Why did my chain come off?

[zemmo]

Arborpro nk and 20nk chain. I had just checked the tightness, and it seemed fine. I just don't remember having a chain come off unless something fairly drastic happened. ??? Just a coincidence???

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Now that is strange. I guess I've been lucky all these years.

Dan...........should be why did my chain stay on!?!?!?!?! :notrolls2: :deadhorse: :hmm3grin2orange: :biggrinbounce2:

 

[Logjam]

Potentialy it could come off if you cut at an angle or suddenly pinch the lower part of the bar.
Usually when your limbing.
Also if you have a new chain and have been sawing for awhile. The chain will stretch and losen. The combo of both could be the cuplrit.
my 02

 

[deezulsmoke]

I never had a chain come off before until a few days ago. I still dont know why it came off. I had the saw wide open in the cut, wasn't bound in any way, chain was tight, and the bar was in good shape. All I know is it scared the SH** out of me :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[redprospector]

Zemmo,
You limbing that Pinon? Those limbs will snatch a chain right off your bar once in a while.

Andy

 

[tcscmo]

I've had chains come off for the following reasons:

chain was too loose, the bar nuts were not tightened enough, and the rpm's were not up enough during limbing.

I have learned since.

 

[zemmo]

Thanks, y'all. Do I detect a little sarcasm from Tree and Rahtree? Hey, I don't have eons of experience, but I've never thrown a 3/8 on my 268 in 20 years. Just wondering.

I think it was cutting a little juniper, Red. Cut down a pretty good sized pine after i put the chain back on, no problems. Any limbing can be real grabby, of course.

Live and learn on the chain gang.

 

[ciscoguy01]

Eh it happens

Not very often. But the more you cut, it's bound to happen. I find it happens more with the oregon chains though, I think its because they are not prestretched, never really happens with the stihl chains I've noticed as long as I keep the bar tip held up when tightening the chain/bar nuts. Just me .02 Hope it helps dude.

 

[tek9tim]

Do enough brushing with a saw, and you'll toss your chain. I call it a good day of fireline cutting if I don't throw it. One thing that I've found helps a lot is cutting squarely through stems. And replacing your sprocket frequently. Also, as you throw your chain, the drivers get burred up, and for the first few times, it suffices to put the chain on a little loose and rev the burrs off, (then tighten it back up before cutting) but if you throw the chain enough times, it becomes a vicious cycle, because the burrs catch on the side of the slots in the sprocket, pulling the chain out, and throwing it. Every now and again you need to file down the drivers.

 

[B_Turner]

Not very often. But the more you cut, it's bound to happen. I find it happens more with the oregon chains though, I think its because they are not prestretched, never really happens with the stihl chains I've noticed as long as I keep the bar tip held up when tightening the chain/bar nuts. Just me .02 Hope it helps dude.

I have been told that certain Oregon chains are prestreched, so aren't. It used to really matter to me when I ran my 066 with a 8 tooth sprocket with my 32inch ES bar. Some brands of new chain absolutely would not fit, so I would run them on another saw (or that one with a 7 tooth) first.

These days I only run 7 tooth so no worries.

On my 395 no sweat, in fact I typically run one less dl than speced.

 

[Rotax Robert]

Chain may be kinked also make sure you don't have any dings on the drivers of your chain.

Rotax

 

[tawilson]

Fourth tank of gas in my new 346XPG today and I tossed the chain. I was cleaning branches off some of my way too thick spruce trees and let the saw bang down too hard on a branch. Broke the chain catcher, I guess that's what it's for.

 

[omegajim]

and how often do you change a sprocket?

tek9tim

One thing that I've found helps a lot is cutting squarely through stems. And replacing your sprocket frequently

Not a professional here, but at what point do you replace a sprocket? After three chains are wore out? After two? That alone should tell you how little I saw, going out into the woods with one or two spare chains.

 

[Woodsrover]

Wack thru piles of slash or thash around in the bushes clearing prickers and such and you're bound to thow a chain or two. It just happens. Attack a pile of brush like the Belushi at the Samurai Deli and it's gonna happen. If you're thowing a chain blocking up firewood and such there's a problem.

jim

 

[clearance]

Do enough brushing with a saw, and you'll toss your chain. I call it a good day of fireline cutting if I don't throw it. One thing that I've found helps a lot is cutting squarely through stems. And replacing your sprocket frequently. Also, as you throw your chain, the drivers get burred up, and for the first few times, it suffices to put the chain on a little loose and rev the burrs off, (then tighten it back up before cutting) but if you throw the chain enough times, it becomes a vicious cycle, because the burrs catch on the side of the slots in the sprocket, pulling the chain out, and throwing it. Every now and again you need to file down the drivers.

This is good advice, chains come off fairly often in the world of real work. Must have put chains back on a thousand times in my life, at least. Suck it up, no big deal.

 

[Asskckr]

Yep, most likely a loose chain and sum brush, scares ya abit the first time

 

[redprospector]

tek9tim



Not a professional here, but at what point do you replace a sprocket? After three chains are wore out? After two? That alone should tell you how little I saw, going out into the woods with one or two spare chains.

When it's worn out.

Just kidding, but it's true. When the chain starts making a good indention in the sprocket it will actually change the pitch of the sprocket a little. I don't have a set rule for how many chains, it depends on how good the rim is. Keep an eye on it.

Andy

 

[ciscoguy01]

Whoa

tek9tim
Not a professional here, but at what point do you replace a sprocket? After three chains are wore out? After two? That alone should tell you how little I saw, going out into the woods with one or two spare chains.

You should get literally hundreds of chains on a single sprocket... At least if your running a Stihl you will, I guarantee that. My cousin still has his original 056 Mag, bought back around 1988 I believe, with no new parts except the chain at all... That saw has probably cut about 50 tractor trailer loads of wood at least.

 

[ray benson]

You should get a couple chains per drive sprocket.Sprocket is ready to change at about .020" of wear. Lots of info on Oregon's site.
http://www.oregonchain.com/tech/manual_maint.htm

 

[tek9tim]

You should get literally hundreds of chains on a single sprocket... At least if your running a Stihl you will, I guarantee that. My cousin still has his original 056 Mag, bought back around 1988 I believe, with no new parts except the chain at all... That saw has probably cut about 50 tractor trailer loads of wood at least.

Yeah, you can get that much life out of a sprocket, but it isn't the best. Like Ray said, .020 or 1/64 of an inch is what oregon reccomends. It really doesn't take much more than that for the drivers to reach the hub of your clutch drum, and start making indentations in that. As red said, the pitch of the sprocket changes as it wears... Think about that and the effects on any chain you run through it.