Pioneer chainsaws

[pioneerguy600]

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Hi fellow Pioneer enthusiasts!
Been busy living lol
Found a neat bit of trivia in an old newspaper dated January 1959
An ad for the new powerful economical Pioneer RA! For the sum of $199.50 it would be yours.
Did a Google on Canadian wages back then and typical was $79/week so 2 and half weeks work for a chainsaw!!
Would translate to around $2500 in today's market! Ouch eh lol

Very nice article you found, I clearly remember going to our Pioneer dealer in the fall of 1958 to pick up dads brand new 600, he was earning around $59. a week at his regular job but made at least $20. or more from cutting and selling firewood. With the new saw he easily doubled that and actually paid for itself the first winter we ran it on our woodlot. Good memories there.

 

[Lou]

I ordered my first new car in early 1968 (Caravel Blue 1968 290ci V8 Javelin with an AM radio and courtesy lights. $2500.00). It was delivered to the Bowling Green, Ohio Rambler dealer on May 3rd, 1968. There was a problem with the clutch when it came off the truck and I took delivery sometime after my 18th birthday. I took the Javelin to Milan Dragway in 68 with a factory tune-up, turned in a 16.99 in M-pure stock (2 other vehicles in that class), took my trophy and went home. 1969 I returned to Milan (N-pure stock), ran a 283 Chevelle (he was there in 68), and a 307 deuce Nova 69 I think. Turned in a 15.99 (my tune-up) took my trophy and went home. I went back in 70 ran against a 289 Ford Galaxy, and a Plymouth Fury I don't know the engine size. I beat them both, took my trophy and went home (O-pure). The high point in 70 was the Nova was back, paid his entry fee, saw that damned Rambler and left. I drove that vehicle for 12 years and nearly 200,000 miles. About 179,000 it wouldn't start one morning and I just tore it down for rebuild. When I removed the timing gear cover I found why she didn't start (intake and heads were already removed). The cylinders were still within tolerance and none of the valves or seats were burned. I sent the heads to a local machine shop, replaced the rings, mains, and reassembled the engine. She was still running at 200,000 miles when I sold her in 1980. She towed a 73 Gremlin (New in 73, it was a year old when I first saw it. The wife drove it while I was in SE Asia) from Pemberville, Ohio to Phoenix, Arizona in 74.

I think she had a heart. she never stranded me except in mud (she loved to wallow, right up to her frame). I was young, stupid, and had raging hormones. More than once I put her where she could wallow so my lady and I could have a little privacy.
I worked in a Service Station from 1965 until drafted in 1970. 1967 and 68 I also attended a vocational high school and Mar through May 1968 worked in a captive print shop for Owens Illinois (OI) half days. May 68 until drafted in 70, I worked full time at OI and afternoons at a service station.

I used a Chiltons and Motor Manual for the overhaul. My first engine overhaul.
This dredged up some Great memories. Thanks and forgive my ramblings, please.
Lou

 

[Walter Glover]

We had the RA on the farm and it cut all the firewood and fence posts until 1980 when my Uncle (who raised meand my two brothers) finally had to quit working so hard. He was 76 or so at that time. He had gas put in the house so no more woodcutting. Also likely due to us nephews leaving the nest. What is especially cool about that article I posted is that is the year I was born and I have that old RA running like a top. Fuel lines, carb kit and points clean and set....... running! Love that old thing and wish I knew then what I know now about small engines. Would have been a real treat to help keep that saw running in peak form.

Oh BTW the saw in my avitar is that RA when first running after about 35 years plus

 

[89HD]

We had the RA on the farm and it cut all the firewood and fence posts until 1980 when my Uncle (who raised meand my two brothers) finally had to quit working so hard. He was 76 or so at that time. He had gas put in the house so no more woodcutting. Also likely due to us nephews leaving the nest. What is especially cool about that article I posted is that is the year I was born and I have that old RA running like a top. Fuel lines, carb kit and points clean and set....... running! Love that old thing and wish I knew then what I know now about small engines. Would have been a real treat to help keep that saw running in peak form.

Oh BTW the saw in my avitar is that RA when first running after about 35 years plus

Good stories, those are the memories.
I went to work for the summer fighting forest fires in Vernon B.C. 1970, Forman asked if anyone knew how to run a chainsaw. Damn I said I did.
I never knew enough to ignore that question, and I got the wonderful job of doing that for the summer. I was in pain for a week or two till my muscles got toughened up to that job
Wish I knew what kind of saw it was. It was a great summer.

 

[89HD]

Good stories, those are the memories.
I went to work for the summer fighting forest fires in Vernon B.C. 1970, Forman asked if anyone knew how to run a chainsaw. Damn I said I did.
I never knew enough to ignore that question, and I got the wonderful job of doing that for the summer. I was in pain for a week or two till my muscles got toughened up to that job
Wish I knew what kind of saw it was. It was a great summer.

 

[89HD]

I picked up a pioneer farmsaw a couple weeks ago, it looked really good broken recoil was all. ThenI read about the recoil problems.
I'm in the process of fixing it up. I have used epoxy for many jobs. If it's a good flexible epoxy and it will adhere to aluminium, wood and plastic it's pretty good stuff . I scratched up all the plastic in the area where epoxy would be, Then used a piece of furnace filter soaked it in epoxy, filled the voids in the recoil cover where the pin broke off. Put the broken pin back in where it was broken from and let it set up.
It feels pretty good, I think it will stand up. Now to make a new spring. Then good as new.

