Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[sean donato]

Well, today was clutch day in the vw. Needless to say I wasn't happy with a lot of the previous work done to it. First thing, the axle bolts were replaced with socket head cap screws and about half of them were rounded out. Took forever to get them out. once I got the transmission out I found it wasn't the seal of rear main seal leaking, someone put a no name pos plastic one in and it was cracked where the one pan bolt threaded into it. Fourtonalty I had a new oem aluminum plate and seal already. The tin plate had a peice folded over on its self to boot, so the back of the trans couldn't have been sitting completely flush. Got all that hammered out and fixed. Swapped in the new rear main seal and holder plate. New flywheel and clutch installed. Cleaned up the transmission before stuffing it back in. Can't stand working on greasy stuff, especially my own stuff. Got the new slave cylinder hose on, and everything else hooked up, save for the axles. Couldn't get any axle bolts locally so I had to order them. Should have them sometime next week. While i had everything tore apart, I took some time to clean up all the chassis grounds under the battery tray and on the engine block. Figured I should have no real reason to go that deep for awhile and it was easy with everything apart and the transmission out.

 

[WoodAbuser]

Late yesterday afternoon I took on the two 2500 pound plus boulders. Out came my generator to run the Hilti hammer drill and I set to work drilling holes. I was able to dril a 5/8" hole 5 inches deep in these rocks in 45 seconds. Man do these Hilti drills work great. My first try at busting a stone in half did not work. The rock just shattered the top section in layers. I drilled new holes a few inches away. This time I drilled 3/8" holes 12" deep inside the 5/8" holes. Not sure yet if the split followed the 3/8" holes as I haven't separated that boulder yet. The 12" deep holes took around 2 minutes each to drill due to constantly cleaning out the holes of the ground stone crud. The wedges broke this boulder easily. The 2nd boulder split great using the same hole pattern. This boulder fell apart. The crack did not follow the drill holes except at the very bottom of the rock. It took less than 2 hours to get my tools and generator out, bust the rocks and put everything away afterwards. The rocks are like ironheads as my FIL always referred to them. If you hit them with a sledge it would fly right back at you without even chipping the rock. The first 3 pictures are the 1st rock. The last two are the 2nd rock after it split.

Still don't see the feathers.

 

[gggGary]

All your fault put the 462C in the sled and went hunting, found a nearby Ash with telltale light colored bark. Removed the insulators on the pasture fence and dropped it.
With the 20" bar it did the whole thing, limbing and all on one tank of gas. I was just noodling the bottom chunk when it went dry.
Not the ideal limbing saw ha-ha. I had the bar and chain I took off the 440 when I sold it (not even a sharpening) so had a great comparo. It for sure outpowers the 440, more of a revver than the 440 torque motor. in 12" I was hitting rev limiter while levering in with the dogs. Finally, down at the stump trying to bog it, the clutch slipped before the motor stalled.
Well balanced with the 20" but will be fine with the 25 and 28 for the occasional big stuff.
about 50' till the trunk petered out.

Allison was brushing and stacking.


With ash borer the tree still LOOKS good, then once bucked, the bark just falls off cambium completely eaten away.


X27 perfect for this job. bing bing bing.

Stacked and ready to haul with the plastic sled or if the snow melts enough I'll use the zero turn and trailer.

Neighbor was getting ready to torch some brush so we dragged it all to his pile and it's gone.

 

[WoodAbuser]

Just got back from a couple days at the cabin. Was able to just drive right in. No snow left on the drive. Took pix of the cast iron that I have been using there for years. Not as nice and clean at what I have at home now with no running water. The cabin is completely off grid also.






These have cooked lots of bacon, eggs, pancakes etc. Over the years.

 

[WoodAbuser]

All your fault put the 462C in the sled and went hunting, found a nearby Ash with telltale light colored bark. Removed the insulators on the pasture fence and dropped it.
With the 20" bar it did the whole thing, limbing and all on one tank of gas. I was just noodling the bottom chunk when it went dry.
Not the ideal limbing saw ha-ha. I had the bar and chain I took off the 440 when I sold it (not even a sharpening) so had a great comparo. It for sure outpowers the 440, more of a revver than the 440 torque motor. in 12" I was hitting rev limiter while levering in with the dogs. Finally, down at the stump trying to bog it, the clutch slipped before the motor stalled.
Well balanced with the 20" but will be fine with the 25 and 28 for the occasional big stuff.
about 50' till the trunk petered out.
View attachment 1150283
Allison was brushing and stacking.
View attachment 1150284
View attachment 1150285
With ash borer the tree still LOOKS good, then once bucked, the bark just falls off cambium completely eaten away.
View attachment 1150286

X27 perfect for this job. bing bing bing.
View attachment 1150287
Stacked and ready to haul with the plastic sled or if the snow melts enough I'll use the zero turn and trailer.
View attachment 1150288
Neighbor was getting ready to torch some brush so we dragged it all to his pile and it's gone.

