Chainsaw Repair

 I would love to hear that 45 recording. Love the history.

                                                         Chris                         

A time of development The Model A (top) was Poulan s first one-man bow saw offering Reduction Drive. The Model B100 (bottom) featured Gear Drive and let to dramatic growth of the company. Through the mid-1950 s Poulan continued to be an innovator in the chain saw field. It was during this period that Poulan recognized the evolution of one-man operation and introduced the Model A reduction drive saw. This model was untested and troublesome and Conly remembers the valuable lesson learned from it: The salesmen would go out and put a modified part on the saw at the dealer s place of business. Two weeks later another salesman might follow up and take off that modification and install a new one. It was a time of testing and learning for the company. While the Model A unit was setting new sales records, an even more progressive model, the B100 Gear Drive unit was coming on line. The B100 was faster and more versatile than the Model A and put Poulan into the thick of the business. In addition to establishing Poulan s reputation for quality, the B100 led to dramatic growth in the company's two-step distributor/dealer sales system. Poulan again influenced the market with the introduction of the F100 Reduction Drive chain saw. It was a highly efficient and very popular unit with professional loggers. Poulan moved quickly in the development of a direct drive unit and in August 1957, the H100 was introduced. It was followed a year by the streamlined Model F200, a more powerful version of the F100. The F200 pushed Poulan sales in the professional market to record levels. Its innovative design and dependability made it very popular with the professional, so popular in fact, that demands for the unit continued for four years after the F200 was discontinued.

A time of development The F100 Reduction Drive chain saw was a highly efficient and very popular unit with professional loggers was also a year in which Poulan recognized the need for lighter weight saws. Poulan met this challenge with its Model K100, which was powerful enough for professional use and was the first practical chain saw for the casual user. In April, 1959, Poulan brought the KD100, a direct drive companion to the K100, onto the market. Thus, through its first 12 years of existence, the Poulan company had grown and prospered, and found itself capable of meeting the challenges of the marketplace and not only able to compete with other manufacturers but to outdo them. With the need for a lightweight chain saw becoming apparent, Poulan introduced the Model K100 which was not only powerful enough for the professional but was the first practical saw for the farmer and causal user.

Beaird-Poulan has become a multinational company because of the quality of its products. Poulan uses only the finest materials and many of the parts are made or tooled at Poulan facilities of lightweight magnesium chain saws. Models 360, 400 and 450 were introduced in the summer of 1965, and signaled a turning point in Poulan s history with a trend toward the manufacture of lightweight but durable chain saws. In 1966, Beaird-Poulan acquired the Wright Saw Division of Thomas Industries, Inc. which expanded their market even further. A year later, the expansion of the Shreveport plant, which added another 9,000 square feet of manufacturing space, allowed the transfer of the Wright Saws production lines to the main plant. Beaird-Poulan technological advancements continued to lead the industry. By 1968, Beaird-Poulan was represented by 57 distributors in the United States and 94 distributors in Europe, Africa, the Pacific, the Far East and Latin America. Poulan and Wright saws were available from more than 4,000 dealers. In 10 years, Charles Beaird had brought the company through 51 models of saw development and opened the market of most of the world to the Louisiana built chain saw. The company still manufacturers its original saw attachment, the bow guide, but the sizes and weighs of the saws had radically changed, as well as streamlined and lightened to fit virtually any demand. Among the innovations which Poulan introduced during this era were the push-button sharpening chain saw, and the Super 68, designed to boost production for the professional pulpwood and saw logger. Also new on the model list was the Poulan Super 33, which at $129.95, was billed as the world s greatest chain saw bargain. The Super 33 was perfect for farmers, sportsmen, homeowners or anyone who had limited use for chain saws. In 1969, Thomas Lindley joined Beaird-

