# PRO SAFETY FELLING DAWGS Stihl 044



## Stihl the One (May 16, 2012)

Hello, was wondering if anyone else bought these Pro Safety 5 point felling Dawgs from Baileys. They look cool, however they cause my saw chain to get stuck in the wood. Maybe they are too big. So far not happy with them. Any input would be great.


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## no tree to big (May 16, 2012)

link to the product? the dogs should not cause any issue with stopping the chain you just need to find the sweet spot it takes much less effort on your end to put the same force on the bar with big spikes on the saw. I can almost guarantee you that the dogs I have on my saw(equivalent to the 44) has dogs bigger then what you bought, the things are huge, and I dont have problems I run a 32" bar on mine most of the time. I just dont lay into it and let the saw do its thing


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## forestryworks (May 16, 2012)

Stihl the One said:


> Hello, was wondering if anyone else bought these Pro Safety 5 point felling Dawgs from Baileys. They look cool, however they cause my saw chain to get stuck in the wood. Maybe they are too big. So far not happy with them. Any input would be great.



Those 5pt. dogs are worthless, unless you are running a longbar in redwood. So, with a smaller saw and bar set up those dogs will bind your saw a lot.

Pro Safety makes a 4pt. dog, just FYI. It handles way better.

Even then, the big Stihl dogs work just fine.


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## Stihl the One (May 17, 2012)

forestryworks said:


> Those 5pt. dogs are worthless, unless you are running a longbar in redwood. So, with a smaller saw and bar set up those dogs will bind your saw a lot.
> 
> Pro Safety makes a 4pt. dog, just FYI. It handles way better.
> 
> Even then, the big Stihl dogs work just fine.



Saw is 044 and has a 20" bar. Must be overkill. Im taking them off in the morning, Its a shame, they look cool, but they make the saw unsafe. I am usually only cutting 6-22in logs in diameter.


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## Stihl the One (May 17, 2012)

no tree to big said:


> link to the product? the dogs should not cause any issue with stopping the chain you just need to find the sweet spot it takes much less effort on your end to put the same force on the bar with big spikes on the saw. I can almost guarantee you that the dogs I have on my saw(equivalent to the 44) has dogs bigger then what you bought, the things are huge, and I dont have problems I run a 32" bar on mine most of the time. I just dont lay into it and let the saw do its thing



Bailey's - Pro-Safety Felling Dogs for Stihl 044/064/066/MS 440 and 660 this is the link to see the spikes


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## 2treeornot2tree (May 17, 2012)

My stihl dawgs are as big or bigger then those. I didnt put the big dawgs on to look cool either, they are purely functional. Sounds like you just need to learn how to run your saw a little better. Make sure your chain is sharp and proper tension.


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## sir_nick2 (May 17, 2012)

Leave them on, screw functionality as long as you look cool!


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## pdqdl (May 17, 2012)

Those big spikes are often handy.

1. Using a big bar, you get extra leverage for putting force on the tip of the bar. Not too practical when you have a short bar.
2. Sometimes you need to "dog in" to hold your position on a sharply angled root flare. Without the big spikes you really have to fight the saw to hold your position in the cut.
3. Sometimes the saw gets dull. Big spikes will allow you to pour a little more force onto the cut. _You could always just sharpen the saw, too._
4. Sometimes, particularly with a long bar, the saw wanders into a crooked cut because the operator is not applying even pressure on the handles. Using the spikes a bit more to apply even pressure can reduce that problem. [I can take my 3120 and the 50" bar and cut an arc either to the right or the left if I don't apply even pressure]

Drawbacks:

1. They make it quite easy to stall the saw by forcing the bar into the wood.
2. Your effective bar is shorter with big long spikes sticking out.
3. The saw becomes a dangerous tool to be around when it is banging around in the back of the truck. Those spikes can really sink into things they shouldn't. Clumsy feet, in particular.


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## forestryworks (May 17, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> My stihl dawgs are as big or bigger then those.



Hog piddle.

The biggest dogs Stihl makes are smaller than Pro-Safety.


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## oscar4883 (May 19, 2012)

forestryworks said:


> Hog piddle.
> 
> The biggest dogs Stihl makes are smaller than Pro-Safety.



Yup. Those Pro-Safety dawgs are about useless in PA. They are crazy huge. They only make you look cool to people on the internet. On a modified saw they may work, but on a stocker they are useless.


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## tree md (May 19, 2012)

If anyone is interested, I have a brand new set of the large Stihl dogs for an 044 that I ordered by accident. Was trying to replace the large dogs that were on there already with regular stock dogs and had a miscommunication with my Stihl dealer. If anyone wants to trade a set of regular stock dogs for the larger ones just pm me and let me know.


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## pdqdl (May 19, 2012)

I might be interested. 

I have an almost new condition 044 that I keep at my house, it seldom gets any action. Pics would be nice, I don't even know what is on mine, or what how the large dogs compare to the standard ones.

Is this a set of double dogs that mount on both sides of the bar, or just one "bigger than average" bucking spike that hangs on the cover?


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## tree md (May 19, 2012)

It's the double dogs. Let me see if I can dig them out and get some pics tomorrow. I don't really care if the stock dogs are new or not as long as they are in working order. I just don't like the bigger dogs on my 044 and want to swap out for stock ones.


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## pdqdl (May 20, 2012)

I'll check mine, too. I don't remember noticing the spikes, so I'll bet they are standard.

I don't have a single medium-sized saw that has felling spikes on it, so they would be a welcome addition. I think that 044 only has an 18" bar, so it might end up looking silly. I might have to give it a bigger bar and put it into the chainsaw pool at work.


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## flushcut (May 20, 2012)

It is funny to read some of the posts above. I have the five point dawgs on my 385 with a 36" and have no issues with stalling out the saw. Though I do find them to be a PITA when it come to filing on the tailgate as the lower dawg hangs well below the saw case. I would think if you are stalling out the saw there might be something else going on like a chain with too much hook or a tired clutch.


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