STIHL picco duro carbide chain

[mark360T]

My dad bought me a stihl carbide picco chain for my birthday today for my ms 181, we've been making trails in our woods. The wood we are cutting is old dirty rotted wood that has been the from previous logging before we bought the house. The chain is awesome, it cuts pretty dang fast! Cut through a lot of dirty rotted logs. Has anybody else used this type of chain or any kind of carbide chain?

 

[MCW]

Haven't used it but I need some Every time I get a tree job with a termite infested, sand filled stump I wish that I'd have got hold of some...

Even .404" chipper struggles on some of the crappy gear I've had to cut

 

[Phil_C]

We tried the carbide chains years ago. I can't remember if it was a Stihl chain or not but the results were a bit dissapointing.
1) Hitting things like rocks would cause the teeth to chip or ever break off entirely.
2) When the chain had to be sharpened it had to be sent away as the carbide tips require a special grinder wheel.
3) We had a couple of chains with the links completely worn out but the carbide cutters still looking good.
4) We were using a Stihl 056AV to power the chains and we seemed to have more bearings turning in the housing when using the chains than using normal chains. The saw did seem to vibrate a lot more when using the chain.

These chains were specially purchased by my brother who used to cut firewood on the weekend. The logs would be Australian hardwood (Tallowood, Blackbutt, Yellow Stringy, occasional Iron Bark etc) that had been on the ground for many years and quite often would have a pipe filled with anything from dirt to snakes

After doing the sums for the initial cost of the chain and getting it sharpened and or repaired it worked out uneconomical to use them.

This was about 15-20 years ago so I assume carbide chains have improved a lot since then If you have your own grinder then you should be able to purchase a green silicon wheel to sharpen the tips.

Regards

Phil

 

[MCW]

1) Hitting things like rocks would cause the teeth to chip or ever break off entirely.
Regards

Phil

Thanks for the lengthy reply Phil.

I've heard this too. Currently Pacific Chain are selling carbide chain with full carbide cutters (not just a piece welded on) for $4.50 per drivelink but the expensive part is the $300 wheel to sharpen the bastard

Out of interest I'm gathering the chassis part of the chain and rivets will wear like hell and leave the carbide relatively untouched, just like a well used masonry drill bit?

 

[tdi-rick]

[snip]

This was about 15-20 years ago so I assume carbide chains have improved a lot since then If you have your own grinder then you should be able to purchase a green silicon wheel to sharpen the tips.

Regards

Phil

Not necessarily, the local chainsaw/mower bloke has a few loops of carbide hanging up that have a few chipped/broken teeth, and I believe it's a bit of an enduring problem with some of our timber and the chain isn't cheap.

Like Matt, I wish there was a better answer to our termite chimneyed, hard as nails timber, but ATM semi-chisel and chipper is about the best in terms of cost/benefit.

 

[Phil_C]

Thanks for the lengthy reply Phil.

I've heard this too. Currently Pacific Chain are selling carbide chain with full carbide cutters (not just a piece welded on) for $4.50 per drivelink but the expensive part is the $300 wheel to sharpen the bastard

Out of interest I'm gathering the chassis part of the chain and rivets will wear like hell and leave the carbide relatively untouched, just like a well used masonry drill bit?

Yes that is exactly what happened with ours. Links with good carbide but the links and rivets completely worn out. No option left but to throw a chain with good teeth out.

If the Pacific chain has full carbide cutters then it would still need to be welded on or is it some form of bi-metal links? If the entire link is made of carbide then I think it will wear the bar excessively.

Regards

Phil

 

[MCW]

Yes that is exactly what happened with ours. Links with good carbide but the links and rivets completely worn out. No option left but to throw a chain with good teeth out.

If the Pacific chain has full carbide cutters then it would still need to be welded on or is it some form of bi-metal links? If the entire link is made of carbide then I think it will wear the bar excessively.

Regards

Phil

Nah mate, just the cutter part of the chain is carbide, the presets, tiestraps, and drivelink are still steel.

 

[Rookie1]

I cut skids to suppliment my firewood supply and keep eyeing up a carbide chain at the Stihl dealer. Its 55.00 for a 16",3/8 picco.Im struggling with the initial cost.

 

[Phil_C]

I cut skids to suppliment my firewood supply and keep eyeing up a carbide chain at the Stihl dealer. Its 55.00 for a 16",3/8 picco.Im struggling with the initial cost.

Well at least that is one thing that has changed The chains for the 25" bars for the 056 were over $400.

Regards

Phil

 

[TXcowboy]

I have one of the 16" Picco Duro3 carbide chains that Stihl is putting on the MS230s. Had a customer buy a 230 but didn't want the Duro chain so I swapped him for a regular and took the duro home and put it on one of my 011's. I removed a bunch of hedges off our property this summer and it worked great for cutting the stumps and roots below ground level. I have cut probably 9-10 stumps in the dirt with it and it is still as sharp as a new chain.

 

[mark360T]

My dealer didn't have any on hand so he took the one off the 230. The chain cost $40.00

 

[tdi-rick]

Wow, those chain prices are so damned cheap compared to what we pay here....

Looks like I'll have to tack a Duro chain onto the next US order