Busted out of Asheville! - hunting for intermediate chainsaw

[AussieSawyer]

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....

 

[Tobystihl]

Sending good luck wishes for a safe return to normality from Wales UK

 

[FXJenkins]

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.

 

[AnthemBassMan]

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 20” 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

 

[pioneerguy600]

I have worked with crews clearing trees after 3 different hurricane blow downs and the crews elected me to be in charge of a mostly volunteer crowd. We found it most productive to let the men that had the most extensive experience with downed trees they owned their own PRO series saws. Homeowner types with their Poulan Woodsharks and Wildthing type saws became a nuisance and counter productive. Letting the men that were most experienced running their own chainsaws got more trees cut up and having the other volunteers clear away the brush and tree stems made quicker headway. Before A hurricane hits my area I am out there filling up fuel cans and have at least 10 gallons of bar oil on hand and 30 gallons of gasoline, all trucks and machines with full tanks days before the storm hits. With the community turn out we were some of the first to get our electricity back on, just out for 3 days while others did not get their power back for more than 2 weeks because they were waiting for the big outfits like Asplund to come cut them out. Waiting until after a storm to try rounding up supplies becomes much more difficult, my own saws are always at the ready and having adequate fuel, oil and extra saw parts like bars and chains make it much more expedient to get to work. Many others beside myself were prepared but those trying to find anything after a storm had very limited items to choose from. Hope all those affected can find a way to get through all that mess, never an enjoyable event by any means.

 

[Alfa_Sam]

I'm about 30 miles north of hard hit Erwin, TN. We had some trees down around here, I've been helping my neighbors clean up their trees. Just medium sized Oak and hickory, but I'm sitting on about 40 saws and 20 gallons of 2 stroke fuel waiting until I'm needed in the harder hit areas. I'm sure there will be some organized clean up, so I'll take part in that.

 

[fields_mj]

This is the kind of volunteer work I do. Unfortunately, I'm not currently in a position where I can leave town for a week, or I'd be down there now. Most of the time, most of the trees are small. If you're with a "pro" let him handle the bigger trees. You're there to help, not to play with new toys. You're going to be cutting mostly tree limbs, and you're going to be climbing over and through limbs to get to where you need to make the cuts. An MS261 is plenty big enough. If you're in good shape, you can run it with a 20" bare to have a little more reach. If you're not used to running a saw all day in rough terrain, a 16" bar is still fine. Realistically, even something like an Echo CS-2511 would be enough to do 75% of the work in a single pass. You're just trying to get the tree into pieces small enough for a skid steer with a grapple (or a mini with a thumb) to be able to pick it up and take it away, and they can pick up a lot. When I go, I normally take an 026, 036, and a big saw, but I RARELY use the big saw. My 026 gets the most use, and I'm considering getting a 2511 as well because its easier to climb through the top of a downed tree on the side of a mountain with a small saw, than it is with a big saw. If you're working in a flat area, a 50-60cc saw is fine, but walking up and down the side of a mountain all day is easier with a little 7 lb saw.

Buy safety gear before you go. Chaps and a helmet with a face shield minimum. Gloves are helpfull. Dipped knit gloves are my favorite, but they don't do anything to stop thorns or briars. I'd also swing by Walmart and pick up paracord, a backpack and a hydration bladder from the camping section, and a box of gallon ziplock bags, and breakfast bars, cloth athletic tape, 4" gauze pads and some cheap small tubes of superglue from the hardware department. This makes for a quick trauma kit. Use the ziplocks to store and organize everything in the backpack. Wouldn't hurt to toss in a roll of toiletpaper either.

Keep your head on a swivel. Think about every cut you make before you make it, and think about what's going to happen as you make the cut. Identify compression and tension wood, and be prepared to be wrong. Take weight off the top of the tree first if you can, working your way back toward the trunk. Keep/make a clear path for your feet so you're not constantly tripping over things (this means laying the saw down to remove some of what you've cut). Stay uphill from the tree you're working on. Don't be braver than you are smart. The damage is already done, don't make it worse by getting hurt. Take breaks and stay hydrated.

 

[AussieSawyer]

Thanks everyone. I had a good day yesterday - got through to Johnson City Tennessee, and found a great shop. I am back with a Husky 372XP, 24" bar, gallons of bar oil, extra chain, fuel and 2-stroke oil. Also hauled 50 gallons of water.

