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.
Cool article. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Ford-branded chainsaw. Squarebody Chevies bolted the jack in a similar place, but hiding a chainsaw is definitely more creative. And a more efficient use of space!
I am going to pedant one insignificant thing: “Tractors with the Blue Oval also roamed farms across America for years.”
Yes and no. The modern blue oval is sometimes seen on restored tractors, but Ford tractors consistently used different logos than their Ford car contemporaries.
The original Fordson didn’t use the oval at all. The Ferguson-era tractors had the familiar Ford logo, but with black script inside a silver oval. Ford also used red script on grey background and grey script on red background on later tractors.
In the 60s Ford painted the entire tractor blue and switched to red block lettering (like the chainsaw).
Is this point significant? Of course not! But it is an interesting difference from today, when Ford licenses the same logo to all manner of unrelated companies producing unrelated trinkets. They used to draw branding distinctions between their different product lines, even within FoMoCo.
Member
MarkC
1 month ago
According to the address on the tag in the photo, the chainsaws were built by Ohlsson & Rice in Los Angeles. The building is now some kind of enameling company.
I still think the old Subaru spare tire under the was a good idea.It was easy to get at and usually warm for when you had to change a flat on those cold winter days.
Cool article. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Ford-branded chainsaw. Squarebody Chevies bolted the jack in a similar place, but hiding a chainsaw is definitely more creative. And a more efficient use of space!
I am going to pedant one insignificant thing: “Tractors with the Blue Oval also roamed farms across America for years.”
Yes and no. The modern blue oval is sometimes seen on restored tractors, but Ford tractors consistently used different logos than their Ford car contemporaries.
The original Fordson didn’t use the oval at all. The Ferguson-era tractors had the familiar Ford logo, but with black script inside a silver oval. Ford also used red script on grey background and grey script on red background on later tractors.
In the 60s Ford painted the entire tractor blue and switched to red block lettering (like the chainsaw).
Is this point significant? Of course not! But it is an interesting difference from today, when Ford licenses the same logo to all manner of unrelated companies producing unrelated trinkets. They used to draw branding distinctions between their different product lines, even within FoMoCo.
According to the address on the tag in the photo, the chainsaws were built by Ohlsson & Rice in Los Angeles. The building is now some kind of enameling company.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/3340+Emery+St,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90023/@34.01575,-118.2101949,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x80c2c8b5614ac65d:0xda9167f328f97b53!8m2!3d34.01575!4d-118.20762!16s%2Fg%2F11ssq38bbj?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDYwMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
Please don’t,
Here’s your Mitsubishi chainsaw:
https://cchticvg.mtromp.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3221&sid=8jSVAve
I still think the old Subaru spare tire under the was a good idea.It was easy to get at and usually warm for when you had to change a flat on those cold winter days.
I always thought baking under the hood on top of engines wasn’t such a great idea, but I see your point.
Was the Honda a four-stroke? 😉
Time for JT to get one of these, chainsaw and a battery are included
Not as odd as the VW branded electric guitar with a built in preamp that would plug into the sound system.
https://reverb.com/p/first-act-garage-master-limited-edition-volkswagen-electric-guitar
They are actually nice guitars.
Chainsaw in the engine compartment? How are you supposed stand or sit there while working on the mighty 300 six?