MCCULLOCH The official McCulloch thread

[Al Smith]

I've got a fairly well preserved 10 series 32" bar that was given to me .Odd for this portion of the country as it is a .050 bar that had a .404 roller nose .I suspect it was a west coaster at one time .I changed the nose to 3/8" .Both my sp81 and 805/850 have no problem buried in oak with that bar .
From my perspective compared to Stihl ,a 460 has the edge until it gets to about 30 inch stuff then the McCulloch torque has a slight edge .That said both are darned good saws .

 

[Al Smith]

I'm looking at the pic of the 8200 crank and piston then an idea pops up .The bearing is in the rod where it should have been all the time rather than in both sides of the piston .
Now would it be possible to use an Sp 81 or some other piston if the pin size were the same ? I don't know myself ,it's just speculation .

It seems the 8200 is rather rare and most of them that need repair are destined to sit in a box awaiting a piston .Nothing is impossible and just seems with a little engenuity ( can't spell ) the problem could be solved

 

[Al Smith]

Looking for some rings for a non-Mac. Wondering if the rings for a PM-70 or any of the other "70" saws are thin rings (0.023") and are available. I do know the rings for a PM60 are thin. The ones for my saw are unobtanium. If they are thin and are available I'll file them down to fit my other saw (Poulan 4000). Thanks

If you "google" northwood saw and use the search parameter of piston ring,not piston rings about 30 pages of options come up .It lists both diameter and thickness .Something might work .

 

[sawfun]

I run 3/8 skip with great results. It will pull full comp fine, but why sharpen twice the cutters as it is a smooth saw as is.

 

[cm76]

McCulloch 890 carb changeout

I picked up an 890 saw recently out here in Australia, and I am looking at changing the carb to a Tillotson HL. I was wondering as to the best carb for this machine - I am thinking that the Tillotson HL291BC would be ideal as it came from the later 895 series machine.
The HL291BC does not seem to be an easy carb to get hold of, so any other recommendations would be appreciated.
I will look into repairing the leaking primer of the existing flat back in due course.

Chris

 

[Lee H]

Chris the 291 will work but it has the fixed high jet. If it were
me the most ideal carb for that application would be the HL103.
You can also use the HL63 which i've used many times but you
have to cut the air filter cover stud as the 63 carbs were used
on front tank Mac's. Another option is the HL19 just make sure
it doesn't have the provision for the air vane governor if your
not using it. If you are using the governor then that would be
the only carb to use.
I prefer not using the governor and using the 63 carb as the 63
is the easiest to find. They are all over ebay most times. If you
have a junk Mac 250 it will most likely have the 63 carb.

Lee

 

[cm76]

Chris the 291 will work but it has the fixed high jet. If it were
me the most ideal carb for that application would be the HL103.
You can also use the HL63 which i've used many times but you
have to cut the air filter cover stud as the 63 carbs were used
on front tank Mac's. Another option is the HL19 just make sure
it doesn't have the provision for the air vane governor if your
not using it. If you are using the governor then that would be
the only carb to use.
I prefer not using the governor and using the 63 carb as the 63
is the easiest to find. They are all over ebay most times. If you
have a junk Mac 250 it will most likely have the 63 carb.

Lee

Thanks a lot Lee - really appreciate the information and recommendations.

Regards

Chris

 

[heimannm]

Chris - make sure the gasket you use between the carburetor and the flange has holes in the right places to pass the impulse signal for the fuel pump. They are different between the Tillotson and the MAC/Walbro.

And, if you develop the fix for the leaky primer you will be a very popular guy. I have tried many times to get one apart to see what's inside and have only managed to mangle a few in the attempts.

Mark

 

[heimannm]

I have a few minutes again, let's look at some old McCulloch saws.

The 3-25 (3 HP, 25 pounds) was the first one man saw by McCulloch and featured an all position carburetor with built in fuel pump. These were both very new concepts in the chain saw industry (one man operation and all position). One day I hope to find one of the very early bars with the large hole cut out, I guess this was an attempt to reduce the weight of the bar. The 3-25 is easy to spot as the wrap handle terminates in the flywheel housing. The 3-25 first went into production in 1948 or 1949. All of the early saws from the 3-25 through the 77 were gear drive to pull the 1/2, 5/8, or 9/16" pitch chain.



My first 3-25 came with a custom spike



Those holes in the end of the bar are to attach a stinger, or extra handle to make it a two man saw since a lot of potential buyers seemed to doubt the validity of a one man saw.



The early McCulloch saws (3-25, 4-30, 47, 49 , 73, 77) were rotary valve engines and very complicated machines with lots of screws and pieces.



The original pull "rope" on the early saw was a plastic covered steel cable, err I mean wire rope. Sorry for the slip up Carl.



Mark

 

[heimannm]

Here is the cut out bar I was referring to.



