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Chainsaw Speed Cutting Races.

Started by HolmenTree, January 26, 2014, 04:27:39 PM

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HolmenTree

I have been organizing, sponsoring and running chainsaw competitions for our local February winter festival for over 15 years now.
I built a portable stage / parade float with generators, P.A. system and log stands built in.
I have over $2000 in prize money plus 3 Husqvarna saws up for grabs for the men's and women's speed cutting races with a carving competition alongside. This is my yearly advertising budget for my tree service company.

Here's a sample of my 4 hour competition. It was a cold day and these 2 Husqvarna 550XPs were having issues with the -30 below C weather at the start of the men's and women's races. I'll be installing their pre-heater winter kits this year.
At the start of the video you'll notice my camera man can't spell "competition". :D
I'm on the microphone.

http://youtu.be/vx_fF0Ofa9U


Here's one more with the carvers and men/women speed cutter winners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jLeXCclO6E&feature=yout
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

martyinmi

Awesome!!!!! 8)

I'm sure it takes a LOT of organizational skills to pull something like that off.
No God, No Peace
Know God, Know Peace!

clww

Great post, Holmen!
It really looked cold, too. :)
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

HolmenTree

Thanks guys, 
Yeah it can be trying some years organizing this but it sure is worth it. A lot of fun and breaks up our winters nice, days are getting longer by this period in mid February too.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

HolmenTree

To add to my last post.
You may notice us directors wearing pink jerseys for our 2013 festival......was used to promote breast cancer awareness.
I'm sure glad we're getting a different color this year, even the women said the pink was a little "too pink" . :D
You can check out my webpage on our festive site.
Click on "welcome/enter".  Then click on "chainsaw events" on next pages left hand panel.
www.trappersfestival.com
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Oliver1655

Great Stuff!  Giving back to your community & helping to preserve / promote chainsaw crafts / safety / skills, in a fun atmosphere, what more can I say?

I like your trailer.  How tall are the cant support posts.  8" tubing?

I noticed all the cuts were from the top instead of the top/bottom/top I am use to seeing.  I am guessing for safety with novice cutters.
John

Stihl S-08s (x2), Stihl S10 (x2), Jonsered CS2139T, Husqvarna 338XPT California, Poulan Microvibe XXV, Poulan WoodShark, Poulan Pro 42cc, McCulloch Mini-Mac 6 (x2), Van Ruder Hydraulic Tractor Chainsaw

HolmenTree

Quote from: Oliver1655 on January 27, 2014, 06:34:29 AM
Great Stuff!  Giving back to your community & helping to preserve / promote chainsaw crafts / safety / skills, in a fun atmosphere, what more can I say?

I like your trailer.  How tall are the cant support posts.  8" tubing?

I noticed all the cuts were from the top instead of the top/bottom/top I am use to seeing.  I am guessing for safety with novice cutters.
Thanks Oliver, its a great way for the community members to break up their winter and promote some fun that's for sure.
Off hand I don't have the measurements but about knee high for sure. I once had standing block chop and bowsaw/ crosscut sawing on these stands too. Yes their about 8" tubing with cargo 4" strap winches welded to the sides.
All down cuts is a little safer and helps eliminate "cutting out" disqualifications with the amount of novices I have.

  

 
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

trapper

Just followed your link and the temp in the pas is a couple degrees warmer than by me right now.
Marv
stihl ms241cm ms261cm  echo 310 400 suzuki  log arch made by stepson several logrite tools woodmizer LT30

HolmenTree

Quote from: trapper on January 27, 2014, 04:40:49 PM
Just followed your link and the temp in the pas is a couple degrees warmer than by me right now.
Marv
It's been -30C all day but the wind is in the -40 or colder range. Bright sunny day though.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Andyshine77

Really nice setup you have there!! Thanks for sharing.
Andre.

HolmenTree

Quote from: Andyshine77 on January 27, 2014, 05:28:52 PM
Really nice setup you have there!! Thanks for sharing.
Your welcome Andy. I'm just throwing some ideas out there, also hopefully anyone reading this thread will come up here to The Pas, Manitoba next month to enter my contests. :)
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Spike60

Really enjoyed that.

Thanks for sharing!  :)
Husqvarna-Jonsered
Ashokan Turf and Timber
845-657-6395

HolmenTree

Quote from: Spike60 on January 27, 2014, 06:46:06 PM
Really enjoyed that.

