Intenz bars on professional saws
Che, Sorry, it’s been a long while since we corresponded back and forth. I had it stuck in my mind that we resolved the issues and a bar was sent. Memory is the second to go.
Mange
Intenz and Pro saws. If Intenz works good on a consumer saw then it ought to work on Pro saws. That’s what I also thought. I spent 1 ½ years trying to develop an Intenz bar for the professional market. Problem, you professionals want the chain tighter (for longer bars), more precise tension (you have an exact expectation for tension), use more aggressive chains, use more powerful saws, do more nose buried or boring style cutting, and are starting to use saws with plastic bar pads and covers. I could not design a system that met the expectations of all our test loggers, several saw manufacturers, and our internal test standards for all those added conditions.
I had to face an important limitation, professional users do break the “on the saw tensioner mechanisms” that come with the professional saws. The tensioning mechanisms experience very high impulse forces. Those “on the saw tensioner mechanisms” can be made far stronger than the internal bar tensioner. They can have thick parts, I only have the thickness of a drive link. The limited space between the outer laminates was not enough to over come the impulse forces.
There are a few professional level Intenz test bars still working hard on Husky 350’s, but the concept just would not work for the entire professional market.
There is saw design that the Intenz bars work best on. The Intenz bar relies on the outer laminates (along the bar mounting slot) deflecting inward and clamping on the internal rack that is contacting the forward saw stud. The clamping action assists in binding the rack, bar, and saw stud as one unit. Saws with metal bar pads and covers work best with more professional applications because they deflect the laminates and hold the clamping force. Saws with plastic bar pads and covers allow the clamping force to diminish over time because the plastic slowly creeps when put under pressure.
Some saws with plastic bar pads and covers work exceptionally well because the saw stud has a shoulder that is flush with the bar pad and the saw cover has a metal insert flush to both the bar and stud nut.. This design contacts the bar laminates directly over the rack. When the stud nut is secured the clamping force goes thru only steel parts. No plastic is involved so the studs are not pulled through the saw case.
Even if the Intenz bar does not slip, the tension may not be high enough or precise enough for a professional logger.
Regards
Oregon Engineer