Vintage Question..Why did

[weimedog]

Gear drive saws go away? What was their advantages to justify their weight? Was it initially because early 2 stroke technology simply didn't have the power to pull a long bar & chain combination?

Seems as if Homelite had gear drives available thru the 70's..so there was a market for them.

What finally did them in from a market prospective? No need for really long bars?

Seems like even now, a long enough bar can justify a gear drive concept. Do the commercial customers have a modern option?

 

[spacemule]

I would think the added weight would be a decicive factor. Afterall, most chainsaw owner's will gripe about a few ounces, let alone the couple lbs. or so needed for a gear box. <p>Not only this, but chainsaw construction has changed since the 70's. Old saws were built with a mentality of turning a little slower but taking a huge bite, i.e. gearboxes. Now look at a 346 Husky. It's the opposite--turn like crazy and take a small bite. <p>The modern technology also lends itself to lighter weight, since a smaller saw is needed to produce the same hp when turning at such high speeds. <p>Look at the difference in American cars from the 60's and 70's vs. now. They also reflect a similar pattern. <p> Furthermore, you can run up to a 6' or more bar on the biggest Husky or Stihl, and bigger than that simply isn't needed in almost any case. So, why would a company invest the extra material and weight (highly undesireable) into a chainsaw which will have no advantages for 99.9 of the population?

 

[glens]

Just read through the "real logger" thread (list the forum and select to sort by number of views or number of replies to find it) and see where Art talks about getting bruised thighs/hips and getting knocked off your feet when the chain sticks in the wood and the gearbox saw just keeps chugging right along, changing its path of destruction.&nbsp; It's most likely a safety issue more than market desires which caused the demise of the slow-turners.

Glen

 

[Lewis Brander]

Gear Drive Ssw:

My old Disston, D0-101, has a direct drive clutch arangement. To engage the chain you squeeze the handle on the back of the saw to engage the chain. When the handle is engaged it locks into that position and it take a good grip to squeeze the handle and to slid the release button so that it can be disengaged amd with the 9/16" chain on her, if she ever got stuck in the cut and the engie ( whish only turns about 4.000 RPM's) didn't stall, she could come back on you in a hurry. I have the saw restorded to running condition and am waiting to see how she handles and cuts. But that thought of something happening and not being able to stop her has me a bit conserned, when I attempt to try her out in a log. A person has to know his own limitations and the limitations of the equipment he's using. I've used my Homelite 5-20 geardrive saw. At least whien you let off the gas everything stops turning when the clutch it has disengageses. The old Disston weighs about 50 lb's without the bar and chain. and the Homelite weighs 20 lb's. So thank God for lighter, higher reving saw. But still things can happen in a hurry. Just my 2 cents. Lewis.

 

[Al Smith]

End of an era

I remember,as a teenager,when about all big saws were gear drives.When McCulloch came out with the 250,the old timers just scoffed,"ya kant run a chain that fast ".Well,they were wrong.I think,as been said,that the type chains,had improved a lot since then.When I was cutting,during the 70's,all you could buy was chipper,which is a far cry from the chisel,most people use today.It was most likely availible on the west coast,but not so ,here in the hardwoods.From what I've gathered,most of the last of the gear drives were 2 to 1 reduction.They do pretty well in 30"stuff,but on smaller,they are slow.I also think the earlier 2 strokes lacked the power to pull long bars,in direct drive.I don't think weight was that big of a factor.As an example,my 650 doesn't weigh any more than my SP 125[ both are heavy,but so is an 088],and any saw is heavy with a long bar,awkward as well.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I have a "gear" saw.

So to speak.

 

[glens]

A 50# saw that cuts slow is still a bunch faster than axes and 6' saw blades.&nbsp; I'm sure there were a bunch of men happy to make the transition!

Glen

 

[Al Smith]

50 plus

My uncles model 73 McCulloch,with a 36" bar,must have tipped the scales at close to 45 lbs.The enormous model 7 Mall,with the 6 footer,that I spent eternity on the helper handle,must have gone at least 80 lbs[ I was 14 at the time,and it felt like a ton]

 

[Bill G]

Originally posted by weimedog
Seems as if Homelite had gear drives available thru the 70's..so there was a market for them.

I believe Homelite still produced the 1130 G in the 1980's. I know they still had the WIZ 66 gear drive as late as 1979.

Bill

 

[Mike Acres]

TORQUE and chain technology.
Several things had to come together to make the direct drive chain saw a workable machine. The first direct drive chain saw in the world was the IEL model HA in 1951. The people at IEL developed an engine that had enough torque at the right RPM to pull a .400 pitch chain on a 28" bar. Contrary to the advertising Jonsered has in their web site about who did what first when.
The gear drive chain saw was fine for felling trees of most sizes but it did not limb safely or effeciently and pulp cutters had to limb the trees they cut down with a gear drive chain saw using an axe. Slow work. Certainly the weight issue was another factor. Eliminate the transmission and the saw was lighter and less costly and in some cases more reliable because the gear arrangements in a lot of saws were troublesome. So not only did IEL develop the first direct drive chain saw they also developed the first direct drive chain in .400 pitch.

 

[canguy21]

Good to hear from you again, Mike. Stihl had a gear drive 090 into the 80's to run the long bars but as felling techniques changed and bars got shorter, the weight and torque was no longer needed. That 090G was a pig.

 

[Mange]

Who did the last geardrive, and when?

 

[Mike Acres]

I would say that the last production gear drive saw was the 090G.
In other parts of the world where they cut hardwood the gear drive was easier on the bar and chain than a direct drive.
Also remember the engine in the 090G was actually the 070.
In the south east U.S. the mid sized gear drive with a bow bar remained popular because the operator was always cutting wood that had been floooded and contained a lot of dirt. The bow bar made bucking much easier.