Thanks for sharing!  :)
Your welcome Spike60.
There was one woman competitor who almost took the clutch out of the one 550XP. She actually had lots of experience with a saw but being her 1st time at the competition she just couldn't settle down. She was up first for the womens event and the saws cooled down since last running in the men's giving her a hard time with that cold saw.
Check out the video at the 6:35 mark , she's the woman in the red coat. The opposite lady in black took first overall in the women's competition .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otg2i2DkT1Q&feature=you
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

CR888

Hi guys this is the first time l have participated on FF. I like the 'tone' of this place and have been reading threads on here for quite a while as l enjoy all things chainsaw. Now Mr. Holmen, YOU are one of the main reasons l signed up. I really enjoy your posts and have benefited from your experiences (l stole one of mums golf balls and drilled a 'holmen' in it to assist my filing). I just wanted to say thanks....Colin

HolmenTree

Quote from: CR888 on January 27, 2014, 09:25:19 PM
Hi guys this is the first time l have participated on FF. I like the 'tone' of this place and have been reading threads on here for quite a while as l enjoy all things chainsaw. Now Mr. Holmen, YOU are one of the main reasons l signed up. I really enjoy your posts and have benefited from your experiences (l stole one of mums golf balls and drilled a 'holmen' in it to assist my filing). I just wanted to say thanks....Colin
Hey that's real nice Colin  smiley_clapping And welcome to Forestry Forum
It's a real nice forum isn't it? Real easy going folk on here.
Post lots of pics, once you catch on the gallery here it's a piece of cake.

Willard.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

lumberjack48

All i had to do with any saw at -40 is put a little Heet in the gas, i've see the throat on the carb freeze shut.

I was logging next to a friend of mine, it was about -30. I seen him packing up for the day, i waved him over to see why he was leaving. He had 4 Huskys, they had all quit running. He said i think i'm going to have to buy Stihl, your saws are running good. I told him it has nothing to do with the make of the saw, its the cold weather, put a little heet in your gas. He was back to work, and a happy camper i told him.

The Husky's their sawing with sure don't seem to be getting it done
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

HolmenTree

Quote from: lumberjack48 on February 05, 2014, 03:42:30 PM
All i had to do with any saw at -40 is put a little Heet in the gas, i've see the throat on the carb freeze shut.

I was logging next to a friend of mine, it was about -30. I seen him packing up for the day, i waved him over to see why he was leaving. He had 4 Huskys, they had all quit running. He said i think i'm going to have to buy Stihl, your saws are running good. I told him it has nothing to do with the make of the saw, its the cold weather, put a little heet in your gas. He was back to work, and a happy camper i told him.

The Husky's their sawing with sure don't seem to be getting it done
lumberjack48, in my video the only time those little 50cc Huskies had troubles with the cold was right at the start of both the mens and womens races. It was 30 below and the saws just needed to cut a few cookies to get them limbered up.
As a matter of fact those 550XP Auto Tunes were cutting their very first piece of wood in the video. Right out of the box brand spanking new and on top of that they didn't have their winter kits installed either.
Pretty good advertising I'd say for Husqvarna, that video only showed a 1/4 of the competitors who ran those saws steady for over 3 hours. And they were punished hard. :D
This year I'm putting their winter covers on and open up the heat window to the carb.

I remember back in the winter of 1980 when I was logging with a Jonsereds 621 and 910. I bought the Stihl 038 which was just introduced on the market, I quickly found out the 038 was the better summer saw and the Jonsereds for the winter.
Trouble with the 038 was with its thermal efficient rubber intake manifold  wasn't keeping the carb warm like the Jonsereds did with their solid cylinder to carb setup.
I tried heet or gasoline antifreeze once in my saws and found the alcohol destroyed the carb diaphrams and crank seals, some of the other guys who were using it were getting lean seizures like crazy.
The only good solution was to cover up the lower part of the rewind housing or more depending how cold it was, and get heat from the cylinder back to the carb.
90% of the wood we felled was spruce and in the winter with snow in them we had to be very careful not to get snow sucked into the saw. 


