sthil chain catchers

240b · April 15, 2012, 04:34:33 PM

I had to run a sthil saw the other day. Are the chain catchers designed to snap off. they only last one derailment.? After twenty years with husky I know why I never tried one of these. Built well though...

sawguy21 · April 15, 2012, 04:43:42 PM

What happened that you needed to test it? They are easy and cheap to replace. Better than shredding a leg.

OAP · April 15, 2012, 06:23:20 PM

I can not answer your question because I have not worked long enough with Sthil saws to know.
I have used Husqy.jred ,homelite, dolmar and partner over I suppose 30 years and in that time maybe 5-6 times the chain came off the bar. Thank God I never got a scratch just looked stupid for a moment wondering what just happened.

MHineman · April 15, 2012, 06:37:13 PM

I've had a chain jump off a few times. Mostly due to not keeping the chain as tight as needed and getting caught by small limbs springing back.
The chain caught like it's supposed to and did not catch me. The catcher got chewed up a little, but did not break off.
The tangs on the chain got damaged too. Officially you are supposed to throw away the chain when this happens, but none of us do. I put the chain on the bar that's off the saw and pull it through by hand to find the burrs. Then I file off the burrs with a flat file.
Chains that are near the end of life seem more likely to jump off than newer chains.

OAP · April 15, 2012, 06:51:11 PM

Officially you are supposed to throw away the chain when this happens, but none of us do.
[/quote]
I never heard that before but I will not throw out a good chain unless I'm getting paid for it,

lumberjack48 · April 15, 2012, 07:35:48 PM

When felling and limbing 100 to a 150 Balsam fir a day, i probably threw the chain 5 to 10 times a day. If the drivers got banged up a little, I'd put the chain back in the rail and leave it pretty lose, start the saw and make a couple cuts, good to go. I used to take the chain off and file the burrs off the drivers until i learned this little trick.
I never had the chain catcher break off a Stihl, it was pretty beat up.

I never heard of throwing the chain away because the drivers got a little beat up. When i was running 6 saws with the crew i would have been in trouble. Cutting small brush around a tree before you fall it, its common to throw a chain.

Al_Smith · April 15, 2012, 07:41:14 PM

You can straighten the drivers out if they're not too bad .

lumberjack48 · April 15, 2012, 08:04:08 PM

I've had them many times when the drivers wouldn't go back in the rail, they seat on top. I'd let the chain hang down about 2"s, run it a little, when it started to go in the rail, make a few cuts with it, tighten it up, good as new. If i did this once i did it a thousand times.

OAP · April 15, 2012, 08:34:02 PM

Quote from: lumberjack48 on April 15, 2012, 07:35:48 PM
When felling and limbing 100 to a 150 Balsam fir a day, i probably threw the chain 5 to 10 times a day.

Thats one every 4 minutes in a ten hour day(no break) :D

lumberjack48 · April 15, 2012, 09:25:27 PM

They usually ran 8 trees to a cord, i liked to get 15 to 20 cords a day. The best day i had, i fell and limbed 180 trees. 8)

shelbycharger400 · April 15, 2012, 09:30:47 PM

im with lumberjack48

a small pruner saw i use , it happens a lot! the chain is kinda jacked up on the drivers, clutch is too, im not buyin a 12 dollar sprocket, and another $15 chain , who knows how long this poulan/john deere will run for. The old craftsman 20 inch bar, 60 cc i use, it happens when im cutting already downed tree, and it pinches up, that one i know it rips the chain off the bar..lol

i think lumberjack was rippin the chain off the johny with the rakers setup he had..
its very similar to what i have on my craftsman . chain is at the grind marks, and the rakers are ground wayy down, but shure dose tear through a 18 in pine in a hurry, not too shabby in red oak either. in Red oak, i have to hold the saw back, its a ball..

quick check'd, couldnt find my flat feeler gauge, used a round torch tip cleaner, craftsman is around 42-45 thou currently, i have done a few sharps cince last time i drop'd the rakers.

240b · April 15, 2012, 10:20:15 PM

Well were not putting a new chain on every time. I have always run 372/288's with 20" bars. Now I work for someone else,and they are running 28" bars (92 drivers) on 046 sthils if I tighten the chain up, the way its suspose to be the saw doesn't have enough nut to even turn the chain. (not so impressive for an almost 80cc saw) the bar rails are not pinched. I ground the rails and closed them(with the right tools) its got a 7 tooth sprocket. I replaced the 9 they had, which was even worse. the rakers are the proper hight. 20 years of full time logging, the chains been popping off maybe once a month. Now with this set up 4/5 times a day. which is bs. And i wrecked a pair of kevlars liners. The trees are 3 to 4' on the stump so need the length. this is full time work not back yard, so things need to get done. may I just get a swede saw and be done. (but I do think the sthil is built better) just wanted to know if the catcher is a one shot deal (at 3.00 buck a pop)

sawguy21 · April 15, 2012, 10:29:27 PM

Something is definitely wrong here. You should not be popping chains if they are properly sharpened and tensioned. If your 046 won't pull a 20" chain it is far too tight.

