In article ,
Test Tickle wrote:

Hey,

I am looking for a new chainsaw, as I'd like to start harvesting more
wood to feed the habit. I'd love to hear any advice you folks might
have. I know I want a gas powered saw, and I suppose it's better to
buy a longer bar rather than a shorter one -- my old 16 inch was a
little lacking sometimes.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

tt

One of the "standard" recommendations is the Husquvarna Rancher 455. I
just bought mine, so I can't endorse that recommendation yet. But they
are sold at regular chain-saw outlets (where I got mine), plus Lowes and
Sears (warranty work is handled differently for Lowes and Sears)

--
--------------------------------------------------------
Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org
This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read
RV and Camping FAQ can be found at
http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv

My favorite arborist uses Husky saws. I went to the local dealer, and
he said that you have 2 choices, a Husky, or a Sthil. Most of the
loggers I see use the Sthil, most of the arborists, and landscapers use
Husky. I got a Husky with a 24 inch bar and was told that I could put a
28 inch bar on it. I am amazed at how many times I have wanted a 36
inch bar, and am considering one some time in the future.
robo hippy
Ralph E Lindberg wrote:
In article ,
Test Tickle wrote:

Hey,

I am looking for a new chainsaw, as I'd like to start harvesting more
wood to feed the habit. I'd love to hear any advice you folks might
have. I know I want a gas powered saw, and I suppose it's better to
buy a longer bar rather than a shorter one -- my old 16 inch was a
little lacking sometimes.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

tt

One of the "standard" recommendations is the Husquvarna Rancher 455. I
just bought mine, so I can't endorse that recommendation yet. But they
are sold at regular chain-saw outlets (where I got mine), plus Lowes and
Sears (warranty work is handled differently for Lowes and Sears)

--
--------------------------------------------------------
Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org
This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read
RV and Camping FAQ can be found at
http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv

I need to add something. Both Husky and Stihl make multiple levels of
saws. There may be 3 -- consumer, 'rancher' and pro. My first saw was
a small, consumer grade Stihl and it was not much to write home about.
If was bulky about starting, etc. My current saw is a Shindiawa which
is super and starts on the first pull. You've probably never heard of
them because they don't make a consumer grade at all.

Also remember that you can cut a 30" log with a 20" bar -- you just have
to walk around it.

Bill

robo hippy wrote:
My favorite arborist uses Husky saws. I went to the local dealer, and
he said that you have 2 choices, a Husky, or a Sthil. Most of the
loggers I see use the Sthil, most of the arborists, and landscapers use
Husky. I got a Husky with a 24 inch bar and was told that I could put a
28 inch bar on it. I am amazed at how many times I have wanted a 36
inch bar, and am considering one some time in the future.
robo hippy
Ralph E Lindberg wrote:
In article ,
Test Tickle wrote:

Hey,

I am looking for a new chainsaw, as I'd like to start harvesting more
wood to feed the habit. I'd love to hear any advice you folks might
have. I know I want a gas powered saw, and I suppose it's better to
buy a longer bar rather than a shorter one -- my old 16 inch was a
little lacking sometimes.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

tt
One of the "standard" recommendations is the Husquvarna Rancher 455. I
just bought mine, so I can't endorse that recommendation yet. But they
are sold at regular chain-saw outlets (where I got mine), plus Lowes and
Sears (warranty work is handled differently for Lowes and Sears)

--
--------------------------------------------------------
Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org
This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read
RV and Camping FAQ can be found at
http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv

robo hippy wrote:
I got a Husky with a 24 inch bar and was told that I could put a
28 inch bar on it. I am amazed at how many times I have wanted a 36
inch bar, and am considering one some time in the future.
robo hippy

I'm curious to know how you guys use these huge chainsaws. Where do you
go to cut wood with these? Do you have wood delivered to cut? What kind
of wood are you cutting?

I just finished removing some Osage from my hedges, and an Oak tree, and
trimmed an Ash tree, a Chinese Elm, a Pine tree and a Black walnut tree.
I harvested the Osage and some of the Chinese elm. I'm not sure if I'm
going to save any of the Oak or Ash, other than as firewood. I split
some of the Osage and stored it in the barn with some other wood I have.
The 2 to 4 foot lengths of Osage logs I put in the barn were all that 2
men could handle easily.

I did it all with a 12" chainsaw. The small chainsaw is light enough
that it is easy to handle with one hand. Every time I gas and oil the
saw, I touch the chain up with the file (3 strokes per tooth on the
small saw, takes no time) and make sure it is properly tensioned. I did
have the advantage of the Versa-lift when I trimmed these trees. I have
to give the chainsaw and the Versa-lift back on Friday. I'm retiring.
So, I'll be in the market for a chainsaw, too.

Here's a link to some pics.
http://murrayranch.com/TreeTrimming.htm

Don

Oh my friend,

It is not the kind of trees that you are cutting, it is the size of
those trees. Anyone cutting big trees wants the longest bar that he can
get. Understand that With a long bar, I can cut a 2 inch diam. log, or
branch, as well as cut down, or cut up, a tree that is more than twice
the diam. as my bar is long.

I have cut down pine trees where the 22 inch bar on my saw did not break
the bark on the tip side, and I have cut down pine trees that were 24
inch diam. with a 14 inch bar. And believe me that given a choice, I
would much rather have a long bar on my saw than I would working my tail
off trying to cut down, or cut up, a tree with a short bar.

There are reasons why they sell 60 inch bars, and there are trees to
match, and there are trees that are too big for even those monsters.

There is another reason for a long bar, it is because with the longer
chain it does not have to be sharpened as often. That is one of the
reasons that the loggers in my area use a loop bar. that long chain
means that they can cut for a long time before the need to put on a
sharp chain. And there is less chance of a kick back while cutting at
strange angles. I learned to keep sharp chains on hand to swap out
during the day while cutting, and sharpen the chains at night for use
the next day.

