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Chainsaw Boots, Recommendations....

Started by wfcjr, August 27, 2015, 10:10:12 AM

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HolmenTree

Quote from: teakwood on August 28, 2015, 07:26:59 PM
If you like the european style of safety buy some chainsaw pants from pfanner
http://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?item=8010

You will never wear chaps again in you life, especially when its hot.


  

 [img width=640  :oheight=480]https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/37555/Raleo_2015_281629.JPG[/img]

Yeah but you forgot your helmet
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

shinnlinger

Shinnlinger
Woodshop teacher, pasture raised chicken farmer
34 horse kubota L-2850, Turner Band Mill, '84 F-600,
living in self-built/milled timberframe home

thecfarm

Bama,I just might have to try a pair of them. I try to buy good socks,wear 2 pair all winter and summer too.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

wfcjr

Thanks for all of the suggestions.  Some of the European boots look to be very well made and more in line with what I am looking for.  They appear to be boots that will likely be comfortable walking as well.  But will also look a the made-in-USA brands.

Anyone have any experience with the Haix, Stihl or Husky boots? It almost looks like Haix, or a similar co., is making the boots for Stihl & Husky.

Finally, does anyone know the difference between Class 1 and Class 2 protection levels on the boots?

Thanks,

teakwood

class 1 is 20m/second chainsawspeed and class 2 is 24m/sec
National Stihl Timbersports Champion Costa Rica 2018

teakwood

 
Yeah but you forgot your helmet
[/quote]

Yes i know. I just work on my teak plantations, there is no dead hanging stuff on teak trees. we have 80-95 degrees the whole year around, i just cant wear a helmet it gives me a headache in one hour



  

 
National Stihl Timbersports Champion Costa Rica 2018

Jhenderson

I stopped buying Labonville chainsaw boots. They changed the leather tanning process and they are now very stiff and uncomfortable around the tongue. No amount of leather products has softened them to a level I can tolerate. I've gone back to Chippewa loggers with a steel toe. No extra cut protection but being uncomfortable all day is dangerous also. Leather is breathable and a far better choice in warmer weather. I do wear rubber calks with saw protection in winter. And yes, both toes show just a little steel.

North River Energy

Ordered in a pair of the Stihl boots a number of years back.  They, and the Labonville, run/ran about a size larger than normal.  Or at least they did at the time.  Bought the Labonville, as they were priced right at  just north of $150.  Also were available in two different heel heights.  They looked like they might have come from the same manufacturer in Pennsylvania.
I don't wear them anymore, as they came in a double E width, and I realized just how clumsy all that extra boot made me on uneven terrain.
Whatever you choose, make sure they fit well, and don't compromise your agility.  Mistakes at the ground level recruit the hands and arms to restore stability, and if you're running a saw at the time.....

Real1shepherd

Quote from: Jhenderson on August 29, 2015, 06:30:43 PM
I stopped buying Labonville chainsaw boots. They changed the leather tanning process and they are now very stiff and uncomfortable around the tongue. No amount of leather products has softened them to a level I can tolerate. I've gone back to Chippewa loggers with a steel toe. No extra cut protection but being uncomfortable all day is dangerous also. Leather is breathable and a far better choice in warmer weather. I do wear rubber calks with saw protection in winter. And yes, both toes show just a little steel.

Very reasonable and thoughtful answer....anyone considering the Labonville boots, should heed this advice. And I still think that 95% of the dangers are focused around the top toe tips of the boots

Kevin

sprucebunny

I have Carolina boots with metatarsal guards. Seldom wear them, I'd rather sweat in my rubber Vikings.
Bottom left of this page.
http://www.discountsafetygear.com/metatarsal-boots-safety-work-boots.html
MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

John Mc

I never could get used to those boots with the external metatarsal guards. I worked in a steel wire manufacturing plant for years, and thought I'd try some for the better protection they offered than just steel toes alone. They always seemed to be snagging the ends of the coils of wire that were stacked on the floor, or somehow always got caught up in that odd scrap that evaded our housekeeping efforts. I gave up on them and went back to regular steel toes.