Making a living with a saw since age 16.

shelbycharger400

Heat is no longer needed due to all the ethanol in the fuel.  Winter time I run pump 87 but when it gets above 75 that junk boils so I use 92 un oxygenated .  I'm running a 630 and 670 jonsered.  They out perform and run higher rpm than my buddy's 70 jonsereds.

Red Good

That is just too funny , I spent 3 years working in The Pas for your major sponsor !! Northland Leisure , a couple of friends of mine had taken over RAG and I worked for them for a bit and then I went to work for Robbie .Some of my best professional memories are working there and for him , learned a ton from him . Lived in a cabin on the Eastside of Rocky Lake for a while and later rented a house in town . Good times at the Festival as well . Thanks for the videos looks very professional . Red
Stihl 211C saw
Massey 135 deisel tractor with a front loader
Can Am 800 max quad
2001 Chev S10 pick me up
Home made log arch

HolmenTree

The 70 Jonsereds was a solid built classic late '70s saw but they were no hotrod . The Husky design 630/670 were fine saws . I loved my 630 back in the day, even in today standards..
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

HolmenTree

Quote from: Red Good on February 06, 2014, 07:22:16 PM
That is just too funny , I spent 3 years working in The Pas for your major sponsor !! Northland Leisure , a couple of friends of mine had taken over RAG and I worked for them for a bit and then I went to work for Robbie .Some of my best professional memories are working there and for him , learned a ton from him . Lived in a cabin on the Eastside of Rocky Lake for a while and later rented a house in town . Good times at the Festival as well . Thanks for the videos looks very professional . Red
Wow what a small world Red!
Rob V. no longer runs NorthLand Leisure, my sponsor Trevor [new owner took over about 5 years ago] , he dropped the Harley D  dealership as well. To let others know here. our area sports some of the best lake trout and walleye fishing on the planet. Rocky Lake is a great lake. Too bad for our tourist industry that our $ has been so high for years and the recession you folks experienced down south.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Red Good

He used to stop and see me in Regina when he was riding thru , and I talked to him and Shirley both about a month ago . It really is a very small world . I really miss the fishing in a big way . :} :}
Stihl 211C saw
Massey 135 deisel tractor with a front loader
Can Am 800 max quad
2001 Chev S10 pick me up
Home made log arch

lumberjack48

I used duck tape for my winter kit, covered half the rewind and taped the gap between the air cleaner and head, and a cap full of heet in 2 1/2 gals, never had a carb or cylinder issue. I spent my first 8 yrs strip cutting with snow up to the arm pits in some swamps.

On the 034, 044, i found out leaving the window closed between the carb and head i had no icing up in that area. This is my experience running Stihl 8 winters.

If i wasn't in this shape I'd be at the contest. A good sawing contest makes my teeth tickle. ;D
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

HolmenTree

Quote from: lumberjack48 on February 08, 2014, 04:47:18 PM
If i wasn't in this shape I'd be at the contest. A good sawing contest makes my teeth tickle. ;D
It would be real nice to have you up here for the festival lumberjack48.

Yesterday I got my 2 timbers or cants as some people call them milled up for next weekends contest. I made them 10"X14"-16 ft long to give those little Husky 550XP's some extra wood to chew on.
Not the best milling day, close to -40 below windchill had me wearing a wool balaclava under my helmet and muffs.
I had both the Husky 395XP and Stihl 090AV each with their turn on the mill. The 395 with .404 square ground chisel bit chain and the 090 with round filed .404 chisel full skip.
The square ground really impressed me seeing this is the 1st time I've milled with it. The 395 was keeping up with the 090 in speed plus the square held an edge way better then the round filed and a smoother finish. I'll never mill again with round filed.


  

  

  

  

 
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

HolmenTree

Well another winter festival is done for another year. Everything went well despite the -39 below windchill from out of the north west which did cut my entries and audience by half from last year. But still had 26 men and 11 women who braved the elements to compete in last weekend's competition.
Here's some pics starting with loading my cants ,entering the festival's opening parade with my float then my family hamming it up for the camera and then onto the competition. Three Husqvarna 435's and $2000 in cash was awarded for the 4 hr competition.
Four of my photos are upside side down and I tried all morning to rotate them but no success . When our festival photographer has my videos ready I'll post them in due time.


