Biggest one-man saw?

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John in MA

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I've been thinking about this recently. What was the largest displacement one-man chainsaw ever made? I know there were a lot of huge two-man saws like the Mac 99, but I haven't found very many really big singles. So, what is it? Some old monster? Stihl 090?
 
????, that is big. No, I mean production saws. Snowmobile, aircraft, tank engines don't count.
 
I believe this would be a good question for Mike Acres. I think it would be somewhere along the lines of either a Mall one man or a PM "Redhead".
Josh
 
Here's a poem I always liked.
John
The Men That Don't Fit In
by Robert W. Service

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's a race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.

If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
They say: "Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!"
So they chop and change, and each fresh move
Is only a fresh mistake.

And each forgets, as he strips and runs
With a brilliant, fitful pace,
It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones
Who win in the lifelong race.
And each forgets that his youth has fled,
Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,
In the glare of the truth at last.

He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;
He has just done things by half.
Life's been a jolly good joke on him,
And now is the time to laugh.
Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;
He was never meant to win;
He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;
He's a man who won't fit in.
 
Starting in the late 1930's up until today, the Gravely corporation has made a one-man walking tractor, able to handle a wide variety of attachments, including a chain saw. It was intended to be used somewhat along the lines of the old drag saws.

The old T-head gravely engines were about 36 cu in., and had from 5 to 7 .6 hp. Later models used large Kohler and other engines. The whole tractor with chain saw attatchment weighed about 500 lbs, but could be used by one man.

There's pic on this page:http://www.homestead.com/rototiller4/Gravely.html.

A friend has a hydraulic chainsaw meant to be operated from the pto of a farm tractor, and can be operated by one man or two. If you count the weight of the tractor, it could be several tons.

I do not know who manufactured it, but I once saw a Canadian-made saw that used a Villiers (BRitish engine often used on motorcycles) engine for power that could be used by one man. I think the engine was about 250cc.
 
i was at a yard sale sat. and i asked the owner if he any old chainsaws or garden tractors. he said i just missed three old chainsaws. he said they were gigantic with real long bars,real heavy. he had no idea what make they were but one had a kick starter. i've never seen one like that before. all three went for $30.00. the heavyest i have in the museum is an old mccoullgh motors that can be one or two man operated by adding a helper handle to the bar. it has bike handles and a center handle. marty
 
Eyolf, at work we have a 1937 Model L Gravely "5hp". We also have the chainsaw attachment, and the 36" circular saw attachment for it. You have to either be nuts or a little crazy to run that thing, NOT OSHA approved!
Josh
 
Largest displacement one man chain saw, manufactured and sold in the marketplace.
Stihl 090 8.36 cu. in.
Solo Super REX had about the same size engine but was not built for very long.

Largest Homelite was the 7-29 7.88 cu. in.
Largest McCulloch was CP125 7.5 cu. in.
Largest Pioneer was 800 7.5 cu. in.
Largest Canadien was 275 7.5 cu. in.
Largest Danarm was 125 7.6 cu. in.
Largest West Bend engine used by chain saw manufacturers was the 82000 series at 8.2 cu. in.
Largest Power Products engine used by chain saw manufacturers was AH81 at 7.98 cu. in.
 
Thanks Mike. Always had been a question bugging me. Now, would I be correct in assuming that the 3120XP (7.20) and 111S (6.71) were the largest saws made by their respective Swede companies?

Oh, by the way. I noticed a few conversion errors on your wonderful site, like 100cc (5.2 cu. in.).

Thanks again.

Hey, I just checked out the Super REX. It's listed at 8.5 CID. So it's the largest one-man saw?
 
Last edited:
Correct on the Husqvarna and Jonsered engine sizes.
Where did you see the conversion mistake, I have entered so many I will certianly admit to a mistake to two, help me find it and correct it.

The SOLO Super Rex was made in response to request from Australia and I think most of them were sold down there. I list it as a Super REX but I have not had verification from SOLO that they consider it a proper model in their history. I do not have a parts book for it.
 
came across these

WHEN MEN WERE MEN
Solo - Super Rex - 8.77CI Single cylinder
Mac - 7/55 - 9.82CI Single cylinder. With optional 18" bar shown in owners manual as one man operation.
Disston - DA/211 - 10.99CI Twin cylinder. Owners manual describes this saw as "intermediate size" (LOL) one or two man operation.
So many saws, so little time. Larry@HOS
 
I would consider the 7-55 McCulloch a two man chain saw and the same applies to the DA-211. The configuration of the handlebars was intended for two men.
There were lots of saws from the 1950's that were one/two men type operation if you were up to it but I would not consider them as intended for one man when they were designed.
 

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