iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

New to Me, 55 Rancher.

Started by Chris Burchfield, October 17, 2005, 07:09:41 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Chris Burchfield

     Well, on the way to pick up some used telephone/light poles, 30' free and loaded on the trailer. Had to stop by Lowe's for some mix oil. Heading to check out and there is a basket of marked down items. In the bunch is a 55 Huskey. New bar, new chain, no warranty as is $189 and no story. I went back down the isle to check and they were tagged for $364. Now, where I live, these are not chainsaw type people. Odds are they didn't know how to read the instructions or it was a little too heavy. I've never owned anything other than orig. mac's or poll's. Didn't have that many dollars at one time and was not into much more than the weekend warrior. You know, a limb or two here or there. I've gotten by with a 20" farm poll for a few years. Huskies and Stills have been for the guy's that do it for a living. Asked to take her outside for a spin as she had fuel & bar oil already. The guy said sure. Outside, choked for three pull before a hit. Off choke & she started right up, no problem. Ran her up to about 50% throttle for warm up about five minutes. Idled down for a minute and shut her off for a minute. I really watched my watch on this. First pull, she fired right back up. SOLD!
     Well I broke her in spliting to quarter a 44" X 12' red oak. She ran fine, slinging spaghetti on the end cuts. When I started in the verticle she subsided to rather fine saw dust. I just kept the pressure on hearing the load, but keeping the rpms up. I wish she was a little more agressive on the verticle. I just don't want to load her with more than she'll pull. I push a rat tail. Dad taught me how. But the one they sold me didn't dress the upper cutting edge just the side cut. I'll have time to investigate this tomorrow. I'd like to think I did good. 8) Besides I think Glenda my lt40super, will like the color. My apology if this belonged over on "Chain Saws."

Woodmizer LT40SH W/Command Control; 51HP Cat, Memphis TN.

sjh

I have a rancher 55 and love it.
All my saws will throw dust when cutting vertical. You need a ripping chain for that.

fishhuntcutwood

Are you planning on bucking and burning the poles?  If so do it with a saw you don't mind trashing.  Those poles are most likely treated with kreosote and are laden with staples, nails and who knows what else.  There's no quicker or more complete inadvertant cutting abuse of a saw than to cut telephone poles.  If you're gonna do it, rent the saw.  Don't ruin your new 55 doing it.

Jeff
MS 200T
MS 361
044
440 Mag
460 Mag
056 MII
660 Mag

Chris Burchfield

They may be cut to length, but that's it. These were around a ball field in a municipal park. They still have the climbing spikes in them. I'll remove these before I use the poles.
Woodmizer LT40SH W/Command Control; 51HP Cat, Memphis TN.

etat

I bought a 55 Rancher from Lowes just over a month ago.  The last one they had. I've been abusing it Real bad cutting old stumps in my dads pasture even with the ground.  Kind of kept track and estimating I've cut over 150 old stumps.  Lots of them had fire ant mounds piled up around them and all of them was full of grit.  I'd poisoned the ant mounds and come back a day later with a grubbing hoe and a broom and clean the worst of the dirt from around them.  It came with a 18 inch bar and I bought a extra 20 inch bar and two chains for each.  The stumps ranged in size from 4 inches to a couple of them over 36 inches.  I didn't' necessarily cut into the dirt but I was cutting smooth right against it.  Each tank of gas I'd take it to the house let it cool and swap chains and bars and blow it out good with an airline. A couple of them old hickory or white oak stumps was so hard dry and dirty it'd dull the chain by the time i got through it and I'd put a different chain on it.  Because the stumps were so old and hard and dirty I didn't even try to file the chains.  Once they all got dull I'd take them off and swap chains.  Later when all of them were dull I'd take them and get them ground. 

One really interesting thing I noticed.  When I first bought the 20 inch bar I bought a Stihl chain for it.  The next day I went back and bought two more  husky chains like came on the saw.  The reason,  excessive Chain Stretch on the Stihl Chain when cutting down low and dirty like that.   No joke.  I was taking the slack out of  the Stihl chain almost after each cut.  The Husky chain would NOT stretch and I would almost never have to take the slack out of it. 

The Stihl chain would stay sharp just a little bit longer but was much more aggravating to keep tight.  Compared to the old Homelite XL12 I am EXTREMELY pleased with the saw.  Regardless if I was using the 18 inch bar, or the 20 inch bar (both were Husky bars) or regardless of the size of the stump, or regardless of which chain, I would make sure to keep it in the cut and throwing out chips of wood and keep the rpms up.  If anything, it is running better now than when it was brand new. 

The easiest way I've found out 'this' saw cranks is to pull once with choke on, and once with choke off.  It will fire right up usually on the second pull.  If it is hot pull without using the choke and if it doesn't hit, pull with the choke on once, and then let the choke off and pull again.  I use husky bar oil, and husky oil for the gas. I've heard of some of the problems about the new husky's burning up or locking up the motor and decided this was a cheap precaution. 

Complaints against the saw, to date I have none. 

Complaints against Stihl chain, excessive stretch.  I don't know why and my fault or not I did NOT have this problem with Husky chain. 
Old Age and Treachery will outperform Youth and Inexperence. The thing is, getting older is starting to be painful.

beenthere

fishhuntcutwood
Seems it shouldn't do any more damage to the saw other than whatever damage is caused to the chain teeth.  If rental charge is less than the cost of a chain, then go rental as long as they don't charge for a ruined chain (wouldn't know why that wouldn't be built into the cost of renting).  ::)

cktate
Have always run Stihl chain, and don't recall them 'stretching' a lot when using. But maybe I need to pay more attention.  :)

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

OneWithWood

If you are stretching the chain I would check that the bar lube is doingits job and that you do not have the chain too tight.  A tight hot chain will stretch if you shut down for the day and do not loosen it up.

Experience is a great teacher.  I know this to be true.  ;)

Oh, yeah, pinching the chain in a cut will stretch the chain much faster than anything else.
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

fishhuntcutwood

Quote from: beenthere on October 18, 2005, 10:17:52 AM
fishhuntcutwood
Seems it shouldn't do any more damage to the saw other than whatever damage is caused to the chain teeth.  If rental charge is less than the cost of a chain, then go rental as long as they don't charge for a ruined chain (wouldn't know why that wouldn't be built into the cost of renting).  ::)

Very true.  However, if those poles are coked enough you can get that stuff on your saw-the clutch, the bar, the rim, oiler hole and so on.  I've seen it make a real mess out of a saw.

Jeff
MS 200T
MS 361
044
440 Mag
460 Mag
056 MII
660 Mag

Chris J

I used to drive past a place where they creasole (sp?) treated the poles, just outside of Conroe, TX.  It stank to high heaven, and the last time I drove by there it was an EPA toxic waste site waiting for clean-up.  I wouldn't want to breathe saw dust contaminated with creasole.
Certified Amateur Chainsaw Tinkerer.  If sucess is built on failure, then one day I'll live on the top of Mt. Everest.

Thank You Sponsors!