Who made the best saws in the 60's & 70's

[blackoak]

Since I was born in 1964 and just in the last five years started getting into the older saws, I would like to know which brand of saws were the most popular in the 60's and 70's. Homelite, McCulloch, Stihl, Husky.It seems to me like there are alot more older Macs around where I live than any brand, but I live in Southern Indiana and it just may be a regional thing. It seems that every auction I go to looking for old saws I find 3 to 1 more Macs than any other brand. For all the guys that were using saws back in the "good old days" which brand and model of saws did you prefer and why?

 

[ross_scott]

I can not say much about the good old days but I have used saws such as the Echo 302(my father had this saw and it is what i learned on unfortunately my older brother tossed it out 6 years ago when he moved to tasmania thinking you could not get a carb kit for it), Partner 55, Pioneer 11-30 IMHO they were and still are nice saws to use

 

[Mange]

HVA was just beginning in the 60's and still very young in 70's.
HVA started very late in the chainsaw industry.

It is wrong of me to speak of the US brands, but I do have a opinion.
The Mac's and homelight's I think was most popular, but Poulan was not far behind.

 

[Lawn Masters]

Mac, and Homelite were the best of the BIG saws,

Mac SP125, its still a great saw now, over 25 years later, same for the homelite saws of similar size/power.

Poulan was great for top handles like the S25 series, which in itself is a great design, simple and well thought out.
Homelite Super 2, XL2, and some others, I like for simplicty, and lack of complicated design.
Mac 120 series saws, arent exactly well thought out in design, but they're sure powerful to me.

in fact, I believe the 60's and 70's homelite, and Mac saws to be something that cannot be beaten by much besides a modern Stihl, husky, or dolmar.

 

[NWCS]

hey Ross, i grew up using an old worn out Echo 302, i remember dad cutting down some big trees with the little 20" bar on that thing.. muffler cover was missing for half the saws life, rings were shot.. NO power at all but it was dads only saw.. i still like them echos

 

[Al Smith]

Well around these parts it was kind of an even split between Mac And Homey,during the 60's.There were still quite a few gear drives in operation,due to the fact you just could not wear them out.

Models 49 and 73 Macs were still being used,as well as old Malls[talk about heavy].The Model 250 McCulloch was a popular seller.
Starting in the early 70's a decline in the livestock production in this area also coincided with a decline in hardwoods use.Prior to this the hardwoods were used for sturdy gates,feed bunkers and other uses associated with the raising of livestock.

The mid 70's saw a resurgence in the burning of firewood,due to increased prices for natural gas,propane and heating oil.During this period the McCulloch pm 610 was a popular saw.

McCulloch held its own until around the early 80 s,then things steadily went over to Stihl,were they remain to this day.Although I've never owned one,the model 041 was a popular saw,as well as a few 056 s.
This area of northern Ohio has always been agriculture,with just a small amount of commercial logging .What small amount that remains today is of a specialty nature.Finer grades of hardwoods for cabinetry,interior trim etc.No doubt ,other areas of the country, where the harvesting of lumber is more prevalent would have had different models and makes of saws in use during those times.

 

[weimedog]

Just opinion. The Homelites seem a better design than the McCullochs to me. My 797 is wonderfull but the size fasteners, the way the pull start assembly is designed, etc isn't as well thought out as my XP Series Homelites.

Judging from the available saws from that period, the XL-12 and XL-800
thru XL-925 were a more reliable design than the competitve saws from McCulloch as well. Those old 80cc McCullochs like the 1-43 thru 250's are around but they are awkward designs at best when compared to the XL-800 and later 82cc Homelites.

One of the reasons the Mac's were used as Cart motors was the simple fact you could separate out the crank case/Cylinder from the rest of the saw. The Homelites integrated more into the castings therefore it was harder to isolate a powerhead. Not good for cart applications but a more compact design for saws. Seems like the Homelite manufacturing engineers were able to build more complex die castings than Mac and therefor able to build a more sophisticated design. Same is true for the Cylinders. Homelite Chrome on Aluminum was way ahead of their time. They made that process reliable. They have passed the test of time as many of those oldies are STILL in running condition. I know as I have a few.