  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

mad murdock

Quote from: HolmenTree on February 09, 2014, 01:57:10 PM
Quote from: lumberjack48 on February 08, 2014, 04:47:18 PM
If i wasn't in this shape I'd be at the contest. A good sawing contest makes my teeth tickle. ;D
It would be real nice to have you up here for the festival lumberjack48.

Yesterday I got my 2 timbers or cants as some people call them milled up for next weekends contest. I made them 10"X14"-16 ft long to give those little Husky 550XP's some extra wood to chew on.
Not the best milling day, close to -40 below windchill had me wearing a wool balaclava under my helmet and muffs.
I had both the Husky 395XP and Stihl 090AV each with their turn on the mill. The 395 with .404 square ground chisel bit chain and the 090 with round filed .404 chisel full skip.
The square ground really impressed me seeing this is the 1st time I've milled with it. The 395 was keeping up with the 090 in speed plus the square held an edge way better then the round filed and a smoother finish. I'll never mill again with round filed.


  

  

  

  

 
Nice looking mill job HT!!  Can you provide a close up and a pic or PN of the file used?  This to me is VERY interesting!!!
Thanks 8)
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

HolmenTree

Here's a pic of my Windsor chisel bit files m Murdock. The last of the best quality chisel bit files on the planet made right here in Canada. As the one pic shows stamped Dec. 21 1984, notice the perfect straight edge on the file's corners.... try and find that today.
Also figured out how to rotate my earlier competition pics of the speed cutting contest, a young "quite as a church mouse school teacher" who took first place in the women's speed cut event and Jim Niedermayer who won the carving event in 40 below and under 4 hours.................full moon and bright sunshine. :laugh:


  

  

  

  

  

 

Making a living with a saw since age 16.

shelbycharger400

HolmenTree.   How old is that bar on that saw with the "different" setup with the bar tip.  Never seen one quite like that, almost like you can just replace the roller tip, not the whole nose assembly. Ive never seen one with a multipiece round rivited to the nose for the roller bearing.

thecfarm

I went to a saw demo once in the rain. Had 3-4 diffeant mills to look at. That kept the ones that did not really care about sawing away. I expect the same way with the temps you had.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

HolmenTree

Quote from: thecfarm on February 19, 2014, 04:19:40 PM
I went to a saw demo once in the rain. Had 3-4 diffeant mills to look at. That kept the ones that did not really care about sawing away. I expect the same way with the temps you had.
I will say a commercial grade chainsaw powerhead will run in any conditions whether it's 40 below or 110 above temps. And as my Alaskan Mark IV chainsaw mill shows it is the most simple and reliable design out there. Well proven since Grandberg introduced this design way back 50 years ago.
I also have to say my Husqvarna 395XP proved to perform better in 40 below temps then my Stihl 090AV "Jungle Saw".
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

HolmenTree

Quote from: shelbycharger400 on February 19, 2014, 04:12:46 PM
HolmenTree.   How old is that bar on that saw with the "different" setup with the bar tip.  Never seen one quite like that, almost like you can just replace the roller tip, not the whole nose assembly. Ive never seen one with a multipiece round rivited to the nose for the roller bearing.
shelbycharger400,  that bar nose setup I fabricated myself. I took a 1960's era Oregon 2 7/8" roller nose and attached it to a Stihl 36" sprocket nose bar. The rivet holes almost lined up perfect with a little drill bit reaming. Only had to use a 4 1/2" angle grinder, drill press and a hack saw. :)
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

mad murdock

Thanks for elaborating HolmenTree on the file particulars.  So I am guessing from the earlier pic, when you square file, you are keeping the file almost parallel to the top plate of the cutter?  and the files are sized by the cross section size of the square? I do quite a bit of milling with my saws, and anything to get a quicker cut and a longer lasting edge, I'm there! 
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

HolmenTree

Best advice I can give you Murdock is file lightly to "feel" the contour of the pre ground chisel bit chain. Took me many years of practice to get it right . The important thing is the proper working corner and side plate angle with no beaks.
There are several jigs on the market that can guide square filing. But what I have learned for the first timer they should just use a bench mount chisel bit grinder to do the job. With factory spec angles the chisel bit grind holds a superior long lasting  edge.   
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

mad murdock

Thanks again HolmenTree!  I have hand filed with a round file for nigh on 40 years, I will get ahold of some squre files and give it a go.  I have a pretty good idea what you are talking about.  I have sharpened, all kinds of cutting edges by hand, lance tooth crosscuts, Diston style crosscuts, rip saws, small circle blades, etc etc.  an old millwright sawfiler friend of mine showed me the ropes before he passed on a few years back.  I am kind of excited at the prospects of better milling, not that I have been doing bad as it is, quite to the contrary, but always looking for ways to improve my technique.  Thanks again!
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

HolmenTree

I'm still waiting for my festival photographer and website moderator  to finish making up a video from the vast number of photos they have to work with. With them being volunteers and having full time jobs to dedicate to things do take a little longer.

