New saw advice.

[barfer]

Fields MJ. Thank you, very informative post. I appreciate the time it took to write that. I’ll re read that again tomorrow to get it to sink in.

Singinwood, Sean Donato. Thank you, again appreciated. I’ll have to keep looking things up, such as PICCO, etc.

I took pics today. The biggest problem for me keeping it out of the dirt is stumps, roots, and old rotten stuff that is already half way to dirt and half buried. Even digging things up, it’s still very dirty. Unless I had an excavator and dozer back there, not sure how else I could clear stuff.

I’ve also ruined chains in the past working in the bush doing recovery work, aircraft. But was expected and I don’t do that work anymore. So it’s just dirt I have to contend with. And the odd rock you don’t see.

New bar and chain on the 261 today, and goes through maple like butter again. I beieleive it is a full chisel, and yes it does really pull it through the wood. Not sure if used semi or saftey in the past. To be honest I always went to the same place and used what he gave me, it always just worked. But he’s a long drive for me now, so I’m figuring it out on my own. Might just take a drive down there next week and chat with him as well.

Thanks for the time. Appreciate it.


Stihl bars. New just installed today on bottom.
View attachment 1204598

Stihl bar just replaced. I started to dress it, stopped to take a few pics.
View attachment 1204599

View attachment 1204600

View attachment 1204601

Chains. Top down.
Husky
Oregon
The rest Stihl
New Stihl on bottom.
View attachment 1204602

Husky and Oregon were on the 55 rancher.
View attachment 1204603

Same as above on edge.
View attachment 1204604

Just messing around seeing how they fit around the nice of the old bars.
View attachment 1204605

View attachment 1204606

Husky 55 bars on top and middle. Old Stihl bar on bottom.
View attachment 1204607

It’s the bark on those oaks. I spend a lot of time cutting oak trees that look exactly like those. Not only is the bark itself brutal it’s *filled* with so much dirt and dust it’s maddening. I make sure the oil ports are clear. On my saw I have an adjustable oiler and I crank it up to make sure the chain is sufficiently oiled. And I give the chain a once over with the file every time I fill the tank when I’m cutting those kind of trees. Because a sharp chain is just so so so much better.

I’ve tried the duro carbide chains and agree they are a huge pain to sharpen but until they go dull they’re great. These days I only use them for dirty stumps because not only are they far more difficult to sharpen they cost 3x more than regular chains and personally I’ve found it more efficient both in money and time to use traditional chains and to just keep them sharp.

As for the goo on the front of your bar, in my experience that’s from the sap these trees produce. I put a squirt of degreaser sit on it for 2 minutes and brush it off with a stiff brush and wipe it down with a cloth. Done.

Good luck w your new saw. Even though a 70cc saw would tear through that oak easier and faster as another older guy I think you made the right choice with a lighter weight saw. I hate to admit it but I’m simply not as strong as I was when I was younger… (I don’t know what happened still think I’m 22 in my head ) and carrying all that extra weight around… just from the truck to the trees, hiking around with it, whatever… I get tired faster and (shrug) just can’t charge at 110% like I could back in the day. And when we get tired we make mistakes. And in this business mistakes are serious. So… given what you shared about your goals and needs… good choice with your 261!

 

[sean donato]

Don't get hung up on stihls stupid names for chains, thats all marketing hype. Picco is just a low profile 3/8 chain designed for small displacement saws. Nothing you'll have to worry about with either of your saws. Really all you need to know, is full chisel, semi chisel, or round/ safty chain and pitch, gauge and link count (all info found on the bar) and you'll be able to order whatever chain you want.
20" tops for a 261. Usually I prefer a 16" or 18" on a 261. 20" is pushing it, but manageable.

 

[pdqdl]

Slowly realizing the more trail (really dirty work) work I do, and getting into the dirt quite often it seems without much choice in some cases, the more I should set up one saw just for that. Doing more trail work over the past 3 years than I have in the past 30 yrs. It’s starting to take its toll on things.

If you are really out in the dirt a lot, you should consider using a stellite hardened nose with no rollers. They just don't ever fail, but they will not work well with folks who keep their chain snappy-tight. The chains will stretch too much, and keeping them tight on a rollerless nose adds heat to the system and load on the engine.

For that matter, I generally don't get too excited about a loose chain anyway. The chains last longer, and I'm cheap and don't like buying new chains all the time.

A really good stellite hardened bar tip is so hard it will dress your grind wheel when you attempt to re-shape any wear on the tip. They are so hard they don't hardly make any sparks when they hit the grinder.