Bottom line for me? McCullochs look cool but Homelites are better designed. There are a few exceptions possibly. I like my 797 its oiling works better for milling than my XP-Homelites...but even though I WANT to think its a better design. The Homelites are in my humble opinion.

 

[turnkey4099]

Bought my first new saw in 1976 (Homey 360 Pro). By that time Mac was dead. Stihl of course was the lead if you had the money.

Harry K

 

[blackoak]

There still is alot Homelite 360's being used today for firewood cutting. About all the ones I do find they do need the intake boot replaced and then they are ready to go. I have yet to find a Mac SP 125 yet, but I am always looking. I do find alot of the Stihl 041's , most look like Hell, but with a little carb work I can usualy get them back into service. It has to be one of the most popular saw Stihl has ever made.

 

[spacemule]

Homelite Super 2, XL2, and some others, I like for simplicty, and lack of complicated design.

I like computers for typing, and punching keys on a keyboard to write sentences.

 

[Husky288XP]

Jonsered saws like the 49 and 70 were very popular for firewood, in the 1970's.

 

[tenacrewoods]

Poulans were my Grandpas Favorites in the 50s & 60s, like this Super 66 from
Mikes Acres site. any of these types from the K100 down.I'd give an arm
and leg to own one.Then again what darn good would a saw do me..


Mike E.

 

[ozflea]

What a silly question McCulloch did of course closely followed by Homelite this will at least keep my old mate Al Smith happy.

Mc Bob.

 

[Bob Wright]

I think it is a regional issue also. My dad sold Poulans and Lombards in the late 60's early 70's. Then he got an Echo dealership in '73 and quit all the rest. There was no Husky around until '76 when my uncle started selling them. This is around the Youngstown Ohio area...Bob

 

[donnyman]

Homelite xlsuper automatic,xl super mini,xl76,super xl 130 and super xl 922.Best saws momelite ever built.To this day for 57cc engine, the xl76 or xlsuper 130 can still hold there own.After 25 years and all this hi tech engineering they havet gained much.Not in my opinion.Also very easy to repair if needed.Don.

 

[Dadatwins]

Wonder if the question should be broken out for pro use or homeowner use. Growing up in NYC in the 70's most of the tree crews I work with ran homelites, yet there was a Mac in a lot of homeowners garage to cut up firewood. Homelite SEZ was THE climbing saw until the poulan s25 starting showing up on job sites. Remember seeing a few Mac 250 around the pro pickup trucks, but it was usually left in the truck for the more versatile homelite SXL and 925 series.

 

[Al Smith]

As an after thought to my previous post,some more observations.In this area,during the 60's most saws were sold at implement dealers,this being farming country.So it did depend on what the local tractor dealer sold,sometimes.This could change within a 20 mile area.

I also forgot to mention the classic model 10-10 McCulloch .I think Mac made as many of these as they did 250 s.This is a lot,to say the least[a play on words ]
Another interesting thing I remember about the 60's,is that nobody filed their chains.They normally had several and took the dull ones to get sharpened,go figure.

 

[bluegoose]

I was living in mid-Michigan at the time (early 70's) and Stihl's were starting to come on, although they were very expensive (as if they aren't now). The 041 series - including the "G" variant - were quite popular, as evidenced by many of the area road commission crews swinging them.

 

[logcutter429]

Don't know about the the sixties, but when i started cutting in Northern Cal. around 77 Mac 125 were still around, but the Husky 2100 explosion was underway, they were lighter and you could do more in big timber.

 

[mktest]

I have no opinions on US saws, or saws from the 60s, but Jonsereds were definitely very good in the 70s. Ok, I might be biased, as we have had a couple of old Jonsereds but no other old saws, and a relative worked at the Jonsered factory, but I like both the design and feeling of the Jonsered saws from the 70s. Beatiful, ergonomic, safe, tough. A good mix of metal and plastic.