The chainsaw thread...

[freshie247]

Righteous pics RBT!

[telehacker]

Sorry for the cut and paste BUT some one might be running this. I know there are MANY old fire dogs on this site so this is straight from the AK jumpers. Also I deleted the IC name ...
Hope this is not a repost


I ran one in AK and didnt like the SAFETY DEVICE so please pass this info round. Dont know if vid will work...



Going round robin in SJ and Hotshot circles:

Stihl 361C Safety Problem: Stuck Throttle due to "Safety Device" -- video

Video of the saw problem is attached. If you don't have sound capability, please observe the chain during this problem demonstration. No injuries have been reported to my knowledge. It is my understanding that this model saw was just added to our inventory so it might not be in widespread use yet. The SMJ whom demobed late last night said it appeared to be a design issue where any amount of debris could cause the "safety" throttle guard to jam.

A preliminary SAFENET has been filed. The IC, or the sawyer(s) involved will submit a follow-up once they get back to the base. Unknown when they'll actually arrive.

I met with Bill Miller this AM and he is aware of the problem. We may very well need to pull this model from service or take other actions that will make the saws safe to use.

I've got a higher quality (much larger file size) version available but the BLM file size restrictions render it useless. You can pick up a DVD of it my office if you'd like.

Thanks to Mike McMillan for taking the time to notify us of the problem and get a video shot back to the base. Thanks to Heith Hoerdeman for being willing to make the demo after a long hard shift.

Take care,

Bill Cramer
Chief, BLM-Alaska Smokejumpers

I was able to open the little video attachment and play it, but have not been able to get it uploaded in a playable video format. The .3gp version times out or says there's a broken link possibly because of a query. The converted .avi version has no image of the saw only the image of the sound of the chainsaw revving. It's clear in the video that the throttle sticks and continues running when the hand is removed from the trigger. This is a serious safety issue even if the video is not available. I'm sorry I do not have the technical ability to present this chainsaw video properly. Ab.


abercrombie
View Public Profile
Find all posts by abercrombie

[LT]

Picked up a Husqvarna 460Rancher on Friday. Dealer was way more helpful and closer than the Stihl dealer, so it made a tough decision that much easier. Cut our first truck load yesterday, performed flawlessly and was a blast...so I think I did OK.

[rbtree]

In my time reading this forum, the rbtree stoke posts stand out as some of the most truly outstanding stoke posts going.

fkna awesome.

Thanks, ya'll.

I'm gonna try to ski a bunch this winter....got my knee fixed (hurt it on the job two yrs ago). I have a Canon 7D and 5D Mk ll to replace my aging 1D Mk ll...and am gonna try to get back doing some serious ski shooting. It's been too long since I sold my work....(my first published photo was way back in 1982.......

lots of tree work and wildlife, both flora and fauna at www.flickr.com/photos/rbtree

[uppernotmaster]

Awesome job & pics rbtree. This is my buddy ironically with the initials RB. Best climber i've ever seen.




Nice to have him as a neighbor. Actually he's doing a little trim work @ my house today!

[gretch6364]

I was in the market for a chainsaw for up at elk camp and camping for cutting dead fall. I did not want to spend a ton of money saw I am only going to use a couple times a year, but did not want to get one of the cheaper Husky's or Echo's at Home Depot with a 14" blade...which was all that was in my $200 to $250 budget.

You never know what size of tree you will be cutting...or if there will be a big tree that will block the road on a jeep trail..plus with the Colorado elevation that we camp at, you have much less power...which is kind of offset by the fact that all the wood is Aspen or Pine and pretty soft.

So, after looking around on Craigslist and emailing some people who never responded, I found a guy selling a factory refurbished Makita DCS540 and a 20 inch bar, $200. Did a little research on the saw, which is built by Dolmar, and decided it should work for my needs.

