Why use dogs?

[rmihalek]

Plus, without dogs, it's hard to buck a log with one hand while giving the middle finger to the camera with the other!

 

[Lakeside53]

Gotta use dogs. I agree that most don't come stock strong enough or large enough. I also use them both bucking and falling. It's all about leverage. The dogs on the 361 are WAY too small stock. I had to mod mine...dogs from a 660.

Jeff

Those are kind-of-puny. I'm trying to get these to fit on my MS200T

 

[PWB]

Hey, Gypo, what is that? My first thought was shagbark hickory, but i don't think so.

 

[Tree Sling'r]

I have after market dogs on all my saws (660's) and they are used just as much bucking a tree as they are felling it. I just throw the Stihl stock dogs in the scrap pile, because they are not big enough to fall anything that is swell butted.

 

[Gypo Logger]

It's sugar maple, however, I have seen maple where the bark was like shagbark though.
John

 

[Rotax Robert]

Out here on the westcoast our dawgs are sometimes longer than the bar.

Everything is cool, everything ok

 

[Lawn Masters]

I seldom use a saw without the dogs on it. gotta have em for falling. if you're running a long bar, either falling, or bucking, try it without dogs, and you'll understand a good bit of it. on mine, I have dogs of some kind of almost all my saws, from, the little super 2, all the way to my 250. the 7G, and homie 3850 are the exceptions though.

 

[vince]

i definitly agree you have you use your dogs to dig into the bark and sometimes wood. i wood recommend buying the aftermarket dogs. they make it way easier to cut also you really don't have to worry about the kick back which is very good

 

[wpbgent]

Those are kind-of-puny. I'm trying to get these to fit on my MS200T

Wow, if "Freddy Kruger" was a tree man, that'd be his saw / dogs !!!

 

[wpbgent]

Wow, if "Freddy Kruger" was a tree man, that'd be his saw / dogs !!!

trying again...

 

[Lawn Masters]

What model homelite is that?

 

[bama]

I think I will put the dogs on the saw I use for felling and keep the rest without. I cut small enough wood, that it won't make much difference once it is down. I never thought about the extra leverage you get with them. It would have really come in handy when I was cutting trees off at ground level. I learned a lot from this thread. Thanks!

 

[clyde]

I also run the large aftermarket dawgs on my saws. I really like the way they act as a fence when cutting something like a 8" diameter 4' long branch in half. The chain sucks the wood right into the dawgs and hold it there, instead of sending it somewhere.

 

[Lakeside53]

What model homelite is that?

775G - a monster....

 

[tony marks]

pro dog here. the older i get the more i appreciate them.but i do aggree that many times they are used wrong. better to take time to stroke u chain.u saw will appreciate it.

 

[turnkey4099]

Those are kind-of-puny. I'm trying to get these to fit on my MS200T

Those look to be just a bit bigger than came on my used 041. They are very obviously after market too.

Harry K

 

[Lakeside53]

Those look to be just a bit bigger than came on my used 041. They are very obviously after market too.

Harry K

Nope, those are orginals.... not stihl saw..

 

[SawTroll]

My trees usually are less than 20" at stump hight and my chain reasonably sharp, so dogs are mostly just in the way, reducing the effective bar lenght.

I have removed them on the 361, but they are in my field kit - just in case...
My other saws never had them.

 

[CNYCountry]

Original Poster...

...my father told me the same exact thing, that guys that dog in are pushing too hard with a dull chain, ruining the bar and stressing the saw out.

Well, I took the tiny one off of my MS361 after buying it and then quickly put it back on when I found that it was work tipping the tip in with a 20" bar. I wouldn't want to try it with a bigger saw..

There is a big difference between controlling where the tip goes when the bar is buried and using it to ride the saw into the cut. If the chain is sharp and the rakers are set right they're just a way to control what part of the bar you're cutting with.

 

[turnkey4099]

Nope, those are orginals.... not stihl saw..

Sorry, I was refering to the ones one my saw. Wasn't very clear.

Harry K