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Solo chainsaw history: dated facts from Norwegian museum catalogue records for saws made in Stuttgart, 1958 to 1967

Dated facts about Solo chainsaws from 1958 to 1967, drawn from eight Norwegian museum catalogue records of saws made by Solo-Kleinmotoren in Stuttgart, including the engine size, power and weight figures the museum took from the notes that came with the saws.

Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.

It sets museum catalogue records side by side, and nothing here ranks one maker against another. The Norwegian texts are in Norwegian: the wording here is our own summary of them. The engine, power and weight figures come from a note that came with each saw and from other sources the museum names, not from a test.

Dated facts

Solo chainsaw facts in date order, with the page that dates each one
DateWhat the source says
1958Two Norwegian forestry museum records catalogue saws of the type Solo Rex, made by Solo-Kleinmotoren GmbH in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, from 1958. Each has a petrol tank under the engine, a diaphragm carburettor and a directly driven chain. The records explain that the diaphragm carburettor let the saw change position, for example from crosscutting to felling, without the engine choking, and that direct drive means the chain sprocket sits on the crankshaft behind a centrifugal clutch. They list a 125 cm3 cylinder, 5.2 hp (also given as 6 hp at 5200 rpm), a weight of 13.2 kg or 11.5 kg depending on the record (also given as 12.9 kg), and a petrol and oil mix of 1:25. Sources: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.13853 and SJF.13854.
1960A third record catalogues a "Solo 125" made in 1960, with a bar, a scoop-tooth chain and a bark spike. It has the same under-engine petrol tank, diaphragm carburettor and direct drive, and a rubber-padded front handle bar that has partly cracked. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.14800.
1962 to 1964A record catalogues a "Solo 70" made in 1962 to 1964. It lists a 70 cm3 cylinder, 5 hp, a weight of 10 kg and a 1:25 mix. The record describes an upright cylinder with the muffler at the front, petrol and oil tanks at the back, a pistol-grip rear handle with the throttle in it, and an engine cover held by one nut. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.13998.
1962 to 1965A record catalogues a saw with the plate number 60130, which the museum reads as a Solo model 50 or 630 from two German saw sites. It lists a 50 cm3 cylinder, 3.5 hp and 8.5 kg, an upright cylinder at the front, the muffler under the cylinder and a black rubber covered pistol-grip handle. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.13999.
1963 to 1964A record catalogues a "Solo 626" made in 1963 to 1964. The text lists only the colours of the fittings: a black petrol cap, a red choke and stop lever and a white throttle lever. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.10649.
1967A record catalogues a "Solo 640" made in 1967. It describes a horizontal cylinder at the back with the muffler on the right, and petrol and oil tanks on the left at the front. It lists 67 cm3, 5 hp, a weight of 7 kg (7.6 kg with full tanks and cutting gear), a 0.6 litre petrol tank and a 0.3 litre oil tank. Source: DigitaltMuseum record SJF.14000.
Not datedA Norwegian regional newspaper photograph record shows a demonstration of fruit tree pruning with a saw of the type Solo Rex, with the gardener unknown. The record gives no year. Source: DigitaltMuseum record HS-02127.

The standards that later set noise and vibration tests are on the page about saw noise and vibration values, and other makers' dated records are on the chainsaw history timeline.

To correct or remove an entry, write to the address at the foot of this page.

Sources