Chainsaw Repair

Beaird-Poulan becomes a division of Emerson Electric The Poulan Super XXV Counter- Vibe made the company an innovator in the casual user market In February, 1973, James M. Conly, Jr., who had joined the Poulan brothers back in 1948, became president of the company succeeding Charles T. Beaird. A month later; Beaird, who was now chairman of the firm, announced the acquisition of Beaird- Poulan by Emerson Electric Co., St. Louis, Missouri. Emerson, then a $764 million manufacturing giant, traded stock for Beaird-Poulan, and the company entered a new and exciting phase in its development. The new owner is one of the nation s largest and most dynamic business organizations, Beaird told the news media after the acquisition was announced. As a division of Emerson Electric, we will receive financial backing necessary to insure our plans for growth, yet retain our individual identity, management and employee policies. Ownership of the company had just changed hands, when the Poulan Model XX was introduced. The new saw, which astonished industry experts, came on the market with a tremendous appeal to the casual user. This little jewel is to our industry what the transistor was to the electronics world, commented Lindley, now vice president of sales. The Model XX also surprised the industry by breaking the $100 price barrier, and became the industry standard for lightweight saws. But, Beaird-Poulan, innovative throughout its history, refused to stop here. The following year, Beaird-Poulan produced the Super XXV Counter-Vibe Automatic; a lightweight saw which reduced vibration by 78 percent. Chief engineer Tuggle explained the new XXV reduced engine vibration through a counter-balanced crankshaft and for vibration isolators. The 12-pound saw was an instant hit in the market, and could rip through an eight-inch log in four seconds. That same year the Shreveport plant expanded to 250,000 square feet, and the number of employees rose to almost 600 to meet the rising demand for Poulan s