We know that car companies sometimes install odd equipment in their products. Floors of Honda CR-Vs that turn into tables? It happened. A carry-away drink cooler and camping tent? We got both in one car (the Aztek). These features appeared to be as bizarre as they were rather un-car-like; there are far more that I’m just becoming aware of now.
In the seventies, Ford dealers offered an unlikely option for the “dentside” F-250 that had less to do with motor vehicles than it did forestry. Yes, this is the bizarre story of the Ford chain saw.
The Dearborn Chain Saw Mass Marketing
Over the years, Ford has been associated with building far more things than cars. The Ford Tri-Motor was an early foray into commercial aircraft, and Mercedes Streeter wrote about the years-long efforts by Ford to make headway into the semi-truck market. Tractors with the Blue Oval also roamed farms across America for years.
source: Ford
Still, the whole idea of Ford-branded chain saws seems like a was a stretch. Actually, that farm equipment seems to have been the onus for Ford to start offering these power tools. I’m not sure you ever were able go into an ACE Hardware or a similar store and actually purchase a chainsaw with FORD on it. Supposedly, these saws were primarily offered as dealer promotional items or bundled gifts with new tractors in this era where Ford was struggling to get sales in agricultural equipment before ultimately abandoning the market. With their Ford-blue housings and big branding, they were a great, useable promotional piece.
source: ebay
Surprisingly, they weren’t the only car company with their name on chain saws. Honda has been known forever as a maker of essentially anything with an engine in it from generators to motorcycles; chain saws are just one of the umpteen gas-powered (and electric) tools they make and sell.
source: Honda
Hyundai also makes tree-cutters among their many products. I could swear that there were Mitsubishi-built saws as well but I’m not finding them among the many non-car products they make.
source: Hyundai
However, Ford didn’t go to nearly the trouble that these Japanese brands went through; in fact, they didn’t actually manufacture these saws at all. Ford basically put their branding onto blue cases of saws made by Ohlsson & Rice. Examples of their “Challenger” products were renamed the “Eagle”, using a single-cylinder 2.0 cu. in. O&R engine that supposedly generated about 1.6 horsepower. There was also a smaller “Hawk” model as well with a 1.24 cubinc inch motor; the “Hawk” I, II, and III models were all the same but had either a 12″, 14″, or 16″ bars. I bet that’s more chain saw specifications than you expected or needed to get today.
source: Ford
Ford offered the saws from 1970 all the up to around 1976, but somebody must have seen an opportunity to market the saws beyond just stand-alone giveaways. What if you could put one, Motocompo-style, into a heavy-duty Ford vehicle?
PS, PB, A/C, Saw
Today, the area under the hood of a pickup is often obscured with big plastic trim panels, or every surface is covered with some kind of sensors, emission equipment or accessories. This wasn’t the case in the seventies, as there typically was acres of available space beneath the bonnet. Ford’s so-called “bumpside” 1967 -72 and “dentside” 1973-70 pickups were no exception.
source: Exotic Car Trader
Larger F-250 trucks had big voids ahead of the front wheel wells. One side was filled with the battery, but the other was wide open.
You can imagine Mister 1975 with his giant mustache, big-collar flannel shirt [Editor’s Note:I think I know that dude? – JT] and puffer vest trying to push his massive four-by-four though the forest and getting blocked by some beautiful timber. He would just hop out, light up a Marlboro, open the hood and grab his FORD chain saw and show Mother Earth that she ain’t nothing in the face of Dearborn’s finest. Or wherever they made that saw.
source: ebay
Some websites have erroneously called these saws “factory options”, yet I see no evidence of these things being any more than dealer-installed trinkets. I’m having a hard time finding images of the actual bracketry to hold them in place, but it wouldn’t be a tough thing to create.
source: ebay
The saws were kept relatively clean, dry, and away from potential saw thieves by hiding them under the hood. That’s almost ironic when you see Jeeps and Land Rovers in school pick up lines visibly covered in shovels, jacks, and water tanks right out in the open that will never actually be used. Go figure.
