Chain Saw for disaster relief...

[SuperDave456]

Just curious.

What would you choose if you had to help out for a week after a tornado wiped a small town off the map?

What type of saw?
Bar length?
2 cycle oil?

 

[Steve S]

A professional model and what do the other people use? The proper rated oil from a reputable oil company is all that is needed. Pennzoil makes a great product.

 

[TooManyWheels]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
A professional model and what do the other people use?


+1

Go to the Garden Forums (I also believe there is an arborist forum somewhere) and you will find they recommend Stihl, Husqvarna, Redmax and a couple of other brands. Opinions are pretty unanimous on that narrow range.

The size obviously depends on what you are going to cut. If you are going to cut 24" dia., 100 year old oaks that block roadways, you will want the biggest they have. I used my 37 cc Echo after our last tornado, but there were things beyond my capabilities.

 

[tmorris1]

Good to see people digging in an helping out instead of complaining and waiting for the gov to come clean it up for them.

 

[JimPghPA]

If the tree is very large you will require a BIG crane and big chain saws.

 

[robshelton]

I hate to rain on your idea, but if you are not experienced with trees that have been blown down (blow-downs) you probably shouldn't be trying to help. Especially when intertwined, trees hold stresses you can't easily see and they can seriously hurt or kill you. I know it looks easy and to a certain extent it is, but you should always have an escape planed as you make a cut, just in case it surprises you. And sooner or later it will surprise you.

Saw recomendation? Probably a Husqvarna in the 50-60 cc range with a 20" bar and full chisel chain. Why? Light weight, high speed, reliable, easy to get parts. If you are cutting something that needs a bar larger than 20" get some help! You don't want to be another injury after the disaster...

Good luck!

 

[boraticus]

Any of the top brand saws will get the job done and be plenty reliable. A moderately sized saw should be selected. If you get something too big, it will tire you out fairly quickly. You want a pro grade saw capable of running a 20" bar effectively. You want as many ccs for the fewest pounds of weight. Or, as I have done get a heavy weight and a light weight. If two saws is not an option, buy two bars and matching chains. Something like a 20" and 16" bar. A 20" bar will cut a 40" tree, you just have to know how and what you're doing.

Robshelton gives very good advice regarding dealing with blow down trees. It is a dangerous task for experienced sawyers let alone the uninitiated. I've seen the power of a 70 foot aspen bent like a bow and held that way by it's crown being entangled with an even bigger tree.

I had close to fifty trees blown down in a derecho event a few years back that left trees piled up around the camp and only a small one actually on the camp. My garage however wasn't so fortunate. It took me a good part of the day just to cut the 200 feet from the road to the camp.

I've had previous similar experiences cleaning up blow downs and knew very well to look at the "big picture" before beginning to cut. I make it a strict rule to work the mess from behind the stress points. Start by cutting the branches that have the trees locked. Small ones first and keep the cuttings clear of your escape route. Never stand in front of or behind a large tree or branch that appears to be stressed opposite to where you're standing. Always choose the side of the tree that move away from you.

In several cases, it was too risky to make a cut. That's when I take out the two 50'pieces of 5/8" steel rope, a few clevises and a 4x4 pick up to assist in untangling or to relieve stress from the tree. Don't underestimate the capability and safety that steel rope and a stout truck will provide. For cleaning up a blow down, it's just as important as a saw, in my opinion.

A chainsaw in the hands of an inexperienced operator can be lethal. Be very careful.

 

[SuperDave456]

Just curious guys.
But good info none the less.
I have plenty of experience cutting down small stuff. Not to much big stuff grows in this part of Tx.

The logging shows that I have watched scare the brown stuff out of me. Widow-makers hanging up in 100' tall trees, limbs the diameter of your arm or leg bent like a bow ready to cut you in half once the pressure is relieved. 6' bar chain saws that give me the willies.

I'm just curious about the equipment.
It's interesting stuff.

 

[mark pruett]

Well, I have an Echo CS-370 with a 16" bar that I got primarily in case of a hurricane taking out my folks' trees in Houston, or my grandmother's trees in La Marque (some of which are still alive after Carla, Alicia, Ike and a few other smaller storms.)

I was thinking more along the lines of cleaning up large broken off limbs more than entire trees, else I'd have got a bigger saw.

 

[IndyIan]

My husky 372, 71cc, 20" bar is good all round saw. Can do a few 3' cuts in hardwood reasonably fast, probably is most efficient in 20" wood, but is acceptable for smaller stuff.
Tangled up blow downs are a PITA though and not the place for learning to use a saw. When I have them in my woods I just leave them unless the wood is useful for something, and even then I usually put it off for a few months so alot of the tension is gone.

 

[Johnny]

That 372 Husky is one heck of a saw. I would not mind owning one of those.

 

[UncleS2]

About 14 years ago, when I finally bought myself a chain saw, I was heavily influenced by 2 factors.

1. I'd seen, firsthand, how smaller Poulans, McCullochs, Homelites & some others just didn't hold up when the going got tough. Among these- a 14" bar McCulloch Dad bought about 30 yrs ago. When it got stolen we didn't really mind very much.

2. Almost 20 yrs ago, I spent several months in NW Montana. Logging was the only real industry there, people knew chain saws whether they logged for a living or not, and virtually all the saws I saw in use were Stihl, Husqvarna, & some all-red ones(Jonsered?) that was supposedly made by the same company as Husky(or maybe Stihl?).

So about 1996 I caught a Husqvarna Father's Day sale, back before HD & Lowes sold 'em, and bought a 51? cc, with an 18" bar. I figured it should be more saw than I'd ever really need, and it has zipped right through everything I've used it on. It does need the chain sharpened or replaced now though.

