Your Super XL and XL-12 stories and pics

[gunnerman27]

Love mine still looks new and is original besides the bar stack muffler is a beast

 

[mountainmandan]

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A couple of pics from the one I use most. I got this one for $50 and it has cut a crapload of wood. Over 50 cords. It has needed regular maintenance items, but is very reliable.

Dan

 

[McCulloch1-52]

My Grandpa has one, but Im guessing in the 80's he throw it in the the junkpile for no reason like 2 weeks later he needed to cut a stump so he went back started right up but I have a Lombard which is a knockoff of the Homelite XL I guess that counts.

 

[Eccentric]

So what is the difference between an XL12 and a C-51. I juts picked up two C-51s and the XL12s look very similar.

About 10 pounds...:hmm3grin2orange:

When both are outfitted with bars and chains that's actually about right. More displacement, more weight. More rugged. The C-series saws are actually put together quite a bit differently than the XL-12 series, despite looking similar when assembled.

The same basic chassis of the 77-85.5cc C-5/7/9 series saws was used with the 100cc XP1000-1130G saws, and then 'beefed up' a bit for the 114cc 2000/2100/3100G saws.

 

[blackoak]

Out of all the many saws I have piled in my special parts saw pile the XL-12 is king. It seems every farm auction around these parts there is an old beat up, crusty with stale gas and bad fuel line Homelite XL-12 there, and I buy every one of them. They are some of the easiest saws to repair I feel. They are well built saws that takes a lot of abuse and still put wood on the ground. Probably the second most ever produced saw in the world, I'm guessing next to the Poulan - S25 based produced saws.

 

[Eccentric]

Out of all the many saws I have piled in my special parts saw pile the XL-12 is king. It seems every farm auction around these parts there is an old beat up, crusty with stale gas and bad fuel line Homelite XL-12 there, and I buy every one of them. They are some of the easiest saws to repair I feel. They are well built saws that takes a lot of abuse and still put wood on the ground. Probably the second most ever produced saw in the world, I'm guessing next to the Poulan - S25 based produced saws.

I'd bet that more XL-12/SXL variant saws were built than XXV family Poulans (that's another saw that I'm EXTREMELY fond of). A LOT of those Homelites were built in the 30+ year production run. The XXV Poulans were 'only' built for about 15 years or so in comparison. The Poulan Micro series saws (in all the many badgings) may have been built in greater numbers than either of those however.....

 

[jh35]

I wasn't out of my Huggies very long when dad bought a brand new Super XL Automatic. ('75 or '76 maybe?) It was red with the manual overide oiler. He still has it and I saw it a few years ago. He has a MS261 now but the Homie is still alive. I was probably 11 or 12 when I finally got to run it. It was the only saw I ran other than a little bit on a small Remington until the late eighties. She was heavy and loud and a lot of vibes but there will always be a special place in my heart for that saw. If I end up with the SXL auto it won't go anywhere.

No pics but you all know what it looks like.

Jeff

Edit: I had a local saw shop convert it to electronic ignition in 1993 when I cleaned up a bunch of dad's fencerows.

 

[ChainLightning]

Since everyone posted all of theirs, heres all of mine.

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Left, SXL that I am currently overhauling. Got that nice looking one at a yard sale. Turns out soem of the guts did not look so nice. Next, XL-12 that I bought from a friend for $10. Needed a new gas line and carb cleaned. Next, XL-12 that I got from a AS member. Put a new bar and chain and she turned out to be a real workhorse. Last, SXL that is mounted up for a friends project. When he is done with it I hope to do some cutting with it...if he does not blow it up :msp_unsure:

 

[ChainLightning]

I have one.:msp_biggrin:

Running Homelites in 1977, SXL, S-EZ, SXL-925. They were one or
two years old at the time.

Very cool! You can defiantly tell that is from the 70s with those jeans Probably the best looking XL-12 I have ever seen in that (my favorite) color and decal scheme.

 

[Halligan]

My father purchased a Super XL brand new in 1976-77 and it's currently in my possesion. I still fire it up from time to time to hear it bark. Yesterday I was bucking up a tree along a state road that a utility company had dropped and another fellow was there getting some wood also. He was running an old Super XL and the thing was louder than my 372xp. Though he was quite impressed by the speed the 372 with full chisel chain can cut wood at.

 

[Grin]

New here...

......Some Clown from British Columbia named JockeyJuice suggested I join in on this thread.....
Sounds like he knows a thing or 2 ....so here I am, enjoying every second of it and learning a lot.
I started the thread "My Old Blue" to remember which saw I have and all about it....
You see, I'm old and stupid and just can't remember exactly what I bought new somewhere between 1965 and "70.
I've just been using the cussed saw and cutting wood.
I don't think I've ever even had it repaired......until last week..... and it still runs great. And loves to eat Oak !!
I do remember a new muffler and probably a plug or 2 ......

