gear drives on Homelites

[knucklepanshovel]

I have seen a little about gear drives for super Xl & XL12 what can anyone tell me about them? & any idea where to find?

I have several Homelite supers XLs & I really cant afford a bigger saw. I want to cut some large trees down to make lumber for a remodeling project. I know I have a huge learning curve.

I have a 30 inch bar I use occasionally & saw does pull it but I think maybe if could get more power with a gear reduction I could use maybe a 36" bar if I can find & then a 42 inch mill. with skip chain I think it should pull it slow?

I have quite a few large trees with diameters of over 120" above the root base & figure if can quarter them then can mill the sections from there a bit slower that a more modern saw. but should be doable?

I tried hitting all the local small engine shops looking for big saws. only thing I could fing bigger than an XL was a Homelite 925 non runner & old Pioneer & Mack. also non runners. the 925 might could be picked up cheap.

I have 2 great running Homelite Super XLs 1 was a new blue edition with very low hours I bought new & I have a couple of old blue versions 1 runs ok & several parts saws & thinking just use what I have I really cant afford a $1000+ for a big saw just for the milling


Thanks,
Randy

[RBW]

Hi Randy, Welcome to HOH!!!



If you could pick upthe 925and ge it running for cheap that would probably be your best bet of the options you mentioned. Homelite did make an XL-15 that was similar in size to the XL-12? SXL?, that came from the factory with a gear drive, but even this would be under powered for milling.


The 925 would be the lower limit at 80ish cc's that could be reilably used for milling. Even this would be slower than a modern saw, but speed isint everything, especially when your operating on the cheap.



Any idea whats wrong with the 925?



Their a favorite among us homelite junkies and if its not too bad we could easily help you get it running.



Eric

[RBW]

Damn, OldZip beat me to the punch! ;D


.

[knucklepanshovel]

no idea what is wrong with the 925 he showed it to me but I didnt know much about it untill I looked it up last night. he showed me another nice super XL priced at $75 & quoted me basically cheap prices for several others. but I didnt really pay attention as they were small saws like poulans / craftsmans & small homeowner saws

thanks for the welcome.

I am a newbie again. I cut firewood as a teenager untill my mid late 20s & kept dozen plus saws got out of it but always loved a chance to cut & oportunities to cut big stuff. I am 41 now & I want to do a remodel & add space to my home. & put in a water stove.

I got rid of most of my saws. I was mainly a homelite man I had several unidentified 60s homelites & several XLs plus puolans echos, stihls, huskys, mcCullochs,

I do have an old McCulloch 80cc that runs a 1-40, plus a 026 stihl & 1 mid sized husky, & 1 small echo plus all the homelites

how about dual homelites? & has anyone fired second engine backwards so can keep both saws upright instead of 1 top & 1 bottom. I think one of my older homelites I can put drive sprocket on splines either way if I remember correctly then adjusting timing for backwards firing & expoxy or silver solder a new rope pull location for cranking pulling backwards & rework pawls to work from cranking other direction?

only big bar I have is a non sprocket nose 30 inch I have owned it for 20 years & been on several of my different homelites.

next big bar is a 24" then 20" so I know I will hgave to cough up enough to buy a bar big enough to do job. it looks like I will be coughing up $1,000 to get what I need to mill not counting a power unit.

I wish my situation was better but unfortunately I am stuck so I have to make do best I can & as inexpensively as I can or do without.

reason we are going to remodel I lived in a small house untill I met wife then we lived in her trailer on her mothers land & her mother passed away & because of sibling mess the bank is going to get the land. & we have to move to my place which is a way too smallof a house & has less space than the trailer we are moving from. I refinanced house last year & really cant afford to do anything else & we couldnt pay back off on her mothers as why would we pay off then to be told we had to split it 5 ways. it is a royal mess.

I love the land where my small place is & I am surrounding by lots of old huge trees fully wooded 5 acre tract & majority of trees are tall big sized & I figured why not cut some of the largest & make my house at least a decent size.

Randy

[RandyMac]

Two saws on the same bar works, both will be on their sides when milling. I have heard of reversing a two stroke, never have seen one.
If you are determined to run Homelites, look for a big inch saw, 100c or bigger. Homelite made some good ones.

[knucklepanshovel]

I picked up a 925 today, price was right $20 needs a little work but seems to have good compression & has spark & nearly complete looks like will need air filter & knob to tighten cover down & at least a gas line as it fell apart in my hands no chain but had a bar so maybe this?

I also picked up the nice Homelite super XL he was asking $75 but he couldnt get it to crank it apears to have a short in high tension lead with jiggling the wire I have it running great & was only $40

now to find a decent cheap big bar 36" or so & get the 925 running.


I uploaded a pic from my backyard with wife wife beside 1 of the large trees not the biggest but was able to get best pics & there is at least 1 tree that is aproaching 200 feet from looks but is only half as big around as this tree wife is 5"5" tall for comparison..

there are probably 30 or so trees in my yard close to this size that one was 5 to 6 feet through - 130" around above the root base & then plenty in the 2 to 3 feet size.

Randy

[knucklepanshovel]

trying again on the upload pic wasnt there?

Randy
img152.imageshack.us/my.php?image=worktext001qd7.jpg

[hawtsawz]

Hey Knuckle,
Nice deal on that 925! Let us know when its up and running!
Hawt

[knucklepanshovel]

Thank you,

yes that is my back yard at bottom of mountain behind my house

yes there are somewhere not done an exact count but 20 to 30 trees that are aprox that size. then a huge amount of trees 2 to 3 feet.

I tried to take a pic of 1 tree that I believe that may be aproaching 200 feet but it is impossible to get a good shot to really show off the tree. it is alot smaller than these maybe 2 or so feet.

I dont want to destroy my whole back yard. but will select cut to get what I need, and will cut what ever is necessary.

reason I am doing this was posted in a previous message but there is a house there. small one under 1,000 square feet & we are planning to do a remodel & pretty much double the living space as cheap as we can afford. & unfortunately piece meal as we can afford.

I am only at the begining stages right now. getting ready to take a truck load of used building tin I got for free & place that & picking up free plastic pallets. that will be a drying shelter which was one of my first priorities other than a saw.

I am jumping in hard. but I will have a good time & learn alot.

I bought the last chainsaw lumbermaking book on e-bay & waiting for its delivery if anyone watched the auction? $37.50 which seems like a bargain compared to what most people are asking.

a used planer & probably a jointer will be on list. but wont need to worry untill at least have dried wood. just keeping my eye out.

as for location......

I will just say Fairystone park area.. close to the former town of Fayerdale VA do a Google lots of interesting history.

as for a off topic thread. I am game.. it may be slow. but some days/ weeks are more productive than others. if it is of interest to others? especially since I dont own much in the way of "modern" saws. but can take pics & document it as it goes along.

Later,
Randy