Oregon Vanguard Chain

[Mark M]

Anyone use the Oregon Vanguard chain? It has a sloped- folded-over raker that is supposed to reduce kickback and still cut fast. I'm wondering how you file this raker since it is shaped funny?

[Kevin]

I had a loop of that for about two minutes.

http://www.oregonchain.com/pdf/chain/72V%20FB-90.pdf

[Captain]

I bought a 25 foot roll of Vanguard to see how we would like it...It cuts well, best anti-kickback chain I've used in nose buried situations.  All in all, I like it (although not as much as Super 70) and I feel safer letting my wife wield the 036 with it on there.  Can't sell any to customers, however...

File the raker straight down as in any other saw chain to develop/maintain the .020-.030 clearance.

Captain

[jokers]

I bought a 100' roll because it was really cheap and then felt like a fool until I tried it. It seems to cut faster than full skip in big hardwood on a 34" bar, Husky 385. I`m actually quite pleased with it and found that you can bore cut with it also. The roll I bought included and Oregon depth gauge tool with a wider slot.

I think that misperceptions are making it obsolete because it doesn`t sell.

Russ

[Kevin]

I didn't spend any time with it, I think it had something to do with taking the rakers down.
It looks like there would be more drag due to the larger surface area of the rakers but it might serve to dampen the vibration.
I'm happy with LG and pretty much stick with it.
When I bought my 335 I had them change the intenz bar to a conventional bar but that was a mental thing also, the intenz bar might be ok, I don't know.

[Chet]

I got a free chain to try it out.    Glad it was free so I didn't feel like I wasted my money.  

[Kevin]

Did you find it in the top of a tree?
It might have been the one I had.
I just looked for it and couldn't find it.

[Chet]

The dealer that I got it from, kinda had a funny grin, when I told him what I thought of his new fangled chain. I got to admit, I thought of givin' it da fling. But I'm not into da littering thing.  

[Kevin]

We call that the aerial burial .  

[jokers]

73LG is my favorite 3/8 pitch chain also. I haven`t had the chance to make any timed or side by side cuts between the Vanguard and the LG but I was pleasantly surprised by the Vanguard. I`d recommend that you guys give it a whirl before throwing it away next time.

Russ

[jokers]

BTW Kevin, the chain that you would have had on the 335 would have been one of the Oregon SL chains wouldn`t it? I don`t think that the .325 SL(happened to be semi chisel) chain that I tried cut all that well in anything larger than small limb size however it does make clean collar cuts.

Russ

[Oregon_Rob]

Russ,
What's a Collar cut?

[Kevin]

Russ;
The chain I'm trying to burn up on the 335 now is the 91VG.



I have bought a few loops of 91VS and hope to make the switch soon.
I take this saw on the Argo with me as well use it in the trees .
The power band is minimal but you can swing it all day on the trails and it doesn't kill your back.
Do you have any idea what the high speed rpm is on the 335?
The idle is 2800 but I don't have any numbers on the high speed.

Rob;
I don't want to speak for Russ but I assume he means the branch collar where the branch should be trimmed .
It is the flare in the branch at the tree, you want to cut outside the flare to protect the tree.

[Kevin]

The high speed for the 335 is about 13,500 rpm.

[jokers]

Hi Kevin

Off the top of my head, 13,500 sounds right. I can look it up if you aren`t certain.

Russ

[Kevin]

I could only get about 9100 out of it and the saw is only a year and a half old.
Clean the spark arrestor screen and drop in a new plug and it's back to normal.