11 The people (top) at Beaird-Poulan are also a big factor in the success of the company. The Beaird-Poulan manufacturing facilities are the most modern in the world. Poulan as its first consumer marketing director. Lindley recognized the casual chain saw user as a virtually untapped market. His organizational skills and knowledge of the consumer set Beaird- Poulan on a new era of growth. In 1971, Beaird-Poulan began this new period of growth with the move from the manufacturing facilities at Greenwood road with 54,000 square feet, to a 117,000 square foot building on Flournoy Lucas. This helped relieve the cramped conditions of the old plant as well as increase production. In 1971, the company s 25th Anniversary was observed with the introduction of the Model XXV, a lightweight saw designed for the casual user. Because of the saw s state-of-the-art design, and Poulan s consumer marketing know-how, the Model XXV took the industry by storm. The Model XXV, designed by Lloyd Tuggle who had joined Beaird-Poulan in 1969 as chief design engineer, gained wide acceptance as the consumer market grew for Poulan. Poulan products found their way into hundreds of chain saw dealers showcases, and were sold through hardware stores, engine shops, lawn and garden stores, farm equipment suppliers and rental outlets. The lightweight saw combined excellent power to weight ratio, good balance and an easy starting reedvalve engine design which made the Model XXV the most efficient as well as the most economical chain saw on the market After more than a decade, the Beaird- Poulan firm had introduced 59 different models of saws, and acquired the reputation of being an innovative and aggressive manufacturer not willing to sacrifice the quality of their products.

The Poulan Micro XXV (top) is the standard of the casual user market today and is one of the main reasons for Poulan s phenomenal growth in the 1970 s. Poulan is continuing its innovative tradition in the 1980 s with the introduction of the Model 3400 (bottom) which offers many of the features of a professional saw at a greatly reduced cost. Over 96,000 man hours and millions were invested in the development of this saw new line of consumer saws. While the XXV and XX models reached the casual user market, Poulan had not forgotten the professionals. The Poulan Models 4200, 5200 and 6000, all with the farm and logging industry. Of particular importance was the Model 5200, which was designed for the professional logger who used the saw daily for long hours. In 1975, Poulan entered a new phase when the company added a line of lightweight, self-priming centrifugal water pumps with the capacity to pump water in 5,000, 8,000 and 10,000 gallons per hour quantities. In 1976, D. Seals moved from another Emerson Division to become President of Beaird-Poulan. Conly became chairman of the board and Beaird assumed an executive consultant position brought further developments and changes for Beaird-Poulan. The first development was the introduction of the Poulan Micro XXV, an nine-pound chain saw selling for only $ the 10-inch saw was the result of three years of research and millions of dollars in advanced manufacturing procedures. Said Tuggle, Poulan is able to offer more quality for less cost than any other chain saw manufacturer in the world. A broad statement, but true nevertheless. The Micro XXV had features which made the saw easier to use. Among the innovations was a larger handle spread for better leverage and control, a guard link chain to minimize the effect of kickback and a kill switch, located close to the trigger finger to make operation shutdown easier, even with two hands on the saw. A sister model, the Deluxe Micro XXV, offered the same features, with a 12-inch sprocket nose bar rather than the 10-inch bar. The other major development in 1977 was the opening of Beaird-Poulan s 100,000 square foot plant in Nashville, AR,

14 The Poulan Micro XXV (top) is the standard of the casual user market today and is one of the main reasons for Poulan s phenomenal growth in the 1970 s. Poulan is continuing its innovative tradition in the 1980 s with the introduction of the Model 3400 (bottom) which offers many of the features of a professional saw at a greatly reduced cost. Over 96,000 man hours and millions were invested in the development of this saw where the new Micro XXV models are now made. The Plant was the company s first operation outside of Shreveport s. It has now been expanded to over 200,000 square feet. In 1978, Poulan introduced a new line of grass and weed trimmers, further expanding its product line. The market for such gardening equipment had mushroomed in a very short time, and as with all of Poulan s history, the company is moving to a leadership position in the field as well. In 1978, the company opened its first plant in Canada. Located in Markham, Ontario, this plant made it possible for Poulan to meet the growing demand in Canada. Poulan s expansion has extended worldwide with the opening of Poulan s first European sales office and warehouse in Bussels, Belgium. Poulan chain saws and accessories are now sold in every major market in the world. Because of Poulan s innovative engineering and aggressive marketing, it is one of the largest chain saw manufacturers in the world and has experienced the greatest growth of any chain saw manufacturer over the past 10 years. The Future Beaird-Poulan has enjoyed tremendous success since its humble beginnings in In a short period of time, Beaird- Poulan has emerged as one of the most respected and trusted manufacturers of chain saws and other fine products. It is the goal of the company to continue its program of developing innovative and reliable products for the future while at th same time maintain its historic trend of solid growth. Beaird Poulan is definitely a company of the future.

