Tips for brushing with chainsaw

[juanroberts]

I do a lot of trail brushing with my regular chainsaw. I wanted to start a post with tips for this.

1.- Make sure the chain is tight/snug so twigs will not derail it and thereby bend the chain.
2.- When dealing with bushes or grass that tend to get pulled into the sprocket area, cut with the upper side of the bar. This is not as fast but it does push the chaff away instead of towards the sprocket.
3.- Never let the chain touch dirt or the chain will dull fast.
4.- When dealing with small saplings, sometime the side of the chain’s teeth will cut better.

And I have a question. I have not tried it yet. Would filing the rakers all the way down make for a more efficient brushing-only chain? Has anyone tried it? Would a chipper or chisel chain work best for brushing, or does it not matter? Carrying an extra chain for brushing and another for regular cutting would not be a big deal for me. I do not plan to get a bow bar. ;-)

Thank you.



Thanks!

 

[northmanlogging]

filing the rakers would cause stuff to get hung up a lot easier, it might work on very small stuff, but anything over say 1/2" will either bounce off or get caught on the chain.
This is not to mention the incredibly higher risk of kick back, like to ridiculous levels of kick back potential.
Wild guess, here, but perhaps sharpening the leading edge of the raker could possible maintain safety and cutting ability while macheting the smaller stuff?

 

[singinwoodwackr]

1. Snug, yes, but not tight. Too tight and you’ll wear out both bar and chain in a mater of hrs…not to mention how hot each will get.
2. yes and no. Cutting grass with a chainsaw is never advised. Smaller than 1/4” saplings…and grass…use a brush clearing Sickle or similar.
3. well, duh…carry files and learn how to sharpen a chain…mandatory skill needed for trail clearing.
4. not sure what you mean. The chain will cut either way.

5. O hell no, lol. Keep rakers at standard height.

I’ve cleared a lot of 4x4 trails in NorCal. Some little stuff and some 4’+ diameter stuff that required 2-3 winches and a lot of manpower.

 

[Mad Professor]

Carry 6 crap chains that are still sharp.

Crap = so bad 1 or 2 cutters have broke off because of wear. If you know how to file, those chains will still cut.well.....

 

[singinwoodwackr]

Carry 6 crap chains that are still sharp.

Crap = so bad 1 or 2 cutters have broke off because of wear. If you know how to file, those chains will still cut......

Unless you in a truck too many extra chains isn’t at all practical. By his sig pic I’m guessing a trail bike.
if hiking or on horseback even less weight can be carried.

 

[catbuster]

My best tips for slashing brush are as follows…

Make sure the saw is set up correctly, the chain is sharp and full of fuel & bar oil. Make sure you can do the task. Then, start the saw and start cutting brush. Don’t overthink it, just be more mindful of the little stuff that will grab your bar and cause it to pull or kick. It’s easy.

And no, don’t drop your rakers to slash brush. You’ll just have a grabbier chain, which is exactly the opposite of what I want when I slash brush. Grabbier chains kick harder, pull harder and are just that much harder on the operator at the end of the day.

As to what you have to say, if OP is looking for confirmation… Allow me to retort.

1. If your chain is set at a reasonable tension it won’t derail. Set it right & check it. Reset it when it needs to be reset.

2. Don’t cut grass with a chainsaw.

3. That’s not ideal, but it does happen. So yeah, minimize it.

4. The top plate is the cutting surface of the chain. Use it to cut anything. I’m no expert, but I’d think cutting with the side of the chain would wear bar rails really unevenly.

 

[cookies]

look for chain with the smallest chisels/teeth you can find, this is the best for cutting small stuff under 3 inches in diameter. A bladed weedeater aka brush cutter might be a better option.

 

[Mad Professor]

Unless you in a truck too many extra chains isn’t at all practical. By his sig pic I’m guessing a trail bike.
if hiking or on horseback even less weight can be carried.

6 chains fit in less than lunchbox. i caary 1-2 regular cutting.

I've rode dirt bikes > 100 miles 1 day. Mix/gas is an issue, we had tools too. We had ISDT trials here, > 200 miles/day off road,

 

[singinwoodwackr]

6 chains fit in less than lunchbox. i caary 1-2 regular cutting.

I've rode dirt bikes > 100 miles 1 day. Mix/gas is an issue, we had tools too. We had ISDT trials here, > 200 miles/day off road,

Different strokes
Depending on what I plan on cutting and how far from civilization…
I carry a 30# tool box with 2 extra chains for all bars…16-42”, full set of saw tools and certain spare parts, felling and bucking wedges,
a home made leather bar sheath with 4-5 bars, 2-3 saws ( more if I have help)…346xp to 661, Cant hook, Peavy, Hookeroon, gas, oil.
In the truck . Never had to schlep gear too far but know guys who contract with the FS who clear hiking trails who do.

been a while since I’ve done that, however. No call for it where we live now.

 

[GrizG]

I've found that using safety chains, the most "safety chain" Stihl offers for example, makes cutting small brush and branches easier and safer. This as the small diameter stuff has less chance of sinking between the rakers and cutters and grabbing. My son, trying to emulate what I have on my MS261 and MS461, put a rapid super chain on his saw and found small stuff whipped around and got pulled back to the power head at times jamming the saw. I suggested he put the safety chain back on that came with the saw and he reported much better results.

As an aside, I've cut and maintained trails for nearly 50 years using loppers; machetes; axes; hatchets; Silky saws; bow saws; brush hooks; ditch bank blades; brush cutting blades on a big Stihl trimmer; brush mowers, and chainsaws including 170, 271, 261 and 461 Stihl saws. From that experience I feel confident in saying that having more than one method available is very helpful. In your case a quality, sharp, machete may prove to be a useful adjunct to a chainsaw. I've cut a lot of grass and vine type plants with sharp machetes over the years and they work quite well. I've had chains ripped off the saw when cutting vines with a chainsaw enough times that I avoid cutting vines with a chainsaw... it's like the vines have fingers that lift the chain right off the bar!

 

[juanroberts]

GrisG,

that makes sense and answers my quick hack vs small tear doubt as well. Thank you for passing along your wisdom. I will leave the rakers alone on a new brushing chain. I am in NorCal so vines are not as prevalent as the greenbrier on the Atlantic Coast where I lived a few years. But once in a while it happens over here too. It is like you said, the vines seem to have fingers. :-0 With less vines and more sierra brush and chaparral, a machete is less useful, but still maybe good for those low spots. I have a friend in Baja that in desert canyons cuts mezquite and all types of stuff with a machete. I too have a machete, also a pullerbear, many loppers types as well as too many hedgers. The manual tools are great when I am mountain biking. But for longer trail work days, I do love the speed and versatility of a gas chainsaw.

Based on what I am reading, and connecting that with my experience, it seems that when brushing by chainsaw, easy does it. By this, I mean it pays to cut through thicker bush more slowly, as moving the bar quickly through brush increases the chances of stuff getting into the sprocket. It also pays to more often check for twigs stuck in the sprocket area, and to more often check chain’s tension. Otherwise, derailed chains can bend, or worse, the bar can get tweaked and that takes even more time to straighten out.

Thank you everyone for your contributions.