Nik's Poulan Thread

[rms61moparman]

Looks good Joe!!!

That saw ought to be a good runner!
Makes me feel good that I could be a small part of it.


Mike

 

[redunshee]

I followed the instructions layed out in an earlier thread but it didn't work. Ma y have to re-read to see if I goofed somewhere. Thanks

 

[redunshee]

Yeah I'm waiting for warmer weather to paint but looking to get everything first. I was wondering how close the Mopar green would be. I know a few painters so I might see if they can help me match it up.

Here is one source: Sublime green f-5 paint code 2128
http://www.tcpglobal.com/autocolorlibrary/aclchip.aspx?image=1970-dodge-pg01.jpg

Bob

 

[Andyshine77]

After reading about Marks 245a, I thought it would be cool to do that to one of my saws. It wasnt exactly the same, no NOS parts but some old parts painted and the rest torn down and cleaned. So here it is. 1979/80 3400, low hours, 150 psi comp. In great shape. Also save from SCRAP! New NOS banana bar, walbro rebuild kit, new tygon fuel line and vent, new fuel and air filter, bucking dawg, new clutch cover decal. I'd also like to thank Gregg and Mike for some parts for this one.
before

Id take these 2 over ANY other saw.
<a href="http://s729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/joe25da/?action=view&current=saws480.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/joe25da/saws480.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Joe good work, I think the 3400 to 4000 series saws are top notch all the way.

 

[Modifiedmark]

Here is one source: Sublime green f-5 paint code 2128
http://www.tcpglobal.com/autocolorlibrary/aclchip.aspx?image=1970-dodge-pg01.jpg

Bob

Yep and here it is in living color. I like it. Maybe just a touch darker but then maybe not against a new one.

 

[Modifiedmark]

Looks good Joe!!!

That saw ought to be a good runner!
Makes me feel good that I could be a small part of it.


Mike

Joe done such a great job didn't he.

Makes you want to give the old ugly ******* a facelift don't it?

 

[dutch1967]

Poulan countervibe 3700

Hello everyone, I just found the site and all the information is great.

Now to sound completely green...

Long story short: moved from the city to the country and we are trying to use wood primarily to keep the cost of propane down. With that said, my brother in law gave me a Poulan 3700. I don't have a lot of experience cutting...I have tons of splitting ( my uncles used to have me do that) experience! The poulan just doesn't seem to cut well. It runs great and idles excellent. It has dulled 2 chains. It just doesn't seem to want to power into those logs like my buddy's stihl.

Any advice on modding or adjustments I can make to it? I am so frustrated with it, I've been thinking about buying something new. Then I saw your guys posts.
Thanks!

 

[Modifiedmark]

Hello everyone, I just found the site and all the information is great.

Now to sound completely green...

Long story short: moved from the city to the country and we are trying to use wood primarily to keep the cost of propane down. With that said, my brother in law gave me a Poulan 3700. I don't have a lot of experience cutting...I have tons of splitting ( my uncles used to have me do that) experience! The poulan just doesn't seem to cut well. It runs great and idles excellent. It has dulled 2 chains. It just doesn't seem to want to power into those logs like my buddy's stihl.

Any advice on modding or adjustments I can make to it? I am so frustrated with it, I've been thinking about buying something new. Then I saw your guys posts.
Thanks!

Welcome Dutch!

Sounds like your young and a little inexperianced? No problem we all had to start somewhere.

Hard to diagnose things like this over the internet isnt it though? If your Poulan 3700 runs great then by all means it should be cutting great also!

Mine do and if your buddy has a MS290 Stihl your 3700 should be smokeing it, as mine will.

How did you dull your chains? Are you cutting dirty wood or running the chain into the dirt? If so you need to stop that right now, or you will always have dull chains. How do you sharpen your chains? Do you file them yourself or do you take them in to be done?

If your taking them in are they doing a good job, I mean do they cut good when you first put them on?

I cannot explain how to file one properly but if you go over to the Oregon website there is info there that will help you. You can also contact them and they will send you info.

Any saw will only cut as well as the chain that is on it. May I also suggest if your haveing dirt problems to switch to a semi chisel chain as there a little more forgiving then a full chisel when it comes to staying sharp.

If you have a good compent saw dealer nearby and your useing your saw alot to heat your home, maybe a new saw isnt such a bad idea. Your Poulan is old and while its a good saw a old one will not be as dependable as a new one. (in therory anyway) Besides it never hurts to have a backup.

