Felling saw= Worn piston?

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Bub

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My brother in law cuts timber and it seems he is buying a new falling saw every year,sometimes not even that long.He keeps 2 saws on his landing and uses Husqvarna 372s to fall with.This may be a rookie question,but would a saw that spends most of its life cutting on its side wear out the right side of the piston or cylinder instead of wearing evenly?Seems like he has had the 2 same landing saws forever.Thanks for any replies
 
How does your Brother in law fell trees?
The saw should be alternated side to side (powerhead flipped) as he makes felling cuts- unless he walks around the stump to back cut holding the saw in the same plane all day?

Either way, as long as the fuel mix is correct, air filters cleaned and saw is warmed up before ripping the snot out of the throttle felling trees as soon as the saw fires up every morning- running a power saw in most any orientation for extended periods should not cause one side of the piston to wear.
 
How does your Brother in law fell trees?
The saw should be alternated side to side (powerhead flipped) as he makes felling cuts- unless he walks around the stump to back cut holding the saw in the same plane all day?

Either way, as long as the fuel mix is correct, air filters cleaned and saw is warmed up before ripping the snot out of the throttle felling trees as soon as the saw fires up every morning- running a power saw in most any orientation for extended periods should not cause one side of the piston to wear.
30"bar and single back cuts are the norm around here.Flipping the saw over is out of the question most of the time.Everybody wants the stump flush with the ground,as most logging sites around here will soon be pasture.
 
I have a 395xp I have ran prob ten years and cut with every day. I put a big bore kit on it which was great until I used opti 2 mix with it. It glazed and flaked on a massive maple I was top downing.
So I flew back to tge garage and slapoed the old jug and piston back on. Ran like new again.

This saw has been through hell in all positions. It has cut millions of board feet of timber.

I know guys that just get rid of the old and in with the new just to avoid issue though, every year or two.
My old saw is getting loose everywhere. About time for me to get a new one.

I strongly recommend against aftermarket chinese bored jugs and pistons online btw.
All that thing did was rattle screws loose and fry in about a year and a half. No real added performance over the stock.
 
30"bar and single back cuts are the norm around here.Flipping the saw over is out of the question most of the time.Everybody wants the stump flush with the ground,as most logging sites around here will soon be pasture.
Fair enough, bar length to suit the stump and single back cuts- it is how most proper fellers would run- but how is he doing the wedge face cuts?
Can understand the saw being on the same plane for conventional face cuts, but then you flip the powerhead to make your back cut? Maybe I just learned different?
 
How does your Brother in law fell trees?
The saw should be alternated side to side (powerhead flipped) as he makes felling cuts- unless he walks around the stump to back cut holding the saw in the same plane all day?

Either way, as long as the fuel mix is correct, air filters cleaned and saw is warmed up before ripping the snot out of the throttle felling trees as soon as the saw fires up every morning- running a power saw in most any orientation for extended periods should not cause one side of the piston to wear.

I think Cold seizing or just damaging the piston and ring from reving the crap out of it just after its started is very common.




Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]
 
Big question is how many hours are these saws seeing? I could see wearing out a saw in a year if it's run 8-10hrs a day every day, that's 2-3000hrs a year which is about the expected lifespan of a saw.
This might be a great question for a guy with a chainsaw mill.
I have no clue how many hous my stock head has. I prob put most hours on a top handle nowadays.
When I was felling timber all day we ran 272 372 385 394 and 395 and they werent close to being worn out in a year.
We didn't cut much firewood size logs it was mainly in 8'4" or longer so there was plenty of idle time between cuts vs a saw that cuts a lot of firewood etc.
 
Big question is how many hours are these saws seeing? I could see wearing out a saw in a year if it's run 8-10hrs a day every day, that's 2-3000hrs a year which is about the expected lifespan of a saw.

Pretty much over here, if you try and run a felling saw which is older than 24 months in the bush- nobody will hire you.
 
Some great replies ,thanks.I always think of the old straight six engines that seem to run forever.The piston is pushing straight up versus a V-8 that lays to its side.The old Ford 300 and the Cummins 5.9 diesel are hard to kill.Im sure the rings give the piston some cushion for a saw on its side,a horizontal head saw,or v-8 engine,but the cylinder would bear the brunt of it.
 