Has anyone actually used these much in the woods? I would think that catching on brush would be a concern.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

HolmenTree

Quote from: teakwood on August 29, 2015, 08:48:24 AM




  

 
[/quote]

teakwood nice operation you have there.
Yeah I work in 90° temperatures  with lots of humidity too . But looking at those ear  muffs your wearing their probably hotter then a helmet. At least they'll protect you from a concussion if you banged your head against the inside of your skidder's canopy.
In my avatar picture I'm wearing a Petzl Vent helmet with screen. It's white and with the top vents open there's lots of air movement and still  with lots of protection from the suns rays.
I wear foam ear plugs.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

John Mc

We're drifting off the boot topic (about as far as you can and still be on your body), but...

I'd like to take the ear muffs off my helmet, and just use ear plugs to save the weight and heat. Unfortunately, they are integral to the visor, so if I take them off, I lose the visor as well.  Those muffs are nice in the winter, however

Who sells that Petzl vent helmet? Is it made to the same safety standards as the orange plastic forestry helmets with the ear muffs that everyone else seems to sell?
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

wfcjr

Quote from: John Mc on August 30, 2015, 01:07:58 PM
We're drifting off the boot topic (about as far as you can and still be on your body), but...

I'd like to take the ear muffs off my helmet, and just use ear plugs to save the weight and heat. Unfortunately, they are integral to the visor, so if I take them off, I lose the visor as well.  Those muffs are nice in the winter, however

Who sells that Petzl vent helmet? Is it made to the same safety standards as the orange plastic forestry helmets with the ear muffs that everyone else seems to sell?

John,

Start a new thread... I would guess that there are a lot of guys, including me, that would be interested in helmet/visor/ear protection options that offer good protection, but are not as clunky or as hot, as the ubiquitous orange integrated helmet/visor/ear muff debacle.  Also, if the one that I have is indicative of the average build quality, I am not sure how much protection it actually offers.


Ozarker


Pine Ridge

I wear 8" redwing work boots with steel toes. Talking about helmets, if you are pounding plastic felling wedges in a tree put your mesh visor down everytime , i had one fly out of the backcut , hit my visor very hard. If my visor had not been down it would have done some real damage to me, happened so fast no way i could react.
Husqvarna 550xp , 2- 372xp and a 288xp, Chevy 4x4 winch truck

HolmenTree

Quote from: John Mc on August 30, 2015, 01:07:58 PM
We're drifting off the boot topic (about as far as you can and still be on your body), but...

I'd like to take the ear muffs off my helmet, and just use ear plugs to save the weight and heat. Unfortunately, they are integral to the visor, so if I take them off, I lose the visor as well.  Those muffs are nice in the winter, however

Who sells that Petzl vent helmet? Is it made to the same safety standards as the orange plastic forestry helmets with the ear muffs that everyone else seems to sell?
When I see someone felling trees with just earmuffs on his head I get antsy.
Petzl helmets are available through most North American suppliers even Baileys.
They are ANSI/CSA compliant  with a 6 point suspension and 4 point built in chin strap. Better then most forestry grade helmets .Yes their available  in orange :D
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

John Mc

HolmenTree -

I wasn't talking about using just earmuffs. I was talking about removing the earmuff from a helmet to save the heat and the weight of having them there, and wearing just the helmet with the visor and using ear plugs for hearing protection. I can't do that, because removing the earmuffs and the arms that hold them also removes the flip up bracket that holds the visor.

The only time I'm using a chainsaw without a helmet on is when I'm out in an open field bucking wood to stove length (and even them, I usually just wear my helmet unless it's roasting hot out - then it's just safety glasses and ear plugs).
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

HolmenTree

Quote from: teakwood on August 28, 2015, 07:26:59 PM
If you like the european style of safety buy some chainsaw pants from pfanner
http://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?item=8010

You will never wear chaps again in you life, especially when its hot.


  

 
No I wasn't referring to you John  :D
I was referring to teakwood here earlier with his picture of himself falling trees with no helmet guess the "quote" from teakwood and myself didn't  display properly in my post.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

John Mc

Yeah, you quoted me in that post.

