Full wrap chaps

[bajapower]

I'm in the market for a new set of chaps, is there a real advantage to the full wrap chaps over the traditional chaps? Are the calves really at risk for injury? i haven't seen too many calf injuries resulting from saws.

 

[T_F_E]

I reckon if your swingin a saw around behind your leg your askin for an accident.

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Chaps

You want them to be 2" below the top of a pair of work boots. Trust me your lower legs can be injured.

 

[Teddy.Scout]

I reckon if your swingin a saw around behind your leg your askin for an accident.

Well I was not doing that, and the chaps ended up wrapped around my leg and the leather in my boots stop the chain.

The chain broke and just spun the chaps around my leg like a barber sign.
Falling trees, bucking yard trees or gathering firewood is completely different cutting.
Full wrap chaps are my new norm now.

 

[old cookie]

I got my labonville full wrap chaps last fall. I had never had chaps before.I like the full wrap idea.I dont always have both feet on the ground and my calf is covered, i think that is a good thing.Well worth the few extra dollars,and they may help keep them in place.I havnt noticed mine twisting.I sure like them, I think you wont be sorry if you get them.

 

[046]

best chaps I've worn... Labonville Competition X-Treme Full-Wrap Chainsaw Chaps
10 ply kevlar ... will stop chain, not just reduce damages

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Trust me chaps are cheaper then sutures. Do a site search for chainsaw injuries, there are lot of guys on here who have been bit by a power saw. I learned early in my teens why chaps are produced, I was doing a cleanup job for my Dad, I had just bought the chaps for a 130 bucks,this was the first use of them. I thru a couple rounds on the tail gate of the work truck, decide to bump two smaller limbs, the cuts went fine as I lowered the saw I laid the running chain it onto my thigh at half throttle, not much blood just a small scratch near the outside edge of the chaps:msp_ohmy:

 

[wyk]

I have S.I.P. 6.1 chainsaw trousers/pants. Full coverage is required here in the EU. They are available in the States from folks like Sherril Tree and are extremely comfortable and highly protective. The only drawback is the costs and the fact they can be warm(well, the warmth is an advantage here in Ireland). If you want thinner and more comfort in the heat, the Husky trousers seem to be the ticket.

S.I.P. 6.1 Chainsaw Jamming Pants : SherrillTree Tree Care Equipment

Husqvarna Chainsaw Pants : SherrillTree Tree Care Equipment

 

[purdyite]

Just discovered another advantage to full wraps...you can wear 'em with shorts and they still protect your leg. The straps at the bottom keep the chaps in place. I was cutting up storm damaged trees Saturday, was 100+ deg.

 

[promac850]

It's been said that some saws are more than powerful enough to spin the front of the chaps covering your lower leg completely around, and still bite into your skin... so a full wrap is much better, as there is protection all the way around the lower leg, and it is less prone to spinning in the first place.

I wouldn't play with a gear drive without some Labonville 10 ply chaps... them saws will need everything you can throw at them to stop the chain...

So far, I've been running without chaps with good luck. I do plan on getting a pair soon, probably the Labonville full wraps, maybe the competition 10 ply full wraps, if money allows.

 

[fieldsgulch]

I did not wear chaps for 20 years but after finding this site I was convinced to wear them. My first pair was not a full wrap. I had a few dislikes, they caught on everything expecially when jumping on and off equipment, also I really did not feel a whole lot more protected than wearing nothing. I finally decided to spend the money and bought a pair of Labonville full wraps. I really like them, they cover very well, I never run my saw with out them.

 

[TK]

I have found my Husqvarna pants to be quite comfortable yet a tad on the warmer side. Pockets are zippered so they don't get full of crap, and it's nice to have pockets.

 

[RenaisSAWnceMan]

- Chaps are hot, unless the temp. is cool enough....
- If you get very hot wearing chaps, you likely would be hot, anyway, even without them on....
- Full-wrap shouldn't be much hotter, since one is already wearing boots of some height....
- One tends to become acclimated to anything....
- Yes, full-wraps make shorts-wearing more feasible....



* Chaps are not as comfortable as going without.
* One will typically wear them for some time and perhaps, if fortunate, for a lifetime, without actually needing their protection.


_________________BOTTOM LINE___________________

The one time you need them.....all the past discomfort will likely be instantly forgotten.



More than a few guys have been invincible, running without chaps....until, suddenly, they weren't. Most are man enough to post about their accident, for the
benefit of others.

An intelligent being should be able to extrapolate that small, accidental handling cut from a chain, into what would happen if it contacted flesh, under power.... If
you've never managed to cut yourself while handling/sharpening/cycling a chain, go ahead and self-induce, then THINK.....!

An event that is foreseen as a possibility, and prepared against, becomes an accidental incident with minimized or eliminated effect.


So....I wish you:

Some discomfort, and safety.

 

[Teddy.Scout]

Sometimes words are just that,
So I thought some pictures might help if spun chaps occur.
Hind sight is 20-20. They may have been loose, but that's the way I always wore them!
Full wrap are the way to go.
(like them for the fact that shorts can be worn with them easily!!!)

Intense pictures and videos!
(some may have seen them recently)
http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/174484.htm

 

[nmurph]

You want them to be 2" below the top of a pair of work boots. Trust me your lower legs can be injured.

Why do to the retailers all say to measure to the top of the foot and show pics of the chaps coming to the top of the boot?

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Why do to the retailers all say to measure to the top of the foot and show pics of the chaps coming to the top of the boot?

Retailers go by manufacture recommendations. I go by the ORosha guide lines. I have found that 2" below the top of the boot reduced tripping hazards and less likely to run a limb up inside the chaps. They recommend back when I was still working to use a boot height of no less then 10" high,I have been out the logging scene for a few years so most of my knowledge has some rust spots. The ORosha sheet at the ranch my Dad runs says heavy duty firm grip 8" work boots fro logging work, not sure if this the up to date sheet.

 

[Southside]

If you're going to buy Labonville, get one size longer than what you think you need. Southside

 

[wyk]

Why do to the retailers all say to measure to the top of the foot and show pics of the chaps coming to the top of the boot?

Retailers generally follow OSHA guidelines, and so do the states. OSHA guidelines are from the top of the boot, and here is a direct quote from the OregonOSHA guidelines as well:

437-007-0325 Leg Protection. The employer must provide and require each employee
who operates a chain saw to wear flexible ballistic nylon pads, chaps or other equivalent
protection in a manner that protects their legs from the top of the thigh to the top of the boot
from contact with the moving saw chain.

http://www.orosha.org/pdf/rules/division_7/div7_d.pdf#page=4

 

[nmurph]

This is the OSHA footwear section-

1910.266(d)(1)(v)
The employer shall assure that each employee wears foot protection, such as heavy-duty logging boots that are waterproof or water repellent, cover and provide support to the ankle. The employer shall assure that each employee who operates a chain saw wears foot protection that is constructed with cut-resistant material which will protect the employee against contact with a running chain saw. Sharp, calk-soled boots or other slip-resistant type boots may be worn where the employer demonstrates that they are necessary for the employee's job, the terrain, the timber type, and the weather conditions, provided that foot protection otherwise required by this paragraph is met.

 

[Southside]

Personally, I'm sick and tired of OSHA and all their requirements and you can throw in BIG GOVERNMENT too! Southside