Just joined, new saw, question about western juniper

[bambbrose]

Just joined AS this week. Been a lurker for years.

From the west but lived in PA, NC, UT throughout my life. Currently in UT. Wish we had those big eastern hardwoods of PA and NC out west here!

I was a wildland firefighter for the USFS during college and picked up an addiction to bigger saws as a sawyer. Doubt I'll get a chance to fell that many trees again but nonetheless we can dream. Engineer by trade so I'm a do it once, do it right kind of guy (tools included).

Just picked up a new 372XPW 24 from Baileys this week. Excellent service from Eddie @ Baileys. Price matched for me and I'll say it was well south of $800 new.
Last night I read the manual, put the saw together, lubed the needle bearing, ready for the first tank this weekend.

Two questions, both unrelated:
1) In the manual it mentions replacing the drive gear every time you replace the chain. I hadn't heard of this. Is it necessary? What components do they expect you to replace? It wasn't all that clear in the manual.

2) Cutting down western juniper fence posts. I've cleared out a lot of this stuff firefighting. I remember it's pretty rough on the chain due to the dust/dirt in the bark. I just purchased a 5 acre lot and we are building a house right now. I've got about 1200' around the lot that I need to corral for horses. Plan to get it done in 300' pastured sections. Plan is to use cedar/juniper posts from public lands. Over time I will knock down about 150 10" diameter, 8' tall junipers and to square them up on a sawmill, profile below. This is for making a slip rail fence. Any pointers, clues, or warnings before I head out on this multi-year journey? Finding straight 10" junipers is probably the hardest part.

Thanks and thanks to the site owners for maintaining this awesome resource.

 

[flashhole]

Nice saw but that 24" bar and chain will be cumbersome on smallish trees. I have a Husky 394 XP (bigger brother to yours) and the bar/chain that gets used most is a 20". My Stihl 460 (76.5cc, twin to your 372) sports a 16" bar and chain most of the time. The big bars only come out when I have big logs or if I am milling with my chainsaw.

 

[Cedarkerf]

16 inch bar not much point to a saw bigger than 50cc

 

[flashhole]

There is when you're short and it becomes a chore/hazard to work all day when cutting small wood and that's the smallest saw you have.

 

[woodchuck357]

One of my ProMac 700 saws has worn 16 inch bars from day one. It has cut alot of post size cedar.
Ignore that bit about replacing the drive sprocket, I think they must have meant make sure you don't leave it off. The maintenance schedule says to replace it when worn.

 

[calebng15]

Welcome to the site!! Nice saw also!! I'm sure other people will have some advise on your second question, But as for your first one, you don't have to worry about the sprocket, until it wears out. If you're cutting smaller trees you might consider getting a 20in bar. Use the 20in most of the time, unless you have a bigger tree you're working on. You would be surprised at the difference a 4 inches makes on a bar. Just something to consider. You'll get a lot of info off of this site, I know I have!

Good luck with your saw!!

 

[HuskStihl]

Sprockets are cheap, and very easy to replace on a 372. I probably put on a new one every 2-3 chains or so. Also, if u'r cutting mostly 10" softwood, you might experiment with an 8-pin sprocket. Cedar/juniper split rail is about as simple as it gets, just takes work. Welcome and good luck

 

[bambbrose]

Thanks for the input gentlemen. Good to know about the sprocket. Seemed excessive to change with each chain.
The 24" bar wasn't too burdensome. It was nice to have bucking up the limbs although you have to be more aware of the kickback zone and potential to hit the dirt.

Got a few hours in on the past Saturday. Good workout! Getting them logs in the truck is the hardest part. Any pointers or links to some slick setups to help load logs?

 

[calebng15]

Looks like a Dodge truck? Best brand to have!! Never put a lot of logs on my truck, mostly just firewood. Will be interesting what some of you guys say!!

 

[flashhole]

"Got a few hours in on the past Saturday. Good workout! Getting them logs in the truck is the hardest part. Any pointers or links to some slick setups to help load logs?"

Make the wife or girlfriend do it. And, kick back with a cold beer while you are watching.