But in the meantime I would like to talk about the fuel I used in the competition's supplied Husqvarna 550XPs. This is the first time I ran these saws on Husqvarna's 95 octane canned fuel mix which is available here in Canada.
I'm totally sold on this product and can only say is "why did it take this long to get the quality and convenience this fuel has to offer?"

In my picture below this Husqvarna 125 blower I tried to use in -40 below weather to blow some snow off my competition stage, it had fresh premium 92 octane gas with Stihl full synthetic mix in it. At this low outdoor temperature the blower would not rev to full wide open throttle and had a hard time idling even after repeated warm ups.
So I dumped out the gas and poured in the canned Husqvarna fuel, after a short warm up the blower revved up to W.O.T. and worked for 5 straight minutes  getting the job done and after that idled perfectly.
I was even more impressed how strong the 550XPs ran throughout the competition. As the back of the can says "stays fresh for 3 years".


    
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Bandmill Bandit

Good job on your marketing system, HolmenTree!

Have you ever tried Using Av Gas for your saws? i use #2 Av Gas Most of the time. I buy it at the airport 5 gallons at a time and mix it with the husky synthetic oil a gallon at time. I think the #2 Av Gas is 100 octane. might be 98 but it works extremely well I find. A 5 Imp gallon can costs me just over 30 bucks plus the mix oil.
Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, 2 Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a bunch of stuff I built myself

HolmenTree

Quote from: Bandmill Bandit on February 24, 2014, 04:27:32 PM
Good job on your marketing system, HolmenTree!

Have you ever tried Using Av Gas for your saws? i use #2 Av Gas Most of the time. I buy it at the airport 5 gallons at a time and mix it with the husky synthetic oil a gallon at time. I think the #2 Av Gas is 100 octane. might be 98 but it works extremely well I find. A 5 Imp gallon can costs me just over 30 bucks plus the mix oil.
Yes I used AV gas for years and it worked well for me, but the only trouble is now that I'm 56 years old I'm very particular about my health and no longer want to breath in the hazardous lead content the AV gas gives off when burned.
With these handy Husqvarna canned fuel there's no lead, no moisture absorbtion  and no mixing to worry about. I heard one fellow  chainsaw collector from Sweden by the name of Magnus saying he's got saws that have this fuel sitting  in them for 10 years and still run perfect with no degradation.   
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Bandmill Bandit

Very Interesting to say the least. I know my local dealer doesn't carry it and i have been told that there is a new AV Gas that will not contain lead that is supposed to be available some time this spring. Apparently there are some new aviation engines that are starting to be used that are lead free gas friendly. Guess we will have to see.

How much does the mix you buy cost and what is the largest container available?
Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, 2 Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a bunch of stuff I built myself

Andyshine77

Sounds like the reid vapor pressure was too low for the temperatures at the time. The canned fuels have more stable vapor pressures, so they can run well in both cold and hot environments. I've used VP's SEF, Stihl's canned fuel and True-Fuel. They all work about the same, other than the Stihl mix smelling bad. The problem is the high cost it you burn gallon after gallon. 
Andre.

HolmenTree

Thanks for your input guys. My dealer is just new at selling this stuff and looking at getting larger quantities , but for now only in 1 quart cans at $9 CDN. Pricy but premium gas at the pump here is over $6 gal plus another $4 for the Stihl Ultra mix.
I have had a lot of my Stihl mixed gas go stale and ended up pouring it out into my stump grinders tank. Some of my saws like my 338XPT and 395XP that I don't use as much as my other saws could use this canned fuel.

