Some sawing, logging and skidding pics and videos ......

[deye223]

Another issue, has anyone used the Woodman Pro or Silvey rail closers to close Stihl ES bars or Lite Bar rails. I have used the Woodsman Pro rail closer with easy success on Oregan and GB bars without issue, but I can't get it to close the Stihl rails, they just spring back open, if they ever moved to begin with. I'm at the point where I have stripped out the "closer's" adjustment screw and have to get a new one, and I use all Stihl bars at this point, so I need a rail closer that will actually work on them. So far my research has netted nothing by way of beefer models. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Sam

i was gunna say you could use chain with thicker DL if you use 50G DL but i figure you would have thought of that cheers

 

[Slamm]

Sam, keep the videos coming. I don't have time to watch them all right now but have watched the first half. I understand your disclaimers; nevertheless, the first video is a good example to show newbies why you shouldn't hang out at the tree to watch it fall. Ron

LOL, quite true, and excellent example.

Sam

 

[Slamm]

i was gunna say you could use chain with thicker DL if you use 50G DL but i figure you would have thought of that cheers

Yes, I have done that before, but no I only have semi-chisel, full skip in .050 gauge and don't have any .063. I would like to narrow the rails once or twice before having to go to .063. With these more expensive bars, I want to get everything out of them for obvious reasons. The ES's I get for very cheap, so I have just been storing the "used up" ones and buying new ones to replace ................. now I don't even want to use them except for firewood cutting or something that doesn't involve me making money off of it. I really feel these Stihl Lite bars are money makers. In the past and recently I have sent the bars out to get repaired, and I'm not really excited about doing that anymore. When the only reason I have ever sent them out was I can't get the Stihl rails to close with my skills or lack of and my equipment.

Later,

Sam

 

[Metals406]

Sam, can you fab a heavy duty closer at your shop?

 

[forestryworks]

Stihl rails are pretty hard. Their chain is hard, too.

 

[Slamm]

Sam, can you fab a heavy duty closer at your shop?

Yes, Metal, thats what I envision is going to happen if someone doesn't step up and offer a solution. I made several really nice Stainless Steel Case Splitters a few years ago, I think there are parts of them still laying around the shop. I have to find them, they were tig welded and all, pretty nice, I'm going to make a rail closer with about a 1/2" fine thread adjustment/pressure screw, instead of that little bitty one on the store models.

Karen and I ran a stock and Muffler Modded MTronics today and wow, they are really nice. You have to get one and try it. Don't waste your time with them if you aren't at least going to MModd them.

Later,

Sam

 

[7oaks]

Thanks for the vids. Enjoyed watching them!

 

[Stihlman441]

Thanks Sam for your time and effort in telling us your experiences and finds with saw products,there is not many people with real world work knowledge that tells us whats going on.:smile2:

 

[wyk]

Stihl es Lite

Check it out, bud:

28" ES Light bar

24" Oregon power match:

32" Oregon Lightweight bar:

 

[Slamm]

Check it out, bud:

28" ES Light bar

24" Oregon power match:

32" Oregon Lightweight bar:

I know, isn't that fantastic. I told my dealer (3hrs away) that I was about to drive home and get them because I hated to cut without them, LOL. I weighed a 28" Stihl LITE bar at the Post Office still in the box and it was 3lb1oz. how great is that. And they are tough too. I hear about the Oregon Bars bending and whatnot, yet, I leave mine sticking in/out of trees and I fuel them up with the bars stuck part way out of my ATV rack and no harm. They are definately a HOME RUN in my book. Its like holding the powerhead only, with no bar on it.

I need to get one of those scales.

Thanks,

Sam

 

[Slamm]

Well we played yesterday, don't really want to call it work, because it was the least productive day of logging, I've probably had, but family was involved and we had fun. I'll start it off with pics of the new saw. I've had two of these for weeks and never tried them yet and today seemed like a good day. Even got a female reviewer, LOL.

441 CM M-Tronics with a fresh 28" Stihl Lite Bar and Full Skip Semi-Chisel Stihl chain 3/8" .050

 

[medic5050]

O.K., where did you come across the duel port muffler for the 441? I have a 441 that could use one. Do they make a noticeable difference even without porting or other work?

 

[Slamm]

We cut a little wood.

Please don't mind the Hobo attire that Sammy (my little girl) has on, she was more worried about keeping warm than looking good, LOL. She ran the loader and carried knots and branches to the trash pile, basically to get them out of the way for a smooth landing for the truckers and the loader. Karen is running the loader now, stacking logs. We only have two piles at this job. Blocking logs and Grade Ash, that is it, as it is mostly a low quality, high quantity sort of timber.

