Anything Homelite XL-12

[tsouz007]

My dad has an Homelite XL-12 that runs (got it from my grandpa who was the original owner) and I'm looking for information on it ... anything you can throw at me, specs, recommended fuel mix, opinions on the saw, past experiences, what one might be able to get for it if I theoretically thought about selling it. Anything you want to throw at me related to the saw. Thanks guys! Lots of good info on this site!

 

[67L36Driver]

Model Profile: XL-12

Value? Not a whole lot. But, as a family heirloom; priceless.

 

[turnkey4099]

I inherited one from Dad when I retired from the service in uh..75. Cut a couple years with it. Good saw but I couldn't keep the screws tight any more. Traded my worn out garden tractor with blade and rototiller for a Homelight 360 pro. Another good saw and the last of the real saws from Homelite. That one ate the electrode off the spark plug. Did a real job on the piston/cylinder.

Harry K

 

[tsouz007]

Model Profile: XL-12

Value? Not a whole lot. But, as a family heirloom; priceless.

Thanks for the link ... been to that website before but couldn't remember the name.

I was more wondering how people liked restoring them??? Anyone ever use one and have an opinions?

 

[Adirondackstihl]

Theyre alright to run for about 10min or until you can't feel your hands anymore. Theyre fun to break out once and while but nothing you'd wanna run all the time.
I run the same fuel ratio in the XL-12 as I do all my OPE....... 50:1 with fully synthetic oil

 

[a. palmer jr.]

People used to use them all the time before they came out with this anti-vibe stuff. The older saws will mess up your manicure something awful! I recommend a good hand cream after using this saw. JK

 

[paintgiant]

They're awesome saws and have a unique sound, much different than the saws of today. Parts are widely available for them, check ebay, chainsawr.com, and even Bailey's may have some (I think they tend to newer saws though). Awesome firewood saw and easy to work on. Please whatever you do do not sell it and buy one of the new craftsman or homelite products thinking its the same, treasure the piece of machinery you have inherited. My XL 12 was the first saw I ever got, got her free from a lady selling things she inherited from her dad shortly after his death. It was very sentimental to her, she said it was her Dad's favorite saw and had a tear in her eye when handing it over to me.

In terms of fixing, they generally really only need fuel line, fuel filter, and a carb kit. Just pull out the old line and replace it with the same size weedeater fuel line instead of hunting down an nos version. Best of luck

 

[tsouz007]

Thanks for all the great info.

The saw is at my dad's house (not with me) so I don't have it to look at it but he says it is leaking oil really bad. Anyone have any ideas on what might need to be looked at to get that fixed? Haven't done a lot of major work on saws but looking forward to cleaning this one up as my first project saw!

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Thanks for all the great info.

The saw is at my dad's house (not with me) so I don't have it to look at it but he says it is leaking oil really bad. Anyone have any ideas on what might need to be looked at to get that fixed? Haven't done a lot of major work on saws but looking forward to cleaning this one up as my first project saw!

You'd about have to have it there with you to see where the oil is coming from and how bad it's leaking. If it was mine and didn't leak much I would remove the bar oil when I got done using it. Many saws leak bar oil, even newer ones. If it's leaking a lot you may have a tear down to do, maybe a gasket to replace. If I remember it right there's a gasket right in the center of the oil tank halves.

 

[Sprintcar]

One of the greatest saws ever built in the United States of America. Built with pride in Port Chester, New York, when QUALITY really meant something. We have a dozen or so of the XL-12 series.

 

[Adirondackstihl]

Thanks for all the great info.

The saw is at my dad's house (not with me) so I don't have it to look at it but he says it is leaking oil really bad. Anyone have any ideas on what might need to be looked at to get that fixed? Haven't done a lot of major work on saws but looking forward to cleaning this one up as my first project saw!