My dealer says large companies and fire departments who have saws on hand are buying up this canned fuel for ease of storing and no more worries about mixing up batches in gas cans.
There is a distributer in B.C by the name of Mike Acres who sells similar fuel in drums called Aspen, same stuff sold in Europe.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

celliott

At college, (Paul Smiths) the forestry department uses the SEF fuel. They have a large number of saws that get used alot some of the year, and then sit unused for a longer period of time.
They buy 50 gallon drums of the fuel, both mixed gas for the 2 strokes, and the SEF 4 stroke fuel for other equipment.
Carburetor problems dropped significantly after they switched to the "good gas".
Chris Elliott

Clark 666C cable skidder
Husqvarna and Jonsered pro saws
265rx clearing saw
Professional maple tubing installer and maple sugaring worker, part time logger

HolmenTree

Bumping this thread.
I just got back from winter holidays and don't have my new videos and photos from our 2014 winter festival chainsaw events yet.
So thought I'd post some World Championship Dog Race videos from our previous winter festivals  for a little entertainment :)

http://youtu.be/ENprL2IjzLc
http://youtu.be/_eNl0a0SB1c
http://youtu.be/0pPQNMA9Tto
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

HolmenTree

I thought I'd bump this old thread as I just got a photo today of last February's winter festival chainsaw competition.
Where my last post left off  from February  2014 I was waiting for our festival committee photographer and website moderator to  supply new photos and videos. Well at the time the school where this person taught as a teacher was severily damaged by a fire.
Most of his data on his computer was lost so for the last 2 years promotion of my event came to a stand still.
Anyways I did get one pic today from my competition last February . As it shows it was a bright sunny day but the strong north wind was producing a chilly -55 F. below windchill. Notice the  cloud of frost from the pulp mill in the distance and the wind blowing the stage back wall.
We're a tough bunch and about 30 competitors still showed up and we had a  competition.
Here I am on stage as the master of ceremonies  between 2 women running Husqvarna 550XP's . Little saws ran perfect through out the  afternoon in the frozen spruce 8"×8".


 
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Ada Shaker

Hey they were great.
Not really a fair competition. That mountain lumberjack had one leg longer than the other, that stage should have had a slope on it to compensate for him. Maybe next time :D.
If it hangs to the left, your likely to be a Husqvarna man.
If it hangs to the right, your likely to be a Stihl man.
Anything else is an uncomfortable compromise.
                             AND
Walking with one foot on either side of a barbed wire fence can become extremely uncomfortable at times.

HolmenTree

Quote from: Ada Shaker on September 06, 2015, 07:14:29 AM
Hey they were great.
Not really a fair competition. That mountain lumberjack had one leg longer than the other, that stage should have had a slope on it to compensate for him. Maybe next time :D.
Nope those were both women, only difference one is over 6 foot 3 inch.

BTW  you must be the new kid on the block here, welcome to our fine site.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

HolmenTree

Quote from: HolmenTree on September 06, 2015, 04:30:51 AM
As it shows it was a bright sunny day but the strong north wind was producing a chilly -55 F. below windchill.


 
I got my temperatures backwards, darn metric conversion.
Wind chill was -55 Celsius  or -67 F. Below.   :o

I got some awfully tough competitors as most of them like to get the best handle on the saws with bare hands.......no the 550XP's  have no heated handles or carbs. ;D
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

sawguy21

Please keep those temperatures in the north where they belong, I have had enough of that. :D I watched a lumberjack competition at our local fair on Thursday, nowhere near as professionally run. It was a bit hokey, a lot of theatrics by the m/c and competitors. Much like monster truck racing, the kids were impressed. ::) Still fun to watch, it was the first I have seen live.
They had two guys with 372XPs, one piped. He was given a one cut handicap but still smoked the stock saw, that thing was fast and LOUD. I didn't stay for the climbing.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Pine Ridge

Holmentree you all up north are alot tougher than i am. If the weather got that cold here the only thing moving would be a snowplow , that is if it would start ! Sounds like you all have a good time at the competition, i wish we had something like that here, it would be fun.
Husqvarna 550xp , 2- 372xp and a 288xp, Chevy 4x4 winch truck

HolmenTree

Thanks Pine Ridge. It's not always that cold here in winter ,but when it does look out.
With snow on the ground here from November  to the end of March the Winter Festival in mid February is a nice break.
Summers can be tough here too, highs of 110F with lots of humidity
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Ada Shaker

Quote from: HolmenTree on September 06, 2015, 11:05:29 AM
Quote from: Ada Shaker on September 06, 2015, 07:14:29 AM
Hey they were great.
Not really a fair competition. That mountain lumberjack had one leg longer than the other, that stage should have had a slope on it to compensate for him. Maybe next time :D.
Nope those were both women, only difference one is over 6 foot 3 inch.