I also learned that you can only hand sharpen the chain a couple of
times before it has to be resharpened, and reformed, with a jig to put
all the teeth back to the same size. Else it starts to cut sideways and
wears out your bar. And a dull chain is Dangerous, and becomes a man
killer.

If you haven't had to do that yet, then you haven't cut any wood yet. I
am sure that your chain will last for years yet, While some wear out
their chains so fast that they buy their chain in long rolls and make up
their chains as needed.

I am by no means a pro. But I have not only heated my home with wood
for 30 years, but also cut up my trees into lumber with a chain saw
attachment.

Yes I too have and use a short bar electric saw, but even it has an 16
inch bar on it.

Zap

Don Murray wrote:


robo hippy wrote:

I got a Husky with a 24 inch bar and was told that I could put a
28 inch bar on it. I am amazed at how many times I have wanted a 36
inch bar, and am considering one some time in the future.
robo hippy


I'm curious to know how you guys use these huge chainsaws. Where do you
go to cut wood with these? Do you have wood delivered to cut? What kind
of wood are you cutting?

I just finished removing some Osage from my hedges, and an Oak tree, and
trimmed an Ash tree, a Chinese Elm, a Pine tree and a Black walnut tree.
I harvested the Osage and some of the Chinese elm. I'm not sure if I'm
going to save any of the Oak or Ash, other than as firewood. I split
some of the Osage and stored it in the barn with some other wood I have.
The 2 to 4 foot lengths of Osage logs I put in the barn were all that 2
men could handle easily.

I did it all with a 12" chainsaw. The small chainsaw is light enough
that it is easy to handle with one hand. Every time I gas and oil the
saw, I touch the chain up with the file (3 strokes per tooth on the
small saw, takes no time) and make sure it is properly tensioned. I did
have the advantage of the Versa-lift when I trimmed these trees. I have
to give the chainsaw and the Versa-lift back on Friday. I'm retiring.
So, I'll be in the market for a chainsaw, too.

Here's a link to some pics.
http://murrayranch.com/TreeTrimming.htm

Don

In article ,
Don Murray wrote:

robo hippy wrote:
I got a Husky with a 24 inch bar and was told that I could put a
28 inch bar on it. I am amazed at how many times I have wanted a 36
inch bar, and am considering one some time in the future.
robo hippy

I'm curious to know how you guys use these huge chainsaws. Where do you
go to cut wood with these? Do you have wood delivered to cut? What kind
of wood are you cutting?
...
My last saw was an 18, often way to short, which is way the Husky is a 20

You also need to consider where people live. Robo and I live in "tall
tree" country. I cut down 4ft (diameter) tree's just to build the house,
and those had grown up in the years since the loggers came through,
twice. The guys in my tree service told me they cut a grove of
old-growth a couple years ago (the ground was too steep to recover them
as logs). The trees were 6 feet at the base and so tight they used
actual jack hammers to split them (all Doug Fir/Hemlock/etc).

A friend has a Big-Leaf Maple that must be 5 foot across

--
--------------------------------------------------------
Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org
This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read
RV and Camping FAQ can be found at
http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv

Hi Don

Have a look at this album I have, it shows some of the wood I cut, this
is why I have a few chain saws,one 16" electric one for in the shop,
two gas chainsaws for "out there", one is a 18" poulan pro that has
stood up well, but has not the power to pull a long bar chain around,
so I also have a MS 361 Stihl with a 24" bar, and a 18" spare bar, the
saw could handle a 36" if needed but there are few logs that I could
not handle with the 24" bar, but have run into that problem with the
18" bar and that is very frustrating, however you also have to be able
to handle those large pieces of wood, and that is getting harder as the
wood seems to get heavier as the years go by ;-))
As for the makes of chain saws, well I think there are only 3 or 4 that
have not been bought out by the big boys, like Poulan, Echo and those
that where under the Electrolux control are now owned by Huskqvarna, so
I would say if you want to have someone service your saw when needed
you better get it where they will and are able to do so, or be ready to
buy a new one every time the saw doesn't want to work.

http://homepage.mac.com/l.vanderloo/PhotoAlbum30.html

Have fun aand take care
Leo Van Der Loo

Don Murray wrote:
robo hippy wrote:
I got a Husky with a 24 inch bar and was told that I could put a
28 inch bar on it. I am amazed at how many times I have wanted a 36
inch bar, and am considering one some time in the future.
robo hippy

I'm curious to know how you guys use these huge chainsaws. Where do you
go to cut wood with these? Do you have wood delivered to cut? What kind
of wood are you cutting?

I just finished removing some Osage from my hedges, and an Oak tree, and
trimmed an Ash tree, a Chinese Elm, a Pine tree and a Black walnut tree.
I harvested the Osage and some of the Chinese elm. I'm not sure if I'm
going to save any of the Oak or Ash, other than as firewood. I split
some of the Osage and stored it in the barn with some other wood I have.
The 2 to 4 foot lengths of Osage logs I put in the barn were all that 2
men could handle easily.

I did it all with a 12" chainsaw. The small chainsaw is light enough
that it is easy to handle with one hand. Every time I gas and oil the
saw, I touch the chain up with the file (3 strokes per tooth on the
small saw, takes no time) and make sure it is properly tensioned. I did
have the advantage of the Versa-lift when I trimmed these trees. I have
to give the chainsaw and the Versa-lift back on Friday. I'm retiring.
So, I'll be in the market for a chainsaw, too.

Here's a link to some pics.
http://murrayranch.com/TreeTrimming.htm

Don