Modded saw dramas

[sawn_penn]

Searching for info on the Husky 288XP I found this article:

http://www.fac.gov.bc.ca/DECISION/2004for006a.pdf

It talks about a timber company being found liable for a fire because a modded saw was found in the burnt area. The saw had the spark arrestor removed. I think they ended up wearing a prosecution for the modded saw, but didn't have to pay for the fire supression costs (the appeal let them off the costs.)

Anyone know of any other documented cases of modded saws causing legal trouble?

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I don't know of specific cases where the saw was found liable afterwords, but I do know that they (USFS, state DNR) will come around and check saws while they're being ran for arrestors. That's why I went through all the trouble of mating an arrestor on my 361's muffler mod I did, and why I'm a big fan of factory dual port covers. Around here at least, they take spark arrestors very seriously, and every saw I use in timber country (all except 200T) have their arrestors in them.

Good thread SP.

Jeff

 

[Lakeside53]

I don't know of specific cases where the saw was found liable afterwords, but I do know that they (USFS, state DNR) will come around and check saws while they're being ran for arrestors. That's why I went through all the trouble of mating an arrestor on my 361's muffler mod I did, and why I'm a big fan of factory dual port covers. Around here at least, they take spark arrestors very seriously, and every saw I use in timber country (all except 200T) have their arrestors in them.

Good thread SP.

Jeff

yes, the USFS is serious out here...

I see 200T's with the spark arrester cut off just inside the muffler, but the outside part screwed in... For those of you that haven't seen a 200T muffler, only the outside tab and screw is visbable..same with the standard 361.

We had a really big fire just over the east side of the cascades two summer ago. The USFS determined that it was caused by 2 guys on ATV's with no spark arrestors. They have been presented with a bill for over $3 million and are being taken to court. If the USFS wins, it opens up the private property owners (many of them) to also sue. Not sure how much blood will be left in the stone though...

 

[tek9tim]

Yeah, if you're talking about the Fischer Fire, it was 4 guys on dirt bikes, they were riding where they shouldn't be, in early august in tall grass, and one guy dumped his bike, and more than likely his head pipe started the fire, (four-stroke yamaha) rather than a spark from his muffler. All but that guy had spark arrestors on their bikes, and he went out the very next day and bought one so when the investigators came around, he had one. But then they went to the bike shop in town and found out he had gotten it after the fact, they took him to court, he dodged it since they didn't have any concrete evidence, he got off with a small fine, and had to work fire prevention there with us at the Forest Service last summer for about a month. If people would have seen him closer to the origin of the fire, he would have been nailed. As it was, people saw the group heading out that way and heading back, with the fire starting sometime in the middle. That fire ended up being quite the source for controversy. But that's neither here nor there...