BTW  you must be the new kid on the block here, welcome to our fine site.
:D :D :D
Thanx Holmen.
BTW That's one butchy looking sheila over there with the clog hoppers, at the 4:15min mark. The one that looks like the flying Dutchman. The one I think your referring to should have been disqualified, she looks like she's on stilts  splitwood_smiley it is a wood chop comp right?. The idea I suggested about putting the stage on a slope for those mountainous cutting flying Dutchman lumberjacks was just a little light hearted humour. You can't cut strait if you have one leg longer than the other on flat land, all your cuts end up all crooked, you have to to go back up the mountain where the longer leg compensates for the slope. Perhaps that stage should be both tilting and height adjustable to accommodate all sorts, or if you wanna lower the river then just make the lumber adjustable. :D
If it hangs to the left, your likely to be a Husqvarna man.
If it hangs to the right, your likely to be a Stihl man.
Anything else is an uncomfortable compromise.
                             AND
Walking with one foot on either side of a barbed wire fence can become extremely uncomfortable at times.

Ada Shaker

Quote from: HolmenTree on January 26, 2014, 04:27:39 PM
I have been organizing, sponsoring and running chainsaw competitions for our local February winter festival for over 15 years now.
I built a portable stage / parade float with generators, P.A. system and log stands built in.
I have over $2000 in prize money plus 3 Husqvarna saws up for grabs for the men's and women's speed cutting races with a carving competition alongside. This is my yearly advertising budget for my tree service company.

Here's a sample of my 4 hour competition. It was a cold day and these 2 Husqvarna 550XPs were having issues with the -30 below C weather at the start of the men's and women's races. I'll be installing their pre-heater winter kits this year.
At the start of the video you'll notice my camera man can't spell "competition". :D
I'm on the microphone.

http://youtu.be/vx_fF0Ofa9U


Here's one more with the carvers and men/women speed cutter winners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jLeXCclO6E&feature=yout

Hi Holmen.
Just noticed you said that the two huskys 550 xp were having issues in the cold -30 -40 degree temps, on the day and you were looking at putting winter kits on. Was just wondering if you were experiecing similar issues with the more mechanical type saws (the less modern ones that dont have so much electrinics in them)?.
The reason I ask it because electronic devices don't usually fair too well in extreem cold or hot temperatures. It's just the nature of the beast. Military grade devices fair somewhat better in varying extreem temps but their designed for that and there are trade-offs in doing so. Generally, comercial grade devices operate well between 0 and 50 degrees C . Military grade quite a bit lower and higher. Putting on the winter kits in my opinion will work well once the saws are warmed up, but it's getting them warmed up first. I think you have a great opportunity to see what works best under the extreem cold conditions in which you live in. Those little electronic boards in the chainsaw really should be brought up to a nice operating temperature prior to starting, you'll probably find they'll start really well once the above freezing temps. Thermal electric blanket? Heated box? Exhaust from truck heating up a chamber? You know your enviroment better than I do and what you have at your disposal. You could even try starting the saws at different temps and see what works best. The winter kits would hopefully keep the saws warm while in operation, but put down for to long the bords will get cold again quickly. I dunno, maybe a stage warming box to help keep them in temp. Just trying to help if your having cold starting issues in extreeme cold conditions. Just food for thought, and good luck, I think your doing great job and a wonderfull thing putting in back to the community.
If it hangs to the left, your likely to be a Husqvarna man.
If it hangs to the right, your likely to be a Stihl man.
Anything else is an uncomfortable compromise.
                             AND
Walking with one foot on either side of a barbed wire fence can become extremely uncomfortable at times.

HolmenTree

Thanks for your input Ada Shaker, as the video shows the first man up with his 550XP having issues .
The saw wasn't in full warmup mode yet as it hadn't made its first cut in the log yet and of course the winter kits weren't installed. That was February 2013
Here's pics from race day February 2014 were we had a 40 below windchill cutting 10"x14" spruce I milled with the 395XP. The 550'with the kits installed and each with 5 minutes of warmup at WOT.
These saws are available with heated carbs and handles, something I'll look into the future.

