I keep overheating chains...

[johndeereg]

I have a husqvarna 445, 18"bar. We had some big chestnut oak trees down. Some are probably 24" thick, so I'm burying the bar to cut them up. I keep getting the chain too hot and then the sharpness goes downhill quick. I've cleaned the oiler stuff, and it will sprits some oil when I run the saw full bore next to something where the oil shows up. I don't see any oil adjustment. Some cuts I've stopped half way through to let it cool down a little. Is there anything else I can do? It seems to use maybe half tank of oil for every full tank of gas. Is this a common problem with any type of saw and I'm just pushing it to it's max? Thanks for any advice.

 

[2dogs]

Not enough saw. You are trying to make a little saw do the work of a big saw. You will likely kill it. And your chains may not truly be sharp.

 

[RVALUE]

A dull chain can burn up a powerhead.........

 

[Brushwacker]

It does sound like you should be using more oil, but I expect your chain is contacting enough dirt to dull it out more so.
Are you bumping into the ground when finishing cuts or are the logs dirty. Doesn't take a lot of either to dull your edge.
The weight of the saw should be enough to cut wood, if you feel you have to push it more then a little to cut, your chains are already dull and its probably more the friction from the chain being dull and pushing it. Use sharp chains, keep them out of the dirt, might need to chop off some dirty bark with an axe here and there. Try that, you may or may not need the oiler attended to.
If the trees were in a livestock lot, often they have been used much for scratching and get the dirt from the animals imbedded in the trunks. Some times its just hard on chains to cut that wood up.

 

[z71mike]

Sounds like a dull chain. Swap in a new chain and see if the problem persists. If so, move on to oiler problems.

 

[angelo c]

Pics....we need pics....of the chain, rakers. And some gratuitous chicks with running chainsaws. And free beer too.

 

[Evanrude]

Do you clean out the bar groove regularly?

You only need an old butter knife to do this, no special tools. Remove the bar and chain from the saw and run the tip of the knife down the slot in the bar from tip to tail. See if your oiling gets any better.

If you're already cleaning it often, I'm with the rest of the guys and believe it's chain related.

 

[RVALUE]

What does cleaning the groove do? I think the oil is needed up on the rails.

I never clean a groove.

 

[Evanrude]

What does cleaning the groove do? I think the oil is needed up on the rails.

I never clean a groove.

Really??? After even a couple tanks of gas, you can get a surprising amount of gunk out of it. That crap dams up the oil as it passes down the bar. The drive links act as little ramps to pull the oil from the groove to the rails and rivets. Remember, your oiler is at the top of the bar, the oil has to travel around the tip to get to the spot with most friction.

 

[old guy]

And there is no oiler adjust on that saw but it should use a tank of oil to a tank of fuel, also 18" bar is a bit much for that saw but it sounds like the oiler is no doing it"s best.

John

 

[johndeereg]

Thanks so much for all the responses. I did clean the groove before starting the project, but maybe doing that more will help. The wood is very clean, the big pieces were dropped on the brush. I never touch the ground with the chainsaw. I had 2 new chains, so it wasn't that they were dull or anything. What could be done to the oiler? Even right after I cleaned the whole thing, bar and chainsaw it didn't use a tank of oil per tank of gas.

 

[RVALUE]

Sorry, I never clean it. I hardly clean or check the oiler hole. Maybe the junk in the groove floats the oil out. Don't know. I know I get long life from bars, and don't use a tank of oil per fuel. Slightly less. I do use a very sticky oil. I'm probably not correct though.

I have burned up a powerhead (372) in less than one tank of fuel, trying to finish with no sharpener and inexperienced operator.

 

[Chris-PA]

I keep getting the chain too hot and then the sharpness goes downhill quick

I suspect it is just the opposite - at least as long as it is in fact oiling.

Not enough saw. You are trying to make a little saw do the work of a big saw. You will likely kill it. And your chains may not truly be sharp.

I have mostly homeowner saws, most with more bar than is the AS consensus. I can bury any of them in any wood I have here, cut after cut, tank after tank. They don't overheat and the saws don't care - if the chain is sharp.

 

[sunfish]

Drill the oil holes larger in the bar...

Keep the chains sharp, real sharp!

Don't run the chains too tight!

 

[HuskStihl]

If the wood is clean, make sure you have chisel non-safety chain to maximize u'r cc's. You can also thin out the bar oil with some diesel/kero, which will allow some more flow. I'd bet a hi-rakered safety chain with an oiler at the far end of its capability

 

[RVALUE]

A decent test for sharpness is analyzing the chips.

 

[redfin]

Have you looked at the oil filter in tank to verify not clogged? What are you using for bar oil?

 

[Evanrude]

Everyone has very good points here. Check it out, try it out, then get back to us. If you can, upload a pic or two of your chain. Do you know what chain you are running?

 

[johndeereg]

I use H30-72 chains .325. Not sure if those are the numbers that mean anything!

I didn't know there is a filter for the oil. That might be something to look into as well. That and chain tightness. This just happened with a brand new chain, never used. It left some blueish black marks on the wood cut, and I saw some heat coming out of the slot when cutting. I stopped once I saw that.

 

[Marshy]

This thread is useless with a picture of your chain tooth. New out of the box might be sharp enough to cut wood and better than your sharpening skills but still far from "sharp" IMO. Burnt chain marks in the wood tell me dull chain.

How are you sharpening your chains? are you using a guide or having someone (shop) grin them?