Extreme cold weather saw storage/use

[bitzer]

As long as your saw is tuned for the weather starting shouldn't be a problem. I cut a lot in winter. Really haven't ever had a problem with starts.

The flywheel shroud is for re-circulating more warm air than cold. Some saws have a window that will send some hot air towards the carb too.

 

[bitzer]

Then you get the old time lumber jacks sayin stuff like,,,,,,,"Whell sheite, we loved it when it got to 30 below,,,,,just dump them trees and all the branches snapped right off, never had to carry an axe in the middle of the winter"!!!! But then we always knew they were nothin but STINKIN LIARS! Haha!

There is some truth to some of that though. Gettin frozen trees to lift when wedging them is a lot different. Branches will snap off more easily also. I'm sure you've heard trees pop in the woods when the sap freezes. Usually hear that when standing around ice fishing. That and the sound of the ice expanding like crazy. You ever pop a fishing hole and get blasted by a burst of steam up there?

 

[Steve NW WI]

Coldest I ever cut was about -15F, so what do I know, but change the little flapper over to winter under the airbox cover (not sure if the older Stihls like yours had that, but my 290 does), let the saw warm up a bit, and go to it.

Think about this: How much trouble do ya have out of your 2 stroke 50cc ish ice auger? Mine starts fine all winter, and only goes from cold shed to cold back of truck.

Good luck staying busy this winter, all that fishing, drinking schnapps, and telling stories gets ol....wait is the lake frozen yet

 

[bobt]

There is some truth to some of that though. Gettin frozen trees to lift when wedging them is a lot different. Branches will snap off more easily also. I'm sure you've heard trees pop in the woods when the sap freezes. Usually hear that when standing around ice fishing. That and the sound of the ice expanding like crazy. You ever pop a fishing hole and get blasted by a burst of steam up there?

Yes there is a little truth in it. You have to be really careful and keep looking up when falling a tree when it is really cold. The tops are brittle.

Nope, never have seen steam when cutting an ice fishing hole. That would be something.

But the cracking of the ice is definately un-nerving at times. You can feel the vibration before you hear the 'BOOM".

There is nothing quite as pretty as looking out over a town when it is really cold and seeing all the smoke/vapor rising straight up from the chimneys when there is no breeze and it is dead still.

 

[Nitroman]

Do winter packages just make things easier on the sawyer, or are they easier on the saw? I'll look into the 460 Arctic a bit. Thanks for the input!

Having never owned, or touched, other than a single-color saw, I can say for Husky the cold weather kit for the 394 helps a great deal. This kit is a cover that attaches to the slots of the starter cover and blocks off roughly half of the flywheel air intake and you drill a half inch hole through to the carb housing so warm air from the cylinder can flow into the carb housing to reduce/stop icing. Supposed to install the kit at +20*F. This temp is even molded into the cover itself. I had another Husky many years ago that had about the same kit. Since one isn't made for the 3120, I just clean the starter cover with alcohol and use packing tape to cover about half the slots, and have drilled the hole into the carb housing.

 

[bitzer]

Think about this: How much trouble do ya have out of your 2 stroke 50cc ish ice auger? Mine starts fine all winter, and only goes from cold shed to cold back of truck.

Nail on the head!

Deer hunting in two weeks. The drinking and BS-ing just starts to go down hill from there. Or up hill which ever way you want to think about it. Can't wait for ice on. Had some freezing rain today while cutting up some blow down from last week's wind storms. Tink Tink Tink on my helmet! Good times. This time of year just gets me fired up for some reason!

 

[Philbert]

Most of the Stihl (I'm not familiar with Husky's) saws have some sort of deflector to channel warm air from the cylinder to the air intake and some have shrouds to direct more warm air .

These 'summer / winter shutters' are easy to overlook, and are different on different models. Some are moveable flaps; some are pieces of plastic that you remove and reinstall in a different position. One of those things that it pays to look in the owner's manual for.

I understand that they help keep the saw running in colder weather by sending some heat back to the carb, but I would be interested in hearing for folks how well they work.

My Husky manual says that their cold weather shroud also helps to keep you from sucking snow up into your flywheel!

Philbert

 

[StihlyinEly]

Think about this: How much trouble do ya have out of your 2 stroke 50cc ish ice auger? Mine starts fine all winter, and only goes from cold shed to cold back of truck.

Before I switched to the IceGator, I ran a Strikemaster XL-3000 3hp auger for 10 years. She started on the second or third pull every time, even when it was -40, and cut faster and sharper than any of my ex wives, which is saying quite a lot.

Ice augers are designed for cold. Chainsaws . . . . ? And it ain't only about ease of starting. If you look at the OP, there's a bit more involved.

Thanks again for thinking about it and responding, all you folks. I read and absorb it all. You fellas a pretty darn smart, I reckon.