My Money Is On The Honda, Of Course
Reportedly, even by contemporary standards the Ford chain saws were at best not sepctacular products, or cheap, junky and unreliable at worst. Maybe not surprisingly, items given away by a motor vehicle dealer were hardly competitive with professional-level Stihl or Husqvarna saws. Maybe as a Harbor Freight-style use-it-a-few-times product they’d work, but if you tried to clear a section of forest, you’d find them lacking. Still, remaining ones are prized collector’s items; for less-than-great old tools they go for serious money. The one in the pictures above sold on ebay not long ago for a whopping $650. That’s expensive but admittedly something that would look great if put into the engine compartment of your fully restored classic “dentside” F-250.
Are you thinking what I’m thinking? That’s right! We need to go onto ebay and buy a Ford, Honda and Hyundai chain saw for a head-to-head test of cutting out the latest set of batteries in the Changli! Place your bets now.
Corinthian Leatherface’s sad backstory: a 4XE chainsaw sadly catching fire and burning him, leaving him bitter with the world, and resentful to the world but so unflinchingly loyal to Stellantis-branded products that he needs to excise 7 slots in the front end of anyone to get too close to him.
Member
Scott
25 minutes ago
Thouhg I know it wasn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, in your opening paragraph, you might have included Fiat’s in-car espresso maker in their 500L. As much as I’d like to have it in my car (though I admit it probably wouldn’t get used all that often 😉 ) it’s not enticing enough to convince me to hunt down a properly optioned 500L in real life.
Member
Jack Trade
51 minutes ago
Mr. 1975 sure sounds like the Brawny paper towel man as well.
That’s why I think electric chainsaws are the best choice for most people. I see home generators the same way. By the time you need them they’ve been sitting for so long you can’t get them started unless you kick out big money for one with an automatic maintenance cycle.
We’re at the point where for practically all yard equipment there’s an electric version that will be the better option for homeowners. If you’re a landscaper you might need gas blowers, weed trimmers, etc, but as a weekend warrior I can’t think of anything aside from a riding mower that you’re better off getting gas equipment.
They’ve got so good and so convenient with the intercompatible batteries these days, too. I used to buy wired tools because I didn’t use power tools often enough to keep the batteries in good shape but you don’t even need to worry much about that any more.
As for a generator option that is always (well usually) fueled up, regularly (right?) maintained, and you have a hybrid or PHEV (some can, some can’t), use that! We used our Rav4 PHEV to power essentials in our house two days ago when the power went out and necessities like CPAP, and fridge for insulin needed to be kept with power. The expected power-on was in the middle of the night, so I ran extension cords to the essentials (which include router, right?), and of course about a half hour after running the cords, the power came back on. A couple of years ago, we were without power for 10 days, and to power up everything except the big fridge used about a gallon of gas per day. We started with a quality inverter clamped to the battery in our Prius, but the fancy Rav4 has a 120v outlet, no inverter needed!
I think for most folks that have questionable electrical robustness, or for disaster recovery: a few inexpensive solar panels, and a basic inverter with even a small battery (that can charge off the grid if needed) would be cheaper and far less maintenance than a backup generator that is infrequently used.
Like every other “barn find…” but you don’t need to Bring a Trailer to take this one home.
Member
Alexk98
1 hour ago
Reportedly, even by contemporary standards the Ford chain saws were at best not sepctacular products, or cheap, junky and unreliable at worst.
Wait you mean to tell me a Ford branded product wasn’t very reliable? Noooooo I would never believe that, that’s simply never been true of anything Ford has ever made…
Member
Fordlover1983
1 hour ago
Is there anything that Hyundai DOESN’T make? Your Hyundai car can be loaded with a Hyundai crane, from a Hyundai trailer, onto a Hyundai ship.
Back in the 80’s, I had a Fuji car, (Subaru), a Fuji mountain bike, and used Fuji film in my 35mm SLR camera. I’m not sure they were all the same company, but it’s likely.
Spikedlemon
1 hour ago
FWIW: much of the Hyundai power equipment is rebranded stuff that’s barely differentiated from Harbor Freight branded stuff.
