Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 45 of total 45 in this topic |
Q- Ball
Mountain climber
but to scared to climb them anymore
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 17, 2018 - 09:12pm PT
|
I have always preferred a STIHL, but have used many others.
I like to carry two at all times, a 16 inch and a 25 inch bar.
Do you guys got a preference?
That 25 inch is heavy and a pain in the butt to hike with.
Qball
|
|
Ballo
Trad climber
|
|
|
Jan 17, 2018 - 09:31pm PT
|
That's a huge difference in bar length.
I mean a 16" bar Husqvarna 35cc 439 weighs 8.64lb while a 24" bar 60cc 460 weighs 12.79
Edit: sorry misread what you wrote.
Yeah, Husqvarna for quality
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
Jan 17, 2018 - 09:48pm PT
|
my Sachs Dolmar has a 24" bar, but it's not used much out here in suburbia
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Jan 17, 2018 - 09:53pm PT
|
How can you go wrong with a Stihl or a Husque?
Bimmers or Volvos, apples or oranges? 👍
|
|
Ballo
Trad climber
|
|
|
Jan 17, 2018 - 10:08pm PT
|
I think Husky's are generally lighter comparing cc to cc, and a little cheaper.
Having a local dealer/mechanic who works on them might be something to consider.
|
|
Hardly Visible
Social climber
Llatikcuf WA
|
|
|
Jan 17, 2018 - 10:49pm PT
|
Pfft, 25 inch bar on yer modern stihl to heavy for ya. Try one of these on for size, mid 1970's Mcculloch super pro 125 with 60 inch bar all metal no plastic parts, no sissy chain brakes, compression release to start it and no vibration dampening, which is major factor in toasted elbows 40 years later.
|
|
originalpmac
Mountain climber
Timbers of Fennario
|
|
|
Jan 17, 2018 - 11:57pm PT
|
I prefer a Stihl Farmboss.
Doesn't make the cleanest of cuts though...
|
|
tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 06:06am PT
|
had a Homilite XL 12 for many years. the old blue and white rig from before they went homeowner. 15 bucks at a yard sale. Then a husly 350 for 17 years till it blew up and now a full pro Johnsereds CS2260 with 18 in bar. felled this massive 35in dimater maple a few months ago..
|
|
Sula
Trad climber
Pennsylvania
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 06:21am PT
|
Unless your use is very casual, a chainsaw is maybe the best example of a tool that calls for top quality, and repays the user who insists on it.
Stihl for me.
|
|
tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 06:55am PT
|
Jonsred is actually the same company as Husky but their premier line. Huskys got dumbed down in quality to hit the department stores pricelines...
|
|
Tim Bermingham
Mountain climber
Jamestown, California. U.S.A.
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 07:03am PT
|
great subject. Used 'em all from a 090 to mini mac. My husky lasted more n 20 yrs....finally croaked. Bought a new Stihl $400 ...farm boss. sweet. 20" bar. General use/firewood. Had it about a year now...love it.
|
|
ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
Wilds of New Mexico
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 07:42am PT
|
Love those pictures Hardly Visible!
Between working as a wild land firefighter and doing tree work all through grad school I ran everything from small top handled saws for use up in trees to full size professional saws with 60 inch bars. Both Stihls and Husqvarnas. Cutting everything from southern California brush to big trees in the North West and removing massive trees from back yards in the bay area. Though now I haven't touched a chainsaw in like 15 years!
I'm sure real pros have their preferences but both brands always seemed good to me. I liked the easy access to the bar tension screw on Stihls and also the more oversized fuel and bar oil caps (easier to open).
Husky in carry mode:
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 07:50am PT
|
I should get a deal on a new Husque seeing as how I just sprang for a new Volvo, shouldn’t I?
|
|
StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 08:40am PT
|
I have a Stihl with a 20" bar. There does seem to be a "tao" to starting them when they are cold, but once you figure that out it works great. Once they warm up, they start on fist pull every time.
