# Why does the chain keep getting loose?



## retoid (Apr 27, 2008)

I run both a husky 359 XP and a 2100 CD.
Every time I put a chain on and tighten it real good so it has almost no slack at all then start to cut something, the chain on both saws immediately get really slack. I don't understand it.

I am trying to cut down a large cottonwood right now and started with the 359, notice the chain was getting dull and loose. So I switched to the 2100 CD and the chain got so loose it fell off.

WTF!?

What am I doing wrong?


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## retoid (Apr 27, 2008)

just fell off again, this time 359.

Also, doesn't seem like chains stay sharp very long. How long should a sharp chain stay sharp?


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## GASoline71 (Apr 27, 2008)

Are you lifting up on the end of the bar as you adjust the chain? Then keep it held up as you tighten the bar nuts? If you don't, the chain will go slack in about 2 cuts.

Don't overtighten to compensate for the chain becoming loose after a few cuts. There are chain tension/tightening instructions in your owners manual. You want the chain to just come in contact with the bottom of the bar as you snug it up.

Chain sharpness depends on a lot of things... so that question cannot be truly answered correctly. It depends on type of wood, possible things imbedded in the wood, dirty wood, your sawing skills, and if you are hittin' the dirt (rocking out) your chains.

Gary


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## Metals406 (Apr 27, 2008)

Ditto to Gary... Something could be in the tree.


I saw a cottonwood this guy cut, and he couldn't figure out why he had to keep putting chains on... Turns out that cottonwood had grown up around a pile of bricks. When you looked at the stump, he had halved about 4 bricks cutting that thing down! 
:monkey: 

LOL


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## retoid (Apr 27, 2008)

I am tired of trying anymore today. What a waste of time and effort. 
I feel so defeated. Chain fell off 3 times now. I tightened the chain according to the owners manual. Doesn't matter, it loosens after I turn the damn thing on.

Very frustrated right now.

There is nothing in the wood, its a dead cottonwood.


I feel like just blowing the damn tree up.


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## clearance (Apr 27, 2008)

Start with the 2100, I am familar with this line, I had a 2101. Take the bar off, check the adjuster screw. See if it is bent or broken, if not run it back and forth to see how it works and if it is working. 

Check the bar (is it bent, rails good etc.) and clean it. Look at the sprocket. put it all back together, making very sure the chain is engaged in the sprocket properly. As Gary says, tighten the nuts by holding the trigger handle with one hand and resting the bar tip on something else.


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## Saw Bones (Apr 28, 2008)

I assume you are using bar oil? If so it is specifcly Bar and chain oil, not some old motor oil or something like that? Just a thought. No offense meant just sometimes the obvious is overlooked.


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## Billy_Bob (Apr 28, 2008)

So far as staying sharp, a chain can stay sharp for days if cutting clean wood or can become dull in 1 minute if it hits the ground or hits dirt in wood. 

I ALWAYS sharpen my chain or replace it as soon as it becomes dull. No point in continuing to use it if it is dull.

My chainsaw dealer always says when buying a new chain to also replace the sprocket. He says they are a pair.

Heat will make a chain expand. Maybe there is a lot of heat for some reason? Is the chain smoking? If yes, then could be a problem with oil not properly lubricating the chain.

With a properly sharpened chain, you don't need to push the chainsaw into the wood. When sawing downward, just the weight of the saw will cut quite fast. Very important to also file the "rakers" (depth guages) when sharpening a chain.

And if using a long bar, best to use a "skip chain". This will keep the speed up which is the most important thing when cutting. And it leaves room for the shavings between cutters with a long cut.

Advice: Take your chainsaw to a good pro chainsaw dealer who does repairs "by the book". Replace parts with correct factory parts and correct chain/sprocket/bar for the size of tree you are cutting.

Then get the following DVD which shows proper chainsaw maintenance...
Stihl "Chain Saw Safety, Operation & Maintenance" DVD...
http://www.stihlusa.com/information/info_lit_video.html


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## Zodiac45 (Apr 28, 2008)

Gary said the most importent thing. Hold the bar up as you tighten the nuts. Make sure that the adjuster is actually "hooked" into the bar slot and tightening. You will always get a little stretch on a new chain, but after a few times it should stop. 

As far as the sharpening goes there are many factors. Are you bucking or ripping? Is the wood clean etc.. I put a new Stihl .325 RS on one of my Dolmar 111 saws. I've used it too cut up over a cord of relatively clean wood that I picked up after an Asplunda crew cleared some power lines on my road. I've yet to sharpen that chain. I cut 4 footers, brought them home and bucked them in a sawbuck. That said, I can go through two chains in 2 hours if I'm cutting dirty wood that's been skidded. It only take one second in the dirt to dull any chain.


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## retoid (Apr 28, 2008)

Thank you very much for the useful information guys.

I will take a look at it later on today and make sure everything is working as it should. I am almost positive the chain being dull has something to do with my sharpening. I am really still just a chainsaw noob 

Thanks again.


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## Brushwacker (Apr 28, 2008)

Compare the drive sprocket and the bar tip sprocket with new ones. A worn drive sprocket will stretch your new chain fast. I find when the sprocket on the bar nose gets wore to a point it is easy to throw the chain when cutting or bumping into small brush.


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## Saw Bones (Apr 29, 2008)

Perhaps check the Pitch and Guage to be sure they are matched to the bar and sprocket you are using? Gotta be some thing.


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## pickwood (Apr 29, 2008)

Hey- on the 359- make sure the chain is completely lined up with the sprocket when you put on the chain. And of course -check the comments above-hope this helps.


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## Metals406 (Apr 29, 2008)

Again, make sure there isn't something in the tree... Something hard to see... Like in the picture.


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## GASoline71 (Apr 29, 2008)

retoid said:


> Thank you very much for the useful information guys.
> 
> I will take a look at it later on today and make sure everything is working as it should. I am almost positive the chain being dull has something to do with my sharpening. I am really still just a chainsaw noob
> 
> Thanks again.



I see you're in Bellingham... I'm out on Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor... I go up to Bellingham at least once a month... Next time I head up that way, I'll give you a shout.

Gary


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## Hummer (Apr 29, 2008)

Billy_Bob said:


> My chainsaw dealer always says when buying a new chain to also replace the sprocket. He says they are a pair.


I have to respond to this one statement among the otherwise good ones in this post because I've heard it before and I think it's ridiculous. As long as chains are kept properly tensioned and oiled, a sprocket can work for hundreds of sharpenings of a dozen or more chains before it shows significant wear. If a dealer told me I should change sprockets for every chain, I'd regard anything that dealer says with suspicion. A worn sprocket is obvious and not something that needs to be routinely changed like an oil filter. JMHO, YMMV.


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## hammerlogging (Apr 29, 2008)

Sounds to me like it could be a trashed sprocket bearing, or a cracked clutch drum cover. Or metal in the tree, true.


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## retoid (Apr 30, 2008)

GASoline71 said:


> I see you're in Bellingham... I'm out on Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor... I go up to Bellingham at least once a month... Next time I head up that way, I'll give you a shout.
> 
> Gary



Hey Gary, that would be great. I am always open to hearing others ideas and learning more.


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## straight6jeff (May 9, 2008)

I seem to remember last year someone having the same issue with a pole trimmer chain loosening immediately. I can't remember what it turned out to be though......


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