If that Ford chainsaw is built to the same standards of an old Ford Tractor – then it’s probably going to last generations.
They did make damned good tractors. I grew up next door to my great uncle’s farm, the NEW tractor was from the mid-50s, and the old one was barely post-war. And both are still performing well today.
Chrysler… The ONLY chainsaw for rich, Corinthian Leatherface.
COTD material for sure.
Corinthian Leatherface’s sad backstory: a 4XE chainsaw sadly catching fire and burning him, leaving him bitter with the world, and resentful to the world but so unflinchingly loyal to Stellantis-branded products that he needs to excise 7 slots in the front end of anyone to get too close to him.
Thouhg I know it wasn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, in your opening paragraph, you might have included Fiat’s in-car espresso maker in their 500L. As much as I’d like to have it in my car (though I admit it probably wouldn’t get used all that often 😉 ) it’s not enticing enough to convince me to hunt down a properly optioned 500L in real life.
Mr. 1975 sure sounds like the Brawny paper towel man as well.
And he uses the paper towels for toilet paper!
That sure looks like a battery powered Honda chainsaw to me.
One thing about gas chainsaws:
They don’t take well to just sitting around being unused. The carbs will clog real quick, the bar oil will either all leak out or thicken up.
Even a chainsaw in good condition, especially that vintage, can be a pain to start from cold.
That’s why I think electric chainsaws are the best choice for most people. I see home generators the same way. By the time you need them they’ve been sitting for so long you can’t get them started unless you kick out big money for one with an automatic maintenance cycle.
We’re at the point where for practically all yard equipment there’s an electric version that will be the better option for homeowners. If you’re a landscaper you might need gas blowers, weed trimmers, etc, but as a weekend warrior I can’t think of anything aside from a riding mower that you’re better off getting gas equipment.
They’ve got so good and so convenient with the intercompatible batteries these days, too. I used to buy wired tools because I didn’t use power tools often enough to keep the batteries in good shape but you don’t even need to worry much about that any more.
As for a generator option that is always (well usually) fueled up, regularly (right?) maintained, and you have a hybrid or PHEV (some can, some can’t), use that! We used our Rav4 PHEV to power essentials in our house two days ago when the power went out and necessities like CPAP, and fridge for insulin needed to be kept with power. The expected power-on was in the middle of the night, so I ran extension cords to the essentials (which include router, right?), and of course about a half hour after running the cords, the power came back on. A couple of years ago, we were without power for 10 days, and to power up everything except the big fridge used about a gallon of gas per day. We started with a quality inverter clamped to the battery in our Prius, but the fancy Rav4 has a 120v outlet, no inverter needed!
I think for most folks that have questionable electrical robustness, or for disaster recovery: a few inexpensive solar panels, and a basic inverter with even a small battery (that can charge off the grid if needed) would be cheaper and far less maintenance than a backup generator that is infrequently used.
The last time we had a power outage I was jealous of people with F150 lightnings powering their homes.
Like every other “barn find…” but you don’t need to Bring a Trailer to take this one home.
Wait you mean to tell me a Ford branded product wasn’t very reliable? Noooooo I would never believe that, that’s simply never been true of anything Ford has ever made…
Is there anything that Hyundai DOESN’T make? Your Hyundai car can be loaded with a Hyundai crane, from a Hyundai trailer, onto a Hyundai ship.
And when the power goes out, you can use a Hyundai generator to charge your Hyundai car!
But Mitsubishi makes tuna as well!
NO ONE LIKES THE TUNA HERE.
Back in the 80’s, I had a Fuji car, (Subaru), a Fuji mountain bike, and used Fuji film in my 35mm SLR camera. I’m not sure they were all the same company, but it’s likely.
FWIW: much of the Hyundai power equipment is rebranded stuff that’s barely differentiated from Harbor Freight branded stuff.
If that Ford chainsaw is built to the same standards of an old Ford Tractor – then it’s probably going to last generations.
They did make damned good tractors. I grew up next door to my great uncle’s farm, the NEW tractor was from the mid-50s, and the old one was barely post-war. And both are still performing well today.
As they should.
I love seeing an old Massey working on the fields.