A few yrs after buying the Husky(1999-2001?)we had one heckuvan ice storm in our area, Nat Guard called out in Texarkana, it was a mess. No telling how many small displacement, light duty Poulans, McCullochs, Craftsman, Homelite, & other little chain saws died in service- but it was thousands of 'em I bet, with many of them brand new. No foolin'. The Husky & Stihl independent dealers sold out to the bare walls on chain saws & couldn't get enough to replace 'em. My 51cc Husky cut through the ice & frozen big oak limbs(~10 to 13" dia)in our driveway easily.

So what would I use- or want to use- if the you-know-what hit the fan again here? My Husky will do just fine for me, thanks. If it had to be replaced? I'd look at current models from Husqvarna and Stihl, with engines from about 45-50cc up to 65-70 cc, with bars from 18 to 22". And probably nothing else- unless a side-brand from Stihl or Husky!

**Oops, I forgot- I'd probably look at some of the heavier-duty Echos too. Never saw those back when I bought my current saw, but Echo seems to build good stuff too.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
That 372 Husky is one heck of a saw. I would not mind owning one of those.

If you like to cut wood I highly recommend one! I figure I'll never own a corvette or a 1L sport bike, but the chainsaw equivalent is $700-800.
Based just on productivity it cuts atleast twice as fast as a $200-300 saw on little cuts and cutting 24" white oak is a joy, not a chore. Then it will last for maybe 10 times the hours, and you'll be able to find parts for it 3 decades from now.
I guess it doesn't always pay to over buy capacity and quality on everything, but for chainsaws atleast, I find its worthwhile.

 

[boraticus]

I bought a used (1980s) Stihl 024AV Super last Tuesday for $40.00 on Kijiji. The seller said it was running fine then just quit. I took it home, cleaned it up, pulled the plastic parts off and inspected the carb/air filter, cleaned/gapped the spark plug, inspected the fuel filter inside the tank, put in fresh fuel, adjusted the carb hi and lo speed screws to one turn out, choked it and had it running it three pulls. Did a bit more fine tuning and had the saw starting on the first or second pull and revving up like a motocrosser. The chain is pretty much done but the bar (original) is in good shape so that tells me that it's a relatively low hours saw. Overall, it was in very good shape.

When I was finished with it I gave it to a friend who had his similar but smaller Stihl 018 stolen earlier this year. He put a new chain on the o24 and reports that it cuts better than his old Stihl. It should. It's a fair bit bigger.

So, for $40.00 and the price of a new chain $18.00, he's back in business. If it doesn't get ripped off, it will probably last as long as he will need it to.

 

[amr40509]

I think I would go another direction. If this saw is more of a one time deal, hard use for a week, then put it away for the next random time something comes up, I might look at a mid-grade saw. Something from Stihl or Husky's homeowner line. It will weigh more for the same power class as a pro saw, but for this use, should be fine. The old Stihl 029/MS290 "Farm Boss" line sure has cut a lot of trees for folks over the year. It is heavy, doesn't have a ton of power, but with an 18" bar and sharp chain would get the job done with reliability.

That said, since I like to have nicer tools and ran across a smoking hot deal on it...I have a MS361 with a 20" bar on it sitting in my garage that would be just what the Dr. ordered for this...unless you were wanting to really get fancy and go with a two saw plan.

We had a HUGE ice storm here in Kentucky in the spring/winter of 2009. At the time I was living in a suburb of a bigger city and had a MS290 - I sure did a lot of cutting that week at my house and helping out friends and neighbors. I would rate the event as an inconvenience to us, some folks lost power for a few days and a bunch of trees, but it was a minor impact.

My parents on the other hand, live way out in a rural area. They had a LOT of trees down (no power in winter for 21 days after the event), including several 30-40" thick trees across their road (private road to their house for about 1/4 mile). Although they burn wood in the winter and have several pro grade saws, I think that wasn't what helped them the most. Dad did most of his cleanup during the disaster using his 4WD Kabota tractor with bucket (mid sized, I believe it's a 56hp with fluid filled tires). Basically he made cuts as needed with the saws, then pushed and pulled as needed to clear the roads. The cleanup around the house later is where most of the cutting came in, but that was weeks later after everything else was taken care of. During the actual event, the tractor did a heck of a lot more running than the saws did. He did use a bigger bar to make a few cuts (think he was running a MS361 with skip chain and 25" bar for the bigger trees if I had to guess) but realistically COULD have gotten it done with his little 026 and 18" bar, just much more slowly, if he'd needed to.

 

[prs]

There are also special chains made for such dirty work, but I prefer full chisel ground round for easy hand file touch-up if dirt is encountered. Before storage, clean the saw as if it were going back on the retail shelf. Run a bit of stabilized fuel through it and exhaust the fuel supply totally.

prs

 

[another Todd]

Stihl, Husqvarna, echo.

 

[tdi-rick]

Originally Posted By: prs
There are also special chains made for such dirty work, but I prefer full chisel ground round for easy hand file touch-up if dirt is encountered.
[snip]

prs


If cutting skidded or dirty (or just plain hard timber) semi-chisel chain outlasts full chisel easily and when sharpened properly isn't much slower.
For the really dirty stuff Carlton still make chipper chain.

Both Semi and chipper chain are used extensively here for firewood as the timber is old and hard, (old eucs of various types) usually much harder than your Hedge/Osage Orange.

 

[wapacz]

Could always go with the saws that are made for fire and rescue. Though that only really comes in more handy than a regular saw if you think you are going to be cutting up buildings.

I found this site the other day and it seems they have a lot of knowledge about chainsaws. The chain saw sub form can have 200 people viewing it at any one time.
http://www.arboristsite.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9