1959 - McCulloch's Entry into Kart Racing

Part II: Sales, Service & Parts

 While the successful crossing of the production hurdles solved on set of problems, it created another. It is business law that what a company produces it must also be prepared to service. While McCulloch maintains a service organization that is second to none, one must remember that their operation is geared to servicing chain saw units. Most dealer sales and service points are, quite logically, located in timbering country rather than in low land areas. This is understandable (not much logging going on in Miami Beach after all).

  
First photo shows a dual arrangement of an early hand-crafted quasi-MC-10. Second photo shows triple MC-10 set-up.
"The multi-engine kart...is anything but standard. Designed to give the ultimate in power-to-weight ratio, it suffered from
tuning difficulties. Regarddless of type of installation, the MC-10 is a real winner."

By now, the average karter has probably come up with the idea of setting up new dealers specifically to handle care and servicing of kart engines. An excellent idea, but not all that simple to implement. Remember what we said about the distributor /dealer organization:  distributors have their franchised territories and dealers in turn their ‘protected’ areas for retail sales and service. This is standard (and very fair) business practice. Setting up new dealers, however, would encroach upon the protected turf of the established dealers and most likely lead to dissention. As we see it, there are two possible answers to this problem.

 First, McCulloch must keep the faith with their distributors and dealers. A program is under way to acquaint the field personnel with the karting developments. This is intended to familiarize dealers with the business prospects of karting and to promote the possibilities of kart engine sales and service as an adjunct to their current operations. This is entirely logical, and will result in McCulloch chain saw and kart service centers that can address all karters’ service and parts problems. The current dealer network, however, fails to be adequate to handle the needs of karters in the flatland metropolitan areas. The lack of dealers in these areas would seem to imply a problem. While large logging companies undoubtedly have several extra saws on hand to replace a unit that is taken out of service, it is a rare karter who has more than one engine. A karter who has to send his engine out to a distant service center is out of business. This implies the need for new dealer and service points specifically set up to handle the karting business. Such a service center might be either an extension of a present dealer’s business, or else a new dealership set up specifically for servicing kart engines (and to not transgress on an existing dealer’s chain saw related business).

 
"McCulloch dealer Harry Cleaver of Ashland, Ohio
displays his fine line of chain saws."

In any event, the need is here. The number of McCulloch engines at local tracks is growing rapidly and many of these engines have been in service for some time. We have also noticed quite a few engines that have been taken out of service because of pinned rings (a result of running without an air filter), burnt points, worn out bearings and so on. Many more need seals and rod bearings and pistons that have been scorched or just plain cooked by fuels and high PRMs. For most of us, service means our own work bench and parts means writing to the factory. For all of us who sport the zippy little MC-10, there is a growing need for a true sales, parts ands service center for the karts.

 Whenever possible we hope that established dealers will expand their facilities to accommodate our needs. Where time and distance make this impractical, we hope that the factory will set up a service center that will operate in harmony with the present chain saw dealer.

 Individual kart clubs may expedite their own answer on this service and parts problem by writing to McCulloch Corporation, Kart Engines, 6101 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles 45, California [Please do not try to write them – remember – this is a reprint from 1960!!!- Bob] , for the address of the distributor in their area. The distributor and dealer in turn will be happy to explain the local sales, service and parts situation to you and will work closely with your group to set up adequate service and parts facilities. Do it now before your MC-10 develops any serious ailments.

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Early McCulloch Literature

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