Wedges and Cold Weather

[flyboy553]

I was out cutting yesterday and today in sub zero weather. My wedges seemed very brittle, When I hit them on the head of the wedge, they easily chipped. Each hit chipped it a little more. I wrecked two of them before I was done. Yeah, I know, the easy answer is to not cut in cold weather like that, but I'm in a state that likes to get cold and stay cold so it is unavoidable.

My question is, are there wedges that withstand use in cold weather? My wedges are the yellow Oregon ones, the only ones available here that I have found. I see Bailey's has some but I don't know if they are better weather wise or not.

Thanks for any input!

Ted

 

[flyboy553]

Well? Apparently no loggers work when it is sub zero weather!:msp_confused:

I wouldn't either if I wasn't behind on wood cutting.



Ted

 

[Jacob J.]

I had a snag-falling contract for the U.S. Forest Service that started early last spring at 6,000 ft elevation. The average ambient temp. was around 8° f when I started.

I had good luck in that weather with both the K&H "Redhead" wedges and the Hardhead wedges (the ones with a metal cap.)
I blew a dozen of the lime green 10" wedges from Bailey's, many of them just snapped in half. The K&H wedges seem to be
made from a polymer that stays fairly soft in the colder weather. The Hardhead wedges have that metal cap so as long as you
hit them square, they won't chip. They will still snap in half if you hit them wrong.

 

[flyboy553]

Thanks Jacob J. Does Bailey's handle the K&H wedges? My area is not known for it's logging anymore, so there very few places to get logging supplies locally. In fact, I don't know of any.

Ted

 

[bitzer]

What are you hitting them with? I was cutting this morning in 30 below and the wood was moving slow, but the wedging was fine. If you are hitting them square and your axe head has rounded corners it should not be a real problem for most wedges. I have noticed that the oregon ones do get brittle. It seems that new wedges may be more likely to chip over ones that were mushroomed a little on a warmer day.

Baileys has K&Hs as well as Madsens. Madsens may be a little cheaper. They also have wedges made by Double taper that are softer and meant for colder weather. Their blue wedges work just fine for me.

 

[Rounder]

The K&H do seem to work best when it gets really cold. Madsen's can take care of you there. Any of the big shops on the coast should have/ship them. I've also had pretty good luck with the Stihl single-taper orange wedges, just kind of spendy. They get soft when it's hot, but seem just right when it gets chilly. -Sam

 

[flyboy553]

What are you hitting them with? I was cutting this morning in 30 below and the wood was moving slow, but the wedging was fine. If you are hitting them square and your axe head has rounded corners it should not be a real problem for most wedges. I have noticed that the oregon ones do get brittle. It seems that new wedges may be more likely to chip over ones that were mushroomed a little on a warmer day.

Baileys has K&Hs as well as Madsens. Madsens may be a little cheaper. They also have wedges made by Double taper that are softer and meant for colder weather. Their blue wedges work just fine for me.

I was hitting them with a 3.5 lb splitting axe. I busted some by not hitting squarely, but I wasn't whining about those, just the ones I hit square and they chipped/busted. These were new ones too. I will order some of those you mentioned from Baileys and see how they work! Thanks!

Ted

 

[4x4American]

The redheads and the hard-heads work good in the cold out here, the logging company I work for works year round in any conditions and bossman loves the K&H Redheads cause they last long, but then again, he dont tote an ax around, the crazy old guy cuts a strong limb as a wedge beater so he dont gotta walk into the woods with an ax or worry about where it is...I prefer to use an ax

 

[Philbert]

Some of the larger catalogs note that some of their plastic wedges are better in cold weather. I don't know that 'blue' wedges (for example) are always the same material across different manufacturers. But I think it is worth asking.

There are always aluminum, magnesium, and wood wedges if plastic fails.

Philbert

 

[056kid]

A k&h will bend like a bannana when abused enough. I think making sure to hit them as square as possible is what really saves them, that and keeping your saw away from them haha.
Deffinately like them the most.

 

[056kid]

The redheads and the hard-heads work good in the cold out here, the logging company I work for works year round in any conditions and bossman loves the K&H Redheads cause they last long, but then again, he dont tote an ax around, the crazy old guy cuts a strong limb as a wedge beater so he dont gotta walk into the woods with an ax or worry about where it is...I prefer to use an ax

A 5 lb ax will drive a wedge exponentially harder than a stick of wood. I used to do it often. My beater stick always ended up slabbing and useless.

 

[2dogs]

When it is really cold here, like below 60, I stay home and cruise AS and watch TV. Right now I'm watching Event Horizon. Scary as heck.

 

[All Tree NW]

i don't like paying for k&h wedges and didn't particularly care for the way they drive. i only buy madsens house brand wedges now. they're cheaper and they really drive like a mother!

 

[logging22]

Bought a few of the mag wedges from Madsens. Bullet proof.

 

[4x4American]

A 5 lb ax will drive a wedge exponentially harder than a stick of wood. I used to do it often. My beater stick always ended up slabbing and useless.

yea I hated using a stick for a wedge for the few times I tried it, after that I switched to an ax.

 

[056kid]

i don't like paying for k&h wedges and didn't particularly care for the way they drive. i only buy madsens house brand wedges now. they're cheaper and they really drive like a mother!

Might have to give them a try.

 

[bitzer]

The only problem with the K&Hs is they are easy to loose in the snow. I lost a brand new 10" and 12" a few weeks ago. My pouch is all blue now. Like the Kid said though, its all in how you hit them.

 

[flyboy553]

When it is really cold here, like below 60, I stay home and cruise AS and watch TV. Right now I'm watching Event Horizon. Scary as heck.

Well? They always say that in order to solve a problem, one should be smarter than the problem. Looks to me you got that part down well!

Once again, thanks for all the tips guys!

Ted

 

[Furious]

Ok, this may be a stupid rookie question lol, what about the magnesium wedges or metal ones?

 

[Philbert]

Ok, this may be a stupid rookie question lol, what about the magnesium wedges or metal ones?

See Post #9 in this thread.

Will not shatter. Will cause more damage to your chain if you hit them.
Heavier to carry; colder to hold; more expensive to buy.
And, please, don't lick them when it's really cold out!

Philbert