  

 
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Ada Shaker

Just realised the trailer converts into the stage. Love the idea, was wondering why someone would have such a trailer to carry wood. Do you collect many light poles going around street corners with that thing??????.

On a different note, if you don't mind my asking, with the cold weather up there, how difficult is it to get those modern chainsaw huskys 550xp i think they were, started in those freezing conditions from cold???. Just asking because iv'e been doing a little bit of research regarding discrete electronic devices and currently there are more grades available than there used to be. My cookbooks are over 20 years old and i don't delve in them much any more. basically the categories are now Domestic Grade/Commercial Grade, Industrial Grade, Automotive Grade, Military & Aero-space Grade. So these modern chainsaw may be a little more robust than i had initially anticipated. Depending at what cold temperatures these chainsaws start well at, may be an indicator what grade electronic components they carry??? It'll be interesting to find out.
If it hangs to the left, your likely to be a Husqvarna man.
If it hangs to the right, your likely to be a Stihl man.
Anything else is an uncomfortable compromise.
                             AND
Walking with one foot on either side of a barbed wire fence can become extremely uncomfortable at times.

HolmenTree

These 550XP's start very easy even at freezing temps well below -60 Celsius.
Of any gasoline powered hand tools manufactured today I can't  think of anything more durable and reliable as a chainsaw.
So we don't have to ramble on about military  grade, aerospace grade.........chainsaws are what they are, backed up with close to 100 years of product research and development behind them ;)
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Ada Shaker

Quote from: HolmenTree on September 08, 2015, 01:54:50 AM
These 550XP's start very easy even at freezing temps well below -60 Celsius.
Of any gasoline powered hand tools manufactured today I can't  think of anything more durable and reliable as a chainsaw.
So we don't have to ramble on about military  grade, aerospace grade.........chainsaws are what they are, backed up with close to 100 years of product research and development behind them ;)

Thanx Holmen 8)
If it hangs to the left, your likely to be a Husqvarna man.
If it hangs to the right, your likely to be a Stihl man.
Anything else is an uncomfortable compromise.
                             AND
Walking with one foot on either side of a barbed wire fence can become extremely uncomfortable at times.

HolmenTree

Quote from: HolmenTree on September 06, 2015, 12:03:14 PM
Quote from: HolmenTree on September 06, 2015, 04:30:51 AM
As it shows it was a bright sunny day but the strong north wind was producing a chilly -55 F. below windchill.


 
I got my temperatures backwards, darn metric conversion.
Wind chill was -55 Celsius  or -67 F. Below.   
You think running those Husqvarna 550XP's in this cold is remarkable, trying ice fishing in it and catching fish!
Here's  a pic and little story about our winter festival ice fishing contest, which was held the same time as my chainsaw contest.
It was held down on the Saskatchewan River just behind my stage, it warmed up a little as the author reported -52° below Celcius (-62° below F.)  ......

--Photos MUST be in the Forestry Forum gallery!!!!!--/phots/n_madsen/16441178510
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

HolmenTree

Ok to add to my last post

If all else fails, take a photo of the content on the laptop screen :D



  

 
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

HolmenTree

I thought I should bump this old thread for Spike 60 about how well these 550XP saws handle -50 to -67 below F.

My competition is a go again for this February's Northern Manitoba Trappers Festival Logger Sports.
We have a new Husqvarna dealer who is taking over sponsorship.
Using the same 550XP's since February 2013.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

DelawhereJoe

Just for fun you should run your 261 against  your 550 to see who cuts best on those cold days in that nice clean log beam.
WD-40, DUCT TAPE, 024, 026, 362c-m, 041, homelite xl, JD 2510

HolmenTree

Quote from: DelawhereJoe on January 15, 2018, 11:22:53 AM
Just for fun you should run your 261 against  your 550 to see who cuts best on those cold days in that nice clean log beam.
You just gave me an idea Joe thanks. :D
Yes after the competition I'll keep my timekeepers on hand and I'll run my MS261 and 550Xp in the left over log.

My Husqvarna sponsor may not like to see the 261 win though Hahaha.
I'll make sure the audience are all gone and I'll get it out on a YouTube video.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

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