Chaps or chainsaw pants w/helmet for me when felling. I do have to say, when I'm out cutting in what is considered "hot" by Vermont standards (basically, anything above the low to mid 80's), I have to wonder how the guys in warmer climates avoid heat stroke with the safety gear on. If i remember correctly, the human body can generally only replace about 2 liters of water per hour (if you try to take in more, it just passes right through you). It's not hard to exceed that when operating a chainsaw in warm weather.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

pineywoods

Quote from: John Mc on August 31, 2015, 09:24:16 PM
I have to wonder how the guys in warmer climates avoid heat stroke with the safety gear on. If i remember correctly, the human body can generally only replace about 2 liters of water per hour (if you try to take in more, it just passes right through you). It's not hard to exceed that when operating a chainsaw in warm weather.

Air conditioned feller-bunchers, air conditioned grapple skidders, and air conditioned loaders with slasher saws/de-limbers. A man decked out in full safety gear, running a chainsaw in tripple digit temps and 85-90% humidity will be flat on the ground from heatstroke in short order. You learn to leave off the gear and keep an extra sharp eye out for hazards, or stay out of the woods. Drink lots of fluids, don't work alone, wear cotton clothes that wick away moisture..Start early and quit by early afternoon. I have a 40 acre plot right down the road that has a bunch of very nice re oaks on the ground from a storm. I need to get these out for logs and firewood, it ain't gonna be fun. I'll probably work one tree a day and retreat to the air conditioned house. ;D
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

teakwood

I tell you a little bit about hot climates. In Costa Rica we have around 80-90 in the rain season with 80-100% humidity every day, in dry season (when we log) its between 90-98 with 60% humidity. In dry season sun comes out at 6am till 5pm without any cloud in sight.
so you already sweat when starting the chain saw. I drink about 0.75gal a day but in the evening sitting in the couch i can drink and drink and drink and still thirsty.
I had several heatstrokes, when you get chili (like cold and goosebumps) then you have to stop or you wont work the other day. What i do when i log (just 2-3months a year) i start at 6am till 11 and then go back to the woods from 3pm till 5or 6. sometimes i just work the morning and relax the noon or do something in the shop.
So maybe now you guys understand why i dont wear a helmet and those pants costed me 350$ but they are the only thing that works for hot climates (comfty like a jogging pants).


 
National Stihl Timbersports Champion Costa Rica 2018

Ianab

To be fair, with young straight plantation trees like that you don't have to worry so much about the vines, dead branches and pine cones that most folks do. When debris starts to rain down as a tree moves, then you appreciate a helmet.  ;)
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

HolmenTree

The hot sun shining down on a bare head is going to make you more hot then with a helmet on. I have a white sunshade curtain hanging at the back of my summer helmet most days.
Don't forget helmets offer a degree of kickback protection from the saw also.
I have 2 different pairs of Pfanner safety pants, Gladiator for cooler days and the Ventalations for the hot days.
Here's my 2 favorite helmets . Pacific Kevlar with muffs and for hot climbing days my Petzl Vent.Both have full 6 point suspension with  built in chin straps with a whistle attached.
Don't  have a pic of my white full brim with sunshade.


 

Making a living with a saw since age 16.

grassfed

My helmet saved me a couple of weeks ago. It was the last hitch after a long hard day. I had just felled an 80+ foot aspen and was clearing a couple of small suppressed Balsam firs so I could winch the tree out of a soft area that I did not want to drive the skidder through.

I cut one 5 inch, at the base, 20 foot tall  fir but I misjudged it got hung up on another similar tree. Anyway I was tired and not at my best but I did not want to drive back to the landing with a partial hitch so I cut the other tree thinking that I would get out of the way before the 2 trees fell.

Of course My saw ran out of fuel just as I started cutting and after I refueled I finished cutting down the second fir but I completely FORGOT about the hung tree.

Just as I stepped away from the falling tree the hung tree landed perfectly square on the center of my head. My knees buckled instantly and I fell straight to the grown tossing my still running saw as I fell.

The first thing I thought was Doh! I forgot about the hung tree and the second thing I thought is that my helmet really does a good job of dissipating the impact. I was wearing a Husqvarna helmet with a six point suspension. I always like these because the ear cut outs help the ear mitts fit better.   
Mike

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