 

[dennis066]

Any wood fence posts you put in the ground should be treated. In Utah, the subterranean termite is the major threat.

 

[sonny580]

Welcome!!---I am kinda a new member here myself.--Your log loading might benefit from an A frame hinged to back bottom of truck, then hook log and have a solid hook point up front of bed and run a come-along to top end of A and when you pull, the frame lifts and log comes up and forward.--Gotta be careful when it comes over center!!! LOL!!!
This is what I load with.

LOVE your new saw, Bet it don't take long to knock down a bunch of trees with it!---Do you have a smaller saw to knock off limbs with?? thanks; sonny580

 

[ropensaddle]

As far as keeping chain sharp don't let your **** drag . Keep the chain out of the dirt You can fab a truck crane to you trailer hitch I put one on my 65 f250 4x4 and i welded a winch to mine on top of the boom it works but it ain't real fast. Nice saw is it the x torquer? I got this one 8 years ago still runs great but not as pretty now

 

[JTM]

We need pics of these loading apparatuses. I loaded these by hand.

 

[JeffGu]

ATV winch mounted to the front of a trailer, is what I do. Toolbox bolted to trailer in front, holds a very big (and very heavy) deep cycle battery. Battery maintainer in the toolbox, too, with just the AC cord coming out, near bottom of toolbox. When I get home with the trailer, I just plug it in and leave it that way until I need the trailer, again. The maintainer/charger needs to be at least six or eight amps. I've got a 4 amp one on the smaller trailer, and it takes a very long time for it to charge the big deep cycle. I've got to get another 8 amp one. The 4 amp works great on lawnmower/motorcycle/car batteries, but it has a hard time with those huge marine batteries.

I gave up hauling logs in the trucks. The trailers are much closer to the ground, and the pickup trucks don't get their boxes all beat up or their tailgates bent up.

 

[ropensaddle]

ATV winch mounted to the front of a trailer, is what I do. Toolbox bolted to trailer in front, holds a very big (and very heavy) deep cycle battery. Battery maintainer in the toolbox, too, with just the AC cord coming out, near bottom of toolbox. When I get home with the trailer, I just plug it in and leave it that way until I need the trailer, again. The maintainer/charger needs to be at least six or eight amps. I've got a 4 amp one on the smaller trailer, and it takes a very long time for it to charge the big deep cycle. I've got to get another 8 amp one. The 4 amp works great on lawnmower/motorcycle/car batteries, but it has a hard time with those huge marine batteries.

I gave up hauling logs in the trucks. The trailers are much closer to the ground, and the pickup trucks don't get their boxes all beat up or their tailgates bent up.

I got a 12000lb winch on the front of my trailer are you using an a frame at the rear to lift the end to the trailer?It seems atv would be weak for the logs i deal with.

 

[JeffGu]

...to lift the end to the trailer?

No A-frame, although I'd like to make one for the larger trailer. I have a sheet of 1/2" HDPE that I put down over the ramp/gate, and drag them up onto the trailer. I only have to lift them two or three inches to get them started, which I can do with a cant hook or Woodchuck Dual. I don't haul anything real big in log form. Maybe 16" tops. The little winch is slow, but it gets them up in there most of the way. I still have to push them a couple feet forward by hand, or pry them forward. Luckily, I don't do this very often. I usually cut everything into firewood on site, and throw that in the trailers. Roll the bigger stuff on, first.

Very primitive system, and time consuming. But, I'm never in much of a hurry, anyway.

 

[ropensaddle]

Yeah usually I'm using the old,no wait pre historic skid steer with pallet forks! When further away and only one tree I sometimes use the winch not wanting the extra trip back to load the skid. Id like to find an old play ground slide to cut out a small log ramp I think it would work perfect for that. Sometimes I hang a pulley on a large limb of a leaning tree park and chock the trailer and yard up logs with the truck. I have contemplated running a pto coupler shaft to the rear of my one ton dump and making a brake drum winch like I had on my cable loader log truck as it yards logs up faster.

 

[ropensaddle]

I yarded this load off a spar ! they were not too large but its packed in pretty tightly was a good load for the old trailer lol.

 

[ropensaddle]

I sure do miss my old grapple sometimes though