McCulloch Chain Saws

[Cory the collector]

I still have my pops pm605. It was the last new saw he bought, replaced a 10-10A with it. I agree with your assessment. Heavy and gutless. In hindsight, I should have kept the 10-10a and tossed the 605. Only good thing about it, it always starts and runs. (On the extremely rare occasion I get it out anymore.)

something isn't right with that saw if you're calling it "gutless" I used my pm 605 to buck up a 20" plus maple last summer and it ripped through it no problem, the clutch's may not be the strongest but I've never had any power issues with my 605.

 

[altatim]

something isn't right with that saw if you're calling it "gutless" I used my pm 605 to buck up a 20" plus maple last summer and it ripped through it no problem, the clutch's may not be the strongest but I've never had any power issues with my 605.

I just used a Homelite XL12 and PM605 side by side and the 605 was a lot slower. Its not a terrible saw but compared to other strong 55-60cc saws its not great

 

[sean donato]

something isn't right with that saw if you're calling it "gutless" I used my pm 605 to buck up a 20" plus maple last summer and it ripped through it no problem, the clutch's may not be the strongest but I've never had any power issues with my 605.

It runs just fine, its never been a ball of fire. I have quite a lot of saws around it's displacement and it's just a slow cutting saw. My uncle says every time we talk about saws Pop should have never bought it, but in Pops mind there wasn't another brand of saw other then mcculloch. I keep it for nostalgic reasons only.

 

[Cory the collector]

It runs just fine, its never been a ball of fire. I have quite a lot of saws around it's displacement and it's just a slow cutting saw. My uncle says every time we talk about saws Pop should have never bought it, but in Pops mind there wasn't another brand of saw other then mcculloch. I keep it for nostalgic reasons only.

I respect your opinion. I think the main reason I love my pm 605 is because it was the first vintage saw I got that I could really cut firewood with, I had a mac 250 and a couple other vintage saws that weren't really practical for firewood.

 

[MacAttack]

Sometimes a good firewood saw isn’t necessarily the fastest cutting saw. My dad cut his own firewood (about 10 cord / season) for probably 30 years with his old 10-10 and never felt the need to get something better. Then he switched to his PM 610. The 10-10 still runs.

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

Truth about cutting firewood for me, I considered it either a relaxing event to run vintage saws or a testing ground for a rebuild. A well tuned 10 series Mac or an old 028 were usually my goto's .
When I'm getting it at work More modern saws get time.

 

[Jeffrey F.]

I respect your opinion. I think the main reason I love my pm 605 is because it was the first vintage saw I got that I could really cut firewood with, I had a mac 250 and a couple other vintage saws that weren't really practical for firewood.

I feel the same way but I had a PM650 that I bought new. It was very reliable and you could adjust on the fly if need be. It wasn't the fastest but had balls !

 

[Syncop8r]

 

[Rallyeguy]

Wow! Sounds snappy

Thanks for sharing!

 

[docholliday64]

Wicked!

 

[heimannm]

 

[bob kern]

Fyi Mark.,..

 

[heimannm]

Yes and yes.

 

[MacAttack]

Hey guys,

Having some issues tuning my 450 with the Tillotson HL carb. 2 issues:

- I can't get the Hi adjustment rich enough to 4-stroke. I literally backed the Hi needle right out of the carb, it screams but can not get the garble you need at WOT. I AM correct that the Hi circuit adjust is the needle toward the back of the saw, correct?
- issue 2, pooling gas in the airbox when it's running. I can't tell where it's coming from. It looks like the gaskets are weeping.

As far as the Hi adjustment...is it possible my metering lever needs adjusted?? I have not had this issue in a saw before. It runs great, snappy and crisp, but can't get it rich enough on WOT. I think the carb unfortunately needs to come back out to tighten the screws. Wondering if it also needs a metering lever adjustment. It does NOT seem to starve for fuel. I just can't make it 4-stroke...



Thanks!

 

[MacAttack]

Pic of the H and L needles at 2 and 1 turn out, respectively....look normal that the H is protruding more?

 

[MacAttack]

Hi on top... Lo on bottom, can anyone confirm?? The threads appear the same. Argh...

 

[LawrenceK]

Bruce, I have a gold Timber Bear 3.4ci with a 20in. bar. I bought it as a factory recondition at Big Lots when they first came on the scene, I think it was in the late 80's. Strong running saw. All these years later, I find out it's an automatic oiler with a manual backup. I was pumping the oil out manually whenever I was using it, wondering why it used so much oil. Heavy saw, though.

 

[heimannm]

The brown Timber Bears were good looking saws, and the one that I have is a strong runner for the 600 Series saws. They really did a nice job of painting the clutch covers on those models. This one came from Kevin Simpson if I remember correctly.



MacAttack - The only suggestion I have on the needles is turn them both fully closed, they should stick out the same amount in the position and if not you will need to switch them around.

The L adjustment is always the one closer to the engine so you do have H and L locations pegged correctly.

Raising the metering lever slightly is something you can do easily, certainly worth the try.

Some of the HL models do have a high speed check valve/nozzle. If yours has one you need to make sure it is not partially clogged. In all the years I have been working on saws I have never had to deal with the check valve in an HL so I cannot begin to tell you how to go about that task.



Item 42 is the High Speed nozzle/check valve.



Mark

 

[MacAttack]

Thanks Mark for all the details...I think I need to take carb apart, ensure nothing is plugged, and adjust the metering lever up a few thousandths and see what happens.

It's going to have to wait until the Stihl MS390 is off my bench though.

 

[Joe Crow]

I have a PM55 with carb issues. When I first took the carb apart the lever was well below the normal set height and it did hold pressure. I rebuilt the carb and can't get it to hold pressure. This is a Walbro SDC with the single adjustable jet. I have the Walbro tool for setting the level on order. Anyone have thoughts on this?