15

16 Beaird-Poulan Division Emerson Electric Company Shreveport, LA

Poulan info

I wish I had a lot to offer you guys but I really don't have a lot of technical or substantive things to offer. I mostly have just good memories of the folks that they were. I know that my grandfather was a very modest genius. As I said, I know that I regret not being very receptive as a yound man to his attempts to share his technical knowledge with me.

Both of my grandparents gave a lot to others and especially to the church, which they believed in strongly. They never wanted others to know. Their faith got them through a lot though.

I always did listen and asked questions about the history of the company and the saws. I found it interesting and historically significant. I found it interesting how Claude worked with the German prisoners cutting wood. He spoke very positive about his experience with them. He also said that they took and active role and interest in developing and improving the bow guide, which was initially shaped out of a truck fender. I got the feeling that they got along well. After that I know that Claude and Gertrude worked hard building the first bow guides in their garage (I think it was in Tyler, Texas) while Claude worked elsewhere during the day.

From there the company found it's roots in Shreveport with Claude and his brothers and some primary engineers. They began to develop and sell their own models from the ground up. In the early 60's Claude sold the business to Charles Beaird and the factory remained in Shreveport for quite sometime until Electrolux bought it years later.

After selling the company Claude began to develop and manufacture one of the first self-propelled lawn mowers. I believe that the company was called "Pro". They had a beautiful home on Cross Lake in Shreveport where they raised horses and cattle. The last time I visited the property the old boathouse was still there. My Grandad loved to fish and we also spent many weekends on their camp on Toledo Bend on the Texas, Louisiana border. That love for fishing has carried on through me to my son.

In the mid-1970's My grandpartents followed us to San Diego, CA. (A world away from Shreveport), and that's where they stayed. My grandmother died in the mid-1980's and Grandad died in 1995. He donated his body to medical research.

I wish I had more to offer that you guys were interested in but I really don't know much about chainsaws. I do have one kind of funny story though. When I was around 14 or 15 my Grandad taught me to use a chainsaw and turned me loose in their yard. I was told to cut down certain trees in the yard but I was having fun and went a little overboard. When they came out to see my work they were a bit miffed that I had cut down some of their favorite trees. (I guess I can relate through that to the enjoyment you all get handling the saws more than I realized). Anyhow, they were cool about it, it's the kind of people that they were and will always be to me.

I do know that my Uncle Harry's son Key Poulan, has some good knowledge of the early history of the company and an excellent Poulan collection. You may want to contact him for further information. Here's a copy from a forum he contributed to and his email address (below)

Best,

Ty

Thank you Michael for letting me know about this forum. I collect old Poulan saws 1946-1960 from when my grandfather (Harry) and his brother (Claude) owned the company. The company was actually divided into 2 parts: Poulan Saw Company (Harry Poulan - President, Claude Poulan - VP) and the Poulan Manufacturing Company (Claude Poulan - President, Harry Poulan VP). It was my great-uncle Claude that invented the bow saw which was created by using the fender off an old truck so the back side of the chain wouldn't bind. Since I was born in 1962, I never was around to see anything affiliated with the family owned company. My father worked in the shop in Shreveport when he was a teenager and actually hand stamped the serial numbers on all of the name plates.

Here is a list of what is in my current collection. I have many other things (newer items) that are not listed but I usually stick with the old stuff unless it's unique or interesting.

24 - (2 Man Saw) Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
42 (Model 0142) Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
44 - (2 Man Saw) Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
44 - (2 Man Saw) Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
A900 Boat Motor Poulan Saw Company <--- ULTRA RARE... ONE PROTOTYPE KNOWN.
F 200W Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
F100 Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
F100 Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
F200W Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
FD100 Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
FD100 Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
FD100 Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
H100 Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
H200 Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
K100 Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
K100 Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
K100 Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
K100 (Bow) Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
K100 (Bow) Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
K100 (Fully Restored) Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
K100 (Parts) Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
K100 (Parts) Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
KD100 Chain Saw Poulan Saw Company
31 Chain Saw Beaird-Poulan Incorporated
41 Chain Saw Beaird-Poulan Incorporated
43 Chain Saw Beaird-Poulan Incorporated
61 Chain Saw Beaird-Poulan Incorporated
61 Chain Saw Beaird-Poulan Incorporated

If you have anything that you think would look good in my collection, please let me know!

Key Poulan
keypoulan@earthlink.net
Fresno, CA