Clam77 · April 15, 2012, 10:33:14 PM

I agree with sawguy - something else is definately wrong there. That 046 should be spinning that 28" like it wasnt even there and definately shouldnt be throwing chains like that. Try slipping a brand new B&C combo on it and see if it helps any...

Clam77 · April 15, 2012, 10:40:08 PM

May be due for a long needed tuneup as well..

Al_Smith · April 15, 2012, 10:51:28 PM

If you really tear up the drivers all is not lost .Hang in on a nail for parts or if it's a long loop just cut it down to a shorter .

Fact I've got a dozen -15 on the nail I just haven't had the time to find out what's wrong with them .Next order to Baileys I'll stock up on tie straps and get-er-done .I have plenty for Stihl but just about out for Oregon .They aren't the same .

lumberjack48 · April 16, 2012, 01:41:44 PM

The last 5 yrs of my felling i carried a Stihl 034 Super.

When tightening the chain, i had it so that when you give it a spin with your hand it would make it about half way round.

When your sawing and let up on the throttle and the chain stops its to tight. This is hard on crank bearings, sprocket, and roller nose, besides causing saw to heat up and losing hp. When tightening chain, set it so it spins freely.

My brother was having a heck of a time, i had him limbing for me. He was throwing the chain every few minutes. He said that my saw was no good. So i switched saws with him, same thing chain would not stay on. So i got back and told him to limb i wanted to watch to see what he was doing. I watched close, when he was sawing a limb off, he had a habit of twisting the saw. He ran saw 20 yrs, i told him what he was doing, we got in to a big argument. I showed him what he was doing, don't saw the limbs off at a 45 degree angle, and give the saw a little twist at the end. Put the bar flat against the tree and saw the limbs off and please don't use that little twist. Things went good the rest of the day. He had picked up this bad habit of twisting the saw with out knowing that he was doing it. He was happy that i brought it to his attention.

fuzzybear · April 16, 2012, 02:01:24 PM

If you are throwing chains that many times there is something wrong. I would look at the bar and make sure it is not bent. even a slight bend will throw the whole thing off. Next I would put the chain on and tighten it as you normally would and run it through an average sized (for what you have been cutting) log. Then recheck the chain adjustment. Run it through a couple more logs and check again. I would be willing to bet that the chain is stretching.
I don't know what chain you are running, but some chains just plain stretch in big wood. I can not use Oregon chain on my saw, it will stretch out to the point there is no more adjustment and I still have 1/2 the cutters left. Some people will shorten them after this happens, I do not recomend this. They usually break not long after that.
Another thing to look at is, do you have enough oil getting into the bar. If not the chain will stretch.
In order for the chain to be coming off that much while cutting logs the chain has to be stretching and/or getting pinched off the bar.
As far as snapping off the chain catcher it does happen, but not very often. I would be willing to bet that it was bent at one time and straightened out again. When this happens it will break off at the stress crack formed where it first bent and was repaired.
If it is not pulling the chain through after this you have to address the drive links themselves. Odds are you will find 1 or more that have been damaged. Most times they will loose the bottom curved edge that actually drives the chain, more often they will have burrs on the edges. The little burrs in themselves should not effect anything but when there are burrs over 4 or more of the drivers they will bind it up. Put the chain in a vice and start looking at each driver and dress it if it needs it.
The drivers at say .050 with a little burr can become .055, although this will set back in the bar, the clearance is to little for the much needed oil. these little burrs will "clean" the oil off in the groove of the bar and cause the chain to over heat and stretch.
Like others here when I do throw a chain I will pull it and put another on. Then when I have time I will repair the thrown chain.
Hope this helps a little, good luck.
FB

lumberjack48 · April 16, 2012, 03:58:43 PM

When bucking up, cutting firewood, or felling i never had a problem with throwing a chain. The day i cut up 76 cds of pulpwood with a 90 Jonsered, i can't remember throwing the chain one time.

I'm taking limbing at full throttle like a wild man. I had to be on the ball to fell and limb 6 to 8 Balsam trees every 15 minutes. When a limb or brush threw the chain off, i'd have it back on in about 2 minutes. All the burrs ware off after a few cuts, i did this 30 yrs never had any problems.

I shortened my chain right on the saw with a vise grip breaker if it needed shortening. I never had a problem with a chain breaking after i shorted it. I ran my chain until there were to many cutters broke off, then it was time for a new one.