Husky chain tensioner breaking

[Taupotreeman]

Our almost new Husky has now snapped two chain tensioner screws in two weeks. The dealer reckoned it could be that we are tightening the chain too much which is most definately not the case. Never had it happen on a Stihl so anyone got any ideas apart from the obvious (that being the use of cheap metal to make the screw)?

[spudulike]

Look at it possibly being a worn sprocket - both drive and bar nose, bent crank, sprocket bearing, stretched chain.

Just make sure the chain rotates freely??

[Taupotreeman]

Look at it possibly being a worn sprocket - both drive and bar nose, bent crank, sprocket bearing, stretched chain.

Just make sure the chain rotates freely??

 

Saw's almost brand new. Only been out the box a couple of months. It gets a good clean out at the end of every day by the trainees. Just wondering if they might not be tightening up the side plate nuts completely when they put it back together. The first time it happened one of the nuts had wound itself off.

[spudulike]

Saw's almost brand new. Only been out the box a couple of months. It gets a good clean out at the end of every day by the trainees. Just wondering if they might not be tightening up the side plate nuts completely when they put it back together. The first time it happened one of the nuts had wound itself off.

 

That sounds like a good explaination, the bar would move and the adjuster would be the only mechanical fixing stopping the bar moving in and out - very likely.

 

Not sure what your guys are using to tighten the bar, personally, I always pull the chain off the top of he bar with it loose and do the nuts up with a socket and drive bar - this stops the chain loosing tension when the bar moves upward on a large cut.

 

Perhaps a little training session and a new tightening technique - the Scwrenches are good but you can tighten better with a conventional drive and socket and difficult to overtighten on pro saws!

 

I think you have hit the nail on the head:thumbup:

[tommer9]

That sounds like a good explaination, the bar would move and the adjuster would be the only mechanical fixing stopping the bar moving in and out - very likely.

 

Not sure what your guys are using to tighten the bar, personally, I always pull the chain off the top of he bar with it loose and do the nuts up with a socket and drive bar - this stops the chain loosing tension when the bar moves upward on a large cut.

 

Perhaps a little training session and a new tightening technique - the Scwrenches are good but you can tighten better with a conventional drive and socket and difficult to overtighten on pro saws!

 

I think you have hit the nail on the head:thumbup:

 

I think i must have misunderstood your method here spud:confused1:

The bar shouldnt move once it is tightened up!

[spudulike]

I think i must have misunderstood your method here spud:confused1:

The bar shouldnt move once it is tightened up!

 

Taupotreeman was saying he thought one of his workers was being a bit limp wristed when doing the bar nuts up and had instances of them coming undone and would this cause the issue.

 

I was saying that if this happened and the side cover came a bit loose, all the vertical movement would be on the bar studs but the horizontal movement and torque of the saw would be transmited in to the tension adjuster and using a nice big drive and socket plus a bit of training on correctly tensioning chains may resolve his issue!

 

Many operators can be a bit green and some kids don't even know what a spanner is for:lol:

 

Just read what I have written again and what I think you mean - if you tension a chain on a bar so it is round about right and take the end of the bar and pull it upwards, more often or not, the chain becomes loose - what I am saying is to tension the chain with the bar in this lifted position is advantageous as if the bar gets a knock and moves as a reasonable size bar will, you won't lose tension in the chain. The bar is clamped but goes through a bit of abuse and there is always play on bar to stud fixing!

Sorry - I know what I mean and am guessing some others do as well?

Edited October 5, 2011 by spudulike

[Steve Bullman]

Taupotreeman was saying he thought one of his workers was being a bit limp wristed when doing the bar nuts up and had instances of them coming undone and would this cause the issue.

 

I was saying that if this happened and the side cover came a bit loose, all the vertical movement would be on the bar studs but the horizontal movement and torque of the saw would be transmited in to the tension adjuster and using a nice big drive and socket plus a bit of training on correctly tensioning chains may resolve his issue!

 

Many operators can be a bit green and some kids don't even know what a spanner is for:lol:

 

Just read what I have written again and what I think you mean - if you tension a chain on a bar so it is round about right and take the end of the bar and pull it upwards, more often or not, the chain becomes loose - what I am saying is to tension the chain with the bar in this lifted position is advantageous as if the bar gets a knock and moves as a reasonable size bar will, you won't lose tension in the chain. The bar is clamped but goes through a bit of abuse and there is always play on bar to stud fixing!

Sorry - I know what I mean and am guessing some others do as well?

 

Good advice. I was taught from day 1 to lift the bar when tightening the side nuts. I have never heard of this being taught since though. I've picked other people up on this practise numerous times, many of them fresh out of college. It doesnt appear its taught at colleges either these days.

[tncountryservices]

i was taught and shown to lean the nose of the bar on the work bench when tightening the side plate nut's.

[spudulike]

i was taught and shown to lean the nose of the bar on the work bench when tightening the side plate nut's.

 

Gives pretty much the same result - easier to do on large bars then holding the chain - glad we got there in the end - I just learnt by trial and error as I did on many of the techniques I use with saws and engineering.

 

I have noticed that many need to be told and have no abillity to develop these skills by themselves but am a firm believer that everyone has their own skill set allbeit service, climbing, felling, carving or knitting:001_tt2: or any other job, skill or hobby around!

[treequip]

It gets a good clean out at the end of every day by the trainees.

 

I think there is a clue in that and possibly the screw is underspecified a little.

 

I only own one modern Husky but I do think the adjustment screw is a bit weedy compared to another well known make.