to get it going. After checking and verifying that the flywheel key was fine I recommended he change the electronic coil, saw started on the first pull with a coil off a PM610.

In my experience electronic coils are either good, or they are dead. This is the first time I'd heard of one with the timing off.

Mark

 

[northwest saws]

I can honestly say that I've never had wood so hard that it ripped teeth off the chain (unless of course there was a stone in the tree,or a chunk of metal).

It's funny but some woods can really wreck havoc on chains. We have the Pacific Yew here in north Idaho that is a super dense wood and is not nice to teeth. I've also had issues with Juniper and pinion pine too but thats because they have rocks that grow in the middle of them. I've also had teeth break off just from getting really worn and of course hitting a rock. That and I feel like there was a period of time where oregon chain quality went down the crapper but I could be thinking of another brand.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

 

[edju1958]

Yeah the stringy fibres just grab the chain like wire and if the chain is half used up it yanks off teath.



Hardly ever see any of them down here



I'm betting frankensaw also

I never knew that Poge,thanks for the info.I remember when we moved onto the farm my folks bought in 1964 there were elms that lined the driveway & they were quite tall.It kinda made things look spooky.Anyway,they got the disease & died.My dad had his friend take the trees down & we just took them out back & burned them.Many yrs.later,about 15-20,the stumps started to grow new shoots out of them.I don't know what happened to them as I left the farm in 1988 when I bought the house I'm in now.

 

[Syncop8r]

I had a friend call me today wondering if a chainsaw could run backwards...of course I have heard of it happening but I've never experienced myself. He was having trouble with a 10-10S he'd recently acquired and saw it running backwards at one point when he was trying to get it going.

Did it join pieces of wood together instead of cutting them?

 

[emf123]

I had a friend call me today wondering if a chainsaw could run backwards...of course I have heard of it happening but I've never experienced myself. He was having trouble with a 10-10S he'd recently acquired and saw it running backwards at one point when he was trying to get it going. After checking and verifying that the flywheel key was fine I recommended he change the electronic coil, saw started on the first pull with a coil off a PM610.

In my experience electronic coils are either good, or they are dead. This is the first time I'd heard of one with the timing off.

Mark

I was going to ask if anyone else has ever heard of a saw running backwards. I know an older guy who's cut wood all his life, still does and he's probably in his mid 70s. He told me that he saw an old Mac with the top starter, like a D36, kick back when trying to start and run backwards. He's also kind of crazy, so I took his word with a grain of salt. That would be kinda scary!!

 

[vizette]

In my experience electronic coils are either good, or they are dead. This is the first time I'd heard of one with the timing off.

Mark

I had a Eager Beaver 2.0 that I rebuilt and it would start, but would barely run and wouldn't idle, and by "run" I mean sputter and cough. I kept thinking it was the carb (which was a disaster when I got it, butterfly was corroded shut), but finally swapped the coil just for S&G and now it runs like a dog with it's tail on fire.
I think the "kinda sorta" ignition issues are the toughest things to sort out... Had a 10-10 that would run like an animal one minute and give me nothin' the next. Turned out to be a wire that had slightly rubbed through on one spot and would ground out if it shifted just right (just wrong?).

I sent a dead Prestolite electronic coil off an SXL to Leon a while back, apparently he bakes them which brings some of them back. Yes - bakes them in an oven. I've read about this on a few different forums, but so far all I've seen is speculation as to why it fixes some coils. Need to follow up with him to see if that one got resurrected or not.

Regarding tough cutting, I think the worst I've come across is a big ole fresh cut red oak. I could only get saw dust out of it and thought I must've hit something, but I took my saw over to a poplar and was throwing chips all over. Went back to the oak and just had to grind my way through. Stringy stuff, and god help you if it's twisted, but I do love the smell of it when splitting it.

 

[Jethro 2t sniffer]

There were a few cylinder/crankcases made that would accept either the points or electronic ignition coils.

View attachment 880284

600052 is correct for the 7-10 but according the to IPL's that I have even the last iteration was points ignition.

I had a friend call me today wondering if a chainsaw could run backwards...of course I have heard of it happening but I've never experienced myself. He was having trouble with a 10-10S he'd recently acquired and saw it running backwards at one point when he was trying to get it going. After checking and verifying that the flywheel key was fine I recommended he change the electronic coil, saw started on the first pull with a coil off a PM610.

In my experience electronic coils are either good, or they are dead. This is the first time I'd heard of one with the timing off.

