I keep overheating chains...
- Thread starter johndeereg
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sunfish
Fish Head
Yes...
Too tight will generate extra heat in the bar an possibly burn the oil before it gets where it needs to be. An easy way to tell if you have the right tension is with the saw sitting on the log, pull the chain out of the bar groove. You should get about half of the drive link to come out of the grove, even a little more won't hurt.
Usually the burn chain marks are dull chain. The chain sits in one spot too long and causes friction burn on the wood. Sharp chain won't sit in one spot long enough to cause friction burn, it's too busy cutting through.
Ron660
Addicted to ArboristSite
If you have burn/overheat marks on your bar it could be the oiler hole in the bar is clogged. This would especially be the case if you recently flipped your bar and didn't clean the bar hole where the oil travels to get into the bar groove. Even if the bar grooves are clean the bar hole could still be clogged.
Guido Salvage
Supreme Saw Whoreder
Heat is a result of friction...
Is it a hardnose or sprocket nose bar?
Can you spin the chain freely on the bar (with the saw off)?
How many DL's is your chain?
Is it a hardnose or sprocket nose bar?
Can you spin the chain freely on the bar (with the saw off)?
How many DL's is your chain?
HuskStihl
Chairin'em for the sound
So H30 chain is a "safety chain" which will be less efficient than Oregon LPX. I think a better chain will make a big difference
Gypo Logger
Timber Baron
What kind of bar lube are you using?
Sharp chain and enough oil, you shouldn't have a problem. I don't think lack of oil has much to do with dulling your chain but a dull chain needs sharpened or will need more oil . Most the heat is from the chain to bar friction and the more pressure you apply the more heat.
Didn' t think of the pick up screen in the oil tank being clogged. Dump your oil in a clear jar and check for debris that may have eventually got in at refills. Flush the oil tank with kerosene or the like and check your pickup, may be clogged as suggested earlier and some times they become detached from the line. Your oil tank vent needs to be working also.
I like to break old hack saw blades in half for cleaning bar grooves. The scratch and push out the harder stuff better then a smooth blade. Keep a short 1 in a kit with the little extra's you might need to keep going on a job.
Didn' t think of the pick up screen in the oil tank being clogged. Dump your oil in a clear jar and check for debris that may have eventually got in at refills. Flush the oil tank with kerosene or the like and check your pickup, may be clogged as suggested earlier and some times they become detached from the line. Your oil tank vent needs to be working also.
I like to break old hack saw blades in half for cleaning bar grooves. The scratch and push out the harder stuff better then a smooth blade. Keep a short 1 in a kit with the little extra's you might need to keep going on a job.
eriklane
ArboristSite Operative
One thing-a saw is a system...it all works together. If one piece is out of whack (say the oiler), now you have introduced 1 failure to the system, which then begins failing. Never chase symptoms. Look for root causes. And probably first is a dull chain causing pushing. Bar grooves full of crud. Bar oil holes full of crud. Tight chains. Dull chains. Oiler not adjusted right. So you say you use 1/2 a tank of oil for a tank of gas. Then the oiler isn't adjusted right. Period. Add in any other element, and now that 1 issue becomes 2 or 3.
Dang sharp tangs on your chains, as in, cut your finger easily sharp is the only way. If your chain isn't deadly, don't use it. The saw should work, not you. If a chain won't cut, it's done. Get another. Pay attention to every detail. Your full chisel chains need to be like a 7. Deadly sharp on all sides. If your saw is undersized, you might try a skip tooth as it pulls less wood and actually cuts faster in softer woods. But with new chains, they should be fine. I don't believe guys saying new saws are dull. No way.
Dang sharp tangs on your chains, as in, cut your finger easily sharp is the only way. If your chain isn't deadly, don't use it. The saw should work, not you. If a chain won't cut, it's done. Get another. Pay attention to every detail. Your full chisel chains need to be like a 7. Deadly sharp on all sides. If your saw is undersized, you might try a skip tooth as it pulls less wood and actually cuts faster in softer woods. But with new chains, they should be fine. I don't believe guys saying new saws are dull. No way.
Cutting with the nose buried is always tougher, but this should not be happening.
Make sure the chain is sharp and the rakers are properly adjusted, the chain should feed itself w/o you forcing it.
When U cut, start by reaching over the top and cutting some of the far side so that wen the bar returns to horizontal the tip is not buried in the wood. This will help. A buried tip puts a lot more stress on a saw.
Make sure nothing is restricting UR bar oil, and maybe try different oil.
If U have a different bar & chain, put them on.
With some wood, when the bar is buried, the wood seems to jam between the chain & the bar. Pull the bar out of the cut a few times and rev the saw a little to clear the chips and re oil the chain.
And as others have suggested, make sure UR chain is adjusted correctly.
Good Luck
Make sure the chain is sharp and the rakers are properly adjusted, the chain should feed itself w/o you forcing it.
When U cut, start by reaching over the top and cutting some of the far side so that wen the bar returns to horizontal the tip is not buried in the wood. This will help. A buried tip puts a lot more stress on a saw.
Make sure nothing is restricting UR bar oil, and maybe try different oil.
If U have a different bar & chain, put them on.
With some wood, when the bar is buried, the wood seems to jam between the chain & the bar. Pull the bar out of the cut a few times and rev the saw a little to clear the chips and re oil the chain.
And as others have suggested, make sure UR chain is adjusted correctly.
Good Luck
Saw Dr.
Junk Collector
Take the bar & chain off. Run the saw and check oil flow. If it isn't flowing out fairly smoothly & running off the bar mount pad after about 10 seconds, then you have an issue with the oiler. It is not unheard of to have an issue there. Almost always, it can be fixed by removing the entire oiler and cleaning.
S
Spawn
Guest
Holy cow.
Landmark
Chainsaw Enthusiast
All good suggestions here. Have you inspected the wear on the sprocket. If your chain has wore a deep groove it will start to bind it down and overheat heat it big time. Had a friend with a 350 that had this issue last week and the sprocket was beyond wore out. He had ran it hot and turned the bar a blueish color. Good luck with your saw.
I had a saw once that bogged down badly in the wood and found out that it had an .063 chain on a .050 bar. Seemed okay when the bar was cold but heated up rather quickly.
A .063 chain would never fit in a .050 bar. Might of been breathin too much exhaust that day.
lefturnfreek
Sharpen the chain, chuck chips ...repeat...
It will if the bar is worn out like a nickle hooker....
That's exactly what I had. The bar was a McCulloch 700 bar which was very worn out and did fit tightly but you could spin it by hand so I never even checked until it stuck. I took the mike to the chain and it measured approx. .063. I ended up putting that chain on my XL901 with a solid tip bar which was more worn out. The Mac now has a loose fitting .050 on it. It's actually hard to find an .063 bar around here, especially used. I have quite a bit of 3/8 .063 chain which is gonna take up space until I find something to use it on.
