How often do you clean behind your sprocket cover?

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I flip the bars on the saws I use everyday once a week,I clean the clutch cover out while I'm at it.Usually about once or twice a month I take the bar and chain off and spray the whole saw down with Simple Green,then rinse it down with the water hose
 
I do not go out of my way to take the clutch cover off to clean there. Any time I am working on a saw I clean it well where ever it may be. Usually if I run a saw to a point I am going touch up the chain, when I am home the saw goes in a portable vice for hand filing and while I am at it I blow the sawdust out of the engine and around the sprocket sometimes. When ever I have a clutch hub off I put a small amount of grease on the bearing. A few drops of oil once in a while on the shaft next to the bearing seems to provide enough lube to keep it moist and slick. I have seen the bearing get dry and the chain would keep turning and lubed them as such with positive results.
 
That kind of TLC occurs rather often, but first a trip to the garage fridge for a cold one, then some music, then sharpen the chain, take the covers off, blow all the crud out, some degreasing mix worked in with a fine bristle brush, blow out, put everything back on.:jester:

Some days twice, depending on how much of a thirst was earned.:)
 
Last edited:
353 seems to draw an awful lot of crap in. So everyday after use the air filter and under the clutch cover get blown out with air gun. The 044, once a week, seems to run fairly clean. Bars get cleaned once a week (air and scrape).
 
353 seems to draw an awful lot of crap in. ...

That is one of the downsides of the slim body design with the outboard clutch, and brake band in the cover - that area gets real "busy", and collects lots of dirt that just pass by on some other designs.

The same design make that saws less suitable for ripping wood from the side as well, as the collect more "noodles" than some other designs.

It is not a fault on a 3-cube or smaller saw, just a trade-off for a more nimble limbing saw.

No tree grows into heaven......
 
Last edited:
Limbing saw??? You mean a tophandle right??? Like climbers use???

Please explain this "limbing" saw you speak of... :jester:

Gary

Limbing felled birches mostly, in my case - tophandles is absolutely no-go for that application.....

It really depends on the size of the trees, my most usual limbing set-up is the MS361 with a 8-pin 3/8 and 15" bar, but then there are areas with smaller trees, and times where I rather grab another saw, than change the set-up on the 361.....:biggrinbounce2:

Most of my saws are just for fun, or "pre-361" - the 361 could really do it all........


Forgetting me and my birches, what I define as a limbing saw, is one that is really well suited for limbing spruce and fir, with lots of small diameter limbs.
 
Last edited:
Limbing felled birches mostly, in my case - tophandles is absolutely no-go for that application.....

It really depends on the size of the trees, my most usual limbing set-up is the MS361 with a 8-pin 3/8 and 15" bar, but then there are areas with smaller trees, and times where I rather grab another saw, than change the set-up on the 361.....:biggrinbounce2:

Most of my saws are just for fun, or "pre-361" - the 361 could really do it all........


Forgetting me and my birches, what I define as a limbing saw, is one that is really well suited for limbing spruce and fir, with lots of small diameter limbs.

Thanks for bein' a good sport Niko... since I was razzin' you a little.

So basically a small saw for "clean-up" type of work. For stuff that is already on the ground. :)

Gary
 
I use those cheapo paint brushes from the dollar store.
A 2 inch wide is fine. And I'll cut off off about 1.5 inches of bristol.
This makes it a little stiffer and am able to to clean a little deeper
in those tight areas.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top