Mark

So quite possibly it just had a new cylinder back when they were available and by then they were a electronic jobby? And the tank handle could just be it had a crash at some stage and that style handle was what the owner could find so on it went. I know a good tumble will bust a handle off easy as. 2 of my 7-10s have been replaced and unfortunately they never thought to move the tag over

I remember reading stuff from years ago that some early 700s were points ignition. Have you ever seen this confirmed?

I feel my points Mac's start easier. And kinda seem more ummm i dunno "lively"? I guess. Like a little extra pop out the muffler perhaps a little more snappy maybe. I could be waffling out my rear cheeks but I swear there is something. The SP81 seems to have a different feel to its power and noise over the 850 yet engine wise they should be the same bar the cdi and muffler cover which I removed the reed and bent it open a little vs the lueverd 81.

Could just be them cheeks again. Must be muffler lol

Yes the 850 still had its reed in good condition.

 

[Marvin Booysen]

Thanks for all the replies!

I haven't spent much time with the saw, but tend to agree with Goinwheelin and Jethro's "frankensaw" assessment
In fact, I noticed in the picture I posed that there is a distinct difference in yellow paint tone between the oil tank and it's lid (the latter is more sort of pale-yellow). I'm thinking this crank case/cylinder are likely newer? The cylinder does not appear to have any numbers stamped near the bottom (where meets the oil tank), unlike my 10-10 auto, and I remember that the outer surface there has a fine machined texture.

I'm currently out of town, but will try firing it up later this week. The previous owner said it ran well, but that lately he had trouble getting it started ... so we'll see, it was about 50 bucks, and I didn't ask much else.
I'll check the crankshaft for that points lobe that Jethro mentioned, and compare the coil mounting points as well. It's got the rubber boot for the carburetor adjustment hole, I got it laying loose in the airbox, but will fit it before use. The tank/handle assembly is interesting, with additonal round holes in bottom (plugged with a transparent plastic piece similar to that in heimannm's post #39,542 on the previous page, guess for a different carb), and with an operator presence lever. It has a McCulloch SDC carb.

 

[Jethro 2t sniffer]

Thanks for all the replies!

I haven't spent much time with the saw, but tend to agree with Goinwheelin and Jethro's "frankensaw" assessment
In fact, I noticed in the picture I posed that there is a distinct difference in yellow paint tone between the oil tank and it's lid (the latter is more sort of pale-yellow). I'm thinking this crank case/cylinder are likely newer? The cylinder does not appear to have any numbers stamped near the bottom (where meets the oil tank), unlike my 10-10 auto, and I remember that the outer surface there has a fine machined texture.

I'm currently out of town, but will try firing it up later this week. The previous owner said it ran well, but that lately he had trouble getting it started ... so we'll see, it was about 50 bucks, and I didn't ask much else.
I'll check the crankshaft for that points lobe that Jethro mentioned, and compare the coil mounting points as well. It's got the rubber boot for the carburetor adjustment hole, I got it laying loose in the airbox, but will fit it before use. The tank/handle assembly is interesting, with additonal round holes in bottom (plugged with a transparent plastic piece similar to that in heimannm's post #39,542 on the previous page, guess for a different carb), and with an operator presence lever. It has a McCulloch SDC carb.

How cool it has the holes like an older setup but an operator presence lever.

I love these name the saw games lol

50 bucks dam good score mate well done

Numbers on the 10 series don't help much at all its all an evidence game.

Its got a right hand pull muffler on it and needs Mark sawdust shield.

Or a rangy job like I do with a bunch of broken ones and a hot glue gun. Even bits of cable tie can help lol.

Is that a replacement tank from a dealer Mark? Like for fitting a bunch of saws??

 

[Marvin Booysen]

I'm also interested, thought the handle/tank bottom combo was strange

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

So quite possibly it just had a new cylinder back when they were available and by then they were a electronic jobby? And the tank handle could just be it had a crash at some stage and that style handle was what the owner could find so on it went. I know a good tumble will bust a handle off easy as. 2 of my 7-10s have been replaced and unfortunately they never thought to move the tag over

I remember reading stuff from years ago that some early 700s were points ignition. Have you ever seen this confirmed?

I feel my points Mac's start easier. And kinda seem more ummm i dunno "lively"? I guess. Like a little extra pop out the muffler perhaps a little more snappy maybe. I could be waffling out my rear cheeks but I swear there is something. The SP81 seems to have a different feel to its power and noise over the 850 yet engine wise they should be the same bar the cdi and muffler cover which I removed the reed and bent it open a little vs the lueverd 81.

