so a few yrs ago i had a close call with my leg and a chainsaw, just scratched my leg no blood,,,, so i told myself ill just be more carefull, well today my 066 more than scratched my leg drew blood good, no stitches , mainly cuz i didnt go to hospital , bandaged it up pretty good , no more bleeding ,,, so off to buy some good chapps , i aint getting any younger or faster, so i finally learned my lesson,,, i really dont like logging for myself but sometimes an oppertunity presents itself ,
jim
I prefer the wrap chaps, some guys like the apron. I've got 3x pair of the husqvarna saw pants, prefer them in winter.
Gf is a nurse, says chainsaw injurys are some of the worst to fix, ragged plus the chance for infection.
X2 on the full wrap. They will pull around your leg if you hit them and with an apron style you only have so much before your leg is exposed.
I've always preferred the inserts where I can wear them if not it's the half wrap chaps the brush out here can get caught up in them which is just as bad or worse then not wearing chaps at all.
Quote from: jmouton on March 23, 2020, 07:08:36 PM
so a few yrs ago i had a close call with my leg and a chainsaw, just scratched my leg no blood,,,, so i told myself ill just be more carefull, well today my 066 more than scratched my leg drew blood good, no stitches , mainly cuz i didnt go to hospital , bandaged it up pretty good , no more bleeding ,,, so off to buy some good chapps , i aint getting any younger or faster, so i finally learned my lesson,,, i really dont like logging for myself but sometimes an oppertunity presents itself ,
jim
I am thankful you did not have anything worse. Good decision on the chaps. I have Husqvarna chaps. But even with chaps you will have close calls. I've had the chainsaw touch my chaps while limbing. Makes you thankful there is something between you and the chain.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54084/Chaps.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1585020188)
One of our employees is the instructor for the NY Logger Training rescue class, we recycle our old chaps thru the class, he will get a piece of meat, wrap it up in the chaps and hit it with the saw. Your normal lightweight chaps are only good for a smaller saw, 572-390-395 and wide open, your still getting something if they are lightweight chaps.
Chain saw pants and chaps are like winter tiers most think they are a waist of money cause they think it won't happen to them. I ask what is your leg or life worth.
I've tried several different brands, husqvarna, stihl, elvex , forester etc. Whatever brand and style you buy get a pair thats somewhat comfortable to your liking. I've had some that i absolutely dreaded wearing, uncomfortable, bulky feeling and the straps loosening up after wearing awhile. If you have to spend a little extra to get a pair that is comfortable for your liking it will be money well spent in the long run.
I cringe when I see Wicker Bills that drop start a chainsaw wearing shorts and flip flops. I think to myself, "Yep, an ignorant rookie who doesn't know better, or either someone who does and is just lazy and stupid".
I highly recommend the wrap chaps that Arborwear sells. The elastic straps are excellent and comfortable
I have a pair of Elvex wrap chaps and have trained myself to wear them anytime I have a chainsaw in my hand.
Bad things can happen quick,why take a chance.
PPE is top of the list...
google chainsaw wounds and pull up the images :( :( :(
Buy a pair you know you'll use. Buy on quality first
Use them every time the saw comes out.
D
Jim showed is leg off on facebook. He must be too bashful here. ;) :D
Jim, I have a couple trees worth of wood to buck up yet so thanks to you, I'm going to dig out my chaps before I do. I think Ive lost enough weight the belt will buckle again. :D
I have a pair of Elvex pants I really like and I keep a pair of husky chaps handy for short jobs, they are warmer to wear but on And off easy. You gotta Wear 'em for them to work. There are several good threads here on the forum discussing this subject. Be safe.
I wear the husqvarna cutting pants daily chopping. Comfortable, warm in the winter, really hot in the summer but worth it.
They've held up good for 2yrs commercial timber falling so far.
Quote from: WDH on March 24, 2020, 08:33:17 AMWicker Bills that drop start a chainsaw wearing shorts and flip flops.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_6606~0.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1585090705)
Who you callin' a Wicker Bill ?? That plus I was NOT wearing flip flops!! I know my safety rules and I had on steel toe boots.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_6609~0.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1585090688)
Plus the Nurse Practitioner lady at the Quick Care sewed it up quite nicely.
