When do you junk out a chain?

[DGG]

Recently I bought a Husky 359 saw. It looked like he had used it until the chained jumped off the bar. The saw was loaded with sawdust and the 20" bar showed uneven wear (lose chain?). It started fine (which amazed me considering how clogged the air filter was) and looks like new. I'm thinking he bought it for a one time project, like removing storm damaged trees, and ran it until the chain jumped off the bar. He is now either scared of it or frustrated that it is so hard to cut with.

The chain guard and some of the cover parts of the clutch/sprocket area have some nice gouges in them.

I cleaned a pile of good sized pile grud out of the bar groove and stoned the bar back to true and level. The cutter links don't look like they have ever been sharpened but they are as dull as a tennis ball (we know where all the sawdust came from!). The drive links are what bother me. They have uneven wear and shapes and dings along the edges. The chain still seems tight and I don't see any problems with the rivits or attaching links.

My question: Is the 20" Husky chain salvageable and worth it to try to grind the drive links at least flat on the sides (get rid of the dings) and sharpen it. The cutters are good, never sharped.

I have never seen a bar/chain combo in this condition. How do you tell whether or not it is worth the trouble to fix a chain?

 

[rreidnauer]

When in doubt, throw it out. Why risk injury over a $20 chain?

 

[oldsaw]

Personally, I'd probably just toss them both. Hard to say without seeing them, but if I were doing it, I'd replace the bar, chain, and sprocket, starting out with a clean slate.

Mark

 

[mbopp]

If the chain was run dull & hard it's probably stretched. I'd at least replace the chain & sprocket.

 

[DGG]

Why would you replace the sprocket?

This saw's sprocket looks good and performs well with a new chain. It isn't gouged or dinged up. It required a bit of cleanup as the saw was loaded with sawdust. The bar grooves were rough at the edge (especially at the sprocket end which makes me think the chain was riding up too high). But, with a stone and a little elbow grease I smoothed the bar edges up and made sure the top edge of the bar was 90 degrees to the side of the bar. The grove itself was full of crud. The new chain is fully seated, not riding high. The nose sprocket was dirty and required cleaning and lube but now turns freely with no grinding noise and the teeth are okay.

Again, the bar and sprocket seem to work well with a new chain. A brand new chain/bar/sprocket would probably set me back at least $65 or more. I can't see spending the money as long as the saw is making nice chips.

 

[GASoline71]

Just junk the old chain. Sounds like you did a decent job on getting the bar true.

Gary

 

[SteveH]

If the bar is really ok, all cleaned up, I guess I'd keep it, trying it with an old chain first. Any question, personally I'd toss it into the metal recycle bin.

Fifteen yr. ago, I'd have worked and worked on that chain, knowing myself as I do. So.... But today, older and wiser, I'd toss it regardless of how the bar is. New chain is really a bargain, I think.

You said the sprocket is ok, I'll take your word on that one, too. If it's ok, and I can believe it as you said you figure the guy didn't really use it so much, all total. I've had sprockets last me ten years and many chains, even though they can be had for only a few bucks. Again, any question in your mind, I'd go ahead and toss it, too.

Like I said, gotta be fair, I'd have kept it all some yr. ago.

 

[Stihl User]

New chain and new bar.

 

[SawTroll]

I don't toss chain that there are some life left in, just lay them aside until I have nothing better to do than fix them - that is right now because of my accident......

..have put new life into some badly spiked out chains lately.......

 

[GASoline71]

Rocked out/overheated/burred chains = garbage can.

Gary

 

[bump_r]

Normally, I'd agree Gary. But to a recreational kind of guy like me, saving a chain during down-time is pretty cost-effective and satisfying. On a professional level, sure, time is money and you can make more money by using a new chain than you can save by toiling with a buggered one.

Me? If there was SAFE life left in the chain, it would be worth a few minutes or hours to reclaim it. Sounds like the most damage is on drive links - that could be from one de-rail, certainly not a show-stopper.

 

[SawTroll]

Rocked out/overheated/burred chains = garbage can.

Gary

I don't have overheated chains....... opcorn:

..but agree with you about the dumpster for those.

No rocks in the wood here either (so far), but spikes and metal fencing wire does happen occationally.

 

[romeo]

When I am done with a chain, you DON'T want it.

 

[adkranger]

I usually save bungled up chains if they can be made safe, keep for dirty jobs, trees with KNOWN hardware, stumps and the like. But if they are too bunged up, so as to ruin a sprocket or bar or are unsafe, I toss it. Frugal only goes so far.

You said the driver links took most of the abuse, so how do the bottom of the tangs look on each driver (the part that actually contacts the sprocket and transmits the energy)? If those tangs are dinged up badly or missing much of the tip, trash it. If those tangs are dinged up or missing the tip they'll tear up your drive & bar sprockets in a hurry.

I get a lot of mileage out of my chains, even take in cast offs from buddies who won't bother with loops out of shape because there is always a nasty job that I don't want to use a new or good chain on. I agree with Romeo, you don't want my loops when their done.........:biggrinbounce2:

 

[ShoerFast]

save it, never know , you may want to run a phone line out to a shed or cut some roots someday?