the 'todays job' thread

[AHPP]

1 hour ago, Joe Newton said:

The 880 will cut slower than the 660 in anything other than 30"+ timber

My findings also. Plus slower everywhere else, not least psyching yourself up to carry and start the bastard.

[John Shutler]

11 hours ago, doobin said:

404, I didn’t think you could run it on 3/8? Or at least, the bar mount is different than my other stihl bars!

we changed the sprocket and nose sprocket on the bar of my 88 so that it runs 3/8s. the only reason we did it is that all my other saws run 3/8s and we buy chain by the reel. i’d never make enough .404 chains to warrant buying a reel of the stuff so it works quite well 

[doobin]

52 minutes ago, John Shutler said:

we changed the sprocket and nose sprocket on the bar of my 88 so that it runs 3/8s. the only reason we did it is that all my other saws run 3/8s and we buy chain by the reel. i’d never make enough .404 chains to warrant buying a reel of the stuff so it works quite well 

Ah, I see. To be fair I’m happy enough buying the chains singly. And .404 seems to clear the chips better in softwood (not often you’ll use one in softwood normally but it’s very handy round the mill). 

[Joe Newton]

16 hours ago, AHPP said:

My findings also. Plus slower everywhere else, not least psyching yourself up to carry and start the bastard.

I had the displeasure of using an 881 from a mewp with a 36" bar a couple of months back. Plenty of torque but no faster than my 660. Horrible to sling around though.

 

The starter handle had broken and they'd improvised with one from a spare top handle. I took one attempt and starting it and flat out refused. 

[Mike Hill]

1 hour ago, Joe Newton said:

I had the displeasure of using an 881 from a mewp with a 36" bar a couple of months back. Plenty of torque but no faster than my 660. Horrible to sling around though.

 

The starter handle had broken and they'd improvised with one from a spare top handle. I took one attempt and starting it and flat out refused. 

 

Has anyone shown you how to start big saws on the induction stroke?

 

Or you could have tried your hand to the starter handle with your Brassiere. 

[Joe Newton]

2 hours ago, Mike Hill said:

 

Has anyone shown you how to start big saws on the induction stroke?

 

Or you could have tried your hand to the starter handle with your Brassiere. 

Nope, my 660 can manage pretty much anything I'm likely to come across in the UK. Not much need for an 88 round here. 

[bigtreedon]

4 minutes ago, Joe Newton said:

Nope, my 660 can manage pretty much anything I'm likely to come across in the UK. Not much need for an 88 round here. 

Got to ring that down in the morning not much fun with a 661 I get the general comment of 881 been most of the time unnecessary but I do havd the need for mine a few tines a month 42 inch bar in solid beech would be a bit painful on a 661 🤣

[AHPP]

 

4 hours ago, Mike Hill said:

 

Has anyone shown you how to start big saws on the induction stroke?

 

 

Can you describe it please. 

[AHPP]

5 hours ago, Joe Newton said:

I had the displeasure of using an 881 from a mewp with a 36" bar a couple of months back. Plenty of torque but no faster than my 660. Horrible to sling around though.

 

The starter handle had broken and they'd improvised with one from a spare top handle. I took one attempt and starting it and flat out refused. 

 

A perfect storm of misery. Long bar, heavy powerhead with big spikes, crammed in a picker basket. It's all well and good if you're bigtreedon and can sling it around like a battery powered Dyson but just grim otherwise. And still pointless. I've only really wanted a bigger than 36" bar once in ten ish years climbing and that was on a tree that was 12' or so diameter at the ground. I only had to letterbox it once to make a 7 or 8' cut. Never felt lacking otherwise. The 66x is a quality machine. 

 

The inherent misery of a big saw is magnified when it doesn't start easily. I remember working for a firm in Liverpool a few times. I only took a climbing saw with me at the time. Their 660 would idle fine but die when you went on the throttle and then be a pig to start. I pointed out the problem on a few jobs spread over a few months. They'd get it fixed they promised. They never did. It died up a pine tree for the fifteenth time that day and didn't want to restart. I, already quite annoyed with it, psyched myself up for a strong pull and with all my might smashed my elbow into a stub. Angriest I've ever been by a factor of several. Literally saw red. It's not just a saying. My vision went pink with fury. I took a few minutes, rearranged my knickers, finished the day and bought two saws on the way home. 

[Stephen Blair]

The 88 is an ego saw when your young and keen as mustard, I remember having 1 hang off my harness for 3 hours and I thought I was so cool, I could hardly walk for days and pretty much why my back is seized up, constantly over doing it.  I had similar as AHPP with another companies 88 up a monster Elm, requested to fell it into sections by the customer at the most stupid places on the tree for work position and it wouldn’t start or idle easily.  Basically it was the first major sign I was getting to old for full time climbing.  500i or top handle if I need to use a saw now.