I have not and will not ever use a chainsaw without chaps again.
I see some meat on those bones.
I like apron chaps. Easy on, easy off, and a bit more breeze. My first pair were Husqvarnas, and the second Labonville. I liked both, but prefer the Labonville. They're reversible, so there's heavy nylon on both sides. The Huskies have a heavy sateen on the inside, and they get torn up by briars and stuff. Bonus is the Labonvilles are made in the US.
I forgot my chaps once. Should of went back and got them, but it was stub of a tree. I don't need them. ::) there was a small bush in the way, cut that off and somehow walked into a chain that was till moving. It stopped moving, just a little below the knee. Two scars, I did get the stub down though. ::) Now I go back and get the chaps. I use Labonville, use to be 30 minutes from me. But they closed that store. Now about an hour away.
Here it is.
Did something stupid in Chainsaws (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=98807.msg1526302#msg1526302)
Have any of you guys tried in the pants style of chaps?
On days when the chainsaw is part of the plan, the Pfanner pants get pulled on the the morning. Even if it's just a regular milling and building kinda day. They've become my Carhart bibs.
The Ventilator version has been comfor table and have stood up well in the first year that I've used them.
Worth the price.
I may run a chainsaw almost every day, but rarely all day. I will haul a load of rocks up into the woods, put my chaps on and cut enough wood for a twitch and haul that out and take my chaps off and dig more rocks and go back up into the woods again. Or I just might go work in the garden for a while and than after lunch, dig some more rocks and head for the woods and put my chaps back on for a couple hours. So the chaps can be put on and off when I don't need them.
Quote from: Skeans1 on March 25, 2020, 09:49:25 PM
Have any of you guys tried in the pants style of chaps?
Skeans i haven't tried them, i looked at them in madsens catalog and i'll bet they would be great. I may try them when my chaps wear out, i just bought a new pair of the Husqvarna functional chaps two weeks ago.
I have a pair of pant style chaps and elvex wrap chaps.I much prefer the wraps.I'm much more inclined to put the wrap chaps on so it comes down to convenience,personal preference and then overall safe working habits for me.
I use the pfanner ventilation pants (do to our temps here in the tropics, 80-97), they probably the best warm weather pants out there, also the most expensive ones but worth every penny. Mi first pair is now 7years old and sees probably 2 month of professional use per year, they are as comfy as a jogging pant, have already bought a second pair.
if your a professional or use them the whole day they're definitively the way to go, if you lets say just cut 2 trees and then skid then chaps would probably make more sense.
also not everybody wants to drop 300$ on a pant.
the purchase hurts but i always say to myself how much is your leg worth? and then it seems to be an insignificant amount!
Regarding expense... For professional use, it makes sense to pay to make your job nicer. High end pants(or whatever) may not be "fun", but when you're spending hours every day in them/using it, it adds more to life than something that's "fun", but only gets used on weekends.
have worn various brands of pants in the past but kinda got away from them and just wore jeans, thanks to you guys i ordered a pair of elvex wraps today. not getting any younger or faster. thanks
Always a double edged sword for me - I make an informed decision about risk at the start of every day.
The single most dangerous thing I can do in summer is wear chaps. As Barge said any of the lightweights aren't pulling up a big saw... it's heavyweight or why bother... and due climate conditions the heavyweights are dangerous here because they will cause you to dehydrate and overheat. A couple guys had to die first but now we've got a statewide risk assessment in place and an out from chaps because the risk of hyperthermia from wearing the chaps is higher than the risk of cutting yourself without them. But you can't be working solo either, and its only available to guys with an "advanced production" felling ticket so... experienced professionals not the weekend warriors.
Winter I wear them... gets down around 80°F and I start to shiver and they're nice and warm. ;D
The thing that gets me is "wear chaps" has become a substitute for "handle your saw correctly". It really irks me when I see "experts" stand behind a saw instead of beside it when limbing or crosscutting. That change of stance takes 95% of your body out of the line of fire in the event of an incident. Maybe it's just me, or a local thing, but growing up swinging on big saws much less the old gear drives.... think about where it will go if it comes back after ya was drummed into us early. And nose awareness too: lot of inertia in a big saw and I can't recall ever having one kick back hard enough to engage the chain brake but how much of that is inertia and how much is the fact that some part of my brain is thinking of where the nose of the saw is? PPE is supposed to be the last line of defence, not a substitute for careful handling.
