Biker Dude
Addicted to ArboristSite
My craftsman 2.0/12 is the same saw as my husky 23 compact except the husky has a chain brake. Both saws were actually poulans, I think.
Who makes Craftsman saws?
- Thread starter kev
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redunshee
Addicted to ArboristSite
Good info Chris; but my God, I as well didn't think the list would ever end. I hope no one assumed Sears actually made its own goods? You sure have a lot of resource material and I thank you for your past help.
cjcocn
Tree Freak
Bob
Yes, that is a long list!
I like old iron and am trying to get into restoring so that I can see some of the older equipment looking like new again. I try and collect information when I find it, especially the older stuff since it is so hard to come by. There are a lot of areas where information sharing helps to keep things alive and I try to do my part by passing on info that I have found.
Thanks to you too for the info that you have been generous enough to send my way!
redunshee
Addicted to ArboristSite
I've got a three craftsman 3.7 and one 3.4 saws all Poulan made and clones of the 3400 and 3700. Built simple and run great. Easy to work on because they are uncomplicated, would in my terms be called "bullet proof"
dswensen
ArboristSite Guru
My saw mechanic pulled out an interesting Craftsman to show me- he even loaned it to me while a couple of my saws are in the shop. It is marked Craftsman 4.3 A/VL. It is an Echo! Interesting design features include a thumbscrew Idle adjustment knob and an automatic oiler adjustment knob. Has an auxiliary manual oiler as well. It has a compression release lever-which does not automatically disengage ( the first cut I made I thought'man this thing is weak'The saw is caterpiller yellow.
I have one of these - it's a powerful (and heavy) beast with a 16" bar on it. Compression is crazy high. I don't remeber what Echo model number it is.
andyboy
ArboristSite Lurker
Craftsman did have saws made by Homelite. I have seen some craftsman labeled Homelite 360/350 saws. I have also seen several Echo models in craftsman skin.
This forum is a wealth of information about this subject. The original sears saws were David Bradley (owned by sears) which became the Roper company. Roper made saws similar to the Homelite Super XL, and then they started making some that actually had antivibe and looked like a small Poulan Micro (but with larger displacement - 3.7 cu in). I believe that was in the 70's.
I think that in the past 10 years most of the saws have been made by Poulan or MTD (Jeng Feng - Troy Built, new Macs, etc.) - mostly Poulan. I have a poulan one with antivibe. It is a 42cc 2001 model and works fairly well. It seems to have ok power for it's weight, and it is fairly light.
That new craftsman pro saw by redmax looks ok. You can sometimes find Sears selling them refurbished on E-bay for less than $120, but I would rather buy an older used saw than a newer craftsman. Even the redmax / pro saw looks too plasticy (is that a word?).
I was recently given an OLD Echo 451 (45cc). I love it! It is heavy, but feels MUCH more solid than most of these newer saws nowdays. And it has lots of torque for such a small displacement saw. It puts my craftsman to shame. It starts easy, runs great, and has an adjustable oiler plus manual oiler. It even has a knob to adjust the idle speed right on top, instead of a screw that is deep in some dark place that is hard to turn (like newer saws). That craftsman echo is probably similar, but much larger. I think that 4.5 cu in is around 70cc. It must be a beast!
This forum is a wealth of information about this subject. The original sears saws were David Bradley (owned by sears) which became the Roper company. Roper made saws similar to the Homelite Super XL, and then they started making some that actually had antivibe and looked like a small Poulan Micro (but with larger displacement - 3.7 cu in). I believe that was in the 70's.
I think that in the past 10 years most of the saws have been made by Poulan or MTD (Jeng Feng - Troy Built, new Macs, etc.) - mostly Poulan. I have a poulan one with antivibe. It is a 42cc 2001 model and works fairly well. It seems to have ok power for it's weight, and it is fairly light.
That new craftsman pro saw by redmax looks ok. You can sometimes find Sears selling them refurbished on E-bay for less than $120, but I would rather buy an older used saw than a newer craftsman. Even the redmax / pro saw looks too plasticy (is that a word?).
I was recently given an OLD Echo 451 (45cc). I love it! It is heavy, but feels MUCH more solid than most of these newer saws nowdays. And it has lots of torque for such a small displacement saw. It puts my craftsman to shame. It starts easy, runs great, and has an adjustable oiler plus manual oiler. It even has a knob to adjust the idle speed right on top, instead of a screw that is deep in some dark place that is hard to turn (like newer saws). That craftsman echo is probably similar, but much larger. I think that 4.5 cu in is around 70cc. It must be a beast!
I have a 3.7, its my favorite saw. It has alot of torque even though its not as fast as my ps 540, it doesnt bog down.
redunshee
Addicted to ArboristSite
If you love the 451 VL, you'll really love the 452 VL.
jburlingham
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Kunes
The Kid
im pretty sure some of the new 16'' saws are Poulan Pro's. look identical.
The Craftsnan 4.3 you speak of is a Echo CS-701VL
You are quite correct!
Its funny, I did a storm cleanup for my dads buddy a couple weeks ago. he was using his father in laws homelite xl (top handle) and the trigger let go. He needed a saw so he went to sears and bought a poulan pro w/a 20" oregon b&c. I looked over the saw it seemed to be a decent saw, but i only looked at it for a minute and didnt get a chance to fire it up. He wound up giving me the homelite (its in pieces now and if anyone has any info on the trigger spring id appreciate it). But that poulan pro seemed ok? but id still rather run my 1983 craftsman 3.7 any day.
redunshee
Addicted to ArboristSite
Mark, you amaze me with all your cross reference material! You're the man!
Well actually, I found this out by working on a 4.3 for my uncle that needed a coil. This is part of the fun of old saw's finding out what they are and what fits what!!!!!!
andyboy
ArboristSite Lurker
Just Curious, what is the difference, besides where the fill caps are? They look really similar.
Rftreeman
Addicted to ArboristSite
what's funny is that someone has probably thrown a poulan in the trash and said "I'm going to buy me a Craftsman, I'm tired of this poulan junk" and bought a saw with a prefix of 358._ _ _ _ _ _ :chainsawguy:
I'm not knocking poulan, just using them as an example.
I'm not knocking poulan, just using them as an example.
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steve--
ArboristSite Lurker
Stihl has made saws for Craftsman? I would never have guessed that.
CTSawTech
ArboristSite Operative
I have an older 50cc craftsman saw that seems to be a Jonsered model. It was given to me assumed seized, the clutch was the problem. Still haven't gotten around to fixing it yet.
dusty_v141
ArboristSite Lurker
i have a 42cc craftsman and it has the prefix 530 all over it so what is it.
