Chainsaw Dumbness - DOH!!

I've been cutting tons of oak and giant HV transmission line poles with my chainsaws recently (I inherited about (50) hundred and twenty footers). I'd sharpened the blade on my 455 Husky so many times the chain was just shot, so I decided to change the chain...something I've done a million times in the past. Five minute job, right? I can do this in my sleep just about.

So I loosen the bar nuts and pull the side cover, slack up the bar and pull off the old chain. I pull out the new Husky chain and put it on...something's wrong. DAMMIT! They gave me the wrong model chain, go figure. Oh well, I'll just put the old chain back on and struggle through the last couple cuts for tonight and call it good. So I clean the bar up, put it on then put the old chain back on. I go to put the side cover back on and it's doesn't seem like it's fitting right. No worries, I clamp it down, adjust the chain and check it. Chain is seized up. WTF??? Loosen the cover and the chain is fine. What the heck is going on??? I thought I must be hallucinating so I put it back together again and fired up the chainsaw. Nope, chain is definitely bound up solid (saw stalls). WTH??

Then I take the whole side cover apart (cussin' the whole time), take the clutch apart...everything is fine!! I'm now about 40 minutes into my "5 minute job", and it's startin' to get dark. Dammit! (rinse and repeat about three more times). There is nothing wrong with this chainsaw, Bob!!! NOTHING!! Wife comes out in the garage and asks me what the heck I'm growlin' about. Exasperated, I try to explain to her what's going on. Her solution..."Well, I'm going to bed. Good night." (I knew better)

Okay, now it's personal!! I'm going to fix this dang saw tonight if it's the last thing I ever do!! Just cuz!

I retrace my steps taking the saw apart the first time. Yeah, the side cover was a little difficult coming off the first time, I wonder if that could be it. By now, it's dark and I'm sporting my head lamp to see what I'm doing. I wonder if....awwwww CRAP! I tripped the chain brake before I removed the side cover! There's a trick to resetting a chain brake on a Husky saw and if you don't recognize that it's tripped no amount of reassembly will work. So I pull the side cover again, take the chain off, pull the bar off and put the side cover back on without the bar. Then there's this little maneuver you have to do to shove the chain brake forward, then pull it back to reset the chain brake mechanism (and it's one mother of a spring inside this thing too!!) At last I hear the magical "CLICK" of the chain brake resetting. Put everything back together and fired up the saw. Runs like a raped ape now.

So my net result was I broke my saw, fixed my saw, broke my saw, fixed my broken saw, then fixed it again and about an hour and a half later my 'fixed' saw still has the same dull-ass chain on it that I started with!!

Sigh! (shaking head)

Is today Monday???

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Oh, the chains are still sharp enough to cut up the bodies, it's just the hardwood they're having a hard time on due to the dull chains.

LOL!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

So glad to hear other people go through stuff like this LOL. Usually it is those things we have done dozens or even hundreds of times. LOL i ve went and bought a new chain for my chain saw once, took the old one off got a phone call answered it put the old chain back on and went back to cutting, then cursing and having to go back in the garage where the new chain was there still in its package. LOL the worst is working on an engine or computer get to the last step and drop or misplace a screw,nut or bolt. Dropped a mounting screw in my computer one of those little small bastards once couldn't see it but could hear it rattling around, took me 15 minutes to shake it out and another 5 when it finally fell on the carpet and I couldn't find it.

originally posted by: putnam6

So glad to hear other people go through stuff like this LOL.

Misery loves company eh.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

changed my saw chain last week went to cut the chain was on the wrong way

a reply to: putnam6

thanks for that

I usually get the oregon chain for my Husky 61 and also the little chipper chain for my old poulan chainsaw. I need to get a new chain for my Johny 111S chainsaw this fall, it has a thirty six inch bar on it. www.acresinternet.com...

I'm down to five running chainsaws now, I used to have twelve whole chainsaws but gave my brother three to display above the bar in his stone 40x60 garage/party place. The rest I took apart for parts for the saws I use and I scrapped two this year.

I haven't had a problem with the brake sticking on my husky 61

I need to find a nice little saw like my poulen micro XXV. They used to be a nice one hand saw for brushing. The new saws are too big, hard to get into the branches and all that safety stuff sucks.

a reply to: putnam6

My buddy and I used to cut wood for people up in Wyoming all the time. We'd go out and cut standing dead timber, some pretty big stuff. We made some pretty good money doing that so we invested in some really nice saws (Stihl's and Husky commercial logging saws). One of my other buddies asked me one time if he could borrow one of my saws. He saw how much money we were pulling in just doing it for fun and wanted to try it one time for his dad and a couple other guys (firewood mostly). He was a pretty good guy, so reluctantly I let him use one of my saws.

That night I get a call and he says..."How the heck to you get the chain back on one of these things??? (danger, danger, Will Robinson, I'm thinking!) So I asked him how in the heck he threw a chain? He starts telling me what a dumb-ass I am. Huh???? (I'd just rebuilt the saw I let him use, it was fine).

He says "Well, for starters you knucklehead...you put the bar on upside down!! Dummy!!!"

Uhhhh, no Rich, the bar is SUPPOSED to be upside down!! ...you dummy!! I intentionally installed it upside down!!

He says "Well, I fixed it and turned it right side up like it was supposed to be and then after a while it got hot and the chain got all sloppy and it threw the chain!! So, if you'd have just put the bar on right I wouldn't have had to..."

WAIT!!! You turned the bar back right side up????

"Yeah, so what??

Rich, chainsaws wear the top and bottoms of the bar unevenly! The bottom wears out first at the tip and the hilt. You flip the bars upside down to use the unworn side of the bar!! If you flipped the bar right side up, you were cutting on the worn side of the bar!!! No wonder you threw the chain!! Still got all your hands, legs and fingers I hope???

"OHhhhh....sorry.

DOH!!

a reply to: Steveogold

LOLOL!!! I did that tonight too, after I put the chain on about the 14th time!! Wasn't looking and put it on backwards.

Wait, that's not gonna' work too good!

LOL!!

a reply to: rickymouse

I need to get a new chain for my Johny 111S chainsaw this fall, it has a thirty six inch bar on it.

Now that's a saw!!

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: rickymouse

I need to get a new chain for my Johny 111S chainsaw this fall, it has a thirty six inch bar on it.

Now that's a saw!!

I got it from an old friend of mine, along with a chainsaw saw mill. I haven't tried the sawmill part yet but did use the saw.

Have you ever put the gas in the chain oil plug and put the chain oil in the gas tank? I did that one time when I was super tired out, I had to quit sawing for that day and spent an hour cleaning out the tank and carb before it started the next day..

edit on 30-8-2018 by rickymouse because: (no reason given)