Hi, I recently bought a winch that is powered by a chainsaw. It is designed to be used with a saw that has the drive sprocket "on the outside of the clutch drum" like on a Stihl. The saws I have all have the sprocket inside the drum. Can anyone tell me what brand of saws use the clutch I need, like a Stihl, or is Stihl the only brand that has that kind of clutch.
There's not an outright answer to that question. Some Husqvarnas like a 372, some Echos, and that's just the ones that "I" know about that have one. It sounds like what you are looking for are referred to as an inboard clutch as they are the ones with the drum on the outside. BUT not all pro series saws have such a setup. For example, older pro Husqvarnas like an266 have an outboard. Unless you know then you'll need to ask or look. Madsens in Washington state are good people to ask.
Saws with the outboard clutch are generally called spur drive and with the inboard clutch are called rim sprocket drive. Those rim sprockets are cheap and replaceable and are usually recovered for the bigger saws.
You didn't mention which saws you have, but some can be converted to a rim sprocket with a kit and a little work. Search your saw model with the words 'clutch conversion' or ' rim sprocket conversion' and see if you find any availability for your models.
Also be aware that the oil pump is driven by the clutch body on the spur design, so when you switch, this is a consideration you have to think about.
Good luck. I like those little winches, would love to try one sometime.
Thanks to all for the guidance.
Inboard vs outboard clutch is inherent in design, and I can't think of any way to change it aside from major modification. Modern pro Stihl saws are all inboard clutch afaik. For other saws, I think you'd have to research saws individually. Find something you're interested in for size and features, then look it up online. Of saws I've used, My Stihls and PoulanPros have been inboard, and my echoes outboard. My echoes are small. Dunno if anything changes when you go up in size.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on August 18, 2021, 06:45:11 AMSaws with the outboard clutch are generally called spur drive and with the inboard clutch are called rim sprocket drive. Those rim sprockets are cheap and replaceable and are usually recovered for the bigger saws.
Spur vs Rim sprockets are not a function of inboard or outboard clutches. There are plenty of Husqvarna saws with outboard clutches which came with rim sprockets from the factory. Generally, only their smaller saws or those in the homeowner category have the spur sprockets.
Quote from: John Mc on August 19, 2021, 12:43:16 PM
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on August 18, 2021, 06:45:11 AMSaws with the outboard clutch are generally called spur drive and with the inboard clutch are called rim sprocket drive. Those rim sprockets are cheap and replaceable and are usually recovered for the bigger saws.
Spur vs Rim sprockets are not a function of inboard or outboard clutches. There are plenty of Husqvarna saws with outboard clutches which came with rim sprockets from the factory. Generally, only their smaller saws or those in the homeowner category have the spur sprockets.
I stand corrected, thank you.