Chain strecth question

[jdkeire]

Hello all,

Due to lending my small saw to a friend, I have been swapping bars on my 372xp all day to accomplish different tasks, for instance, I'm felling a large daimeter spruce with 15'' bar, and after the tree is down, I swap to a 24'' bar for convenient bucking.
My problem is that the 24'' chain is slacking after two or three cuts, not overheating, just loosening, my 15'' chain will be fine and only re tensioned when I sharpen it.
Because it's just the 24'' chain that's slacking, I'm thinking it's nothing to do with the saw. I'm thinking it's my tensioning, or the bar oil..
Would the oiler need adjusting every time I swap chains? Is there enough oil coming out to accommidate the extra nine inches? or am I possibly over tensioning the chain?
It was a brand new bar and chain too, I'm never really bucking timber this big, so have no experience with such long equipment..
Any clues or advice please?

Thanks, Jeff

 

[pioneerguy600]

If the chain is new it will stretch for quite some time, likely the first 5-6 tanks of fuel/run time. The Stihl chain shrinks the least and the Oregon seems to stretch the most of all the chains I have used.

 

[jdkeire]

I wasn't aware of that, thanks. The chances are I won't have a chance to break it in, it's only taken three tanks of fuel to buck this tree up

 

[ozflea]

Just make sure that if your retensioning the chain when it hot you could be running the chain to tight and causing more streaching than needed let the chain cool before resetting the chain

 

[jinxpress]

"Lending to a friend". 30 years ago an old guy told me "there are two things you never lend, your wife and your chainsaw, they both come back messed up". uttahere2:

 

[Fish]

Hello all,

Due to lending my small saw to a friend, I have been swapping bars on my 372xp all day to accomplish different tasks, for instance, I'm felling a large daimeter spruce with 15'' bar, and after the tree is down, I swap to a 24'' bar for convenient bucking.
My problem is that the 24'' chain is slacking after two or three cuts, not overheating, just loosening, my 15'' chain will be fine and only re tensioned when I sharpen it.
Because it's just the 24'' chain that's slacking, I'm thinking it's nothing to do with the saw. I'm thinking it's my tensioning, or the bar oil..
Would the oiler need adjusting every time I swap chains? Is there enough oil coming out to accommidate the extra nine inches? or am I possibly over tensioning the chain?
It was a brand new bar and chain too, I'm never really bucking timber this big, so have no experience with such long equipment..
Any clues or advice please?

Thanks, Jeff

Show us a pic of your wore out sprocket....

 

[jdkeire]

The sprocket is fine, there isn't a mark on it, and I keep it greased. But thanks for the suggestion, every little helps

 

[Fish]

Show some pics of all of the chains and "sprocket". Seriously....

 

[jdkeire]

Well I've been out all day at the tree, managed to destroy my brand new chain on a coil of wire 8 inches insde the bark, so it doesn't matter about it stretching now, four teeth missing, and lots twisted and chipped beyond repair.. I wouldn't mind but I wasn't pushing on it, it was the slightest nick and... bang!
Gutted..
Also my phone camera cant focus well enough on sprocket or chain but i'll put on up of the tree chunks

 

[Jimmy in NC]

Well I've been out all day at the tree, managed to destroy my brand new chain on a coil of wire 8 inches insde the bark, so it doesn't matter about it stretching now, four teeth missing, and lots twisted and chipped beyond repair.. I wouldn't mind but I wasn't pushing on it, it was the slightest nick and... bang!
Gutted..
Also my phone camera cant focus well enough on sprocket or chain but i'll put on up of the tree chunks

Cut long enough and you'll do it to a chain. Hate it for you but most of us have found a buried surprise before.

 

[jdkeire]

Well I said I'd add some pics of the tree, or whats left of it.. View attachment 279872View attachment 279873View attachment 279874

 

[7hpjim]

Well I said I'd add some pics of the tree, or whats left of it.. View attachment 279872View attachment 279873View attachment 279874

More noodles there than a Chinese buffet!!:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Redoakranch]

The block shape you've cut that wood into is what I throw out in Kalifornia!

 

[jdkeire]

The block shape you've cut that wood into is what I throw out in Kalifornia!

Why would you throw it out?
I cut it up like that so it was manageable to lift, the rings were too heavy to move whole..
It's very rare to come across a tree this size and height in Ireland, not much experience processing it any other way..

 

[SawTroll]

One oiler setting will not work perfect for both a 24" and a 15" bar.

If you have to use the same, use the one that suits the longest bar.

 

[SawTroll]

Just a thought; How is you chain tensioning done?

Are you lifting the bar tip up, and do you torque the bar nuts sufficiently?

 

[jdkeire]

Just a thought; How is you chain tensioning done?

Are you lifting the bar tip up, and do you torque the bar nuts sufficiently?

Hi Saw troll,
I lift the tip of the bar when tightening the nuts, I always tighten the back nut first, then the front nut.. And I usually spin the chain a few times after tightening it to make sure the drive links aren't sitting high on the sprocket spurs..
As I said before, It only happens with the long bar, that's what was puzzling me, I'll adjust the oiler when I get the 24'' chain sorted out, I hit a major ball of bull wire in the trunk..
I'd get two or three rings cut to within an inch or two of the ground, not touching soil, and start the next cut and the chain would nearly come off the bar it'd be that loose, the wood wasn't pinching either, I'm careful not to pinch the bar.

 

[rbmopar]

You used a 15" bar to fell that tree, and a 24" to buck it up? Seems that the 15 would not be needed at all if you like to use a long bar for limbing. But hey, whatever works for you. Not sure about your tensioning issue, the other guys have covered most of the potential problems.

 

[jdkeire]

You used a 15" bar to fell that tree, and a 24" to buck it up? Seems that the 15 would not be needed at all if you like to use a long bar for limbing. But hey, whatever works for you. Not sure about your tensioning issue, the other guys have covered most of the potential problems.

HI, I used the 15'' to drop the tree, less bogging in the wood, much quicker and easier.. When the tree was down I limbed it with the 15'' too, Just used the 24'' to ring about 70' of the trunk. And when the trunk was ringed I put the 15'' back on to quarter the rings, because I figured it was shorter and quicker and less risk of hitting the ground as the rings were only 12'' long.
I'm probably not gonna take on a tree this size again because there are none around here, but Id like to know what way you'd do it.

 

[rbmopar]

Like I said, whatever works for you. All I would do different is to use the longer bar to fell the tree. It seems you guys in europe learn to do things a bit different than over here. If I have to drop a 30" tree I'm going to grab the saw in the truck with a 32" bar, not a 16". I can do it with the 16", but it's easier and faster for me with the 32". Different strokes I guess.