Husky Chain vs Oregon

[hlhill]

I have a relatively new Husky 460 (60cc) with a 20" bar and 20" Husky Chain.
After using it only a short time I had to run the adjustment screw all the way to the end...and the chain is still loose. I took the Husky chain off and put an Oregon chain on...I can now tighten the chain and still have room to go on the adjustment screw. The drive sprocket is still almost like new...so that is not the issue.

Anyone experienced this problem?

I have been told to have a link removed from the chain. Is that a solution...or does that create other issues? Maybe the best solution is to toss the Husky chain and stick to Oregon!

[RSteiner]

I have two Husky's and I did not care for the Husky chain at all.  To the the truth I like Stihl chain better than any I have tried.  Oregon makes a good chain but it is easier for me to get Stihl loops.

Randy

[Cut4fun]

Count your drive links from both chains. Chains stretch and wear, more so if run dull.

Husky chain = Oregon chain, all I have seen is same.

[nmurph]

if you want a chain that does not stretch, get a stihl.

[SawTroll]

Count your drive links from both chains. Chains stretch and wear, more so if run dull.

Husky chain = Oregon chain, all I have seen is same.

I agree, all Husky chain is Oregon - but there aren't a Husky branded version of every Oregon chain model.
   
There is basically nothing wrong with Oregon made chain, so there have to be another reason for the problem! 

As you surely know (this is for the OP), chain really doesn't stretch, but it can get longer temporarily when hot - and the rivet holes can wear, and do so quite fast on new chain. If the dl count is correct, you shouldn't run out of adjustment because of that, with a Husky or Oregon chain (or a Stihl one).

[Gary_C]

As you surely know (this is for the OP), chain really doesn't stretch, but it can get longer temporarily when hot

I must be one of (the OP) because I don't know that. And I do know that all of the new chains that I put on for the first time are slightly longer after the first use and I am absolutely sure it is not from wear nor do I keep them hot for the second time I put them on the bar. After the first use, they generally do not get longer unless they get abused.

And I use anywhere from 20 to 40 new chains per year and every one of them will stretch on the very first use.

[nmurph]

it doesn't stretch, per se. there is some wear in the rivet pins and holes, and the links do elongate slightly. think chilling cranks to get bearings to fit, multiplied many times. chain makers warn not to leave hot chains tight on a saw when you are done cutting. this is because the chain contracts and puts pressure on the clutch and crank.

[RSteiner]

Just a theory on "chain stretch".  I wonder if the first adjustment that is necessary on a new chain is due more to the "breaking in" or "wearing in" of the parts of chain that ride along the bar.  Most of the chain parts are punched at some point in their manufacturing which leaves a slight rolled edge.  This edge would wear off fairly quick leaving the appearance of a stretched or longer chain. 

No doubt there is some of this "breaking in" happening with the rivets and holes which could account for a slightly longer looking chain and a looseness not seen in a new chain.  Put both together and you need to adjust a new chain a little more frequently until the "break in" period is over.  Add an over heating and you got another dimension.

Just a theory at this point, but it seems to make sense to me at the time.

Randy

[Al_Smith]

 :D Another chain thread .The great debate still goes on with renewed vigor .

Stihl branded chain is most likely the best on the market .It should be because it's the most expensive . It's been said that Stihl chain is assembled after the cutters have been ground instead of like Oregon where the assembly is done first then ground .

According to info on the subject this grinding after assembley allows some grinding grit to work on the rivet holes and links causing some initial stretch .Weather that info is factual I really don't know but it makes sense .

[sablatnic]

Al is right about the Stihl chain. The cutters are ground before the chain is assembled. And the rivets are hardened and the holes are honed. Not a rumour, I've been there and seen it. But was not allowed to shoot any pictures.

[RSteiner]

Al is right about the Stihl chain. The cutters are ground before the chain is assembled. And the rivets are hardened and the holes are honed. Not a rumour, I've been there and seen it. But was not allowed to shoot any pictures.

My experience has been that Stihl chain needs less adjustment in the begining than Oregon and the reason could be because of how they make it and put it together.  I don't know if the machining or assembly procedures are the same with the other brands so it's only an assumption at this point. 

I know you have to watch out for those assumptions.  :

Randy

[Cut4fun]

I still think OP needs to count the DL between the 2 chains. Might be off by just 1 link. I know if I try and put a 60 on my 59 dl bar it runs out of adjustment too.

[Rocky_J]

A brand new Stihl chain will be longer than a brand new Oregon chain of the same size and link count. The Stihl chain is claimed to be 'pre stretched' whereas the Oregon chain will stretch a bit in the first use. Stihl drive links and rivets are also much heavier and harder. When breaking and spinning loops of Oregon chain it feels like tin foil compared to the Stihl chain.

[Al_Smith]

Actually to the subject I'm not real sure if I've ever seen any Husqvrna branded chain .I'll check on a couple of little 335's I have in the shed when I get a chance .

I made the mistake only once of buying Husky branded bar oil .My goodnes it was about twice the price of Stihl .They certainly were proud of it .

[John Mc]

Actually to the subject I'm not real sure if I've ever seen any Husqvrna branded chain .I'll check on a couple of little 335's I have in the shed when I get a chance .

