The course Supertendant at my Golf Course just gave me the following:
John Deere #300CS Chain saw (Got two of these)
John Deere H26S (looks like off a weedie)
John Deere BR48 Back Pack Blower
RedMax SGC 2300 (looks like a weedie or brush cutter)

Haven't torn into any of these yet. Does anyone know what I might have here? What engines & what size? Are any real good canidates for conversion? Could the chain saws be Echo engines, how do you tell? I searched the forum for John Deere, but didn't really get much from it.
Thanks for any Info you may share.
Sides7

Bet you'll find that "John Deere"(tractor company) is definitely a badge name tacked on to a saw etc. made by another chainsaw company - don't know which one though!

The Echo twin chainsaw was also sold as a John Deere.....[8D]

Current Deere shows BP50LE Backpack Blower with this comment
Powerful 48.6-cc Kawasaki 2-cycle engine
Tear them down and post some pics.

Agree with Willdo, Deere handheld equipment is nothing but junk painted green.

The Redmax is pick of the litter. Zenoah/Komatsu is the parent company of Redmax, and the 2300 sounds like it will be very much similar to a G-23.

The John Deere 300CS sounds like a rebadged Echo CS-300 chainsaw. If so, those will be light and powerful 30cc conversions, assuming you can either source or make your own conversion parts.

The BR48 sounds promising too. Blower motors tend to be fairly powerful engines to, often tuned for RPM than down low torque like chainsaws. Plus the crankshaft may be lighter-duty because it doesn't have to withstand the shock loads that chainsaw see.

The blower engine sounds like it may have promise. If you can take a picture with the shrouds off maybe someone can come up with better suggestions. I have a Stihl BR 400 Blower engine and would like one or two more. The pull start is on the other end from the prop and I left it on the engine. The magneto flywheel is also fairly small and not as heavy as a saw. A BR48 is likely to be 48cc.

Bill

Have pulled the engines on everything except the John Deere Hedge trimmer H26S. This is what I think I have:
The J.D. CHAINSAW #1 is a Homelite 49cc
The J.D. CHAINSAW #2 is also a Homelite 49cc - PARTS ENGINE ONLY
The J.D. BLOWER is model BP 40 which has a Kawaski 40.2cc
The J.D. Hedge Trimmer (H26S), I think contains a Homelite 25cc
The Redmax RESIPOCATOR is a Zenoah 22.5
I already have a couple of Zenoah's from Redmax products (25.4cc & 40.5cc). Know these are well made quality engines. The 25.4cc is the new Redmax "Strato-Charged" engine design and appears to run backwards based on evaluation by RCIGN. Ralph is still looking at the engine and I don't know yet, if it is a good canidate for a RC engine. Does anyone have any additional info to share on the the above conversion canidates? THANKS

Sides7

P.S. BillS Did you leave the pull starter on the blower engine for use in a flying configuration?

Oh yes the pull start is a functional starting method. To start I stand in front of the wing out of harms way and choke and pull and run up without moving. Starting is a one man operation without prop danger.

The engine has been in service as an airplane engine for over 10 years and has never failed to start and the plug has never been changed. The magneto requires a minimum cranking speed and can’t be hand started. I don’t remember if the engine has ever been started with a starter.

Bill

John Deere uses Mitsubishi 2 stroke motors on several of their handhelds so junk they not are.

good find I think that jd used zenoah motors on alot of there blowers, I have a 40 cc blower I think it is a z motor but they are sometimes quiet about there motors but they have '' real steel" rods 2 ring piston bearings rollers everywhere!!!!! found an add on strato engines in short it uses 2 barrel carb, 1 barrel for fuel and air mix the other for normal air pressure to force the unburned waste back through carb in through intake number 1 ect EPA !!!!!! I think it will run real lean

If you can Guys....post a few photos of these gems with the covers off!!!! Thaks Capt,n

I have been looking into the mitsubishi engines like you have there
the 25.6 cc ones
1.4 hp std out of the engine at 7000rpm

1.1kw/7000rpm (1.4ps/7000rpm)