The saw had never been started since the rebuild and I watched him put gas and oil in it for the first time...it kicked on the third pull...adjusted the choke back down and first pull it started right up and ran really nice. I am not 100% sure about a factory refurbished saw, but the parts that they did not replace on the case and stuff looked like they were in good shape and that it was not beat on too hard. Came with all new tools and a manual. Guy that sold it to me said he had a logging business in Montana and they use the same model of saw a lot and he had like 4 sitting there that were used. He said he paid $275 for the lot of refurbished saws.

Anyone have any experience with this saw or the Dolmar equivalent? They got really great reviews several years ago when they were being made. 54cc, 3.3 HP.

Anyhow...stoked to cut some wood for archery season this weekend.

[grskier]

Nice find, I have a saw on my short list.... but so are new windows for the house

[gretch6364]

Nice find, I have a saw on my short list.... but so are new windows for the house

Thanks...there was no way I could make it another year of hunting without one. Last year we only hunted the weekends (Elk Archery) and luckily the place we camped had a bunch of leftover wood from the previous year, and we had a buddy with a really crappy saw that cut up some small stuff to get us through. This year, we have 2 weekends of scouting (and cutting), two weekends with three guys, and 2 straight weeks with 4 to 6 guys at a time.

Gonna need a HUGE stack of wood for nightly fires and for in the tent stove. Hoping this saw works for me. Looking online, there are luckily a bunch of Dolmar and Makita full service shops around Denver if anything goes wrong with it.

Also, will be really nice to have for summer time camping....there will certainly be less deadfall around camp by the time we are done. There is soooo much though, that I don't think it will even be noticable!

[khakis]

Score! Dolmar's a good saw! I can't find the ad on CL though...he already sell them all?

[gretch6364]

Score! Dolmar's a good saw! I can't find the ad on CL though...he already sell them all?

I will PM you his name and number. You can call him and ask if he has anymore. Looks like he took the ad down. When I talked to him last night, he said he had a couple he was selling.

[Jethro]

I have an about ten year old Husky 55. I use it for firewood, bandit trail clearing, and clearing creeks for kayaking. I have been thinking of welding up one of my old dirt bike silencers for more stealth when cutting is frowned on.

[DarkStar]

resurrection.

so, read through the whole thread and it seems six to one half a dozen to another of Stihl vs. Husq. I feel like I am now in the market for a saw.....I have been cutting firewood for the house for around 7 years now and have been borrowing saws, time to step it up. Last year I burned around 7 cords, and this year I'm hoping to burn more than that, so I'm going to need something pretty capable. I try to drop trees that are around 20" in diameter if I can find them, oftentimes more like 12-18" though (mostly beetle kill lodgepole pine and some aspen.) I'm tall (6'4") and will likely run a 20" stock bar but may want to put on a 28" or so for easier limbing.

So, with that said....what I'm looking at.
Stihl
1) MS 290 Farm Boss
2) MS 311 or maybe 3) MS 391 since they are close in price.
what do you think about these saws, and also, MS 261 in the pro line an option?

Husqvarna
1) 359
2) 460 Rancher
3) maybe 346xp

Any opinions in general? It's getting to firewood season and I'm getting stoked to get started. Want to think about a saw though...thinking that I want to get something a little bit bigger, as I have other smaller saws that I could possibly use if need be.

[VC]

Don't know if a 260 will push a 28" chain, I would suggest at least a 440 if thats what you're looking for. If you're a decent mechanic, buy a used saw off ebay. I had a much better response, but then my computer crashed

[GrumpyPilot]

Ok, may as well put my two cents in. I have both a Husky 455 Rancher and a Husky 372 xpw. I use them for firewood, but truth be told the 455 rarely gets used. 372 is the same weight as the 455 with twice the power. Noise wise the 455 is way quieter, but it is choked way down to meet EPA regs, the 372 screams and is far from quite. For little trees like you are talking about a smaller Husky or Stihl would do fine. My buddies who used to make their livings falling trees on the fire lines and as timber fallers, say that Huskys work better at high altitude then Stihls, but that could just be like a Ford vs Chevy thing.

