Homelite 550 value?

[teddy]

I know of one that is for sale, a Homelite 550 (84cc) 20" bar.
It looks clean!  Said it was running till this spring!?!?!
I peaked under the filter and pulled the plug, and all looks CLEAN!
BUT it is not running.

Whats something like this worth, and are parts even available?

Thanks Guys

[Al_Smith]

What ever you can get it bought for I suppose . I've only ever seen two of them and one had a tuned pipe . They seemed to run just fine .

If that thing has spark then the only thing left is fuel delivery .It could be nothing more than just a carb which needs a rebuild or a faulty fuel line . The carb is nothing fancy ,just a SDC model Walbro and the rebuild kits are less than ten bucks .

As far as parts,you can find them for about anything ever made if you search long enough . There are a few that have some parts ,Google it .

[Rocky_J]

Homelite (the original US company) was sold out many many years ago and the name was bought up and transferred a few times. I'm not sure but I think some Chinese company owns the name now. Regardless, any corporate support for that saw has long since disappeared and any parts you find would be from private sources.

[Rocky_J]

According to Mike Acre's website, the 550 was made from 1978-1982. A 30 year old chainsaw is worth about as much as a 30 year old riding lawn mower IMO. If you're looking for something to play around with and show off to friends (Hey look at this old saw, isn't it neat? I even got it running once!) then go for it. If I were looking for a saw with which to either make money or provide my necessary heating fuel then I would look for something a LOT newer and more reliable. If you're going to buy something over 10 years old then I'd stick to either Stihl or Husky just for parts availability.

http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.nsf/ed1d619968136da688256af40002b8f7/b6eac0241e17561088256c2600148f7d?OpenDocument

[Al_Smith]

 The 450-550-650-750 were about the last of the true professional saws built by Homelite .About that time,they along with McCulloch started a down hill slide and thus ceased to exist after about another 15 or so years .

John Deere had the Homelite name for a time being but then it passed on,then on ,then on . Really good saws in their day but that was 30 years ago .

Now don't get me wrong because they will still do a days work and none of the pro models lacked in power .However they are a tad heavy,no anti vibration mounts to speak of and  aren't as ergonomically friendly as the modern saws .

With that in mind,if the price is decent and you know how to work on saws go for it .It's a heavy duty powerfull saw for occasional use when a high torque saw is needed .I would'nt however consider it if it were to be used in a business or as the only saw a person owned .

[teddy]

What is a fair and reasonable price?
Even a guess.

Matt

[Rocky_J]

Somewhere between $0 and $100, or whatever you think it's worth. It's not like there are a bunch of people lined up waiting for a crack at a saw like that, so the pool of potential buyers is extremely small. Personally, I might take it as a gift but I certainly wouldn't offer any money for it.

I recently gave away a big old Mac that I got out of a buddy's garage (it was his deceased uncle's saw) for the cost of shipping it to Washington. Shipping charges ended up being almost $70 but the guy knew exactly what he was getting and took it as a restoration project, not for a work saw.

[rebocardo]

$50, less if it does not have a hand brake.

[teddy]

Good points!
The guy is less then a mile away.
There is one on ebay, but its running?this one wouldn't be.

Thanks guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wi woodcutter]

I rebuilt a homelite 450 for a friend of mine last year. It is a sweet saw, runs great and has a lot of power. We use it all the time. You can find parts fairly easily. I would buy it if you could get it for less then $100. 

[01crewcab]

Those big old Homelites were a favored saw for the shake bolt cutters on the Olympic Peninsula.They'd pull a long bar, were cheap, and were considered a "throw away" saw. You'd run one till it broke and go find another one or a big old Mac. If you had a good find of old cedar logs maybe you'd spring for 090Stihl ;D

[mike_van]

ebay is the bestplace for parts for all these old saws. The seller stores are the place to look, sometimes stuff is new in original box.

[GASoline71]

$50, less if it does not have a hand brake.

What does the brake have to do with value?

Gary

[Al_Smith]

According to my IPL of that saw the brake was an option . I doubt too many had that feature as most of that period did not .

Ha,probabley if the saw were in the PNW they most likely threw the brake away if it had one on it any way . :D