Poulan is a North American division of AB Electrolux that specializes in lawn care and other motorized outdoor products. AB Electrolux is one of the world's leading manufacturers of powered appliances, producing everything from chain saws to refrigerators. AB Electrolux was founded in 1997 as a combination of three companies: American Yard Products, Poulan/WeedEater, and Frigidaire.

The History of Poulan Chain Saws

While the company now features all sorts of outdoor products, Poulan has its roots in the chainsaw business. In 1944, a man named Claude Poulan was supervising World War Two prisoners in northern Louisiana. The prisoners were busy cutting wood, and Poulan noticed that the rudimentary power saw they were using had a lot of deficiencies.

Back in those days, it took three men to operate a power chain saw. Two men held either end of the saw (which was very heavy), and another man was required to prevent the chain from pinching. The clever prison camp supervisor saw an opportunity for innovation, and he headed back to his home state of Texas to work on his new invention.

Using the fender from an old truck, Poulan developed what he called a "bow guide," which guided the chain and eliminated the need for a pry-pole operator. His new invention quickly took off. Within a decade, it was being employed in the post-war logging boom as the need for wood products exploded.