I love my 462. It wears a 24" bar and chain all the time.

 

[chipper1]

I heard all this nonsense for years about how Husky's handle better that Stihl when I could NEVER feel any real difference. A lot of it was purported to be because of an internal (as opposed to external) clutch.

Then I was reading an article about one of Husky's top competitive limbing guys, and he CHOOSE one of their saws with an external clutch.

After that I just concluded it is all just personal preference, and you should just use what you like.

Nonsense, then why did stihl start angling their handlebars. Outboard clutches help to place the bar/chain closer to the center of the saw, which does help with side to side balance.
Not sure why he would choose anything else if he could.
Obviously someone can run something more comfortably that they've gotten comfortable with, thats why when giving guys recommendations on saws I take what they've used in the past into consideration. But, these days there aren't any straight top bar options that im aware of in the big name saws.

Youse guys! Now I'm going to HAVE to go try this 462C while my memory of running the (sold it) 440 is still kinda fresh.....

The reason i sold my 440 is because the 462 has the nice spring AV, better fuel economy, lighter, and handles better. That being said, I don't think I ever had a problem with my 440, great saw.

IMO nothing on earth limbs like a 346 or 550 v1. Beyond that it’s all about what you like.

Totally, but even that would depend on what size the limbs are. 550 is the best 50cc saw I've ran for limbing.

But have you ever run a Doc Al ported 026/260?

His ported 360s are even stronger and not much larger. I also like my MMWS ported 261 quite a bit, as does Matt!

A lot of good saws out there, and a lot of good porters.

Part of the reason I stick with the same brand is all my bars interchange! Makes it easier.

Yes, that's why I bought a real sweet 260, but by then he wasn't doing much, so I sold it. But as Steve said, the 346 or a 550 handles so much better. But, I wanted the 260 to run a 20" bar for bucking, very strong saws. The 260 is only slightly heavier than a 241, but they sure put down the power when ported compared to the 241.
Also ran his 360s, why wouldn't they be stronger lol. Like my mmws261, like the angled bar, spring AV, good fuel economy, but I still run a muffler modded 550 for limbing.
I get that, although most the time I'm not switching too much between them as they aren't the appropriate length for the saw.
I can run all my stihl bars on my large mount huskys, just need to use the spacers.
Today I brought my new 24" stihl light bar along with a couple chains(.063, most my stuff is
050) with the 462 just in case. But I managed with only the 372xpg today, nice having the heated handles. I did finish the chain off cutting as much of the stump up as I could before it wouldn't cut at all. At least I got the stump cut down to where I she able to pick it up with the tractor whenever I get out there with it.

 

[chipper1]

For shame! Not bringing any wood home! You can never have enough!
Jk, I didn't bring any wood home from my old man's place the last time I was over taking a tree down for him either.

Yeah, I could have, but I have a ton to split as it is, really need to get on that. Haven't been bringing much home unless I'm getting paid to, this was a favor to a friend/her son my boys best friend. The ms251 I set his dad up with did a great job until the chain got dull, his boy did a great job too. I ran a couple tanks thru the 372 and got everything bucked up and cut right up to where the ground was on the stump, it's tipped over now. She's happy, her boy and a buddy are going haul all the wood away for bonfires, and all the debris they can haul to the city dump. Kinda funny she's been there for like 20yrs and didn't know they can use the city dump for free.
Glad the clutch job went well, hope you get the rest taken care of soon.

 

[chipper1]

Cool. I had planned to use the sg mostly for birdshot for grouse while hunting deer but we have no deer so no need for the rifle lol.

I still like a vent rib for that, never used a dot on bird. You do shoot them with both eyes open, so you may be able to get a nice "sight" picture, just not sure how I'd like finding my lead.
I'm gonna look that up.
Wonder if there's a 45 degree vent rib , then again, wouldn't doubt someone's made one lol.