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Thanks Y'All,
Grin

 

[z50guru]

I recently attended an estate auction. And up for bid was this beauty of an xl12ao. The sole reason i made the date. The auctioneers assistant picked up the saw and attempted to start it.... 3 pulls, and nothing.... I noted the assistant never pulled the choke and or engaged the throttle assist. :Eye:. At that point, the saw was offered as "NON running". The bidding starts and ends with my $34.00... Off to the next item it is...... But, before that next item was finished, I had that old Homelite singing! (outdoors auction). I was immediately offered the opportunity at that time by the auctioneer to re-up the XL12 as a runner, and double my money..Not a chance i think.... I'll take this Great saw with me.. And while im enjoying it, i'll think of the fella that bought this saw... I'll think about the hard work this gentleman did, to afford to bring this new saw home... I'll think about the joy and pride he must have felt the first time he put this saw to work, and the many times thereafter. I'll treat this saw with the same respect as he did.

RIP, Fella.... Your saws with a good home.......:angel:

 

[gunnerman27]

Ok so I've heard pros and cons about ol xls and to tell u the truth I think likers of the xl is more nostalgic than liking the saw or could be both but it bring us back to a differnt time cing or dads and granddads run these saw hell I'm 27 and whant touch a saw built after 1990 all bc daddy let me use his xl 12 as soon as he thought I could and this could go with whatever brand u prefer or was brought up using just saying might be cheesy but god damn I love my xl12s and for the only con on them is they gave me a case of CAD damnit

 

[Eccentric]

Andy..............take a good look at Z50Guru's pics, as you two have almost the same exact saw model (except Z50's saw is a "Super"). That's NOT an "XL12AO", but is a Super XL-Automatic BTW Z50Guru. Your saw most likely has the 'flat reed' manifold setup, rather than the four petal 'pyramid reed' setup of the later SXL-AO saws.

 

[beerbelly]

Just sold my SXLAO. Bought it new in '93. Paid over $300 new. It was in great shape, cut like a banshee, and barked like a rabid dog. Easy saw to start and maintain. Reason for selling...I am getting to old for this thing. My "girly" arms can only handle about an hour worth of cuts before my hands & fingers are numb for a day!! Not a safe way to cut wood. Don't get me wrong. I loved that saw as well as the XL12 and super EZ I got rid of a few years ago. Now my fingers and arms look forward to cutting with the new Dolmar 5105. I can put that on the bench, wiggle the bar & engine, and the handles don't even move! Now my wife no longer thinks I am a wimp and thinks I am a manly lumberjack!! :msp_thumbup: Look out firewood.

 

[buzz sawyer]

I got into these when my buddy brought me a box of parts and saws that his friend salvaged from the dump. None of the P&Cs were any good but I found replacements on ebay over time and came out with two good saws. One was a resto and the other was a Frankensaw that I gave back to my buddy. He never had a saw start so easily.

 

[mountainmandan]

I have a late variant sxlao I am attempting to revive today. It looks like it is getting no fuel, like the fuel line is bad or something is plugged. It looks almost new. I was given this one as a non runner, I will be running it a lot.

Dan

 

[whatscooking]

Damm you guys that can paint them and make them look so good.

 

[Rudedog]

I have a few of these. I really liked the one I saw a few years ago that Buzz Sawyer brought to a small GTG and decided I needed one. Never stops at one, does it?

This is one I picked up at the solicited urging of Eccentric. It is my favorite and the favorite of Mrs. Rudedog. It runs strong and I do use it to cut down rounds that are too long for the splitter.

Another runner I use on occasion.

Garage Queen.

Project saw that starts but leaks fuel badly from the carb. I have just not gotten to it yet.

 

[Grin]

Andy..............take a good look at Z50Guru's pics, as you two have almost the same exact saw model (except Z50's saw is a "Super"). That's NOT an "XL12AO", but is a Super XL-Automatic BTW Z50Guru. Your saw most likely has the 'flat reed' manifold setup, rather than the four petal 'pyramid reed' setup of the later SXL-AO saws.

Hey Twin Brother Eccentric...

The photo of Z50's above has really jogged my memory!!! This is exactly the sticker I had on mine on the left/recoil spring side!!
Red/Homelite.....Silver/Super XL.....Black/Automatic.....that's it !!

.....So, What is the original bar, socket, and chain......mine came with a smaller bar......I've still got that bar and chain too.
I know I'll never live this down......but what is that metal claw up front called? I grips the log when cutting with a bar...I want one!!

Thanks,
Cus'n Grin