I was first introduced to "Saw Chaps" during a Master Logger class back in the early-mid 90's. It's really a no-brainer when you compare the cost of the chaps to the cost of medical bills. It's just cheap insurance. Chaps, hard hat, gloves, ear plugs and safety glasses every time. I don't have time or money to waste in a doctor's office.
I don't have to cut much with a saw but when I do, it's for precision drops or difficult terrain situations. And I break Rule 1 with a chain saw every time I use one - NEVER WORK ALONE WITH A SAW. So I take the time to wear chaps regardless of weather conditions. Yep, they are hot in the humid south but I deal with it. My life is worth it.
I did cut through my first pair of saw chaps with an unexpected saw incident. It made it through the chaps and through my blue jeans but drew NO blood. I only run a Husky 385xp as it's all I need. The chaps did well and when I purchased a replacement pair, I bought the best Bailey's had at the time (Work Safe?). The cost of chaps is minimal compared to what can happen without them.
I work alone 90 percent of the time as well. I've ran a chainsaw since a very young age, my Dad was a logger, and he showed me the do's and don'ts and techniques. I've been lucky as i've never been cut, but anytime i use a saw could be my first, and possibly last. Young eyes watch us as we fall a yard or hazard tree and cut it up. I will continue to wear my chaps.
Quote from: longtime lurker on March 28, 2020, 10:33:33 PMThe single most dangerous thing I can do in summer is wear chaps. As Barge said any of the lightweights aren't pulling up a big saw... it's heavyweight or why bother... and due climate conditions the heavyweights are dangerous here because they will cause you to dehydrate and overheat. A couple guys had to die first but now we've got a statewide risk assessment in place and an out from chaps because the risk of hyperthermia from wearing the chaps is higher than the risk of cutting yourself without them. But you can't be working solo either, and its only available to guys with an "advanced production" felling ticket so... experienced professionals not the weekend warriors.
With all do respect Ll but your wrong on this one.
We two are probably ones of the very few in this forum who can actually argue over hot temps logging. We work in similar nasty climates.
Of course chaps are off the discussion when we talk about our temps, but i can talk about the pants i use, i have praised them here many times (i don't have any business with pfanner in any form), i'm just a very happy customer and will not buy another pants as long as they fabric them.
I don't sweat any more in the pants than in regular jeans/workpants. shorts are off the table, nobody would use shorts in our bush, too many uninvited crawlers and nasty vegetation. the pants have vent zippers on the backside of the knees, so a fresh breeze passes over the skin from time to time, the pants are preformed, stretchy, venting back fabric. very robust front fabric.
The pant has Klass1 protection (20m/s) and are aproved. So that statement about a light pant can't protect against
big saws is absolutely wrong, or is true for cheap products. but not for this price class
https://www.treestuff.com/pfanner-gladiator-ventilation-red-chainsaw-pants/ (https://www.treestuff.com/pfanner-gladiator-ventilation-red-chainsaw-pants/)
here is another guys opinion i found in a random forum
I'm not sure what it is about the Gladiators, but the fit is exceptional. Even though they're type C with full Kevlar all around they are really, really comfortable, and lighter than you would think. Certain features are an advance over other pairs. Pfanner covered all the fine details and crafted an exceptional pair of chainsaw protective pants.I've used a range of chainsaw protective pants over the years, Stihls, Husqvarnas, Cloggers out of New Zealand, undoubtedly the Pfanner Glads are in a class by themselves, are the best I have ever worn. I climb in them daily.Normally I write manufacturers a polite letter, suggesting ways to improve their product; extreme end-user feedback. For Pfanner, the letter might just as well read "Thank You", not for the steep price tag, but for producing for us CLIMBERS a product that warrants and can stand up to that price. All I can say is, they're really remarkable. For Pfanner, to produce this level of pant, and calling this price, into a small and already highly competitive market, THAT takes a lot of courage.Ll, spend the 300$ and order one, i guarantee you you won't regret it.
just my two cents
Longtime Lurker makes a very important point. The absolute most essential safety device is your grey matter. Everything else is just a secondary layer of safety.