I've seen Husqvarna chain, it is just rebadged Oregon chain, and they do stamp different numbers on the drive links to match Husky's codes rather than Oregon. If i recall, the fine print on the links reads Husqvarna or some shortended version of that.

[SawTroll]

I've seen Husqvarna chain, it is just rebadged Oregon chain, and they do stamp different numbers on the drive links to match Husky's codes rather than Oregon. If i recall, the fine print on the links reads Husqvarna or some shortended version of that.

Yes - and it is a shortened version.

Actually, the chain seem to stretch for basically two different reasons;

1) New chain "wear in" around the rivets. After a while any irregularity in the river holes is worn away - it still wears, but at a much slower rate. This is permanent.

2) Temporaty "stretch" because the chain gets hotter in use, so the metal expands. The metal will contract again when it gets cooled off - that is why you need to loosen up the tension before storage, on a chain that has been tensioned when hot.

[Frickman]

I have tried Oregon chain now and then down through the years. Many times I was given a free sample to see how I liked it. I didn't. Stihl chain has much better, maybe thicker too, chrome on the cutters. It dulls slower than any other brand. I am a professional cutter and I can't afford to sharpen chains constantly. Over the life of the chain Stihl actually costs me less to buy and use than any other brand. I've used Stihl, Oregon, Windsor, Sabre, you name it, and Stihl is the chain for me.

[Rocky_J]

Thank you, Frickman.  8)  Most people look at me like I have antlers growing out of my ears when I tell them that it's cheaper for me to run Stihl chain. I can keep filing them for months before getting back to the witness marks on the teeth. And they don't stretch out and need constant adjustment like cheaper chains.

[Frickman]

You're welcome RockyJ. I am professional logger and sawyer and I have to produce the maximum amount of wood I can for the minimum cost, and Stihl helps me do that, along with John Deere, Frick, GMC, and a whole host of other fine companies. Sometimes cheap is expensive and expensive is cheap.

[HolmenTree]

Stihl chain is excellent sawchain, you get what you pay for.
Oregon doesn't prestretch their chain but claim to have a new process of tumbling the parts in abrasive before assembly to reduce machining irregularities. I do notice the difference in new Oregon chain stretching less.
Husky chain is Oregon chain, as you notice Oregon's trademark Vibe-Ban arrow on the bottom of the cutters. I honestly think Oregon put a better grade or more chrome on the cutters for Husqvarna, because the Husky chain I do run seems to hold an edge better then my Oregon branded chains.
But then again I use chain made by Oregon Canada, so we may be comparing apples and oranges here from your fellows American sawchain.

Willard.

[Nate Surveyor]

Just a "fer wat it is worth" post.

I use used motor oil, for chain lube. It should be allowed to "settle" first. I pour it into gallon jugs, let it sit for a while, and pour off the top, and waste the sludge. They tell me I should also run it through a sock, or something. But I don't.

But, I can say for sure, that chain stretch is greatly reduced with real motor oil.

I mean, tighten the chain on 2 tanks of gas, instead of 1, or even less.


EPA requires  "soap" in the chain oil. I feel that quality of chain oil has gone down in the last 15 yrs.

Anybody else using used oil?

N

[HolmenTree]

I only tried used oil once and that was 25 yrs ago. My skidder operater had some used differential oil from his skidder that sat for a few months. It looked clean but it didn't take long for it to take the oil pump out on my 920 Jonsered. I guess some filings always stay suspended.

Willard.

[Rocky_J]

Nate,
Chain lube is used through a 'total loss' system. It doesn't have to be great but it does have to stay on the chain as it travels around the tip of the bar in order to lube the bottom side of the bar where all the action is. Bar lube is nothing more than cheap oil with a tackifier added to help keep it from slinging off as fast. Regular motor oil (especially used oil) isn't sticky enough to stay on the chain long enough to provide adequate lubrication where it's needed. Your story about 'soap' in bar lube is something that somebody made up and has no basis in fact. Your idea that regular oil helps your chains stretch less is completely in your mind and has no basis in fact either. Sorry bud, but you've been fed some bad information.

[Cut4fun]

USED   MOTOR OIL  >:(  :

I just replaced a oiler from a heavy firewood cutter. It took just 2-3 years after I told him it would ruin it.
First year I had to clean the filter etc with mix etc to get it working again. This year the metal particles got the best of it. I took pump apart and wear from the dirty oil gets pumped had scratched it all up and wore it out of tolerances till it quit pumping oil.  $41 in parts + shipping  for a almost cant find parts for a Partner 500.

People need to quit being so dang cheap. JMO.

[John Mc]

I honestly think Oregon put a better grade or more chrome on the cutters for Husqvarna, because the Husky chain I do run seems to hold an edge better then my Oregon branded chains.
But then again I use chain made by Oregon Canada, so we may be comparing apples and oranges here from your fellows American sawchain.

Hard to believe that a company that goes to great lengths to build its reputation as a quality manufacturer of chainsaw supplies would put out better chain with someone else's name on it than they would the chain which carries their own name. At the very least, if the Husky chain was a better quality than Oregon's regular chain, you'd think Oregon would offer it as a premium "pro" chain under their own name.

I would be interested to learn if the Canadian chain and US chain are made to the same specs.