So, that was summer?
I did manage to get about 3 cord split (about 1/3 of that had to be bucked, too) with my father's White 31 Ton splitter during the few non-rainy days we just had. Now to get it stacked, and get a few warm sunny days so I can tarp the tops of my (about 6 cord) firewood for the winter and start taking down more ice storm damage to get next year's supply under way. Oh how great it would be to be a year ahead!
Excuse me while I sing my Alice's Restaurant Chainsaw Massacre, it's a threadjack, but I need to vent...
I found out my 2159 has a bad crankcase seal. My local dealer is fixing it at no cost to me...he had to fire his technician recently, and I think my saw was one of the reasons (Jonny Red won't cover it b/c they already put a piston and cylinder in it and it crapped out again because the guy didn't do a leakdown to determine the real problem). It'll probably be a while before I get the saw back, though.
In the meantime, I had borrowed my father's old Jonsereds 451E (or is it EV?), but the old bar was shot and all his chains had been used to so stump removal in a gravel pit, so I got a new bar and some loops. Fifteen minutes use and the bar tip seized and I threw a chain. Not sure what happened, maybe I dropped the tip, but I don't think so. Of course, this is Sunday afternoon and NOBODY has a 16" .325 .058 bar around, so I lose a bunch of time and have to pick around the stuff that hasn't been bucked in my big disorganized pile of future firewood.
Monday morning arrives, and I go down to get a bar. Guy says he's out, but has some coming UPS due in a few hours. So I go kill some time and come back. Wrong bar.
At this point, the smoke is pouring out of my ears, so I go for a drive and end up at the second nearest Dolmar dealer. And out I came with a brandy new Dolmar 510. I know, you're all saying, "Not a 5100s?" First, the 510 was about $100 cheaper, second the dealer said he's sold about 25 510's, and not one has been back for service yet, and he's sold 12 5100's and three have come back blown up/melted down. He did admit that he thinks some of the failures were operators just limbing wide open non-stop, but after he listened to my Chainsaw Massacree in four part harmony he said the bulletproof 510 was probably the better choice for me.
And you know what? It works fine, even with the stock safety chain. I'm caught up with this year's wood, and now I can tackle other projects like the rest of the ice storm clean up at my house, my sister in law's, my father in law's, my parents', it just doesn't end, does it?
Kind of like the rain around here. The next two days might not be that bad...I hope.