# Why you shoulad always put on chain brake



## Treecutr (Apr 2, 2010)

I was doing an oak removal, and testing out helmet cam. I dropped the saw a little, and you can see what happens. I ALWAYS put the chain brake on when I finish a cut, this is a good example why. It doesn't end up shpwing what the issue was, but I figured it out in a minute or so. I was using my buddies Husky ( hate to admit it, but I liked it a little ) when the saw fell, it hit the spar below, and on that saw ( I don't know if it's true for all husky saws ) Theres a plunger that when you squeeze the trigger, it pushes in and away you go. Somehow it popped out of it's slot, and basically was jammed in full throttle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZU2WdKPTCo


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## treemandan (Apr 2, 2010)

I agree but what are you doing with such a big saw on the little stuff?

Also one problem I did notice... its a Husky! There's the problem right there! Geez, with a saw like that you are lucky enough just to be able to find the jobsite!

:greenchainsaw:

My God though, did you drop that saw like that?


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## Rftreeman (Apr 2, 2010)

that's why you don't just drop the saw, the linkage can bind up and go full throttle..


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## treeclimber101 (Apr 2, 2010)

Treecutr said:


> I was doing an oak removal, and testing out helmet cam. I dropped the saw a little, and you can see what happens. I ALWAYS put the chain brake on when I finish a cut, this is a good example why. It doesn't end up shpwing what the issue was, but I figured it out in a minute or so. I was using my buddies Husky ( hate to admit it, but I liked it a little ) when the saw fell, it hit the spar below, and on that saw ( I don't know if it's true for all husky saws ) Theres a plunger that when you squeeze the trigger, it pushes in and away you go. Somehow it popped out of it's slot, and basically was jammed in full throttle.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZU2WdKPTCo



I like to see your frustration with the slamming up of the face shield , thats funny to me and I like the see the oh :censored: grab of the tree when the wood disappeared that saw Is a piece of :censored: because .... It's a Husky and it just is...


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## treesquirrel (Apr 2, 2010)

treemandan said:


> I agree but what are you doing with such a big saw on the little stuff?



In my early days I only had a 440 and a 310. While the 310 is not exactly a big saw it was what I dragged up with me and was cumbersome. It was not very long before I bought a 200t.


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## treemandan (Apr 2, 2010)

Rftreeman said:


> that's why you don't just drop the saw, the linkage can bind up and go full throttle..



Yes, I see how it pulled the handle out. Not good.


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## treemandan (Apr 2, 2010)

I think you are beating yourself up a little Treecutr. Those little Stihls would have done that entire tree pretty much. Also It looked like you could have rigged from an adjacent position which would have made it easier on you as well.
Good techinique with that braking wrist though and you will be glad of it.


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## treemandan (Apr 2, 2010)

treesquirrel said:


> In my early days I only had a 440 and a 310. While the 310 is not exactly a big saw it was what I dragged up with me and was cumbersome. It was not very long before I bought a 200t.



I hear you on that myself though I wasn't not doing a whole lot without a top handle.


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## treemandan (Apr 2, 2010)

treeclimber101 said:


> I like to see your frustration with the slamming up of the face shield , thats funny to me and I like the see the oh :censored: grab of the tree when the wood disappeared that saw Is a piece of :censored: because .... It's a Husky and it just is...



After I realized that SoB was toast I would have said something like this " WTF? You guys are still standing around watching me jerk with this saw? Run and get me another one and hurry the hell up... AND MAKE SURE IT SAYS STIHL ON IT!!!"


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## treeclimber101 (Apr 2, 2010)

treemandan said:


> After I realized that SoB was toast I would have said something like this " WTF? You guys are still standing around watching me jerk with this saw? Run and get me another one and hurry the hell up... AND MAKE SURE IT SAYS STIHL ON IT!!!"



I feel sorry for your men Dan ,first the slick line story now you saying you yell at them , where me doesn't matter if I yell or not they don't :censored: understand me either way, so I just raise my hands in frustration than point at what need like a caveman ....


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## RedlineIt (Apr 2, 2010)

Treecuttr,

You look a little panicked when the top dropped.

If you'd just sat back, parked the saw all calm like on your hip, there never would have been a problem.

This job is all about control: Control of the tree, control of your body, control of your saw.

At least one of those was missing, you see the result.

