Chain Saw Carrier

hayden · Dec 23, 2005

When I first put this together I was worried about the scabbards hitting the front tires, but I'm happy to report that it works fine with no collisions.

However, I'm picking up a new saw in a few days with a 28" bar, and it will surely protrude out the bottom of the scabbard, so I might be right back to having the tire collision problem. I'll let you know later next week.

beenthere · Dec 24, 2005

I don't think it would fall out (the chain bites into the wood a bit and have to lift it when removing) on any hill that I would attempt to go up forward. It has been very handy to take with me, and not in the way when operating the tractor, now that I have used it awhile.

MadDog · Dec 25, 2005

A very nice idea and well executed by both of you. I think I'll build one for my new Husky to nap in.

You're right about havin' two. At first I was going to sell the old Homelite, but it probably makes more sense to keep it for stuff I wouldn't use the Husky for. I'd probably get less than $100 for it anyway.

SkyPup · Jan 3, 2006

( Chain saws are like tractors. Why have one when you can have two!

)
I agree.

Many times you need one to cut the other "stuck" one out of a log.

Bedlam · Jan 3, 2006

Ahh yes, we hate to admit it, but I will have to say, I at one time had three saws all sitting inside a tree.I was younger then , but had to borrow a friends to make the fourth cut and try to pull them out as the tree went down. All went well tho.Have since learned to take the bar of from the saw when its jammed, thus when you finallly fell the tree only the bar is left in the tree. and you dont damage the saw itself.

JustGary · Jan 3, 2006

I pinched the *new* bar on my McCulloch G-70 after hurricane Opal when felling a leaning pine in my front yard. I knew to not do what I did (an undercut), but did it anyway and stuck the bar. Darn the luck, the chain came out of the groove as it stuck, and the tree pinched the groove clean shut for about two inches.

Since I never throw anything away, I just switched back to the old bar for the rest of the hurricane cleanup. Later I ended up breaking the piece out of the bar trying to open it again. I welded it up and ground the groove out, then put the weld on top. I still have that bar on it.

That's the only time I ever stuck a saw in a tree, and I don't plan to do it again. OK, I didn't plan to that time either.

- Just Gary

PhilNH5 · Jan 4, 2006

I have heard of ol' timers who carry spare bar and chain. Then if the bar gets stuck you dis-mount the bar and chain leaving it stuck in the cut. Mount the spare bar and chain and away you go.

Phil

JustGary · Jan 4, 2006

"I have heard of ol' timers who carry spare bar and chain." 

That's the problem with those old timers. Far too much useful experience and knowledge to ignore.

That's one of the best chainsaw tips I've ever heard. Had I not been at the house when my bar got stuck, I would not have had my spare bar and chain. I will next time (for both saws).

- Just Gary

turnkey4099 · Jan 9, 2006

The problem with removing the powerhead on a stuck bar is the inside sprocket. It is, while not impossible, not a simple thing to get enough slack to work the powerhead off the chain. BTDT a few times but not since I got a second saw (and now a third). Moving the sprocket to the outside was a long overdue improvement.

Harry K

hayden · Jan 9, 2006

Yup, the 28" bar hangs down too low and hits the front wheel in certain positions. See attached picture. I'm going to try angling the scabbard to get more clearance and to get the bar tip further behind the front wheel. The only other option is to raise the whole thing up higher, but that will place the saw powerhead right in my line of sight when driving, so I'd rather avoid that.

hayden · Jan 9, 2006

Here's another view. The bar is to the left of the front wheel (it's a bit hard to see in the picture)

3RRL · Jan 9, 2006

( Yup, the 28" bar hangs down too low...)

Hate to say this, but I think you got 8" more than I do? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

John_Mc · Mar 9, 2006

( Yup, the 28" bar hangs down too low and hits the front wheel in certain positions. )

I didn't know there was anything left in Vermont requiring a 28" bar... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

John Mc

Highbeam · Mar 10, 2006

The long bar minimizes the bending over one must do, makes kickback slower, and has more teeth to dull so a chain should last longer.

John_Mc · Mar 11, 2006

( The long bar minimizes the bending over one must do, makes kickback slower, and has more teeth to dull so a chain should last longer.
)

Hey, it was a joke. Trees tend to grow slower here in VT, and there are not a lot of them around here that big. In clearing for my pond this winter out of a couple dozen good sized trees dropped, there was only one I had to work at from both sides with a 16" bar. Now that stand was not particularly old, but there are a lot of woodlots that could say the same thing around here (or at the most they could say the same if they stepped up to just an 18 or 20" bar). When it came time to look at a second chainsaw, I bought another 16" bar (though with a bigger engine than my first one). I'd rather have the light weight and ease of use, even if it means a bit more time spent on the rare occasion I tackle that two footer.

As you noted, there are some good reasons other than large trees why someone might consider a large bar (one of them is that they already have a saw with a shorter bar). There are also some good reasons not to go long: even a few extra ounces add up to a lot of fatigue in a days worth of work in the woods; you're at the wrong end of a larger lever; it can get unwieldly in close quarters or on rough terrain; more momentum behind a larger bar if it does kick back, it takes longer to sharpen (unless you are using a "skip tooth" chain, though in that case you've countered the "longer lasting argument). A lot of these advantages may make no difference to someone with a lot more strength and endurance than I have, but for me, the advantage leans towards shorter bars.

To each his own... There are situations which call for one or the other. though I'd argue that if you are using a longer bar merely to extend your reach, you are better off just getting closer to the work in most cases. Less arm strain, and generally safer.

Not trying to start a big argument over bar length, not trying to force my opinion on others. Shorter just works better for me. Might feel differently if I lived in another part of the country, with different conditions.

John Mc

hayden · Mar 11, 2006

Both have their place - that's why I have two saws with two different length bars. Other than stumps, I agree the 28" bar is long. I haven't found many logs that are more than an 18" or 20" bar can handle in a single cut.

MikeD74T · Mar 12, 2006

Like you said, there's a place for all size bars. A few years ago I cut trees with my father & his friend. We had a spare Jonsered with a 48" blade. It only went to jobs for show. The customer response was fun when we showed up without a bucket truck & they weren't sure we had enough equipment. The "big" saw convinced them we knew what we were doing. Actually we usually cut only trees that a bucket truck couldn't get to.