 

[rupedoggy]

https://goldcountry.craigslist.org/tls/d/placerville-chainsaw/7078136560.html

 

[rocketnorton]

View attachment 801934 View attachment 801935 I picked up a pioneer farmsaw a couple weeks ago, it looked really good broken recoil was all. ThenI read about the recoil problems.
I'm in the process of fixing it up. I have used epoxy for many jobs. If it's a good flexible epoxy and it will adhere to aluminium, wood and plastic it's pretty good stuff . I scratched up all the plastic in the area where epoxy would be, Then used a piece of furnace filter soaked it in epoxy, filled the voids in the recoil cover where the pin broke off. Put the broken pin back in where it was broken from and let it set up.
It feels pretty good, I think it will stand up. Now to make a new spring. Then good as new.

g'luck.
if none, got stuff hear.
1074, etc, parts work, too.

 

[pioneerguy600]

We had the RA on the farm and it cut all the firewood and fence posts until 1980 when my Uncle (who raised meand my two brothers) finally had to quit working so hard. He was 76 or so at that time. He had gas put in the house so no more woodcutting. Also likely due to us nephews leaving the nest. What is especially cool about that article I posted is that is the year I was born and I have that old RA running like a top. Fuel lines, carb kit and points clean and set....... running! Love that old thing and wish I knew then what I know now about small engines. Would have been a real treat to help keep that saw running in peak form.

Oh BTW the saw in my avitar is that RA when first running after about 35 years plus

The RA was the very first chainsaw I ever cut wood with on my grandfathers farm, it was the early version and over the years I kept it running, it has never been in a condition where it wouldn`t start and run when fuel was put in it, that would be 63 years now with only one carb rebuild. I did a horrible rattle can paint job on it 30 - 40 years ago but the internals are still in great shape,

 

[pioneerguy600]

A few of my 600 series work saws, have cut more wood with them than any other series of saws I have owned,

 

[pioneerguy600]

Found a pic of my restored RA, been a long while since I did that restore,

 

[89HD]

Found a pic of my restored RA, been a long while since I did that restore,

That is a great restoration job!

 

[pioneerguy600]

That is a great restoration job!

Thanks. From what it started from til being complete was quite a journey all documented way back in the early days of this Pioneer thread, mostly in the first 50 pages.

 

[Sepia]

Here is an old IEL Pioneer for sale here in Ontario. I might be wrong but it looks new to me.

Here is the link: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-hand-tool/cambridge/old-pioneer-chainsaw/1488948920

 

[Beavers]

l was told buy the current owner that ths HC is a repaint /restored a number of years ago.

 

[Sepia]

l was told buy the current owner that ths HC is a repaint /restored a number of years ago.

What does HC stand for?

 

[pioneerguy600]

IEL used letters to identify their models of saws, that stopped after OMC bought them out around 1957 and the IEL saws were then called Pioneers.

 

[Screwbolts]

This morning I cut up some white birch to make Swedish Torches, fun times blocking with the P41S.

 

[Walter Glover]

This morning I cut up some white birch to make Swedish Torches, fun times blocking with the P41S.

Like a Boss!!!

 

[hillwilliam]

Thank you for the kind words!

Your P51 has a totally different reed setup than the smaller saws. Because you have a different set up, it looks like to my eyes when looking at the IPL that you may have room for a 4 reed pyramid setup like the Poulan 5000 series of saws use. the Homelite Super XL saws also used a 4 sided pyramid reed block. I have one of the Homelite units that I used on a 4 cube Remington engine of mine.

IronHorse recently posted videos of his hotroding a 51 or 52, he used the stock block and a thinned fiberglass reed with no limiter/cage to confine it.

Go for it! New blocks are available so go for broke!

Yes, the reed blocks are quite different on the smaller saws vs the 5- and 6-cube saws, although they use the same reeds. But it doesn't look like a pyramid reed would fit into the curved space that's the same shape as the stock reed block. I'd love to make something bigger work, especially on my bigger saws.

You inspired me to do some more obsessive tinkering on my Pioneers while I was waiting for some work to show up. I am indeed obsessive about my saws and chains. I checked to be sure they all had the shorter, curvier limiters, and they did. (I remember bending one for more curve a long time ago - it may have been one of the longer ones.) Also, in looking at some of my old parts, I saw that I had reamed out several blocks at different times. They were more prone to cracking, of course.

I ended up leaving the P52 and 655BP as they were with essentially new reed blocks. Re-sealed the reed blocks and vac tested. I'm wishing now that I had done at least a bit of reaming while I was at it or swapped in some old reamed-out blocks.

The one on my P45 is like a P42, P41, etc. I noticed that the Boyesen reeds weren't sealing very well. Using fine sandpaper on glass, I flattened the reed sealing surface on that one and another one I had handy. The second one had been reamed, and I put the saw back together using that one.

The P45 hasn't idled well for a long time. It's ported to run like a turpentine cat (as are my bigger ones) and has a fairly large modified carb, so I was thinking that's just how it's gonna be. I'm waiting for a reason to fuel it up and run it and see if it's better now.

I've never tried putting one together w/o a reed limiter. More obsessive tinkering needs to happen. Thanks for making me think.