Dates of Manufacture for the 028 ?

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The photo that you refer to, Dave, is very interesting because that badge is the rarest and most unusual of 028 Super badges. For most of the life cycle of the Super with the 51cc engine, it was simply badged as "028 Super" with no mention of "Wood Boss." Then in the Super's last year or two of production (whenever that was) the badge read "Super Wood Boss" with the word "super" in orange. Also very interesting is that this last run of 028 Supers featured the first side chain tensioner ever available on the 028 and a see-through gas tank. This development seems already to point to the evolution of the 028 into the 026.
Excellent info Vernon. I did know there were "Super Wood Bosses" and I knew their displacement, but I didn't know they were the last 028 chronologically. I also knew that the last ones had the side tensioners, but I didn't realize they had a see through gas tank.

Whats also semi interesting and parallel...is I've seen 024 supers with both front and side tensioners. Wonder if the later side tensioning 024 supers came out roughly about the same time as the 028 "Super Wood Boss".
 
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Excellent info Vernon. I did know there were "Super Wood Bosses" and I knew their displacement, but I didn't know they were the last 028 chronologically. I also knew that the last ones had the side tensioners, but I didn't realize they had a see through gas tank.

Whats also semi interesting and parallel...is I've seen 024 supers with both front and side tensioners. Wonder if the later side tensioning 024 supers came out roughly about the same time as the 028 "Super Wood Boss".

Yeah, I remember seeing side tension before(though at the time I thought it was a conversion ;) ) but never an opaque tank. That's Super interesting...

Also, going strickly from my sometimes shaky memory I seem to recall the side tension on the 024 coming out about the same time as the 028 disappearing. The reason it sticks with me a bit is the tree outfit I was working with at the time was in serious quandry about what to use as a limbing/trimming/rear-handled bucket saw. 028s had filled that bill previously, they/we tried a few 024s but no one was really impressed with 'em and we were playing with a small Husky, 246 maybe?? But for some reason guys were frying them up, like to the tune of three or four of 'em in one bad month(to be fair I don't think it was the saw's fault, I think guys were tweakin' them in the field and the Huskys weren't as tolerant to this as the Stihls they were used to). Till finally the 026 arrived in our rigs which became the primary go to saw for the light work. This was in the years of 1989-91, not a Stihl timeline, just my recollection from my work history with one company's saw procurement........ We were stihl running the 038 Supers and Mags for many years after this. This was also the time period when we were replacing those old, all metal 020s.

If someone has a real, accurate Stihl chronology of the different models I would like to see it. It would be nice to either validate or completely dismiss my "recollections".............:dizzy:
 
Also, going strickly from my sometimes shaky memory I seem to recall the side tension on the 024 coming out about the same time as the 028 disappearing. The reason it sticks with me a bit is the tree outfit I was working with at the time was in serious quandry about what to use as a limbing/trimming/rear-handled bucket saw. 028s had filled that bill previously, they/we tried a few 024s but no one was really impressed with 'em and we were playing with a small Husky, 246 maybe?? But for some reason guys were frying them up, like to the tune of three or four of 'em in one bad month(to be fair I don't think it was the saw's fault, I think guys were tweakin' them in the field and the Huskys weren't as tolerant to this as the Stihls they were used to). Till finally the 026 arrived in our rigs which became the primary go to saw for the light work. This was in the years of 1989-91, not a Stihl timeline, just my recollection from my work history with one company's saw procurement........ We were stihl running the 038 Supers and Mags for many years after this. This was also the time period when we were replacing those old, all metal 020s.

Very informative. Thanks adkranger and everyone else for a lively discussion.
 
I scored a 028 Super Woodboss last week, but it does not have Vernon's opaque fuel tank or side chain tensioner. It does have the same badge on top though, which tells me his is quite unique indeed. Maybe these last one's out of the factory were a little bit "parts bin" saws, using available pieces to finish up the production run. Makes for interesting shop talk in later years........
 
The photo that you refer to, Dave, is very interesting because that badge is the rarest and most unusual of 028 Super badges. For most of the life cycle of the Super with the 51cc engine, it was simply badged as "028 Super" with no mention of "Wood Boss." Then in the Super's last year or two of production (whenever that was) the badge read "Super Wood Boss" with the word "super" in orange. Also very interesting is that this last run of 028 Supers featured the first side chain tensioner ever available on the 028 and a see-through gas tank. This development seems already to point to the evolution of the 028 into the 026.

Interesting. Not sure on the tank, but the 028AV Super I picked up last week has the side tensioner, and no mention of Wood Boss on the badge (and Super in black).
 
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