PP5020 uneven chain wear

[FXDL]

Hey guys! wow it's been a couple years since i've been here, but anyways, I pulled out the ol PP5020 to do some clean-up at my mom's property today and I noticed the cutters on the pull-cord side of the saw were pretty worn and the cutters on the drive side were in good shape. Now this saw is two years old or so but it probably has less than an hour of use. I bought it brand new and this is the original chain, nothing has been modified in anyway and i've never even sharpened the chain. So i'm wondering what the cause of the uneven wear is? does it have a faulty chain or bar? Any ideas would be appreciated.
P.S. It's the stock 20" 3/8ths set-up

 

[AKDoug]

You hit something like a rock or nail on that side of the bar. Happens all the time.

 

[XSKIER]

Yep, it happened to me on the third cut of a new chain. Less than five minutes of cutting. After the left side was wiped out, I'd have never made it to an hour.

 

[FXDL]

Ok thanks for the tip. Guess i'll pick up a new chain today. I looked at it a little closer last night night and there's a few cutters that are pretty hammered. Surprised it still cut fairly well. Haha!
After running it for awhile yesterday, it feels like its breaking in. Can't believe how much power the 5020 has! I've owned a Dolmar 5105 and Stihl 260 all with 20" bars and 3/8ths chain and the poulan seems to actually be the most powerful of the bunch.

 

[cobey]

Try a Oregon semi chisel ..not the Beaver tail chain d.p. Oregon 70 drivers 3/8. The chain with beaver tail depth gauge are a booger to keep Sharp

 

[Chris-PA]

Try a Oregon semi chisel ..not the Beaver tail chain d.p. Oregon 70 drivers 3/8. The chain with beaver tail depth gauge are a booger to keep Sharp

I just put a loop of Oregon 75DP on a saw, and the design looks very similar to 20BPX. I've never had any problem sharpening that at all. Those ramped drive links don't seem to get in the way.

It is hard to find any semi chisel that is totally non-safety locally.

 

[cobey]

I just put a loop of Oregon 75DP on a saw, and the design looks very similar to 20BPX. I've never had any problem sharpening that at all. Those ramped drive links don't seem to get in the way.

It is hard to find any semi chisel that is totally non-safety locally.

Do you like the Beaver chains Chris? Just wondered , I had to cut ALOT off the depth gauges to make me happy with it

 

[AuerX]

Ok thanks for the tip. Guess i'll pick up a new chain today. I looked at it a little closer last night night and there's a few cutters that are pretty hammered. Surprised it still cut fairly well. Haha!
After running it for awhile yesterday, it feels like its breaking in. Can't believe how much power the 5020 has! I've owned a Dolmar 5105 and Stihl 260 all with 20" bars and 3/8ths chain and the poulan seems to actually be the most powerful of the bunch.

Try a 16" B&C, Mine runs very well with one.

 

[CTYank]

I've run my PP5020 for many hours (hundreds) with the OEM "vanguard" chain and it works just fine for me. I've not felt the need to touch the depth gauges yet, but if I did, I'd just use a flat file in a Granberg guide.

If I hammered a chain on debris, I'd just grind it back to shape, file it and then set the depth gauges. Preferable to replacing chain. Then I'd be lots more attentive to debris sneaking about.

Seems to be lots more choice in 3/8" semi-chisel chain from Carlton (Woodland Pro) than Oregon; see Bailey's. Chipper chains are even more resistant to dirt, and I've got a few loops from a retired Poulan 3400.

Anybody needing to dispose of 70 or 72 DL vanguard chains, I'll take 'em.

 

[Chris-PA]

Do you like the Beaver chains Chris? Just wondered , I had to cut ALOT off the depth gauges to make me happy with it

I'm not familiar with that term, but in the few cuts I made with the 85DP it seemed just fine. I really like the similar 20BPX - I set the depth gauges at 0.025" just like everything else.

Did you mean the Vanguard stuff with the bent over depth gauges? I've never run that, and it's full chisel anyway.

 

[cobey]

I'm not familiar with that term, but in the few cuts I made with the 85DP it seemed just fine. I really like the similar 20BPX - I set the depth gauges at 0.025" just like everything else.

Did you mean the Vanguard stuff with the bent over depth gauges? I've never run that, and it's full chisel anyway.

bingo that's the one I ment , I had one that was rocked I had to cut tons of tooth and gauge off .. the one on my 5020 was filed 4 or 5 times and worked out

 

[LegDeLimber]

Neighbors had dropped some trees and the tops were across a concrete driveway.
I nicked the concrete so lightly that it only got about half the teeth on that one side
of the chain, Almost didn't even feel it hit.
Took a look at the chain and decided to try to finish the brushy limbs but ended up
flipping it off the bar in the twisty stuff ( Why i never liked limbing at WOT)
You can see a ding in one link (yellow arrow) from the next one smacking into it when the chain slung off.
Once the chain derailed and did that damage to the links, i did not try to run it any more
until I straitened things up.

You can see the dinged drive links from that derailing.
All five of them had some damage, due to camera angle etc the one in the lower right corner is just harder to see it on.
Just took some time with the rotary tool and a sanding disk to dress the burrs off
and then some quality time with a file to get the teeth back in shape.
Even with only a few of the teeth dinged, it still would pull a curve cut.
This same chain would pull a nice strait cut again after a good filing though.

Edit: interesting to note the extra dry fine dust on that on that really dull tooth.

 

[cobey]

Neighbors had dropped some trees and the tops were across a concrete driveway.
I nicked the concrete so lightly that it only got about half the teeth on that one side
of the chain, Almost didn't even feel it hit.
Took a look at the chain and decided to try to finish the brushy limbs but ended up
flipping it off the bar in the twisty stuff ( Why i never liked limbing at WOT)
You can see a ding in one link (yellow arrow) from the next one smacking into it when the chain slung off.
Once the chain derailed and did that damage to the links, i did not try to run it any more
until I straitened things up.

You can see the dinged drive links from that derailing.
All five of them had some damage, due to camera angle etc the one in the lower right corner is just harder to see it on.
Just took some time with the rotary tool and a sanding disk to dress the burrs off
and then some quality time with a file to get the teeth back in shape.
Even with only a few of the teeth dinged, it still would pull a curve cut.
This same chain would pull a nice strait cut again after a good filing though.

Edit: interesting to note the extra dry fine dust on that on that really dull tooth.

GREAT POST!!!!

 

[cobey]

Try a 16" B&C, Mine runs very well with one.

looks just like the one I had, down to the true fuel and forester bar!! nice