Mark

 

[heimannm]

I think the next one man saw was the 4-30 which I take to be 4 HP and 30 pounds. Still has the wire rope for starter cord, but the front and wrap handles changed a lot. I think this one is in fact the 4-30A. The 4-30 went into production around 1953.





This one is (I believe) another 4-30A but the serial number plate is missing.







Mark

 

[heimannm]

The Model 47 replaced the 4-30 in 1953 and was in production until 1956. In 1957 there was a short run of the Model 49, I am lacking the 49 in my collection at this time.











Mark

 

[heimannm]

The early saws were either 77cc (3-23, 47) or 87cc (4-30, 49). The last of the original upright cylinder saws were the 73 and 77 and 120cc's introduced in 1955 and 1957 respectively. I have enough parts to put together a 73, but for now my only runner in the early models large displacement saws is a 77 I received from Eccentric in a trade. It is a fine running saw and very strong in the cut with the 9/16" pitch chain. It is also pretty heavy, and will ruin your shoulder for months if you fail to pull it over forcibly when attempting to start a warm, flooded saw.

One of the 73's that I have came from Australia; I partially disassembled it and brought it home as a separate checked bag.





The 77 looks good and runs well.







Mark

 

[cm76]

Great photo's Mark - I love these old saws.

Chris

 

[Lee H]

Mark,
Also the very early 3-25's were called the two button 3-25. Above the
throttle there were two buttons. The right was for manual oiler and
the left was for the shut down which cut the fuel in the carb to shut
off the saw. It wasn't a great idea and soon after production Mcculloch
came out with a kit which included a updated carb to eliminate the
second button. Two button 3-25's are not seen very often. I've been
looking for one for a few years and can't seem to find as of yet.



Lee

 

[heimannm]

I think our old friend Nicolas has both a 49 and a "two button" 3-25, both in very nice condition.

I guess I will have to be content with quantity over quality in this case.

Mark

 

[fossil]

The early saws were either 77cc (3-23, 47) or 87cc (4-30, 49). The last of the original upright cylinder saws were the 73 and 77 and 120cc's introduced in 1955 and 1957 respectively. I have enough parts to put together a 73, but for now my only runner in the early models large displacement saws is a 77 I received from Eccentric in a trade. It is a fine running saw and very strong in the cut with the 9/16" pitch chain. It is also pretty heavy, and will ruin your shoulder for months if you fail to pull it over forcibly when attempting to start a warm, flooded saw.

One of the 73's that I have came from Australia; I partially disassembled it and brought it home as a separate checked bag.

View attachment 17921

View attachment 17922

The 77 looks good and runs well.

View attachment 17923

View attachment 17924

View attachment 17925

Mark

It was a treat to run your 77 Mark. The only saw I've run that would bury your feet in chips.

 

[sawfun]

He also has a 77.

 

[heimannm]

Actually Don I think his big one is 73.

Concurrently with the large upright cylinder gear drive saw, McCulloch was producing the 33/35/39 models (1953-1961). These saws frequently turn up on e-Bay with such monikers as "Vintage", "Rare", "Huge old logging saw" etc., etc.. In fact they are all 54cc displacement. Due to their unique appearance with the watering can body and angle up bar many folks simply assume them to be very rare and sought after but the fact is there were thousands and thousands produced. The models (as best I can determine) came along as 33, 33B, Super 33, 35, 39, Mac35, and 35A. The basic design is an upright cylinder but the crankshaft rotation is 90 degrees to the chain movement so they are fit with a bevel gear box on the front. I am sure other manufacturers at the same time also had "attachments" to extend the functionality of the chainsaw power head, but McCulloch may have lead the pack with the options including brush cutter, spur reduction drill/auger, direct drive drill, ice/earth auger, and the roto-pruner which was a sort of forerunner to the pole saw. One more unusual adaptation was to make the same power head a direct drive saw, but to do so the bar and chain were on the left hand side rather than the RH side as we are more familiar with. I have only seen two or three other "left hand" bar saw models ever produced.

The 33 is recognizable by the small air filter. This saw has the oiler button on the gear case/oil tank itself. Other models had a rod that extends through the saw housing, and other still had a sort of flexible cable from the saw rear handle to the oil tank to facilitate oiler operation.



The Super 33 has a very nice yellow and black color scheme and a "full wrap" style front handle. The super 33 also had the larger air filter like the 35 and 39 models. This one even has the "bar cover", a feature not found often.




The 35, Mac35, and 35A were all yellow, tall air filter, and half wrap style handle.




My older brother Ray even found one NIB MAC 35A.



I was able to get a pretty nice 39 when I visited Bob Johnson in NY a couple of years ago. This one will get a full restoration one day.



Mark

 

[Lee H]

I think our old friend Nicolas has both a 49 and a "two button" 3-25, both in very nice condition.

I guess I will have to be content with quantity over quality in this case.

Mark

I know he was looking for a 2 button not long ago. Maybe he has
found one. I need one and a 47 to complete that series and would
like to find the Aussy 73A as well.

Lee