One area where I definitely prefer Husky over Stihl

[Billy Jack]

Yesterday after work, I took my dirt bike and my Stihl 028 Super WB on a trail with the intention of cutting flush to the ground a bunch of sapling stumps that were only cut back to about 12-18" when the surveyors came through. Not just once, but TWICE the chain came off the bar. Both times it was on tight enough, but managed to come off anyway. The first time, my glove stopped any injury. The second time, my jeans stopped it.

Now almost the entire time I was cutting, the saw was turned on its side so the cut would be flat to the ground. I do this all the time with various Huskys and except for when I didn't keep an eye on chain tension, I've never had a chain come off, and even when it did, it was nothing like that. I experienced the exact same problem with a Stihl 024 I had in the past, so I am going to have to believe the fully encased sprocket normally used on Husky is superior to the spur type sprocket I've had on my Stihl models. I also think the outboard clutch helps minimize the amount of chain that ends up slinging out. The chain "catch" did work, but that was two times too many.

Anybody else had that issue more with the Stihl "spur" type set-ups? I have to believe that is a contributing cause.

 

[oscar4883]

Your issues have nothing to do with Stihl vs. Husky. Most likely worn out parts, or poor technique, are the contributing factors. Spur sprockets are the same for both brands really.

 

[deer slayer]

Your issues have nothing to do with Stihl vs. Husky. Most likely worn out parts, or poor technique, are the contributing factors. Spur sprockets are the same for both brands really.

I agree, most of the time when this happens to me its because I did something to avoid the dirt or the bar had got somthing jammed in it from cuting so low the ground.

 

[Beaver eager]

Funny because I've only had that problem with my husky....but it's because the bar is worn and the tension doesn't like to stay nice and tight and the chain is a piece of crap and stretches more than the stihl chains. I dont blame the brand though it's all about parts being worn out a bit.

 

[Billy Jack]

Your issues have nothing to do with Stihl vs. Husky. Most likely worn out parts, or poor technique, are the contributing factors. Spur sprockets are the same for both brands really.

My issue is more with the spur sprocket than the brand, but from my experience, it seems like the Stihl preference is for the spur sprocket.

What I can attest to is that the bar,chain, and sprocket are in very good shape on this particular saw. That older 024 had some wear on the sprocket as I recall. When I have thrown a chain on a Husqvarna, I have never been able to put the chain back on the bar until I took the side cover off. With the Stihls, I could (but the side cover had to come off to get the chain back over the sprocket). This meant that MORE chain came out of the head and was available to bad things to flesh. I realize that the Husky models will throw chains as well and that both makes aren't the only ones with said sprockets, but I thought it was a valid point to make. I wasn't trying to slam Stihl, it's just a difference that I've personally experienced more with them and I feel it has to do with with the spur sprocket set-up.

Here's a link to the exact saw when I obtained it:

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/130083.htm

I went through it and got it up-to-speed. I wanted a shorter bar and found a 18" Stihl Wood Boss bar (still has the paint and logo on it) with a matching Stihl .325 chain. The sprocket looked fine with no visible wear.

 

[watsonr]

When flush cutting you need to be really careful not to pinch the bar or twist the chain. Not sure how to relay this to you, but the weight of the saw has a tendency to pull the chain away from the bar in a perpendicular direction not parallel to the bar. When that happens the operator can see whats about to happen, the saw starts to bind and then you try to pull the saw out of the cut to free the chain instead of twist the saw in the right direction to try and get the chain back in the grove.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[oscar4883]

When flush cutting you need to be really careful not to pinch the bar or twist the chain.

Very true. Any issues with the bar groove being enlarged will also show up. Rails can be true, but if the groove is opened it is easier to throw a chain. On short bars it is not nearly as bad as with longer bars. Billy Jack - I know you said the bar was in good shape but are you sure the groove is tight? It has been my experience that the grit/dirt involved with low stump cutting can really wear out a bar groove.

 

[John R]

Sounds like operator error to me.