[DarkStar]

FWIW, I ended up going with Stihl, the MS 391. My local Stihl dealer has been with them for 41 years and is a certified mechanic. He also happens to be the guy that fixes all our Scags (comm. mowers) in the summertime, so I know him pretty well and feel great about his level of service and knowledge.

Stoked to get cutting this weekend!

[char]

Stihl/Husky argument is just a "what I grew up with" , or " I've got a good mechanic in town" thing. FWIW - My dad has a Stihl and I run Stihl at work.

I run an old Stihl 034AV which I bought for $180. Stihls 030 range is fine for the typical homeowner. Really the MS 260 Pro series is probably fine for 90% of the stuff I do. I want a MS 460, but really need a MS361 probably.

Stihl MS 361 will drive a 28in bar in softwood and you can get falling dogs and full wrap handlebar for it. Not sure about the new 362 series, has the 441 filter system.

Also, Stihl for a limited time has brought back the MS440. Probably one of the best all around saws ever made in a lot of people's opinion.

Things to invest in with chainsaws if you don't have a ton of experience:

- Airfilters
- Ethanol Free 92 Octane Fuel
- Brand name 2 stroke oil
- Chaps
- 2-3 8in wedges
- Axe
- Hardhat
- Correct diameter File with filing guide
- Raker file and gauge
- Spare loop of chain (if you rock it, often faster to swap chain than file it in the field)

If it won't start check/replace the air filter first. If you are savvy change out the fuel filter next. After that, probably time for the average joe to take it to a shop.

If you are falling learn the three felling cuts.

And if you are bucking a road, do the rest of us a favor and cut it wider than your Tacoma.

[char]

what the holy fuck?!?!?!

Bold move there.

[ill-advised strategy]

oh man...not worth it.

[Telegasm]

My 2001 Husky 372xp is still going strong, though half of its seasons in that time have been very light ones. Great power to weight ratio, easy to adjust, kicks ass. Most of the time I wish I had an excuse to use it more... have lived without wood heating for a while now so it's been doing only trail duty here and there. I want a good wood stove in my next place :|

[gaijin]

I run a Stihl 250.
My city (Yamagata Japan) picks up deadfall from around the area and dumps it (debranched) at 8 sites around town to dry. This site is flooded with thousands of 4ft oak logs that anyone is free to take. I built this little saw buck that holds 5-8 logs and lets me run down the line. Took me just two days to cut over a cord and drive it 5 minutes to my house. Gathering firewood sure as hell wasn't this easy when I was growing up helping my pops... running around the forest.

[Bosco]

Irene came through Rhode Island and knocked down six trees in my yard, two across the driveway. Bought a Husky 445 (non-rancher version), and 3 of the offending trees are cut up and trucked away by people who wanted the wood.

[Lawless]

Just got a Stihl 041 Farmboss from my father in law that hasn't been run in 8+ years. He said it ran great the last time he used it, but there was gas in it when I got it. Outside of the typical clean/rebuild the carb and replace the air filter, is there anything else I should be looking at before I put new gas in it and try firing it up?

[rbtree]

Lawless, just try to start it. Maybe squirt a tiny bit of premix into the spark plug hole...even that may not be needed....and check/clean/replace the plug. If it doesn't run right, then see if you can rebuild the carb. Hold the filter up to some light. If you can't see any holes, just use it.Parts are getting hard to come by for the old saws. There's a coupla Ebay sellers that have quite an inventory of old parts. Link to scads of parts http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=....c0.m270.l1313 Put an edge on 'er and go cut some wood!

Here's some shots of a 155 foot dead Doug-fir we zip lined over a house, then craned out the logs. Fun times!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbtree/...7627907787793/

[

[rideit]

HmmmN...Can I Haz?
http://oregonpowernow.com/en/

[moose pit]

HmmmN...Can I Haz?
http://oregonpowernow.com/en/

nah... rather http://www.husqvarna.com/ca/en/fores...xp-g-autotune/