Give Karen a set of radio headphones and she'll run the loader.

Give her a 441 MTronic and she'll start it and cut off spurs for you too, how nice, LOL.

Looking better

Then we found bees and honey. I was cutting an ash log and smelled something different than mix gas being burned, LOL.

Here is where I cut through.

Here we are eating it, dead bugs and sawdust added to the protien and carb count, LOL.

 

[Slamm]

O.K., where did you come across the duel port muffler for the 441? I have a 441 that could use one. Do they make a noticeable difference even without porting or other work?

LOL, I have a few, look at my signature. I have now cut 1 tree down with a stock 441 and made about 8-10 bucking cuts with one, I just don't like stock saws. At a bare minimum the muffler has to be swapped out, LOL.

You have to make your own, don't think you can buy one. This style has served me well. I like how another guy, cut a slot across the bottom of his. I might try that sometime. Other MTronics owners have gutted out the stock hole location, but remember to get inside and get the deflector thing inside cut out too.

Sam

 

[Slamm]

More Honey. The bees are in the section with the plastic bag plugging them in. I left a little hole for them to go in and out of. I would like to get them back home, in Kentucky, there is some kinda "Honey Club" and I will have to ask them how to go about starting me a bee hive.

 

[s219]

Neat -- I bet that was a pretty cool experience for your daughter. Not everyday you come across a hive of wild bees and honey like that. Of course, my immediate thought was about the saw -- wonder what it looks like under the clutch cover. Honey, bar oil, and wood chips must make a nice combo...

 

[Metals406]

Scoring wild honey= WIN!

 

[Slamm]

Metals, we got a over a pint of honey out of one less than the combs that you see in the photos, and it is the best tasting honey we have ever eaten. The viscocity is low though, almost like a 10w, never had honey like that, it runs everywhere like water. I cleaned up my firewood around them. They aren't mean, nobody's been stung by one yet and we are molesting them quite badly. Several times I sprayed them with saw chips, for forgiving.



Forgot this photo. This is Sammy running the loader. She is learning the difference between blocking caliber of wood and the grade ash logs we have to separate. Like a true logger she was caught trying to slip a good looking elm log into the grade pile, LOL. I told her she was going to ruin the family name with such dishonesty, LOL. I had my neighbor get me some 5 ft. forks for the loader, man I like those a lot, can pick up one more of the small logs and can also flip the logs higher and farther with them.

Here is one of the new HD2 Filters, it came off of the painted 441, not sure how much run time is on it its in the days area. They are sure better and easier to clean. The prefilter wrap is a Stihl, but I got some new prefilter wraps from Outerwears.com, the jury is still out on them. I'm not real please about how they are put together, but the material is spot on and very slick. I put one on the 441 Mtronics, I'll check it tomorrow, but the HD2's are thumbs up. Seems the dust/wood doesn't stick to them as easy, they clean up much easier.

Sam

 

[Metals406]

If you want that hive back home on your property, get a hold of an apiary in your area. Them folks might even set you up with an artificial hive? But for sure, they'd be able to give you good advice on honey production and hive protection.

Here's some interesting reading, and it looks like you could even keep your bees in the log.

Beehive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Slamm]

If you want that hive back home on your property, get a hold of an apiary in your area. Them folks might even set you up with an artificial hive? But for sure, they'd be able to give you good advice on honey production and hive protection.

Here's some interesting reading, and it looks like you could even keep your bees in the log.

Beehive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks Metals,

I do want to keep them, I have found many hives especially last year, probably 10, I knew I didn't have time for them so I was at least nice enough to cut the section out of the tree and stand it back up again. But I want some bee hives for at home or here on the Illinois farm.

Karen found a "Bee Club" that meets on the first Thursday of the month down in Kentucky so she or I or both will need to go to that. She was traveling in the mini van and we didn't think it was prudent to send her back to Kentucky with a van full of bees, so they will have to stay until I drive the truck back down. I'll duct tape them in and tape some ash cookies top and bottom. I checked them this evening when it was cool and they went back inside. This afternoon it was warmer and they were out working gathering the honey that we spilled from the saw cut combs. We have been eating the honey in tea, cereal, bread, biscuits and spoon fulls. It is the best we have had, bug guts and dirt and saw chips and all, LOL.

I'm going to eat a bunch before cutting tomorrow for energy, LOL.

Sam