Nik's Poulan Thread

[OhioGregg]

Joe, Thats a great lookin pair ya got there!!!


Gregg,

 

[redunshee]

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

Agree with everyone. Check your carb settings. Start with both Lo and Hi screws open 1 turn. If your HI speed is less than 1 turn open it may be leaning out too much which could result in high revs but no power in the cut and possible ruining of your piston and cylinder. If saws idles and accelerates smoothly you may need a minor HI speed adjustment as MIke suggested. I make small 1/8 turn adjustments and do test cuts until it cuts well(assuming a sharp chain). I then pull the plug and check color. You're looking for a light brown shade.
Keep us posted. 3700's are good saws and should cut hardwoods efficiently.
Bob

 

[lawnmowertech37]

I had a Poulan/Craftsman 4200 for 25+ years. It was a beast. I removed the bucking spikes from the saw because they would catch on the log and slow down the cut when dropping through red oak. With a sharp chain you could not push it hard enough to slow it down

My barn burned down last year and the only thing I have left of my 4200 is the crankshaft, muffler, bar and chain.

I just purchased a Poulan 3400 that is probably at least as old, perhaps a little older. It doesn't even have the hand gaurd mounted above the muffler. It has good compression and starts and runs great. The bar and chain are shot so I cleaned up my fire damaged bar and chain from my old 4200 and installed it on the 3400.

My new/old 3400 is missing the chain adjusting screw and the peg that engages the bar. That is the only thing stopping me from using it as my main saw. Can you suggest a source for the chain adjusting screw? I live in the middle of nowhere in central Michigan and I can't find anything like that around here.

Sorry to hear of the loss
but they can be restored
All you need is the chain adjusting screw correct ?
for the 3400 ?

 

[sefh3]

Darn it tried to post images and failed again.

Look at the bottom of my signature. I found this link and it works great.

 

[redunshee]

I had a Poulan/Craftsman 4200 for 25+ years. It was a beast. I removed the bucking spikes from the saw because they would catch on the log and slow down the cut when dropping through red oak. With a sharp chain you could not push it hard enough to slow it down

My barn burned down last year and the only thing I have left of my 4200 is the crankshaft, muffler, bar and chain.

I just purchased a Poulan 3400 that is probably at least as old, perhaps a little older. It doesn't even have the hand gaurd mounted above the muffler. It has good compression and starts and runs great. The bar and chain are shot so I cleaned up my fire damaged bar and chain from my old 4200 and installed it on the 3400.

My new/old 3400 is missing the chain adjusting screw and the peg that engages the bar. That is the only thing stopping me from using it as my main saw. Can you suggest a source for the chain adjusting screw? I live in the middle of nowhere in central Michigan and I can't find anything like that around here.

Probably your best bet would be to look on Ebay or order one of the internet.
Ask Calvin@http://www.cmsmallengines.net/. He may have the unit.
Bob

 

[redunshee]

Look at the bottom of my signature. I found this link and it works great.

Scott, would you believe that 's what I followed? My wife says I never read things closely enough. She couldn't be correct , could she? Think I'll do a test.
Bob

 

[sefh3]

I had a Poulan/Craftsman 4200 for 25+ years. It was a beast. I removed the bucking spikes from the saw because they would catch on the log and slow down the cut when dropping through red oak. With a sharp chain you could not push it hard enough to slow it down

My barn burned down last year and the only thing I have left of my 4200 is the crankshaft, muffler, bar and chain.

I just purchased a Poulan 3400 that is probably at least as old, perhaps a little older. It doesn't even have the hand gaurd mounted above the muffler. It has good compression and starts and runs great. The bar and chain are shot so I cleaned up my fire damaged bar and chain from my old 4200 and installed it on the 3400.

My new/old 3400 is missing the chain adjusting screw and the peg that engages the bar. That is the only thing stopping me from using it as my main saw. Can you suggest a source for the chain adjusting screw? I live in the middle of nowhere in central Michigan and I can't find anything like that around here.

I might be able to help you out on the adjustment screw that you are looking for. I'll check tonight and let you know.

 

[sefh3]

Now that first picture will bring a tear to your eye. That's ashame to see a saw looking like that.

 

[redunshee]

Look at the bottom of my signature. I found this link and it works great.

Somethings wrong. I do the insert image step, right click in the white box and hit OK to paste but pasted item doesn't show up in my post as shown in tutorial. Can't figure it out.