RedlineIt


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## treemandan (Apr 2, 2010)

treeclimber101 said:


> I feel sorry for your men Dan ,first the slick line story now you saying you yell at them , where me doesn't matter if I yell or not they don't :censored: understand me either way, so I just raise my hands in frustration than point at what need like a caveman ....



Hell, they ain't my men! But I thank God for giving me somebody to holler at anyway.
Besides when I holler at em that makes em run around all confused and that is half the fun right there. I took this job because I got to holler at people, Hell, somebody is always hollering at me.


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## treeclimber101 (Apr 2, 2010)

RedlineIt said:


> Treecuttr,
> 
> You look a little panicked when the top dropped.
> 
> ...



Whoa thats deep there ,like zen stuff , I just fell asleep reading it ,namastay


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## treeclimber101 (Apr 2, 2010)

treemandan said:


> Hell, they ain't my men! But I thank God for giving me somebody to holler at anyway.
> Besides when I holler at em that makes em run around all confused and that is half the fun right there. I took this job because I got to holler at people, Hell, somebody is always hollering at me.


Oh dan there your boys and you know it , so you work for someone now I thought those were your trucks if not , you wanna sell that red 450 tree likey muchoe


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## treemandan (Apr 2, 2010)

treeclimber101 said:


> Oh dan there your boys and you know it , so you work for someone now I thought those were your trucks if not , you wanna sell that red 450 tree likey muchoe



No I don't really employee anybody save for a sub climber here and there. I do a good amount by self, hence my trucks and equipment though I should have just bought a Corvette. I also sub conttract for a lot of different peoples. Its CRAAAAAAZY! I get to meet them all. I don't know if I can stop but I know I should.
i could never get into having employees and such. I do have respect for guys and all, I guess that is what keeps me from trying to hire people and pay them to do tree work.
But when I go out with other comapanies( and I do work and try to help real good, I don't let people hold the load alone) I get a lot of jackasses who wanna play games.
I was working a lot with Jesse and John and they would even come help me on my jobs but Jesse is bipolar as a mofo and dangerous. One minute he is calling me names and the next he is working his ass off doing more than he should. John is just a kid who needs a job. They both work for this guy who pays them liitle. They don't want to learn, they try to get out of work by excuses, both have come close to killing me playing stupid.
I just can't get into the games and I don't have what it takes to be a bawss. I don't really holler at many people unless they are really jerking around and have been told about it before or if they know better but do stupid stuff anyway.


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## treeclimber101 (Apr 2, 2010)

treemandan said:


> No I don't really employee anybody save for a sub climber here and there. I do a good amount by self, hence my trucks and equipment though I should have just bought a Corvette. I also sub conttract for a lot of different peoples. Its CRAAAAAAZY! I get to meet them all. I don't know if I can stop but I know I should.
> i could never get into having employees and such. I do have respect for guys and all, I guess that is what keeps me from trying to hire people and pay them to do tree work.
> But when I go out with other comapanies( and I do work and try to help real good, I don't let people hold the load alone) I get a lot of jackasses who wanna play games.
> I was working a lot with Jesse and John and they would even come help me on my jobs but Jesse is bipolar as a mofo and dangerous. One minute he is calling me names and the next he is working his ass off doing more than he should. John is just a kid who needs a job. They both work for this guy who pays them liitle. They don't want to learn, they try to get out of work by excuses, both have come close to killing me playing stupid.
> I just can't get into the games and I don't have what it takes to be a bawss. I don't really holler at many people unless they are really jerking around and have been told about it before or if they know better but do stupid stuff anyway.


Ok so the truck NOT? for sale that was a large explanation for a simple question...


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## rarefish383 (Apr 3, 2010)

RedlineIt said:


> Treecuttr,
> 
> You look a little panicked when the top dropped.
> 
> ...



I agree, it looks out of control. I climbed before there were chain brakes. We just turned the saw off. Never let a saw run while hanging on a tether. The way the saw went flying there was no time to put the brake on or turn it off, Joe.


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## EdenT (Apr 3, 2010)

*I think there is something we can all learn from this....*

Huskies are crap!!!


