I appreciate companies that avoid Chinesium, and therefore I pay a bit more for most of what I buy.
Although I understand not everyone can do that, but it does come with a cost when we choose to support them.
firewood cutting with a bad back
- Thread starter Jacampb2
- Start date
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Although I understand not everyone can do that, but it does come with a cost when we choose to support them.
James Sawyer
ArboristSite Operative
Lots of good advice. Sorry I feel for you on your back pain, tough go getting things done with a bad back. So that said here in PNW lots of guys run longer bars. Your husky will run a longer bar a little slower, if you go to a full skip round chain which is little less aggressive then chisel tooth FS. Round chain is slow then chisel but for the most part stays shaper longer. The full skip is more prone to kickback and doesn’t run as smooth. Sorry if I missed what kind of trees your cutting that will make so different and some cuts you may not be able to lay on the dogs. Just let the saw run and keep the chain speed up. The light weight bars are pretty good this days you won’t notice much different in wear over steel bars. The thing to know is you can’t hang the you saw out of the tree when falling it’ll bent. As for oil just make sure you oil adjustment is cranked all the way up there is a screw on your saw for this adjustment. When you change the bar make sure the air filter is clean, retune the saw. I‘m assuming you are running 3/8 drive on 50ga chain so when the bar wears you can have it reground to next gauge chain 58ga then go to 63ga. But as other have said weight is weight at the end of the day it matters. Oh I get back support of some kind. My opinion Stihl makes the best light weight bars, Husky’s are good, as with Oregon bars. You can get bar studs for your saw if you want run a stihl bar. I haven’t bought bar for awhile I’m assuming $140 for bar and chain. I assuming your blowing your saw out once in awhile on recoil side and cylinder etc. The saw could run a little hotter, tuning to the bar will help and keeping the air flow thru good. My opinion your 55cc will pull 28”. I ran 28” on stihl O34av 46cc saw, it little slow but hey your cutting firewood and I’m assuming you have the time.
Can’t he just Change the rim to 3/8 pitch and get a light bar is 24-28” beings he don’t plan on cutting huge stuff.
calamari
ArboristSite Operative
Atta boy! I think a lot of guys on this site have an under appreciation of what a firewood saw can pull as far as bar length. Full skip, different chain types and always sharp chain with a clean air filter are all things that affect horsepower requirements and cutting ability. It's all about how many teeth are in the wood, what kind of wood and how dry it is. Reading blanket statements that a 20" bar is long for a 50cc saw and bigger I find very humorous.
To bad his saw is a 50cc saw.
I wouldn't run a 28" on a 50cc saw, and if I did I wouldn't want to run 3/8 skip on it, 3/8 picco would be much better.
Edit; I'm guessing most everything he's cutting is hardwood.
calamari
ArboristSite Operative
Sharpness and teeth in the wood is at the bottom of it all. You could put a 36" bar an that saw if you're only cutting 10" pecker poles and the oiling is adequate even if it's hard wood. His longer bar is just to increase his ability to stand upright. I think he'll be disappointed if his aim is to help his back. I think the balance with the slight extra weight makes the saw noticeably tip heavy for limbing and bucking on the ground. I noticed it when I put a 28" bar on my saw.
If a person has a bad back aint no way a long azz bar, more weight and imbalance is going to be a plus. Go with a 40CC saw.
3leggeddog
New Member
I just joined and have the same problem with the ole back and knee problems. I have a yanmar 2750 tractor with 3 point forks, use a pevy to get the log up and can carry 3 or 4 16 inch logs out to were we split. i,m still able to use my big saws, but time is catching up. i run stihl 460,s and a 180 for limbing. got a hooaroon that helps.
Karrl
ArboristSite Operative
Definitely get yourself some proper log tools; cants, hookeroon, peaveys. Check out reviews and see what fits your needs. I grew up having a loader tractor so I thought I didn’t need log tools. After getting a hookeron and a Stihl 48 inch log cant recently I am amazed at how much bending over I’ve eliminated.
A tractor will help a lot but you won’t regret getting some good log tools.
A tractor will help a lot but you won’t regret getting some good log tools.
Or buy a pellet stove
Another possibility to save your back
savageactor7
ArboristSite Guru
My Huskies are heavy saws a move I make that keeps my back straight is as follows;
While keeping my back straight I bend with both knees and put my right elbow on my right thigh as I cut.
If you can work while always keeping your back straight that the right move. also when I'm in the woods cutting and with intent to process wood I move slowly almost at a glaciers pace.
While keeping my back straight I bend with both knees and put my right elbow on my right thigh as I cut.
If you can work while always keeping your back straight that the right move. also when I'm in the woods cutting and with intent to process wood I move slowly almost at a glaciers pace.
I think everybody has missed the best choice for a back saver when bucking, it's a Bow saw. No bending and weight is supported on what you are cutting, all you have to do is hold on to the handle and let the weight of the saw do the work. The problem is finding one.
calamari
ArboristSite Operative
Very clever! I really like that screw with a steering wheel attached he uses to attach his cable. Hadn't seen that before.
calamari
ArboristSite Operative
I used one pretty much every day for 4 months when I was18. They work just like they look but as was said, finding one is the issue...and never let an 18 year old have one unsupervised!
Batt4Christ
ArboristSite Lurker
would the cost of porting not erase the price difference?
And I agree - I cut firewood wood for church members regularly.
There are several available from different vendors as well as e-bay. If you have the ability to weld one for yourself, I would say go to it, otherwise you need to shop around. U-tube also shows several diy builds to save $$.
Been using a bow saw for 50 years and never had a problem or close call. The thing is you use it properly and you won't get in trouble. I always cutdown and limb with a regular bar and bucked with the bow. Trying to limb with a bow is a no go. I still have a Poulan 4000 and 4400 with bow bar and they have cut a lot of firewood in their life time.
This guy seems to have a sensible approach for shifting logs about or putting them in a better position for chainsawing
calamari
ArboristSite Operative
Billhook, I assume you don't have a bad back . His rig sure allows one person to move a heavy log but all of it would be impossible or very painful with a bad back. Think just leaning over and extending your arm to pick up a flower can make you yelp. Pick up the flower and then twist to the side and you'll yell out all your pin numbers.
I do like the way he repurposed the lawn trailer. That and even a lawn tractor could get sticks out of the woods if you could drag them after getting an end up on the axle.
