Chain tensioning problems...

[john87]

Hi All,

Are all makes of chains of the same size interchangeable?? I know that sounds like a daft question, but having a bit of a problem..

 

When i tension the chain on my Echo 2511TES it is like how you would "imagine" it would feel if you had a hexagonal drive sprocket.. If you tension the chain "nicely", as you pull it round by hand, it feels very "lumpy"

 

There is one lump, for about every one inch of chain travel along the bar. If you slacken the chain off a bit, the lumpiness goes away, but the chain is then slacker that i would be entirely happy with..

 

Any ideas???

 

Now, so far as i know, it is possible to get one of these saws [the TES-C] version i believe, with a 1/4" pitch chain. Could it be possible that my saw has the wrong drive sprocket, or would that be patently obvious??

 

The chain i am using is the Stihl full chisel 3617 chain. [3/8 lo-pro]

 

Thanks all..

[pleasant]

Chain makes of the same size, pitch etc etc are interchangeable. Think of it like buying a new tyre for your car. Loads of different makes and compounds, but as long as you buy one the correct size to the original one you are replacing then all makes will fit.

 

I am not quite sure what you are referring to with the issues with your chain. What I will ask though....has the chain recently been thrown off the bar? Is so, you will have burred a section of the internal drive links around the area that would have been located around the clutch sprocket. This will cause the chain to jam in that area in the bar groove when refitted. If you dont want to buy a new chain, then you will need to locate the burred drive links and file down the burring to make it safe to use. A chain that can jam in the bar groove will almost certainly come off again.

 

If you want to check you have the correct chain to suit your sprockets, then remove the chain cover to expose the clutch sprocket and lay the chain around it without the bar fitted. You should be able to manually rotate the chain around the sprocket without it slipping or riding off. The drive teeth should locate correctly arould the corresponding teeth of the sprocket. Then do the same on the bar sprocket. Hold bar vertical off the saw with sprocket end uppermost in fron of you. Then fit the chain to the bar grove and sprocket tip...you should easily be able to manually rotate the chain around the bar and sprocket. The chain should remain in the sprocket tip teeth with no slip or lift.

Edited February 12, 2023 by pleasant

[lurch_917]

to me it sounds like you may have the wrong pitch chain for your drive sprocket and bar

[Stere]

Could be a chain with  stiff link?

 

 

[Dan Maynard]

I don't see how you could mix 1/4 and 3/8 chains, they look totally different so it would be obvious if you have wrong.

 

Another idea to try is new sprocket though, especially on toppers which tend to cut clean wood so you get a lot of use out of a chain, the old sprocket and chain may have worn but in a matching pattern so they run smoothly but doesn't match new chain.

[Muddy42]

Sprockets tend to have the pitch written on them - 3/8ths etc..  Sprockets should last 2 or 3 chains, but when the sprocket is getting worn, replace both sprocket and pitch at the same time, so they wear together.

[pleasant]

6 hours ago, Muddy42 said:

Sprockets tend to have the pitch written on them - 3/8ths etc..  Sprockets should last 2 or 3 chains, but when the sprocket is getting worn, replace both sprocket and pitch at the same time, so they wear together.

Muddy....I'm fresh out of pitches. Will a new chain suffice?

 

😇

[john87]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the replies!!

 

Yesterday i took the cover and chain off to have a look. It is DEFINITELY the right sprocket. That was just me overthinking it a bit. I know it is the right one, as i have compared it to the 3/8 lo-pro sprockets on two of my other saws and it is identical..

 

I tried another Stihl chain, a different model of chain, but a used one that has seen a bit of use. It seemed better but still not perfect. but as it is a Stihl chain i thought it would have been exactly the same, but no, quite a bit better. Perhaps this chain is run in a bit more, whereas the first chain has only seen 5 minutes use??

 

Now, if i take the bar off and loop the chain back on the sprocket and pull the chain back and forth, it is smooth as silk..

Perhaps it is just the geometry of the way the chain leaves the bar and wraps round the sprocket, as i have noticed that saws vary a lot in regards to this sort of thing. My Echo CS-352ES is absolutely the best in this respect, the chains glides around with a silky smoothness..

 

Could well be the new chain is somewhat stiffer. I will have a check tomorrow and post back..

 

john..

[Will C]

Does the nose sprocket in the bar turn freely?

[pleasant]

'Now, if i take the bar off and loop the chain back on the sprocket and pull the chain back and forth, it is smooth as silk'