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## Treecutr (Apr 3, 2010)

OK, OK, I know it's a husky, and I blame most of it on that. I honestly didn't feel paniced. I had no intention of letting the saw go, it just happened. I had the bigger saw there because I had just used it on a much bigger piece a few feet away, and it's really not that heavy, was cutting good too. Going back to the 192 today to finish it off. Only doing half tree now, half next year. so far EVERYTHING has gone where and how we wanted. Hope that covers everyones issues, LOL. Mostly just trying to enforce use of chain brakes after cuts. Imagine if I hadn't and that thing was running away like that???I'll throw up more videos up from toadys events at some point.

Geez, I went back and watched again, I really don't know what I was thinking. No need to even let it go, damn man I messed up there a little. Also someone made mention of rigging to another spot, the spar in background was a ways away, did't want piece swinging that far. Apologize for not being perfect, LOL


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## treemandan (Apr 3, 2010)

treeclimber101 said:


> Ok so the truck NOT? for sale that was a large explanation for a simple question...




8 Grand, it has a plow.


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## nomak (Apr 3, 2010)

well I learned after twice cutting my upper part of my leg really good almost enough for a hospital visit that the chain brake should always be put on the second you pull out of a cut if youre done cutting with it.. if your gonna walk around with it for a minute or two then cut again definately use the brake... I made mistake of not doing so and cut both of my legs pretty deep at just a idle speed..needles to say it a habbit now to use the brake and I turned down the idle to so that the chain wasnt moving when not being throttled...


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## nomak (Apr 3, 2010)

EdenT said:


> Huskies are crap!!!



do you even own a saw I mean really...you were blowing me crap in another thread about cutting a tree down and all I was wanting was advice on safe way to do so and even in that thread you made some off wall comment.. no this about huskys, so again do u even own a saw...or are you one of these people that troll forums just trying to stir up crap...


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## EdenT (Apr 3, 2010)

No and No!

My employer supplied truck is equipped with:
2 * Stihl MS200T
Stihl MS441
Stihl MS440
Stihl MS250
Stihl MS660
Stihl HT75 Power Pruner

All of which I use and maintain every day. I guess that's two people at least who consider Stihl a superior saw! Personally apart from a wisecrack comment, I don't care what saw anyone uses.

Incidentally WRT 'the crap I was blowing you', why did you cut down that tree?


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## Taxmantoo (Apr 3, 2010)

I can understand the 'oops, it sounds like I'm cooking the clutch, better reel it in and shut if off'. 

I can also understand 'let's see if I can free up the throttle, then I'll restart and see if it can idle, nope, didn't work, shut it down again'. 

The part that shocked me was 'I'll disengage the brake and start it with a stuck throttle and the brake off while I'm up in a tree'. (maybe you weren't 100% sure the throttle was wide open until you did that?)


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## nomak (Apr 3, 2010)

EdenT said:


> No and No!
> 
> My employer supplied truck is equipped with:
> 2 * Stihl MS200T
> ...



well I can take a wisecrack so no offense taken there.. But the reason I cut the tree down is because its in soft ground and was leaning pretty bad and trees in my yard are notoriuos for uprooting when they start leaning like that.. so beings that tree was at a pretty substantial lean and it was 75 ft tall and the ground already bulging up on the back side of it well I figure it was time for it to go ...pluas it had tree rot in it at the top of tree so it was dying on a side note as well...


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## Tree Pig (Apr 3, 2010)

edent said:


> huskies are crap!!!



+1111111111111111111


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## tree md (Apr 3, 2010)

I never just drop a saw like that. I used to when I was starting out but I never just drop them anymore. An exception would be if I got surprised and had to grab the tree real quick or block a falling/swinging limb or something. I very rarely take a rough ride anymore. At least to the point I would have to get rid of the saw and hang on. I've got good rope hands who know how to run ropes and I try not to shock anything. When I do get rid of the saw I drop it and grab hold of the lanyard and let it ease through my hands until it's at lanyard length. 

That was a very reasonable chunk you took there. Here's how I would have done it: I would have made a face cut an inch or two into the tree. Looks like you notched it, which is fine but unnecessary and time consuming for such a small piece of wood, I would have just put a kerf in the face then cut a little above the kerf in the face cut on my back cut. I would have cut until the log started to sit down on my bar, removed my saw from the tree, turned the saw off, lowered it to the length of my lanyard and snapped the chunk over; "snap cut". Very easy, safe and controlled cutting method.

