FIL's mccullough 610

[Jim Timber]

I guess it's mine now...

Are these any good? Sucker is super heavy, but I haven't brought it home yet and have no idea how well it runs.

Sorry, didn't take pics either. It has the yellow carry case, which is a plus.

 

[Saw Dr.]

You will get differing opinions on those here. Mine is that it is a very reliable and sturdy machine. Is it as good as a new 60 cc saw with modern advancements? No. Check the oiler and make sure it is pumping. Those tend to fail on the 610. It is an easy fix if it needs attention. I would plan on a new fuel line and a carb kit just as a precaution. If that saw turns out to be a thin ring version, it will be slightly stronger than a regular one. At the end of the day, you can put a whole lot of wood on the ground with that saw. Post up some pics when you get it, and we will help you work out the bugs if there are any.

 

[Chris-PA]

My 3420 is a PM605 (55cc). Yes it's heavy, and it's also wide which can get in the way sometimes. But I like it a lot, and consider it a quality machine. All of the parts and mechanisms work nicely and feel good. I like the design of it - they did things correctly, like putting the carb in a sealed box below the air filter which means your mixture doesn't change if the filter gets a bit clogged. The A/V works well.

They don't rev like newer saws but do have torque, and my 55cc pulls a 24" bar better than it has any right to. The oiler has enough flow for it too.

The main weak spots are the oilers and the ignition modules, and I've had both fail.

The oiler is pulse operated and really easy to get to, but the housing is complex inside and not entirely repairable. Both the manual and automatic oiler are in one assembly, but mostly only share the inlet and outlet. Do not use high pressure air on it - I may have killed my first pump that way. You have to do a fair amount of disassembly to replace the oil line in the tank if that is necessary, and it may be. It's really not hard to do, just kind of a PITA.

There's not much you can do about the ignition if that goes but to get another off of eBay or the like.

Also, clean and lubricate the recoil - I hear they can be problematic but mine has always been great, and has a good feel too.

I enjoy running mine and like the sound when it's working hard. It used a lot of fuel this year with that 24" bar buried in red oak, but it cut a lot of wood too.

 

[mbopp]

Old, loud, heavy, uses a lot of gas. I have 2 - dad's (rest his soul) old 655 thin ring w/ decomp valve, and a freebie 610 with Montgomery Wards labeling. Other than the oil pump & occasional coil they're pretty reliable. Parts are available on Ebay or I get mine from here:

Fayettville Equipment Repair

I used the Monkey Ward today to flush-cut a stump for my son-in-law. It doesn't upset me too much if I have to dirt the chain on it.

 

[Chris-PA]

Gratuitous photo:

 

[Jim Timber]

So this should be a good stump cutter?

FIL's not attached to it, but doesn't want to see it parted out. He got it off a guy he worked with who didn't need it any more. If he paid anything, it wasn't much. He thinks it a low use saw - I guess we'll find out.

 

[mactodd]

The 600 series Macs are referred to-- even by the Mac guys-- as "cinder blocks with handles". Good thing is, they are just as tough and reliable as cinder blocks.
As long as you can put up with the weight, it'll cut anything you put the bar into, and won't complain.
It's worth sorting out to have in the arsenal.

 

[Jim Timber]

I'll get it working for my own curiosity. What I'll do with it after that, I don't know.

Sucker is heavy, that's for sure!

 

[Eccentric]

Damning with faint praise....

I'm not a fan of the series by any stretch, but they are a capable saw just so long as you don't expect too much from them. They are the quintessential loaner/beater/I don't give a #### if some bastard steals it chainsaw. A good thing to have in the stable for that reason. They're also just about as 'moron-proof' as a chainsaw can be. What a new MS290 aspires to be without the cost or the hype. Like an MS290, they seem to often go for stupid money on CL and feebay (usually for much more $$$ than the far superior 10-series McCullochs for some damn reason)...

 

[heimannm]

In my McCollection I have passed all of the 600 Series saws along to my son Jeff as they seem right for one another; heavy, loud, slow, fairly dependable.

I don't mind working on them at all, though sometimes you have to wonder what they were thinking with the design like putting the coil so far away from the spark plug then routing the wire in the case, out of the case, back in the case, then out of the case again...

We are trying to assemble the whole line up and so far have done pretty well:

605
610
650
655
Timber Bear
Eager Beaver
Montgomery Wards TMY something or other
PM5700
and an SE3.4 on the way

I am still looking for a 645 (I've only seen it in IPL's) and perhaps a few other permutations like the Super 610, Super Pro Mac 610 and others.

Mark

 

[Saw Dr.]

I have often wondered if it would be worth trying to machine a 7-10A engine/top end to fit in a 610 chassis. That would be a nice runner (though heavy.) I don't really have any good 70cc engines I'd be willing to sacrifice though.

 

[Chris-PA]

I'm not a fan of the series by any stretch, but they are a capable saw just so long as you don't expect too much from them. They are the quintessential loaner/beater/I don't give a #### if some bastard steals it chainsaw. A good thing to have in the stable for that reason. They're also just about as 'moron-proof' as a chainsaw can be. What a new MS290 aspires to be without the cost or the hype. Like an MS290, they seem to often go for stupid money on CL and feebay (usually for much more $$$ than the far superior 10-series McCullochs for some damn reason)...

I think a little more highly of mine than that, and while it's certainly no performance saw that's not really the biggest issue for a guy cutting his own firewood. For me it's my big saw, and I don't need it all that often - but when I do I know it will start in a couple of pulls and it will do what I need it to. We tend to get wrapped up in the performance numbers for a saw, but there's other measures of value.

I think the 10-10's look interesting, and I've been tempted to pick one up, but I don't see any A/V. If you want a metal construction horizontal cylinder saw with a chain brake and A/V these Macs are one of the most accessible choices. They even improved the muffler outlet issues of a horizontal cylinder somewhat. And it's got road-hugging weight too!

 

[Eccentric]

I think a little more highly of mine than that, and while it's certainly no performance saw that's not really the biggest issue for a guy cutting his own firewood. For me it's my big saw, and I don't need it all that often - but when I do I know it will start in a couple of pulls and it will do what I need it to. We tend to get wrapped up in the performance numbers for a saw, but there's other measures of value.

I think the 10-10's look interesting, and I've been tempted to pick one up, but I don't see any A/V. If you want a metal construction horizontal cylinder saw with a chain brake and A/V these Macs are one of the most accessible choices. They even improved the muffler outlet issues of a horizontal cylinder somewhat. And it's got road-hugging weight too!

There were 10-series models with both AV and a chainbrake. Also, the non-AV 10-series saws don't vibe much more than a PM610 family saw in my experience.

Here's a 10-series saw similar in displacement to a PM610 with AV and a chainbrake. It'll probably go for less money than the various Timberbears and other PM600 series saws on the bay. The Acres listing for this model incorrectly states that it's a rigid saw. It does in fact have an AV setup similar to the SP-81 and PM850:

McCulloch Super Pro 60 | eBay