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Chains

Started by bandmiller2, August 09, 2015, 07:12:27 AM

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bandmiller2

First things first you never get any body part under a suspended load. Two of my pet peeves are chains that are too big (heavy) and too long, how many times have you watched or yourself struggled with such. I'am not talking about long high carbon truck chains your stuck with them. I take a 20 foot chain and cut it to two or three legnths each with grab hooks handy as a porta pottie. My tractors are all equipped with short chains. I love good quality 1/4" chain and grab hooks, light handy and grab better than heavy chain. If you have a long chain you hate to use cut the varmint into handy legnths with grab hooks. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

Magicman

For log handling I use a 20' chain with a chain hook on one end and a slider hook on the other.  Around the sawmill I have a 10', 6', & 4'.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

drobertson

I've got a 3/8 chain that might need be sectioned up,  it just gets to be a pain at times,  and I too like the 1/4 chains for most apps they get it done.
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

Chuck White

Agreed, I have 3 chains I keep in the truck tool box and they go to the mill with me!

I don't know the exact length, but all 3 of them hooked together will get me about 25 feet.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Kbeitz

I also use a 50ft 1" nylon rope.
The good stuff...


And this...

 



 
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

deadfall

Give me enough rope, chain, and cable, and I'll...

I don't cry when I break a chain.  I buy two more hooks.  I like shorties with a grabber on one end and a slider on the other.  I put a big slide hook at the centers of buckets and forks, and grab hooks on the corners.  I tend to go with 5/16 chain. Happy medium.  3/8 hooks will still grab it. 
W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

============================

Happy for no reason.

YellowHammer

Quote from: deadfall on August 09, 2015, 11:39:45 AM
I tend to go with 5/16 chain. Happy medium.  3/8 hooks will still grab it.

I've switched to 5/16 grade 70, also.  I've got a few long ones, but my workhorse chains are a 5/16, 7 foot long with a slip hook on one side and a chain hook on the other, and a 3/8 chain 8 foot long rigged the same way.  I really like the slip hooks because they will slide and choke a log, and if I'm lucky, I can jiggle the loader bucket and the slip hook will disengage without me having to get out of the cab. 
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

fishfighter

Chains, chains and more chains. What I need are a good set of nylon straps. I keep cutting them with the front loader. >:(

hackberry jake

I had a 3/8 chain once from the harbor. It stretched under load instead of breaking. It made the chain useless because each link squeezed down on the two links it was holding together. It was like trying to uncoil a chainsaw chain. From there on out my chains come from reputable suppliers. I also like 8-10 ft chains. But I like regular hooks on both ends to make them easier to hook together. I use log tongs for grabbing logs.
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

kelLOGg

I have misc chains from 18" to 25', some w/ grab hooks some with slip hooks. Also have cable. It is always a mix and match process for me. The chains are a drag to carry around - no pun intended.
Bob
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

bandmiller2

A handy trick if you have a soft chain that stretches and bound up or you can't fit a pin through the last link, take a big hammer and stand the link on end on an anvel and give it a wack. Be smart though and hold the link with pliers. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

hackberry jake

An old man saw a boy pulling a chain down the road. He stopped and said "boy, why are you pulling that chain?" the boy said "sir, have you ever tried to push one of these things?"
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

justallan1

Depends on what I'm doing is the answer for me. I carry a 5/16"x25' chain with me everywhere I go and can do a lot with it and have several short ones for different things. If I'm pulling logs I use 3/8" chokers that I've made and if I'm picking stuff up or jerking stuff I use nylon slings whenever possible.
I feel that cable or steel rope is the safest way to go for lifting and jerking stuff around, you have a chance of seeing them fail and preventing a major problem unlike chains having a complete failure all at once.
I also have used the HF chains and had them stretch and actually bent links over the edge of a loader bucket. I won't buy one again.

deadfall

Quote from: hackberry jake on August 09, 2015, 11:18:35 PM
An old man saw a boy pulling a chain down the road. He stopped and said "boy, why are you pulling that chain?" the boy said "sir, have you ever tried to push one of these things?"