Your local dealer should be able to help you with the sharpening deatails also.

 

[cjcocn]

Hello everyone, I just found the site and all the information is great.

Now to sound completely green...

Long story short: moved from the city to the country and we are trying to use wood primarily to keep the cost of propane down. With that said, my brother in law gave me a Poulan 3700. I don't have a lot of experience cutting...I have tons of splitting ( my uncles used to have me do that) experience! The poulan just doesn't seem to cut well. It runs great and idles excellent. It has dulled 2 chains. It just doesn't seem to want to power into those logs like my buddy's stihl.

Any advice on modding or adjustments I can make to it? I am so frustrated with it, I've been thinking about buying something new. Then I saw your guys posts.
Thanks!

Hi and welcome to AS. If you want to talk Poulans then you are in the right thread. These guys are top-notch when it comes to saws in general, and for Poulan advice there is no better source.

When you say you have dulled 2 chains with it, are you saying that as an indication of how long you have used the saw, or are you saying that the chains are dulling too quickly?

If they seem to be dulling too quickly, can you describe your cutting conditions? (frozen wood, clean or dirty wood, have the chains hit the ground while cutting, etc). Also, how are you sharpening the chains? Are they old chains and if so have the rakers been adjusted?

I won't pretend to know what to tell you when it comes to potential mods for your saw, but I will suggest that your first step should be to see where the saw is at currently. Is the air filter clean? Is the fuel filter clean? Is the saw in general clean? (cylinder fins clean, clean behind the clutch cover, etc.). Is the saw generally in good shape? (bar, sprocket, etc). One of the first things you should do after checking the above is to do a compression test on your saw to see if the compression is in the proper range.

The guys here will set me straight if I am wrong, but I think that you should start with the above. Any information that you can provide regarding my questions will help these guys to offer some sound advice.

 

[Andyshine77]

First off welcome to the site.

Well it could be any number of things, but lets start with your chains, it sounds like they are really dull. Your saw likely has 3/8 pitch chain, so you're going to need a few 13/64 or 7/32 round files. I also recommend you pick up a file guide and a depth gauge tool. Everything you need can be found at you local saw shop, or hardware store.

This will get you started, but I suggest you stick around and do some searching, after that you'll be able to ask more specific questions.

Just remembered I have helpful Carlton guide on my hard drive.

 

[cjcocn]

Welcome Dutch!

Sounds like your young and a little inexperianced? No problem we all had to start somewhere.

Hard to diagnose things like this over the internet isnt it though? If your Poulan 3700 runs great then by all means it should be cutting great also!

Mine do and if your buddy has a MS290 Stihl your 3700 should be smokeing it, as mine will.

How did you dull your chains? Are you cutting dirty wood or running the chain into the dirt? If so you need to stop that right now, or you will always have dull chains. How do you sharpen your chains? Do you file them yourself or do you take them in to be done?

If your taking them in are they doing a good job, I mean do they cut good when you first put them on?

I cannot explain how to file one properly but if you go over to the Oregon website there is info there that will help you. You can also contact them and they will send you info.

Any saw will only cut as well as the chain that is on it. May I also suggest if your haveing dirt problems to switch to a semi chisel chain as there a little more forgiving then a full chisel when it comes to staying sharp.

If you have a good compent saw dealer nearby and your useing your saw alot to heat your home, maybe a new saw isnt such a bad idea. Your Poulan is old and while its a good saw a old one will not be as dependable as a new one. (in therory anyway) Besides it never hurts to have a backup.

Your local dealer should be able to help you with the sharpening deatails also.

:blush:

My dial-up didn't show me Mark's post. He is definitely one guy that you want to listen to when it comes to Poulans!

 

[dutch1967]

Thanks Guys!
No hitting the ground but, you did touch on something...there is a good chance the wood is frozen.
As far as sharpening goes, there's an older gentleman a few miles away that does them for me. They seem razor sharp when he is done. Man...$3.50 a chain! He is a great gentleman and half the fun is just talking to him.
What is the difference with a semi-chisel o r full chisel and which is better? I just bought an oregon bar and chain.

You are right...3/8 pitch.