The arborists that came to the house a few weeks back were all running Stihls.
Dang, that leg trimming is my worst nightmare, especially standing slopes with poor footing ;-(
|
|
Dropline
Mountain climber
Somewhere Up There
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 08:43am PT
|
Stihl.
Simple trick to avoid opposite knee chainsaw injuries.
All safety instruction will, of course, insist the chain be stopped and chain brake engaged when moving. The idea is that if you are walking it's too easy to pick your knee up and into a moving tooth chain. If you're trying to get any work done though, engaging the chain brake every time you want to take a step, or a few steps, is impractical.
Another method to avoid left knee, opposite knee, injury is to rest the body of the saw on your left thigh. When you pick your leg up to take a step the whole saw goes up with it.
|
|
originalpmac
Mountain climber
Timbers of Fennario
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 09:03am PT
|
^^^ Good point. How did you know I was walking and bumped my knee with it?
Also invested in Kevlar chaps.
|
|
Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 09:31am PT
|
that pic makes me want to buy some Kevlar chaps.
interesting idea to avoid the knee thing.
I'm only doing small rounds after the tree is down and have been very conscious of where I'm moving the chain around (it has a break on it).
|
|
Dropline
Mountain climber
Somewhere Up There
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 09:35am PT
|
Even if you intend to engage the chain brake when you move, resting the body of the saw on your left thigh is a good habit to get into in case you forego the chain brake sometime in the future. Eventually, everyone stops using the chain brake at least some of the time.
|
|
fleeting
Trad climber
camino ca
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 10:08am PT
|
husky hp 372 is a great saw. i professionally employ daily and it's made me rich.
andreas makes a good ms 150 for small, ergonomic saw in the 16" bar range
bicardi makes a good 151 proof
i also swing an ms 200t and 201 t.
the stihl 362 is great. you won't be disappointed.
which ever way your pleasure tends.
|
|
fleeting
Trad climber
camino ca
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 10:10am PT
|
no chaps.
chaps lead to fatigue, which dulls the senses and then your injured.
chain brakes are only necessary when the saw's idle is mal-adjusted high,
and the chain spins when it shouldn't.
extreme care and hyper-presence are an opperator's best protection.
|
|
Dropline
Mountain climber
Somewhere Up There
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 12:33pm PT
|
I agree with chaps leading to fatigue. I've never worn them but can see how they might be a good thing for weekend warriors.
As for throttling, it happens. From my perspective there is no downside to the chain saw body on thigh habit, but to each their own.
I've never cut my knee though, or suffered any cut from a chainsaw, in the forty years since I started doing tree work.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 12:35pm PT
|
Anybody besides me know somebody who auto-decapitated, right in front of their wife?
|
|
Dropline
Mountain climber
Somewhere Up There
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 12:56pm PT
|
In my hometown a state trooper, I believe, didn't decapitate himself but cut his neck so badly he never made it back in the house before he bled out. He was alone and found later just outside his back door.
|
|
martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 03:20pm PT
|
My cousin has been a Montana logger for the last forty years. Only ever uses a Stihl. I have a smaller Husky that's always been fine.
|
|
Q- Ball
Mountain climber
but to scared to climb them anymore
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 18, 2018 - 05:27pm PT
|
Interesting stuff... Some funny and others fascinating. I am not shopping for a saw, just curious what brands you guys like.
My main rule when I run a saw is when I get sloppy on a cut I stop for the day and just drag trees. Usually just four to six hours of cutting when I can tell I am getting lazy/tired and may make a mistake.
|
|
tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 05:34pm PT
|
the new pro jonsereds is all electronic fuel injected. It always knows whatbthe mix is. just has a tiny chipn for a brain. had a hard time getting my bosses steil started???? My saw starts every time :)
|
|
JBoone
Social climber
NC
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 07:24pm PT
|
Stihl
If you are going to run a chainsaw do it right.
