Post Oak - What saws?

[Sloughfoot]

I didn’t really see the sparks as an oiling issue, though it could be. Seems to happen when chain is getting dull. It’s not lots of sparks by any means.

As fast as the regular chains dull, I’m thinking maintaining a slower speed for longer may win out in the long run. Going to get one to try.

As to how dirty the bark is, I’m not really sure how to answer it. The trees I am cutting are standing at the edge of or in the middle of cow pastures and hay fields for the most part. The soil around where I am at tends to be sandy top soils over red clay.

Do you file your chains to go fast or stay sharp?

 

[TX Rancher]

Here is what I started with today. Goal was to cut down that cluster of 4-5 little dead post oaks in the center

 

[TX Rancher]

What I ended with, with the husky and stihl

 

[TX Rancher]

Little further back picture with the fire going. I’m a bit over 6’ tall and that stack is taller than me. Scale is tough to capture.

 

[Catbuster]

So this may be kicking a big ant hill, but what are the thoughts here about carbide chain for this use? Steel chain dulls very fast in this dead standing post oak. It’s not uncommon for to be cutting and see sparks in wood.

Carbide chain sucks to cut wood with. It’s slow going. I’ve been forced to do it, but it is not fun. If you want to do it, the Stihl part number is 33(or 36)RD72. I’ve only seen it come in 20” loops, as the primary chain for the 046/MS 460/MS 461/MS 462 rescue saws.

The cutting bits are brazed onto a steel chain, so if you hit something hard they come off and it’s game over. Sharpening it is nigh impossible by hand.

Personally, I’d rather just fight through it and file/grind my chain later.

Nice looking job!

 

[davidwyby]

Why no firewood?

Almost everything I cut here in the desert is heck on chains. I recommend Stihl RM, .404 pitch if you can. The 500 should run it well.

I have fam in west Texas. I’d lend a hand if you wanted, but that doesn’t look like west tx.

 

[TX Rancher]

Why no firewood?

Almost everything I cut here in the desert is heck on chains. I recommend Stihl RM, .404 pitch if you can. The 500 should run it well.

I have fam in west Texas. I’d lend a hand if you wanted, but that doesn’t look like west tx.

I’m to the east a bit. I have no shortage of standing dead timber I can cut and split. This stuff today was beyond where it should be for that.

I do have a couple of nice red oaks that are a few months dead or in the process of dying I should drop and split.

 

[Woodpecker]

This sounds like a job for .404 chipper chain.

 

[drf256]

Carbide chain sucks to cut wood with. It’s slow going. I’ve been forced to do it, but it is not fun. If you want to do it, the Stihl part number is 33(or 36)RD72. I’ve only seen it come in 20” loops, as the primary chain for the 046/MS 460/MS 461/MS 462 rescue saws.

The cutting bits are brazed onto a steel chain, so if you hit something hard they come off and it’s game over. Sharpening it is nigh impossible by hand.

Personally, I’d rather just fight through it and file/grind my chain later.

Nice looking job!

Couldn’t agree more. The Duro carbide chains aren’t designed for cutting wood. @Moparmyway experimented with changing the tooth profile and lowering the rakers. We were looking for a work chain for dirty wood. Once Kev got a better tooth/gullet/raker, the teeth snapped off.

They are a rescue chain designed to cut through wood/asphault/nails, etc…. Good product but ain’t gonna satisfy you on wood. I use at times to cut roots.

As stated above, .404 works darn well. Just need the power to pull it. I run .404RM 28” on my ported 500i as my primary cutting saw. My cutting area has RCA as a base, so it’s rough on chains.

 

[TX Rancher]

What would be some recommendations for a .404 setup on a 500? Kinda making me think I should’ve done a .404 set up 661 though

 

[davidwyby]

What would be some recommendations for a .404 setup on a 500? Kinda making me think I should’ve done a .404 set up 661 though

What’s the largest diameter you regularly cut?

*I don’t like overbucking nasty dead dry dusty stuff and getting blasted in the face with it.

 

[TX Rancher]

Probably around 2’ regularly. I have a big sweet gum I’m about to have to take down that’s a bit over 3’ and that’s not uncommon, but 2’ is something I would say is regular. These post oaks aren’t usually the biggest trees. I just have a bunch of them. They are all over these little tight, dry hills, so they have a tight grain.

I will say I had always ran 20” bars before. The extra 5” on the 25” bar with the 500 made it a lot easier. I didn’t think it was going to make that big of a difference, but that extra length was just right for my most common size. If any of that helps make it make sense.

 

[Sloughfoot]

Like 25" you'll love 28", assuming you're over 5'6" tall. I'm 5' 10" and 24" feels a tad short and 32" is too long. 28" is juuuuuust right!

 

[davidwyby]

Yeah probably 28". I'm 6' and like 32" but probably overkill. At 32" I'd probably go skip.

 

[drf256]

Couldn’t agree more. The Duro carbide chains aren’t designed for cutting wood. @Moparmyway experimented with changing the tooth profile and lowering the rakers. We were looking for a work chain for dirty wood. Once Kev got a better tooth/gullet/raker, the teeth snapped off.

They are a rescue chain designed to cut through wood/asphault/nails, etc…. Good product but ain’t gonna satisfy you on wood. I use at times to cut roots.

As stated above, .404 works darn well. Just need the power to pull it. I run .404RM 28” on my ported 500i as my primary cutting saw. My cutting area has RCA as a base, so it’s rough on chains.

28” bar in .404 should do the trick. 7 pin rim. My 500 is ported by Moparmyway and badass, but I’m sure a muff modded 500 should pull it well. The wider the tooth, the longer it holds an edge, but the more power it takes to pull it.

 

[TX Rancher]

Y’all think the stock 500 will be good to pull 28” .404 through hardwood like this?

 

[TX Rancher]

So I have been running the 500 all day with the carbide chain for felling and bucking up the logs. Been using the husky 562 for limbing and clearing brush to get to trees to cut down.

The carbide may not be quite as fast as fresh steel chain, but it hasn’t slowed down yet. Steel would have not been happy with me after the first post oak.

The first tree was a sassafras tree. Wasn’t much to it, but it had fallen in a gate and I stacked it up on a giant, rotted tree and burned that. The rest have been 1’ to 1.5’ post oaks. It just walks right through them. Not noticeably slowed yet.

 

[2000ssm6]

The 046 is a rubber anti vibe system vs the 462 and 500's springs, they will feel different.

I love the family of older 70cc Stihls such as the 044, 046, 440, 460 and 461, ported of course. If you are liking the 500i and can run it longer with out fatigue, get it ported.

 

[bogieboy]

The 046 is a rubber anti vibe system vs the 462 and 500's springs, they will feel different.

I love the family of older 70cc Stihls such as the 044, 046, 440, 460 and 461, ported of course. If you are liking the 500i and can run it longer with out fatigue, get it ported.

I havent noticed any vibe issues when comparing my 044 and ms661, maybe thats just my younger (36 y.o.) hands? Also havent looked at what antivibe is on my saw, came to me with a newer flippy cap fuel tank, so 440 vintage, not sure if that changed anything concerning AV... only time i notice the vibes is when i get greedy on the rakers and the chain gets jumpy in the cut, but i feel that just as much on the spring AV of the 661 as i do the 044 so?

 

[TX Rancher]

Hard to tell scale here, but that like is about 10’ tall or so. A fair bit of my work this weekend. 7 different trees stacked up in there. Still liking the carbide chain.