Everything is clean. new spark-plug, new filter. Like I said it starts great and idles perfect. Just seems to lose power when it comes to cutting. When I say the chains go dull, I mean like immediately. A cord in and it doesn't feel like I have anything left...it's barely throwing sawdust.

 

[dutch1967]

Oh and Mark...I wish I was young! 43! We just decided after living in the city most of our lives to get back to nature! Actually I grew up on a farm ...hence the splitting experience.

You guys are great for getting this out do quick!
Thanks to all of you!

 

[Modifiedmark]

Thanks Guys!
No hitting the ground but, you did touch on something...there is a good chance the wood is frozen.
As far as sharpening goes, there's an older gentleman a few miles away that does them for me. They seem razor sharp when he is done. Man...$3.50 a chain! He is a great gentleman and half the fun is just talking to him.
What is the difference with a semi-chisel o r full chisel and which is better? I just bought an oregon bar and chain.

You are right...3/8 pitch.

Everything is clean. new spark-plug, new filter. Like I said it starts great and idles perfect. Just seems to lose power when it comes to cutting. When I say the chains go dull, I mean like immediately. A cord in and it doesn't feel like I have anything left...it's barely throwing sawdust.

Your doing someting to dull them and when there dull, quit cutting, You can plug everything up with sawdust and maybe even burn the saw up that way.

A chain may not cut a cord without resharpening. You need to learn to sharpen or buy more chains to switch out with. It don't matter if its a old Poulan or a brand new Stihl when it comes to this.

Go over to the Oregon website and learn some about this.

 

[Modifiedmark]

Oh and Mark...I wish I was young! 43! We just decided after living in the city most of our lives to get back to nature! Actually I grew up on a farm ...hence the splitting experience.

You guys are great for getting this out do quick!
Thanks to all of you!

I wish I was that young!

Sorry just seems like these questions pop up from the young ones coming by.

Ok now we know your at least old enough to listen and learn.

 

[Andyshine77]

Dutch I added a zip file to my original post give it a look.

 

[rms61moparman]

Dutch,

Hi, and as the others have said, welcome to our little party.

My first question would be, "What model Stihl is your buddy running"?
A 3700 can't be expected to run with a 660 Stihl.

My next question is have you had anyone look at the carb and do a general service?
The carbs are very touchy and 1/8th of a turn can transform a sluggard into a demon. They can run out great but still not up to their real potential.

I'm not sure where in Michigan you are but I know that a lot of that state is very sandy and a chain will not cut a cord without a touchup or 5.

What fuel mix are you running?
That saw will do fine with a 40:1.

You might also want to pull the muffler cover and check the spark screen and internals for carbon buildup as this can choke a saw down pretty badly if it gets semi clogged.

Mike

 

[sefh3]

Dutch Welcome my feller Michigander. I live down by the Ohio line but if you want to ship that puppy to me, I can tune it for you. Also take a picture of the chain and post it and the tip of the bar. If your dulling that fast, is your oiler working? Is your chain or bar have any blueish color to it? How loose is your chain? If you have it to tight when you first start it up, your saw will loose tons of power due to the chain tightening. Keep us posted

 

[lawnmowertech37]

hi guys i am new here. i have a 71a bow it needs clutch springs and 245a bow it needs a air filter. i love these old saws. i can't find parts.

jd im only 2 hrs maybe 2.5 hrs away from you i may have them clutch springs for the 71a i do not have the air filter for the 245a those are very hard to locate but i have to go to roanoke rapids this coming friday for a state emt exam on that saturday morning if you want i can check on them springs to see if i have any and if i do i can always stop by on friday on the way to roanoke rapids and deliver them

to save on shipping

let me know so i can start the search

calvin
part # 1676

 

[briantutt]

I followed the instructions layed out in an earlier thread but it didn't work. Ma y have to re-read to see if I goofed somewhere. Thanks

You basically have it, just one step left. Once you get the pictures uploaded (which obviously you are). Just click on the file that you just uploaded that shows up towards the bottom while creating your post. This will pop the photo up in a seperate window. In that new window select the entire super long address string and push "ctrl" and "C". Then go back to the window that you are creating your post in and push the icon above the text area that looks like a mountain. That will also pop up a new little window. Delete out everything in the entry field and push "ctrl" and "V" at the same time. This will dump that entire super long string of text in. Then click ok. In your message while creating it it will just look like a big stupid long line of text but if you push "preview post" you should see you picture now.