Edit: I am sure huskys run fine as well but the only husky I own is a dirt bike. TE 300
|
|
otisdog
Big Wall climber
Sierra Madre & McGee Creek, Ca.
|
|
|
Jan 18, 2018 - 07:38pm PT
|
Decapitation - I was doing second story layout when a guy was cutting the tag end of the 6 x 14 beam that ran through the middle of the garage ceiling. He was on his knees, leaning over the side cutting, when his St. Christopher caught the chain...I will never forget that sound.
|
|
chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
|
|
|
Jan 19, 2018 - 11:54am PT
|
Stihl 064 with 24" bar is a great combo. The saw can run up to 48" bar, 42" recommended. With all that power on a small bar you can plunge through logs and make great uppercuts after downcutting. This avoids need for wedges and makes bucking up logs easy. You can cut 48" of log with 24" bar. The short bar is in some ways better than a long one. The grain of wood can twist and warp a long bar going through a big cut. Not the shorty. With all that extra power, the 24" cuts straight and gives superb accuracy. Also, with the additional power, binding of the chain and kickback are less of a problem, although since the bar is short and light, when it does kick, beware. With the dogs burried in the log, it is easy to lever the saw with a short bar too. I prefer a semi-chisel chain that is double edged. Hard to find. Not as fast as cutter chain but stays sharp. Not as bouncey as chipper or chisel chain. Stihl only sells it by order or at certain logger shops. I buy chissel or cutter chain and customize it myself. Also, with a short bar there is no reason to run skip chain. A full complement of cutters is awesome.
To avoid the "knee nick" when walking, always point the bar to the left behind you if you are running right handed. I alway tell anyone working with me to stay at least 6' away and do not wander around behind me as thats where the bar points when Im not cutting. Running a big Mo like an 084 which I use sometimes, there is no room in my head to worry about what other people are doing. Basically stay out of my way!
|
|
Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
|
|
|
Jan 19, 2018 - 12:35pm PT
|
Recently I decided that I needed a small chainsaw for my woodworking shop, to cut big slabs of wood into smaller blocks that I can process on my jointer/planer.
I went with Stihl after a lot research, despite the gay color scheme. (Orange and white? Really?)
Got a Stihl MS 180 "homeowner chainsaw." That thing is a joke. Good for cutting down spider webs, not much else. Wish that I had picked a bigger Stihl.
My cousin has been a Montana logger for the last forty years. Impressive beast, he's got there. I worked for a friend, who was an arborist. He gave a huge chainsaw like that one. Scared the f*#king sh#t out of me. Maybe that is why I subconsciously chose the wimpy chainsaw that I did.
|
|
tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
|
|
|
Jan 19, 2018 - 02:34pm PT
|
I would not trade my Jonsereds for any stihl or Husky.
|
|
tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
|
|
|
Jan 19, 2018 - 02:40pm PT
|
The guy at the Jonsered and Stihl dealer told me that unless you go for the semi pro or pro models you are better off going with a poulan as the husky, jonsered and stihl homeowners models are no better than the poulan but they cost more. I went with the full time pro saw vs the part time pro... Jonsereds and husky make pro models in 36 and 50cc as well as the bigger felling saws.
|
|
ionlyski
Trad climber
Polebridge, Montana
|
|
|
Jan 19, 2018 - 04:25pm PT
|
I currently run Stihl MS261's, have 3 small bar sizes 16, 18 & 20 I think. What Sula said above, get a pro saw even if you use it once a year. I smoked a home & ranch series saw in a day.
But I always look toward a Husky with a bit of envy, so I may go that route next time.
Q-Ball, I hear you on the sloppy/tired syndrome. I didn't have my chaffs on one day, lower back was getting sore while limbing and I lowered that thing down right onto my thigh. Holy Crap did that cut through me like butter.
Arne
|
|
mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
|
|
|
Jan 19, 2018 - 06:05pm PT
|
I run a American made Stihl AV011 16". Prolly 25 years old.
Bomber.
Got a big crew at my house right now taking down a 200' row of eucs.
All running stihl, and have a variety of models of course.