I very rarely use the chain break in the tree. I turn the saw off. I very rarely move in the tree with the saw powered. If I have to do something real quick and don't want to turn the saw off I will engage the break but mostly I just turn it off in between cuts.


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## Treecutr (Apr 3, 2010)

Ok first. Taxman, maybe your girl hands can't handle a full throttle saw in the tree???? seriously, I love the guys who rag on people with no real constructive critisim. I do see your point, at the time was really just wondering what the hell was going on. LOL Life goes on.

treeMd, thanks for the advice on the snap cut. I use it all the time when blocking down spar, hadn't really thought of using it other ways. I'm still learning. Perhaps it may have been nerves on that particular cut?? Hey after 16 years in the Army, I was still nervous when I got into firefights in Iraq, LOL guess maybe thats not guite the same??


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## tree md (Apr 3, 2010)

Control will come with experience. 

Wasn't trying to get down on ya. Just trying to give some constructive criticism. When I first started out I would rip chunks right off the spar, shock ropes and sometimes even drop the saw to get rid of it while I grabbed a top or limb and chucked it where I wanted it to go. Now days I work a lot easier with less shock. More brains and less brawn.

Hey, your up there doing it. And coming along nicely I would say.


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## treeclimber101 (Apr 3, 2010)

treemandan said:


> 8 Grand, it has a plow.



Oh well thats a real nice number Dan , can we set up a time before that plow needs to go back on so I can have a look see, and don't worry tree climber can pay , in Benjamins ....


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## outofmytree (Apr 4, 2010)

First things first. Congrats on having a helmetcam! 

As for the rest.

On the plus side you are using rigging and not just drop and hope. You also used the chainbrake as you should. Two gold stars!

As to the bad stuff. Im with taxman on the no-brake-drop-start-in-the-tree. Not a good look. I may well have done it myself but I have never captured it on film so you cannot prove a damn thing!

With that piece I would have used a snap cut just as Treemd suggested. It gives you time to put the saw on your hip.

Have you used a lanyard like this one before?






I find it is very quick to cut, engage brake, pass the saw to my right hip and clip on. Then you have two hands to snap and push.

BTW did you not have a groundie to let that piece run? I used to shock load ropes that same way myself and have retired a lot of good rope far too early because of it.


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## Treecutr (Apr 4, 2010)

tree md said:


> Control will come with experience.
> 
> Wasn't trying to get down on ya. Just trying to give some constructive criticism. When I first started out I would rip chunks right off the spar, shock ropes and sometimes even drop the saw to get rid of it while I grabbed a top or limb and chucked it where I wanted it to go. Now days I work a lot easier with less shock. More brains and less brawn.
> 
> Hey, your up there doing it. And coming along nicely I would say.




Nothing wrong with what you originally said, I take the pointers well. I have been doing this less than a year, NO instruction prior to when I started slowly experimenting . I worked as a ground guy for a little bit, but that company only did lift work, no climbers at all. I fed the chipper, that was it. I tried getting instruction, but got the sense the tree companies around here were family or close friends only. So I bought books, watched videos, came here, now I feel pretty good, still learning as I said though. i'd love to go do some work with other guys and learn more, but doesn't seem to be in the cards.


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## tree md (Apr 4, 2010)

Treecutr said:


> Nothing wrong with what you originally said, I take the pointers well. I have been doing this less than a year, NO instruction prior to when I started slowly experimenting . I worked as a ground guy for a little bit, but that company only did lift work, no climbers at all. I fed the chipper, that was it. I tried getting instruction, but got the sense the tree companies around here were family or close friends only. So I bought books, watched videos, came here, now I feel pretty good, still learning as I said though. i'd love to go do some work with other guys and learn more, but doesn't seem to be in the cards.



That is the tough thing about working on your own, not having anyone to learn new stuff from. Before I went out on my own I worked for 3 large services with multiple crews in addition to working for a couple of mom and pop services. It's nice when you can watch and learn from other climbers. I was working as a climber myself so I didn't get to watch other climbers everyday but I did get a chance every now and then to watch and learn new tricks. When you work for yourself you have to read and study to keep up with new techniques. That's what's great about this place. You can see how other climbers are doing it and learn. Just not as easy to employ when you are learning on your own. Low and slow is not always feasible in a commercial operation. Sometimes you have to use an off day as a "training day".

Stay safe!


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