In case someone is interested...2 vintage Mac SP125's on Ebay right now

Since I don't want or need another one of these................ I'm still waiting/watching for a decent 895 or similar gear drive monster & a couple others to show up sometime.


You might not see any for 3-4 months or so,then 2 or more seem to show up all at once.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/McCulloch-s...271?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cdbf43c3f

http://www.ebay.com/itm/mcculloch-sp125-/321312974333?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4acfbee5fd

 

For the uninitiated among us (including me), what's so great about these saws?

 

One of the last great American muscle saws,made from 1971-77 legendary old-growth beast - 7.5 cubic inch,123cc,between 10 & 12 HP when stock.Used to harvest the massive trees in the PNW & British Columbia,Canada from the early '70's to early '80's.Will pull a 60" bar/skip chain all day long.Last 2 years of production they had factory chain brake (1975-76)


There is no stock Husqvarna or Stihl made today that can match it in HP & torque. Even the 090 (which was its only real competitor & was well matched) was only 14cc's larger,but 7 lbs heavier & very close in HP/torque.Their biggest models at 119 & 122cc respectively only have around 8.5HP with a pound or so less weight & not much more RPM's.The 125 was ahead of its time,has very good anti vibe rubber isolation engine mounts,very smooth operation.

And I'm not even talking about the high performance version which could be custom built upon request by McCulloch dealers on the West Coast - with very little mods they would install the 101B kart engine in the 125 or 797 frame - same one that won all the trophies on the tracks for years afterwards -estimated 12,000RPM & 15 HP!

Not many 125's left in running condition,getting fewer every year.No doubt still some parked in assorted barns/sheds in Oregon/Washington & other parts out west. They were beat to death,rebuilt & used again.Finding one that's not a total basket case isnt easy.Parts are starting to get scarce now too.

 

Well, when you put it like that, those saws on eBay look like bargains. I wonder what the reserve price is on the second one.

So how did McCulloch transition from a company that made saws like that to the brand we all know and avoid today?

 

Nothing like naked terror to make you feel alive.

 

Holy.Crap.

 

Some examples of how these look/sound in operation.....











https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYZczCkkM6A

 

Sounds like heaven to me.

 

Wow.

Not really related, but why does "chainsaw guy" always pull the starter handle out before shutting a saw off?

 

Because most of the older saw's starters (even the medium sized ones) would really kick & jerk back in with tremendous force when you shut them off.Pulling the rope out a bit when hitting the kill switch saves lots of wear/tear on that rope,recoil spring & your fingers.I do that on all of my big saws.Tons of compression,I seen one or two handles literally fly off in the past.

 

I always wondered about that to.... Thanks for the explanation!

 

I'll have to be careful of that if I ever get my 61 Rancher running...

 

A Mac will pull the knot out of the rope if you're not careful. I know it happens cause I did it. They are strong running saws and on par with power of the new ones. I need to go see Ron and run the 088 with his 125s. I would like to have one Mac 125cp an a poulan 5200/5400/8500 for my collection.

 

Not a saw (waiting for income tax refunds to arrive in a couple weeks before I can comfortably look for another..) but these arrived today

Particleboard painted sign isn't that old - guessing mid-late '70's but its the first one I seen of that type & thought it was cool. It originally stood on a saw shop/dealer sales counter cause there's two 5/8" dowel holes on bottom edge for it to fit into a wider wood base.

Oil can is full,one of the last ones before they went to little plastic bottles.Late '70's for that I think.Wax lined cardboard tube with steel ends.The all steel ones or steel bottom/aluminum pull tab combo from early 60's to early '70's seem to be more common,though there's not a lot of them floating around either......

 

Here's THREE more for parts or repair...... For $800 with FREE shipping (that's $100 to my area easily for those 23lb beasts),these are worth more than that just as spare parts alone....Very tempting but that's a lot to shell out considering it would take quite a while to part them out & get my money back.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/McCulloch-S...397760471?pt=US_Chainsaws&hash=item3f30912dd7

Dammmm.............