I like to stay hyperfocused, and square up on every cut.
Gotta have mental alarm set for when you start getting sloppy for sure.
BTW that is a nice thigh vagina upthread. Ouch
|
|
Dropline
Mountain climber
Somewhere Up There
|
|
|
Jan 19, 2018 - 08:30pm PT
|
I lowered that thing down right onto my thigh. Holy Crap did that cut through me like butter.
See whatta mean?
|
|
chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2018 - 12:05pm PT
|
I used to use poulans for pruning because of the easy handle. I also used stihl 019 because of the handle also. Then I switched to echo 028 then echo 341 with longer bar. I really liked the 341. But the latest models 3400 and 3401 have issues. The crankcases leak and thus they run lean and dont power up. Often have to run with choke pulled out a bit. For the price they were good. Then came California regulators. The smog people made it illegal to adjust your own carburetor! Then they charged shops a huge fee for "licensing and annual training." Many saw shops went out of business and those that didnt now charge a fortune. Many people who do alot of pruning usually remove the chainbrakes because they engage at the worst times when topping a tree during removal and cause "barberchairs." Last time I took my saw to a shop they installed a new chainbrake on my saw without asking. They said I couldnt get my saw back by law unless I paid for it. They refused to return the saw in its original condition. So I paid the $90. When I got home and ran the saw on a job I discovered the aftermarket chinese brake they installed dragged on the clutch flywheel and overheated the saw. Smoke went everywhere. Just like California fuel containers. Another money scheme by cali govt to create bureaucracy and enrich certain industries (smog) at the expense and inconvenience of others. I would like to ask Jerry Brown to fill a chainsaw on his desk where he signs these laws with one of those "spillproof" gascans.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2018 - 12:16pm PT
|
Just like California fuel containers. .
Please, don’t get me started. But since you did, was it a committee of morons, or just idiots?
I don’t think idiots could have managed that.
|
|
Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2018 - 12:34pm PT
|
Unscrew the spout and use a long neck funnel.
Best I have been able to come up with.
|
|
healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2018 - 12:43pm PT
|
I used to climb with a pre-brake, 48" Stihl in downtown Chicago lining down big lightning-struck Sycamores, pretty dangerous all in all.
Left it for software engineering and ended up in a big R&D lab in Nashua, NH. I lived up in the hills in Francestown, but was getting seriously burned out after a couple of years. About that time a late Nor'easter came through and broke all the old maples down with the worst ice load they'd ever seen in recent memory. Our little town square became a bee-hive hub for about a dozen or so Asplundh crews working the area. Talked with one of the crew chiefs about getting on with them but finally came to my senses.
Kind of always had an odd dichotomy between software and the trades - good money in the former, loved the latter.
|
|
Tobia
Social climber
Denial
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2018 - 10:14am PT
|
I have 2 Husky 268's, both '91 or '92 models. I recently put a new piston, head, etc. on one. I have a 26 inch bar on it and a bow on the other. They used to seem light in the hand, but not anymore. I get tired from the torque before the weight, but have learned there is nothing wrong with resting.
I have a '89 Jonsered 625 for limbing. All three have rarely failed.
I recently was given a Husky Rancher 455, it is a good saw, but definitely not a commercial grade saw like the above. Husky has a problem with the oiler pumps that they won't recognize. I drilled the hole out to aid in flow and prevent back pressure and have avoided pump failure so far.
Kevlar chaps. Hard to deal with in the South, but I work alone and after one accident I was sold. I wear shorts under the chaps to cut down on fatigue.
|
|
rincon
climber
Coarsegold
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2018 - 10:28am PT
|
Yeah, just search google images for 'chainsaw wound' and chaps start sounding really good!
|
|
tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2018 - 04:37pm PT
|
cut all my own firewood here in the NE my whole life and ocasionally have to clear a building site. I was too cool for chaps until about 6 years ago. Now feel naked without them.
|
|
| Messages 1 - 45 of total 45 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!