STIHL MS362 double felling dogs /spikes

[SawTroll]

Well over here we cut real wood not toothpicks and popsicle sticks. Removing the dawgs must've been for better sideways balance?

It is no problem cutting wood that the bar don't reach through, with a 60cc saw without dawgs. I use 15" and 18" bars on the 361, and never missed the dawgs. They just "steal" bar length......

 

[naturelover]

Like the dual dawgs on the 441, least keeps the muffler and saw from beating on the wood when sawing.


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[stihlrookie]

It is no problem cutting wood that the bar don't reach through, with a 60cc saw without dawgs. I use 15" and 18" bars on the 361, and never missed the dawgs. They just "steal" bar length......

I am just funnin' with you. The wood I cut it is nothing to see 2-3" of bark at the stump. I generally slab the bark off before I start on felling but when I start my undercut on the face I can't stick the spike and swing the saw around as easily as I would hope. Cheers.

 

[stihlrookie]

Well, got mine in today. Installation was pretty straightforward except for that godforsaken snap-ring that holds the roller on the stud. Spent a good 30 minutes fighting that damn thing. One thing I learned many years ago dealing with those little b-tards is to place a clear bag over the work piece or you will be hunting for hours for the stupid thing when it pops off as they inevitably do. I probably should invest in a couple decent sets of the snap-ring pliers, the set I have is a combo unit, it came with 4 sets of the prongs for different sized rings and can also be set up to push apart or pull together depending on the situation. Overall pretty happy with the look of the dual dogs and the catcher. Looking forward to putting it in some wood on Saturday.

 

[rwoods]

I know others will differ but with the size wood I have been cutting lately (3' to 4'+ oak), the lack of a lower and longer spike is the biggest handicap to my 362. Why use the 362 on such logs? I use the 362 though out the day when I am out of steam from running my larger saws and moving big rounds. A spike sure helps when you have the bar buried and you are worn out to boot. When you need a little leverage, skidding across the bark is both tiring and inefficient. Spikes on small stuff doesn't matter much if your chain is sharp. If the price was better I would order a replacement set of spikes tomorrow. Ron

 

[stihlrookie]

Well ran the saw today with the double spikes installed. I brought down 1 larch that was 22"dbh, about 25" where I cut it at the stump. I have a 20" bar on my 362 so I didnt make it all the way through on my face cut so I back-barred it for the final bit. The bigger spike allowed me to stick it to the tree and swing into the cut, I like that. I was concerned a little that the spikes may engage to easily once I had the tree down and I was bucking but as long as I kept it lightly touching the bark it was no issue. The spikes just kind of rode down the log with no problem. I really like the look but still need to cut some more before I can make final judgement on their benefit.

 

[XSKIER]

I have since upgraded to the bigger dawgs. The medium dogs were much smoother for bucking because the bottom spike is rounded. It would just slide along in the down direction, but grab when leverage is needed. Now, with the larger dawgs, the bottom spike is pointy and will drag some in most bucking situations. I hope it makes sense, but the 362 double bumper spike setup is a really nice well engineered setup.

 

[rwoods]

Are the Stihl spikes tough enough to simply use the inside one only, or do you need both in order to keep the lower spike straight? I think a single spike would serve 99% of my purposes and would make removing the clutch cover easier from a dug in saw with a pinched bar. Thanks, Ron

 

[XSKIER]

The roller chain catcher does not tie the dogs together. It is fastened to the outer dog and then slips into the inner dog. When you remove the clutch cover there is better access than factory, because you will have removed the original aluminum chain catcher. In most cases one dog will be dug in more than the other for notching and off perpendicular. You are in danger of damaging the anti-vibe system before wrecking a dawg when you're abusing the saw.

 

[stihlrookie]

I have since upgraded to the bigger dawgs. The medium dogs were much smoother for bucking because the bottom spike is rounded. It would just slide along in the down direction, but grab when leverage is needed. Now, with the larger dawgs, the bottom spike is pointy and will drag some in most bucking situations. I hope it makes sense, but the 362 double bumper spike setup is a really nice well engineered setup.

Obviously that is not a 362 pictured. Are you still using the double spikes on your 362?

 

[XSKIER]

I'm not, but the guy who owns it now is! There's no room for a new 362 in a 30cc, 30cc, 50cc, 50cc, 70cc saw operation. I really did like that saw though, and often wonder if it really could replace the other five.

 

[Stihl Livin]

Some of our larger cottonwood trees can grow really thick bark. I mainly want them for aesthetics, side cover protection, and off perpendicular cuts. I'm going to check with my dealer later, but what do you think of these?

DOG SET FITS STIHL MS361 MS362 ( POWDER COATED ORANGE ) BOX 6A | eBay

I just got these in the mail today and ran right out to the garage and put them on. They look great and I cant wait to try them out. Worth the money. It just makes the saw look better

 

[XSKIER]

On a 362? Without pics it never happened!

 

[Stihl Livin]

On a 362? Without pics it never happened!

On a 361 and I have to wait til the wife gets home to get the pictures loaded. Sorry

 

[epalmerson]

Here's what i set up on my 261. I carved the roller catcher tab off and stuck with the small hook catcher only because I prefered the look. I had the same set up on my 362 for a while as well before switching to a larger set of dogs.

View attachment 264939
View attachment 264940

 

[epalmerson]

I dont have a photo yet but you can kind of see the larger 4 points that I switched to on the 362 in this vid.

[video=youtube;0FOGlMl5Hp0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FOGlMl5Hp0[/video]

 

[Stihl Livin]

361 dual dawgs

Here are the ones from ebay on my 361 that I just put on Friday and used them Saturday and really enjoyed them.

DSC00621.jpg photo by stihlinmn | Photobucket

DSC00620.jpg photo by stihlinmn | Photobucket

 

[XSKIER]

Wow. Those are INTENSE!

 

[madhatte]

Gotta chime in here and STRONGLY recommend using the ceramic roller chain catcher any time you have the dual dawgs... even on Huskys and Dolmars and what have you. The reason I like it so well is that it moves the catcher down and forward, which effectively shortens the chain in the event that you throw it (which you will) and reduces the chance of flesh-injury. It also reduces the chance of the chain slapping the tank-handle which is a costly bit of damage that used to happen more often (038's seem especially prone to this one).

 

[TreeGuyHR]

Did the same to my 361, also swapped out the handle for a full wrap. Makes it easier to use by a climber parting out a big tree-- with the bigger, double row of dogs, you worry less about the saw ending up in your lap when starting a cut, and then when you turn it over, you have a stronger hold on the saw.

Now if I could just fix the bar oil leak...