 

[OhioGregg]

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!!

Great to see yet another Poulan guy come out of the woods so to speak!
I'm a little late seeing this, but everyones advice is right on target!
Just my .2 cents worth, cutting a cord of wood is a lot of cutting on one sharpening of the chain. Especially if ya get into dirt or sand. The type of wood also plays a part. I know cutting shagbark hickory seems to be the hardest on chains for me.
I ususally cut for a day, with several saws, then then haul wood out to be split. Before going out again, I sharpen the chains, and clean the saw and ck it over.
While cutting, every time I refuel the saw, I clean the air filter with a soft bristle brush.
Make sure your getting plenty of oil to the bar & chain also. The 3700 has auto oiling & manual oil button. In big or tuff to cut wood I allways am pumping that oiler button!

I'm guessing that you have been cutting with chain that ya get at TSC, hardware store, Sears, etc. The "saftey type chain". If thats the case, you should try some semi-chiesel or full-chiesel pro style chain, they cut much better in my opinion. Whichever you use, they need to be sharpened frequently.
There are a heck of a bunch of great fellows on here that run the older Poulans and are super when it comes to expert advice. Especially ModifiedMark!! he knows more about old Poulans than the rest of us combined! and I think everyone on here, would agree with that.


Gregg,

 

[OhioGregg]

Somethings wrong. I do the insert image step, right click in the white box and hit OK to paste but pasted item doesn't show up in my post as shown in tutorial. Can't figure it out.

Bob, When I paste the image code into that box, and hit OK, it usually adds an extra [jpg] thingy at each end. I then remove the extra ones at each end, then it works..LOL


Gregg,

 

[OhioGregg]

That is correct. My 4200 was way beyond saving. I hauled 800 pounds of melted aluminum that used to be my boat and tools to the scrap yard. The only thing that I have left of the saw are the steel parts. The chain adjusting screw became lost in the melted aluminum, I never found it.

Stephen, All 3 of them pics bring a tear to the eye! Looks like ya lost alot of tools in that also..At least it wasn't your house!!!


Gregg,

 

[Modifiedmark]

my 4200 came with a 24" bar and chain. I had never used it, it was still brand new. I gave the "new" burned up 24" bar and chain to a friend of mine, he cleaned it up and put it on his 3700. I cleaned up the 16 inch bar and chain that was on my 4200 and put it on the 3400 that I bought yesterday. I haven't used it yet because of the missing adjustment screw. The heat may have softened the teeth on the chain, I won't know until I cut some wood with it.

Calvin should be able to get you that screw. Do you have the tang that goes in the bar or is that missing also?

If you have that, for now you can just get a 10-24 screw from the hardware store and put a thin locking nut behind it to get you going.

I believe that screw and tang can still be ordered from Poulan but I have not looked lately.

 

[briantutt]

Somethings wrong. I do the insert image step, right click in the white box and hit OK to paste but pasted item doesn't show up in my post as shown in tutorial. Can't figure it out.

Don't hit OK to paste, you have to delete out all the text in the white box then push your CTRL key and V key at the same time. THEN hit OK...

 

[redunshee]

Don't hit OK to paste, you have to delete out all the text in the white box then push your CTRL key and V key at the same time. THEN hit OK...

Hmmmmm. Will give it a try.

 

[baconquilt]

have any of you poulan guys modded a muffler for the newer models. ie the pp4620avx. how were the results... looking through the sticky thread, most mods were either huskies or stihls.

 

[redunshee]

Vermont trip

Test to see if image appears. I'm in the middle with my two sons. I give up. F$#% it.

 

[briantutt]

Test to see if image appears. I'm in the middle with my two sons. I give up. F$#% it.

Don't give up! The string you need to paste for this picture you just put up looks like this.

http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=126967&d=1267198622

push the "mountain", paste in the ugly string of text above, and you get below...

 

[OhioGregg]

Test to see if image appears. I'm in the middle with my two sons. I give up. F$#% it.

Bob, I like the Poulan Green jacket!!! LOL

Gregg,

 

[redunshee]

I have to be stupid or my PC is messed up

http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=126970&stc=1&d=1267199479

Will it work? Nope. The above is what appears in the 'insert image" box, whether I do a paste and ok or a Ctrl V. Loks like too much info.