If you want to push a chain, get one of those HF chains give it a good stretch (as covered above). 
W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

============================

Happy for no reason.

Dixon700

I have a multitude of 5/16" and 3/8" chain. I use very little of 1/4" it just seems to break too easily.  I also have a 30' 5/16" and 100' of 1/2" cable. I also have a couple straps. I've had decent luck with my harbor freight chains I have a few of their 3/8" x 16' chains and while they're still relatively new they've held up well to abuse so far and were only $14.
Ms 460 mag 25" b/c muffler modded 010av  14" b/c
94 case 580sk 04.5 ram 2500

thecfarm

I have six 4 foot chains on my 3 pt logging winch. I use to only have 8 foot chains.I got tired of pulling 4 feet of chain through a chocker. As bandmiller2 said too long is a pet peeve of his.They can be a bother. It's a lot easier now. I only do firewood wood now,so not much big stuff is being cut. Trying to save the big and good stuff for saw logs.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

hackberry jake

Quote from: deadfall on August 10, 2015, 12:53:38 AM
Quote from: hackberry jake on August 09, 2015, 11:18:35 PM
An old man saw a boy pulling a chain down the road. He stopped and said "boy, why are you pulling that chain?" the boy said "sir, have you ever tried to push one of these things?"

If you want to push a chain, get one of those HF chains give it a good stretch (as covered above).

;)
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

YellowHammer

Quote from: hackberry jake on August 09, 2015, 11:18:35 PM
An old man saw a boy pulling a chain down the road. He stopped and said "boy, why are you pulling that chain?" the boy said "sir, have you ever tried to push one of these things?"

:D :D :D
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

crowhill

I like the 5/16" grade 70, have a variety of lengths, grab hook on one end slip hook on the other, but I also have 3 or 4 sets of two or three links with a grab hook on each end used to shorten the longer chains when the need arises. Have the chokers on the Farmi made of the 5/16 grade 70. Have a nylon sling to go around tree trunks for using the snatch blocks..
TimberKing B-20, Kubota M-4900 w/FEL with tooth bar, hyd thumb and forks, Farmi winch, 4 chain saws.

kensfarm

 

 

I have one long chain.. but I need it when I go fishing.   ;D

I use an 8ft and a bunch of 4ft dragging out logs. 

crowhill

That chain is soo long you can't see the back of the tractor or the far end of the chain!
TimberKing B-20, Kubota M-4900 w/FEL with tooth bar, hyd thumb and forks, Farmi winch, 4 chain saws.

kensfarm

 

 

Look.. I caught one.. just firewood size.. but I had already pulled out the main log.  Mulberry.

Long chains are heavy.. 

Brucer

I eventually standardized on 4 - 10' chains, 5/16", grade 70, grab hook on one end, sliding hook on the other. Ten foot chains will comfortably wrap around an 18" log and still reach the "logging arch" on my tractor. They'll also wrap around the base of a large tree if I need to anchor something.

I settled on 5/16" because I sometimes use a chain to anchor my come-along when I'm helping a tree to fall in the direction I want it to. I use 3/8" wire rope chokers to pull the tree down, with an 8000 pound come-along to do the pulling. 1/4" chain was too light for that kind of work.

If you stretch or distort the links on a chain, throw it out. Those weak links in the chain just got a whole lot weaker.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

thecfarm

kensfarm,I have no idea how much fishing  :D  you do. But we use to use chains for getting logs out. My Father would drive the tractor and I was the chain man. Made things easier that way because no climbing on and off the tractor. We had 3-4 chains all 12 to 16 foot long. Sometimes I would have to use them all to get the wood out. And then sometimes we could only pull 10 feet of chain at a time. We bought a 3pt winch for the tractor and just fell in love with it. Yes,they are pricey,but we used ours hard and it's still going strong. So much easier now. I can get 3-4-5-6 logs at a time. Before it was hard to get 2,unless they came just right. The cable makes it so much easier. I can hook up 2-3-4 logs and pull them in all at once.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

bandmiller2

I made up a three point set up with a military Braden winch with a hitch on the back for my tilt bed trailer. It yards and loads one operation. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

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