The o-ring/gasket on the oil filler cap needs to be replaced. Mine leaks like a sieve too. Kinda like an ole Harley marking its territory:msp_biggrin:

 

[tsouz007]

The o-ring/gasket on the oil filler cap needs to be replaced. Mine leaks like a sieve too. Kinda like an ole Harley marking its territory:msp_biggrin:

Thanks a LOT guys ... also looking for a place to get a parts and owners manual ... I know there is some place on this site to look for those but I can't seem to find it.

 

[Dewaynep]

Check your PMs.

 

[mountainmandan]

I use xl-12's and super xl's for all of my firewood cutting. I get them cheap and run the crap out of them, they don't need much in the way of maintanance, but what they do need is important.
-They need to be very clean for optimum performance, they seem to not disapate heat very well thruogh the metal case if there is an oily buildup. (of course this is important to all saws)
-If you don't clean out the air gap between the fuel tank and the crank case they will boil the gas and you will get poor fuel economy and vaporlock if you stop cutting for any length of time.
-You need to keep the ignition module and the area around it clean since they can fry the ignition module due to heat. Most of the deals you will find are inoperable saws due to bad ignition or fuel line.
All of this only takes a few minutes with a compressed air hose and the interval varies with how dusty the wood is you are cutting. I replace sprockets and chains and that is about it. I also had an xl-12 that had an oil leak and I just lived with it, it oiled fine and leaked slowly if it sat with a full tank of oil. I need to post some pictures of my stacks from this year so you can see the results of well built American saws; I am guessing I cut about 35 cords this winter with one super XL. Also I always remove what passes for baffles from the muffler. I don't experience problems with fastners vibrating loose on my current daily runner, but in the past I have put teflon plumbers tape on the threads to cure the problem.

Thanks
Dan

 

[BigE]

In terms of fixing, they generally really only need fuel line, fuel filter, and a carb kit.

Had one of these as my very first saw. I bought it used and knew *nothing* about chainsaws or 2-stroke engines. I did know that you needed to mix oil in with the gas, and the people I asked, they just said put in a little bit of oil.

So, off to the store I go, and I found chainsaw bar oil... Yep, mixed that in with the gas. No clue on the ratio, but man did that thing smoke! It never did run right, and I finally gave it away. I'm sure the p/c got scored up pretty bad.

I'm thinking maybe it needed more than the above.

 

[McCulloch1-52]

SUPER XL 12 CHAIN SAW SONG EVERY ONE SHOULD LEARN TO SING - YouTube

 

[CTYank]

People used to use them all the time before they came out with this anti-vibe stuff. The older saws will mess up your manicure something awful! I recommend a good hand cream after using this saw. JK

These saws will mess up more than your manicure. Can you say "white finger"?
Hand cream? Huh? Much suffering has been prevented with good anti-vibe.

They'll do a number on your music-appreciation abilities, too. Like most any contemporary saw.

 

[BrocLuno]

Go to Stickies and look in the Homelite Thread...

Post pictures when you can and the folks there will help you through any tough issues and may be able to point you to parts, etc. Bottom line - good older saw with real grunt. Will cut fire wood all day. If taken care of, will run a l-o-n-g time

 

[Urbicide]

Xl-12

The Homelite XL-12 is an American saw classic. By chance, have you ever noticed how many other saws that the XL-12 resembles? Well, the XL-12 was actually the very first of its type, & the rest should be considered to be copies or clones. A saw that was purchased new by your grandfather and has now come to be yours should be considered to be a family heirloom. I personally wouldn't sell it, as it was produced in large numbers for many years, so it is not particularly rare. It would be more of sentimental value to be able to perhaps pass it on to your own son or grandson. That would be pretty cool. A couple of preservation tips: Don't store a saw in a damp location, & don't leave it sitting on the ground during storage (especially on concrete!). Never loan your saw out either.

 

[tsouz007]

Thanks!

Thanks for the great tips and pointers ... you'll probably see pics at some point but I won't be able to get the saw until May so it'll be a little bit. I think I'll turn it into a restoration project =) ... bring on CAD!!!