 

[sean donato]

Yeah, I could have, but I have a ton to split as it is, really need to get on that. Haven't been bringing much home unless I'm getting paid to, this was a favor to a friend/her son my boys best friend. The ms251 I set his dad up with did a great job until the chain got dull, his boy did a great job too. I ran a couple tanks thru the 372 and got everything bucked up and cut right up to where the ground was on the stump, it's tipped over now. She's happy, her boy and a buddy are going haul all the wood away for bonfires, and all the debris they can haul to the city dump. Kinda funny she's been there for like 20yrs and didn't know they can use the city dump for free.
Glad the clutch job went well, hope you get the rest taken care of soon.

I was just busten your nuts lol. Figured you had good reason not to want any of it. Truthfully, I'm nearly at the same point. The log pile starts out back behind the house by the wood shed, goes the whole depth of the house, then wraps around into the front yard. It's a mess right now.

 

[chipper1]

I was just busten your nuts lol. Figured you had good reason not to want any of it. Truthfully, I'm nearly at the same point. The log pile starts out back behind the house by the wood shed, goes the whole depth of the house, then wraps around into the front yard. It's a mess right now.

That's kinda where I'm at. I didn't plan on having all the trees down in the yard from the tornado/wind storm, I should have finished the barn steel, then got the wood I cut last winter/ spring all split up. But it all works out for a reason, and at least my yard is going to look great in the spring, until I dig a trench to the house from the barn for my new electric supply line to the house and water to the barn .

 

[Kodiak Kid]

 

[chipper1]

View attachment 1150334

Wow, bet they weren't out in that too long .

 

[Kodiak Kid]

Wow, bet they weren't out in that too long .

I bet less than a minute. Just long enough to jump out of the van, pose for the picture and jump back in the van.

 

[Kodiak Kid]

Roasted brown sugar rub venison ribs. Cooked in my cast iron roaster. Three hours on top of the woodstove. Remove lid and add home made BBQ sauce. Then 18 minutes in the oven at 450°. Cooked to falling off the bone perfection. The fat literally melted in my mouth. So so good!


Eat hardy Gentleman!

 

[MustangMike]

The reason i sold my 440 is because the 462 has the nice spring AV, better fuel economy, lighter, and handles better. That being said, I don't think I ever had a problem with my 440, great saw.

The only reasons I prefer my ported 462s to my 440 or ported 360 is because of the computer engine control and the clean air filter technology. The spring AV is nice, but I don't notice much difference.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

O”

View attachment 1150334

ha, a friend of mine’s kid goes to school there

 

[JimR]

They had electricity when you were dating your wife?

This was 1971 not 1871.

 

[JimR]

Still don't see the feathers.

They should be called wedges and slides.

 

[svk]

Morning guys.

Saw a scrounger in my yard. First deer I’ve seen in my yard in months.

Going to enjoy some coffee this morning and then head in to work. Have a big project to work on that I probably won’t have time to get to during the regular week.

Hope everybody has a great day.

 

[chipper1]

The only reasons I prefer my ported 462s to my 440 or ported 360 is because of the computer engine control and the clean air filter technology. The spring AV is nice, but I don't notice much difference.

When you run square it sure makes a difference in how smooth a saw feels, longer bars help a bit too. I like an aggressive chain, but even on saws with spring AV I dont make them really aggressive as I feel it in my hands. Because I use bore cuts quite often, I find out real quick if my chains are too aggressive. Getting kickback in a bore cut spring AV or not is something I really don't like!
It amazes me how nasty the filters on a 460/461 would get, but those saws run forever.
I've been thinking about having a spot in the barn with air specifically for cleaning saws of. I could put an old shower enclosure in and have a wire mesh table there to set the saws on, just need a spot to isolate/ keep contained all the debris. The way I look at it is, if I don't make a mess, I don't have to clean it up .
Yesterday I got the last of the isopoly insulation installed on the exterior walls in the shop area. I'm at 3" on the exterior walls which is around r-19 now I'll build 2x4 walls and put r-13 in them. I bought a 250' spool of 12/2 wire and a bunch of outlet boxes yesterday so I can be ready to get them in soon as I get the walls built. I'm still on track for having the ceiling in there next weekend (no insulation up there for a while though), so I can at least have one heated spot out there. Sure would have been nice sharpening my chains yesterday with a t-shirt on and no gloves lol. Looking forward to setting up my grinders in there too, that would have saved a lot of filing yesterday and a file. While grinding is expensive up front, it's not bad in the end if you use your equipment. Once I'm set up I have a bunch of chain to gring, gotta pay(read justify lol) for the equipment somehow. I'll probably sell a couple square grinders to help fund a car lift for the main.
Here's where it's currently at.