Fair enough, bar length to suit the stump and single back cuts- it is how most proper fellers would run- but how is he doing the wedge face cuts?
Can understand the saw being on the same plane for conventional face cuts, but then you flip the powerhead to make your back cut? Maybe I just learned different?
Pretty much from notch to back cut the saw always is laying to its right.On the notch cut sometimes the saw will lay to its left if the tree is big enough to need to switch sides for the 45 degree notch cut.Im no tree felling expert by any means,Im just a farmer .But any tree I cut is done that way.And we cut as low as possible the first time,it sure is easier to get that stump low with the weight of the tree pulling it versus cutting just a stump.
 
Pretty much from notch to back cut the saw always is laying to its right.On the notch cut sometimes the saw will lay to its left if the tree is big enough to need to switch sides for the 45 degree notch cut.Im no tree felling expert by any means,Im just a farmer .But any tree I cut is done that way.And we cut as low as possible the first time,it sure is easier to get that stump low with the weight of the tree pulling it versus cutting just a stump.

So you use conventional face cuts to keep the stumps low, I get that (but wait until you strike a tree that was once used for a fence post) then you must walk around the stump to put in your backcut, whereas I would be making all cuts from the one position and flipping the powerhead. Granted, my way the backcut is a "thick side) of the powerhead above the ground and this must be too high for your needs.
 
I ran my saws for decades with no problem taking turns felling. But I ran the older Xp husky oil at 38:1. Life before the xp + oil. I keep my saws running oil rich. Now with this pre 50:1 husky mix in the can I add more oil to the can. I think the 50:1 is too lean.

I think lubrication is the key to wearing out saws.

Questions?

What 2t brand of oil?
What mix ratio?
Pull the muffler and look inside at the piston skirt it should be soaked with oil.
 
I ran my saws for decades with no problem taking turns felling. But I ran the older Xp husky oil at 38:1. Life before the xp + oil. I keep my saws running oil rich. Now with this pre 50:1 husky mix in the can I add more oil to the can. I think the 50:1 is too lean.

I think lubrication is the key to wearing out saws.

Questions?

What 2t brand of oil?
What mix ratio?
Pull the muffler and look inside at the piston skirt it should be soaked with oil.
Ive seen empty Stihl and Husqvarna 2 cycle bottles in his truck bed many times,Im sure he mixes at 50:1 .One thing I do know for sure is he drives about 25 miles every week to get non-ethanol gas.I agree with you on 50:1 being lean.I remember buying my first new saw,a Homelite Super 2,and it mixed at 16:1 with Homelite brand oil.When I got my first Stihl I remember thinking that the Stihl oil must be a lot better,or the cylinder must be alot harder.
 
I doubt the 372's are worn out in a year, im guessing he buys a new one every year to lessen the chances of missing a days work due to saw issues. On the landing bucking wood its easy to go grab another saw if you have issues with one so he wouldn't worry about it as much there.
 
I picked up a used 372 Xp that was full of saw dust inside the crankcase. Doesn’t anyone clean there air filters anymore.? I clean and wash my air filters every evening with ether. I get the oil off the mesh so the next days wood chips aren’t attracted to the air cleaner.

My saws paid my bills and put food on my table.
 
I doubt the 372's are worn out in a year, im guessing he buys a new one every year to lessen the chances of missing a days work due to saw issues. On the landing bucking wood its easy to go grab another saw if you have issues with one so he wouldn't worry about it as much there.
I will agree with you on that,except for 1 saw that I know for certain was completely beat.One of my reasons for asking this question was because I doubt the dealer gives him much trade allowance,I was thinking about buying his next "worn out" saw.I could use a bigger saw and I really like the way those 372s cut.My biggest saw now is an old 041 .Its a good saw,but it will vibrate your teeth out.I just dont want to buy something and have to rebuild it .I have projects I started on 3 years ago and never got around to finishing.
 
I will agree with you on that,except for 1 saw that I know for certain was completely beat.One of my reasons for asking this question was because I doubt the dealer gives him much trade allowance,I was thinking about buying his next "worn out" saw.I could use a bigger saw and I really like the way those 372s cut.My biggest saw now is an old 041 .Its a good saw,but it will vibrate your teeth out.I just dont want to buy something and have to rebuild it .I have projects I started on 3 years ago and never got around to finishing.
I would buy it.
Its not worn out.
Mabe a new jug and piston.
They are cheap online.
 
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