 

[Billy Jack]

When flush cutting you need to be really careful not to pinch the bar or twist the chain. Not sure how to relay this to you, but the weight of the saw has a tendency to pull the chain away from the bar in a perpendicular direction not parallel to the bar. When that happens the operator can see whats about to happen, the saw starts to bind and then you try to pull the saw out of the cut to free the chain instead of twist the saw in the right direction to try and get the chain back in the grove.

Hope this makes sense.

It makes perfect sense, and I appreciate you taking the time to write it. My tradecraft isn't wood-cutting, but I have been doing it for over thirty years. I try my best to listen to others and take good advice when I get it. It's just that I have had the worst two periods of these incidences with Stihl saws, not Husky. I'm just trying to figure out why.

 

[Billy Jack]

Very true. Any issues with the bar groove being enlarged will also show up. Rails can be true, but if the groove is opened it is easier to throw a chain. On short bars it is not nearly as bad as with longer bars. Billy Jack - I know you said the bar was in good shape but are you sure the groove is tight? It has been my experience that the grit/dirt involved with low stump cutting can really wear out a bar groove.

And I appreciate your time and effort as well with the good advice you provided. I realize that it's difficult to gauge the skill of the person on a website, but when I received the shorter b&c I gave it a good once over. The rails were great, the bar was arrow straight, and I used a feeler gauge to check the play. I found it to be very consistent throughout, it appeared to be almost new (the OEM paint and logo added to that opinion). The chain was a bit less than sharp, but looked as though it had never been sharpened or maybe once at most.

The stumps I was cutting were actually brush trees cleared to make a trail. The largest was probably 3" but most were around 1". I, of course, did my best to avoid the dirt, but the nature of the beast, ya know?

 

[Billy Jack]

Sounds like operator error to me.

Always a possibility, bit once again that scenario confuses the issue as to why it only seems to happen when I'm using saws with spur sprockets.

 

[stipes]

I have a 028 super...

It was bought brand new and never,,*EVER* thrown a chain off it....If I had all the firewood it cut,, stacked now I wouldnt have to go out in the woods for the next 10 years...Only time I ever use it now is for a GTG but if it was the only saw I had to cut with it wouldnt let me down.....maint. means alot,,bar,,chain,,sprocket...
They are built like a tank...

 

[indiansprings]

I've got an 028 that has been used on the farm since 1978, it has cleaned many a fence row, cut off a bunch of stumps and I've never had more of a problem with the chain coming off. I agree with other posters in that it's not the saw brand or sprocket type, but maybe worn parts, like the sprocket being worn the bar being worn or condition of the chain. I have found clearing fence rows a hard nose bar works better.

 

[Billy Jack]

It was bought brand new and never,,*EVER* thrown a chain off it....If I had all the firewood it cut,, stacked now I wouldnt have to go out in the woods for the next 10 years...Only time I ever use it now is for a GTG but if it was the only saw I had to cut with it wouldnt let me down.....maint. means alot,,bar,,chain,,sprocket...
They are built like a tank...

Don't doubt it a bit. I've only had this one about a year, but I had the 024 for quite a few years. Neither one ever threw a chain until I tried to cut flush with the ground.

It's certainly possible that I did something to cause it, but once again, why don't the Husky's do that with me? I'm not trying to bad mouth Stihl, just looking at small differences and trying to figure out which might be better in certain circumstances.

 

[Billy Jack]

I've got an 028 that has been used on the farm since 1978, it has cleaned many a fence row, cut off a bunch of stumps and I've never had more of a problem with the chain coming off. I agree with other posters in that it's not the saw brand or sprocket type, but maybe worn parts, like the sprocket being worn the bar being worn or condition of the chain. I have found clearing fence rows a hard nose bar works better.

I can assure you it isn't worn parts. The parts are fine, some almost new. Fence posts are much larger in diameter than the stuff I was cutting. Most of it was aggravating 1-2" thick saplings that I wanted flush to the ground to make the trails safer for my son and I to ride on.

Here's a video of the area I was trying to clear:

PICT0018.mp4 video by jad628 - Photobucket

Forward to about 3:15 to see most of the stuff that caused the problems. It looks innocent enough, but it sure proved irritating.