Ryobi 37cc RY3714 bogs down under any load?

[lostone]

Are you using full chisel or semi chisel chain? Any contact with dirt will dull a chain but semi chisel will hold up better than full chisel under the conditions you are talking about.

 

[TBS]

Well, sometimes the simplest fix is the most effective. The original bar pinch must have fried the chain. I guess that (and the old bar) was the issue all along. Replaced the chain and it was running through tough stuff pretty quickly.

See my separate post regarding this new chain getting screwed up within just a few cuts. 2nd chain put on ran the rest of today without issue until about the last hour.

The last hour or so of cutting the saw wanted to bog down again. the chain feels sharp to the bare hand but by end of day, even in dead, dry pine 10-11" in diameter, the saw had to be revved completely to cut through completely. After first putting the new chain on early in the day... this dry, soft wood cut pretty easily.

I'm wondering if the chain needs sharpened more often than "usual" because I'm cutting a lot of stuff down into leaves and occasionally touching wet dirt that it's taking enough out of the chain that sharpening needs to be done more often than normal. Obviously... not cutting into dirt on purpose or deeply but I'm cutting a ton of deadfalls here in the south and because of the climate here, the logs are sitting on the ground and partially rotting ... with a lot of 3 - 5" trees mixed with brush growing up around the deadfalls.

It doesn't take much to dull a saw chain, every time you hit the dirt is like rubbing the edge with 90 grit sandpaper and wood that has been on the ground for a while will always have some dirt in it. As the chain gets duller you may find yourself pushing harder which will cause the chain to stop.

 

[Andyshine77]

The chain needs to be sharpened when it needs to be sharpened, there is no set run time. If the chain gets into the dirt it dulls almost immediately, if you have to force the saw through the wood the chain is dull, it should self feed and produce nice size chips not fine dust.

 

[glenintenn]

The chain needs to be sharpened when it needs to be sharpened, there is no set run time. If the chain gets into the dirt it dulls almost immediately, if you have to force the saw through the wood the chain is dull, it should self feed and produce nice size chips not fine dust.

That's another puzzling aspect of this saw. I've always used the wood chip size as the main indicator of when it's time to sharpen the saw. Chips are still large but there was a noticeable difference in morning versus afternoon performance. Maybe it's just learning curve with this much smaller 37cc saw-- as in, I was getting impatient by late in the day because things were moving along slowly after putting a brand new chain on, screwing up the link diver, putting on another chain etc. Had a 46cc Craftsman in the 90s and some version of a Homelite SuperXL in the 80s to cut lodge pole and red fir on the west coast. Clearing brush and mixed hard/soft woods here in the east is a different animal.

 

[North by Northwest]

As Andre has advised chains regardless of type need sharpening when required . Service usage will determine when . Quite often if cutting dirty dead falls or certain grainy hardwoods touch up sharpening will keep cutting performance optimal . I often sharpen my 576 xp between fuel fill ups during cutting Oak or Ironwood . Then again during cutting of Silver Birch or Jack Pine I may only need to touch up the chain upon oil tank refills . Also a consideration is chain quality , I only use Stihl or Oregon quality chains . All the Best !