Busted out of Asheville! - hunting for intermediate chainsaw

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AussieSawyer

ArboristSite Lurker
Joined
May 5, 2020
Messages
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Location
Silver Spring MD
Hello everyone,

Today is the first day we have reports of a way out of Asheville. I launched my wife up north and away from all of this, and now for me to hit a community with power and commerce.

My Husqvarna 455 is 500 miles away - along with all my safety gear, bucking tools and maintenance set.

I'm 'intermediate' in my skills. I like what I know, and I think I am consistent with safety. I've managed to get to Tennessee, and I am looking around for the next saw to own above mine, in terms of capacity to help with clearing efforts. Husqvarna has some 562 models. Larger engine, longer cutting bars that can be fitted. I would like to hear people's thoughts. My thinking is that 2nd saw should be sufficiently differentiated from the first to widen my capabilities for the future. (engine capacity is aprox 50% larger than the 455).

A question : Is it feasible & common to work with a single saw like this and have two cutting bar configurations? I am thinking apx 20" for all the lighter work, but with a longer bar and chains available when I get to the bigger downed trees.

2. I have made contact with a pro in Asheville (he advertised on local radio that he was ready to help with his chainsaws, apparently very experienced). When I get back I plan to team up with him. He will hopefully be able to guide me towards working safely around trees that are bigger than I've dealt with before. Bummer that all my safety gear, wedges, etc are so far away. If you have any thoughts about re-skilling on the fly, please share. As soon as I leave Tennessee, I'm probably going to lose any online ability. So I think I will put my number here for this one time : (252) 220-2500. Just in case someone has thoughts and can phone them through to me.

ABOUT THE SITUATION - Asheville
People are amazing. I have only heard of one violent (deadly) incident. I did not have enough cash on hand at the one gas station that had some fuel left in its tanks, while I was attempting to haul fuel for another family as well as ours. A stranger gave me $25 and her Venmo details (and by the way she was drop-dead gorgeous, I mean magazine cover beautiful). How about that! Lots of folks streaming in from all over the country. It's been rough, but it's going to be a whole lot better. 'A thousand hands to lift everyone above the loss and the hurt'. I will break in my new saw and get to work - part of the big effort.

I am willing to bet that there are many old saws and related equipment sitting around in sheds within 100 miles of Asheville. I wish I could arrange for them to be liberated, and a small engine pro assigned to get them all tuned up. That would make an amazing difference! There are THOUSANDS of trees down here. It's going to be a year at least to really get this cleaned up. Send positive thoughts! (the people and pets I worry about the most are the ones in the steep country that cannot get any message out, and have not been visited. Some are currently completely unreachable, absent a skyhook). Are people still under structures? Are they dying as I write this? We won't have clarification on this for a long time.

Back over the range I go....
 
What can you run for 6,8,10 hrs? IOW what can your arms/shoulders handle, on possibly limited nutrition, for extended periods of time before the you/saw combination is either incapacitated or you end up hurting yourself, which just extends the whole situation? Do you have access to fuel/chain lube for the saw and water for yourself? Smaller pro saws will be better in this situation. Forget changing out bar lengths unless you have a backpack and extra loops for both bars. I wouldn't go scrounging around other peoples sheds unless its a life or death situation. Thoughts don't help, prayer does though, and simple saves. Hope is good, and I hope you can get your hands on a MS 261 or 362 with plenty of mix.
 
I’m just a hick farm boy from eastern central Ohio, but my recommendation if you can swing it is get ahold of either a Stihl MS261 or a Husqvarna 550XP MkII with 2”” bars. True pro built saws that will weigh a little less and have a little more power than a similar or slightly larger farm/ranch saw. You’re looking at about $690-$720 for either of those two. The slightly lighter weight will definitely be an added bonus if you’re out there sawing for quite a while. Grab a few extra sets of chains and one of those combo fuel/bar oil jugs to keep things full. Whatever you do, just stay safe down there.

L8R,
Matt
 
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