Could just be them cheeks again. Must be muffler lol

Yes the 850 still had its reed in good condition.

The ports could be spilt or one big one with the decomp cylinder?

 

[rarefish383]

I was going to ask if anyone else has ever heard of a saw running backwards. I know an older guy who's cut wood all his life, still does and he's probably in his mid 70s. He told me that he saw an old Mac with the top starter, like a D36, kick back when trying to start and run backwards. He's also kind of crazy, so I took his word with a grain of salt. That would be kinda scary!!

Yes, I have seen it, and not only on saws. My Dad had a brand new 1978 Ford F600 chipper truck. He had lift off gates put on the back because he was afraid some one wouldn't fasten the swing gates. He wanted something off the back of the truck and had me pull up a few inches so he could lift the gate past the chipper chute. The truck was notorious for dieseling when you shut it off. Standard procedure was to turn it back on real quick, turn it off again, and let the clutch out and kill it. That day when I let the clutch out to kill it, it lurched backwards, and slammed into the chipper. Scared Dad and me half to death. He's yelling at me to pull forward. When it lurched backwards the first time I just kicked the clutch in, so it was still running. When I tried to pull up it went back and slammed into the chipper again. Dad ran up yelling at me to get it out of reverse. First was to the left and up, reverse was to the right and back. He saw the shift knob almost touching the dash and new it was in first. Told me to let the clutch out slow and it started back. Put it in reverse, and let the clutch out and it went forward.
Some old gas golf karts didn't have a reverse. They were made to run forward and backwards. The key switch turned right and left. To go forward you turned the key to the right like normal and the engine started like normal. To back up, you turned it off, then turned the key to the left and it stared up backwards. It just reversed polarity in the starter and made it spin backwards.

 

[mogulmasher]

Every modern 2 stroke snowmobile runs motor backwards for reverse. Works great and eliminates all the gears and levers that used to be needed with a reverse chain case.

 

[heimannm]

With the fixed timing of most chainsaws (O.K. electronic ignition may have some advance capabilities) it is hard to see how they could run backwards with the ignition occurring 20 to 30 degrees after top dead center rather than before. I know for a fact my Strunk Shur Cut with the AH47 engine will not even spark going backwards...I tried for an hour or so to see why I couldn't get it to spark when I finally realized I was spinning it backwards...single reduction gear drive saw so the engine turns clockwise when viewed from the left hand side.

None the less, I had heard reports of this happening with chainsaws and in this case the timing of the electronic coil was clearly the culprit.

Mark

 

[sawfun]

Yes, I have seen it, and not only on saws. My Dad had a brand new 1978 Ford F600 chipper truck. He had lift off gates put on the back because he was afraid some one wouldn't fasten the swing gates. He wanted something off the back of the truck and had me pull up a few inches so he could lift the gate past the chipper chute. The truck was notorious for dieseling when you shut it off. Standard procedure was to turn it back on real quick, turn it off again, and let the clutch out and kill it. That day when I let the clutch out to kill it, it lurched backwards, and slammed into the chipper. Scared Dad and me half to death. He's yelling at me to pull forward. When it lurched backwards the first time I just kicked the clutch in, so it was still running. When I tried to pull up it went back and slammed into the chipper again. Dad ran up yelling at me to get it out of reverse. First was to the left and up, reverse was to the right and back. He saw the shift knob almost touching the dash and new it was in first. Told me to let the clutch out slow and it started back. Put it in reverse, and let the clutch out and it went forward.
Some old gas golf karts didn't have a reverse. They were made to run forward and backwards. The key switch turned right and left. To go forward you turned the key to the right like normal and the engine started like normal. To back up, you turned it off, then turned the key to the left and it stared up backwards. It just reversed polarity in the starter and made it spin backwards.

A lot of those mid to late 70's American vehicles had anti dieseling solenoids.

 

[rarefish383]

Usually not on bigger trucks. Our 72 pick ups had smog pumps, but our 1 tons and up didn't. That particular particular Ford had a little 330 v8 in it and was the devil for dieseling. Dad used Amoco high test in every thing. Maybe that's why those saws from back then are still in such good shape, High Test, No Lead, and Amoco 2 stroke. The Amoco high test back then was called a White Gas and was certified for use in Coleman lanterns. Now adays I don't think I'd want anything in a lantern out of a gas pump.