The guys at the store gave me a military discount on trust (wallet and all ID's are gone) and threw in chaps as well. As I was leaving an extra spark plug came sliding across the counter to me.... Some more people who wanted to help.

The first job in front of me (this oak) is within the capabilities of this new saw, but this is definitely one I should take on with a pro. I have someone coming here tomorrow, and we can clear this road together. (the crown is right alongside the house, so I think we should take a good look at that also).

Thanks for the good thoughts. And thanks to the wife for the use of her credit card!

 

[AussieSawyer]

Fields-MJ, thanks for all the great information. I will probably be mostly working in local/urban settings, but it's still great to have the extra prep - especially for when someone gets hurt. Not a good time to be calling for emergency responders here - could be a very long wait.

I particularly like the 'head on a swivel' reminder.

In the late 1980's, I was involved in a time-and-motion study in coastal forests in Australia. I learned a lot, as I was assessing how logging crews worked (this was a research project organized by the state's forestry department). I still remember the differences between safe and cavalier operators. The best guy would take extra time before AND after dropping the next tree. These coastal Eucalypts would tend to generate 'widow makers' (is that term used here?) on their way down. So best practice was to wait for all the momentum to be gone, and just scan everything.

The worst operator - Glenn - damn. One end of day, he scarfed 6 or 7 trees and went home. The next morning, he walked through the line and back-cut all of them at once. Needless chaos! (he did eventually get hurt). Those guys were ROUGH.

 

[fields_mj]

The first job in front of me (this oak) is within the capabilities of this new saw, but this is definitely one I should take on with a pro. I have someone coming here tomorrow, and we can clear this road together. (the crown is right alongside the house, so I think we should take a good look at that also).

As you're working on that tree, the root ball is likely to stand back up on you at some point. Kind of cool to watch if you know when its going to happen and plan accordingly. Scary as $%#$ if you aren't planning for it.

Be careful, and stay safe! Praying for all of you.

 

[Bludenz]

Fields-MJ, thanks for all the great information. I will probably be mostly working in local/urban settings, but it's still great to have the extra prep - especially for when someone gets hurt. Not a good time to be calling for emergency responders here - could be a very long wait.

I particularly like the 'head on a swivel' reminder.

In the late 1980's, I was involved in a time-and-motion study in coastal forests in Australia. I learned a lot, as I was assessing how logging crews worked (this was a research project organized by the state's forestry department). I still remember the differences between safe and cavalier operators. The best guy would take extra time before AND after dropping the next tree. These coastal Eucalypts would tend to generate 'widow makers' (is that term used here?) on their way down. So best practice was to wait for all the momentum to be gone, and just scan everything.

The worst operator - Glenn - damn. One end of day, he scarfed 6 or 7 trees and went home. The next morning, he walked through the line and back-cut all of them at once. Needless chaos! (he did eventually get hurt). Those guys were ROUGH.

Out of pure curiosity, what part of Australia did you visit? As far as I know, commercial logging has since become illegal in Western Australia to preserve national forests now. Most gums here tend to have rather dense fibers, and therefor extremely heavy, even the smaller branches. I can see why they would wait for all of the momentum to be gone, I know I wouldn't want a multi-ton tree falling in the wrong direction...

 

[AussieSawyer]

Good reminder about that root ball. It's probably 12-15 ft across.

Bludenz, that forestry project that I referenced was part of the Victorian forestry department's research at the time - I think it was named 'Conservation, Forests and Lands' back then (countless name changes since). The study area was known as Cabbage Tree Creek, out of Orbost, Victoria. That forest type is classified as LEMS (low elevation mixed species). Lots of yellow stringy bark, box stringy bark - smaller, scrappier trees in a lower nutrient sandy soil type. As you know, when you get to the ranges, you transition to the Mountain Ash stands - huge, gum-barked trees. I have been in the US for over 30 years now.

 

[Bludenz]

Wow, Interesting. I might have to read into that project, might be a very good read.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[AnthemBassMan]

That 372XP will definitely handle quite a lot of jobs. Not sure why I thought you were looking for a lower price saw. Maybe because of your 455. Glad to see the shop helping you out with some extras too.

L8R,
Matt