rearenginekarts.com

Need advice for making a chainsaw into a starter

I have one MC-10 with a recoil and one without. I'm pretty tired of using a rope to start the second one, so I want to convert a Mac chainsaw into a starter. What saw should I start with?

Terry

Terry,
never done it before but the mcsaws with the straight shafts occasionanlly can with a clutch with a pulley.
i'll look i may still have a bell that has a pulley.
dave

Don't! Most don't have enough torque to turn over a good kart engine. If you insist use a very small pully but then you have to pull hard so belt don't slip & you will flex everything inside the engien you are trying to start.

Use an electric. Directions on how to build one are on the front page.

Rob,

I saw the starter build article on the site. Is that your article or Jeff's? It looks good except it doesn't give a model number for a Honda starter. There are a million starters on ebay and the pictures don't help much. Do they all have a shaft that will take a pulley?

Terry

I don't remember it was a prelude special that was rebuilt for @ $20. Just started & went for it. I like the handles the way I have mine as you can use either hand to push the button. I think any of the gear reduction starters will work.

Terry, My first McCulloch starter I tried out was a 740 series (I think) 103cc powerhead with a compression release. It could start alcohol 101's by feathering the throttle trigger even though I later discovered it had a seized ring when I decided to rebuild it. The 700 and 800 series saws with compression releases, especially a Super 797 converted to a left hand recoil are what I'd use. I have enough macs without compression releases to know they sure aren't the best choice. The 895L comes with a left hand recoil. If you use something like I'm recommending to start an Mc-10 remember one thing, the starter is more powerful than the kart motor!
Here's someone starting Harm with a later version smaller Mac and another nice shot of him driving his Dart Kart.
If I had a couple spare 797s or Super 797s I'd like to put a pair on a kart as well.

That second pic shows a 10 series Mac doin' the starting chore and their only 56cc

McBob