Logan

Ho ho ho, very good, think I'll have one more beer then and join you.

Fair enough. What machine do you run, and roughly what output would you say average ( including slow days, tougher wood, raining, you know...) Trouble I find as a contractor is accounting for those days when you're servicing plant and kit, or doing the vat, or out buying a new splitter, or welding up a new/broken blankedy blank, it's endless... So those days still need billing, or you doing it for nowt.

LGW, it's good to see someones worked it out. Useful findings.

Hodge is quite right there. With the way things add up when owning and running kit, you'd be doing well to end up with £100 a day, that's after you've billed for maybe 30 days etc, must be quite near the point where you could be better off doing something else... Then again if it's a small, low output cheap machine, maybe £200 covers it plus a man, fuel and transport. How many m3 can those smaller petrol splitters do on a average day? 3 - 4m3? Splitting rings and throwing them somewhere, seems like 6-8m3 is a daily average for a ~20t tractor powered machine and one person. After 30 days of it, you'll be wanting to do something else.

As a forestry contractor, I have to fell whatever is marked up or clearfell, etc it seems you already have 2 small saws, surprised you'd go for another smallish 50cc when you could go for a 60cc that is happy cutting small sticks and in it's element with the mid sized trees? When thinning, seems we end up felling the runts and the monsters. The 60cc copes with both.

it becomes obvious when you split 20 m3 a day for weeks on end. The horizontal is better ergonomics for using billet bundler, as said they slide off tray and straight into bundler. Depending on wood quality, diameter, crane, yard, etc, it can have better output too, but sometimes vertical is quicker. Vertical is more accurate in bent or difficult wood. Also quick in straight easy splitting wood as only have to start the split and it's done. Would hate to have to choose either / or as each has it's strengths. If being able to crane load is a priority then horizontal, but if not then a vertical is a good versatile choice.

Hello Andy. Have ran all mentioned saws. If you're looking at 261 or 362 and plan to use 18", then the 362 would be best. We've had 18" 0.325 set on the 50cc and it does turn it, but it is noticeably slower than the 18" 3/8 set up on the 362. The 60cc saws seem a pretty good all round size when on 18". By the way, have run a 362 once on a 24" set, and it was bit like using 18" on the 50cc. Don't know if Finland uses semi or full skip chains, if you can get this you could probably run 24" ok. What species out there where you are? Cheers, John.

Yo Timon, If you're short of time during day, and same in evening, no setup back at your shop will help you!? We have files and sometimes vice on truck, can be pro while munching sandwich, ok if chain not buggered. Then got 2 benches with vices back at the cold dark damp yard (winter) for file treatment again. Got one of those old Oregon chain clamps, for holding a loop of chain once off saw normally use when chain comes off of grinder, for raker filing, Have a Oregon bench mounted chain grinder. That grinder is no quicker than a new file, if you use it quick it burrs over and hardens cutter, makes it blunt edge and hard to file. 2 options look good to a man as busy as you. 1) get auto highly expensive 12v grinder, leave chain grinding itself on your truck as you change it off saw. Needs training/ college degree to set up and get right, plus couple grand to buy. b) chuck chains in bucket, chuck bucket at someone where they sharpen well at less than cost of new chains. III) change your life allowing you to file your evenings away. Lets face it, it is fun. Actually, I'm doing it now. Cool bananas, John.

Hello Charles, Had same thing here. Used stihl bioplus a dozen years with no real troubles apart from chains setting solid if stored long time. Then last year got asked did I want to try a can or 2 of a certain chain manu' latest bio, so I did. Continued using it all year, and it started building up everywhere, and after the 3rd new oil pump on one saw, thought enough is enough and now gone back to regular mineral oil. The bars weren't lasting half as long either. Now can store chains, no build up, bars not developing wire edge daily! If forced to, would use stihl bioplus, but then go back to mineral after. Sorry, but fed up with saws not oiling properly. Cheers, John. Off to paint shed and fence now, in used engine oil. My standards appear to be falling.

That is interesting. For a while I've noticed that you can be lot more cavalier towards the rakers as the cutters shorten, until right at the end when you can have a good file on the rakers giving perhaps 1mm depth, and resulting in good smooth cutting even on bore cuts. Still trying to get my head round the physics, esp. as BobL says doesn't differ cross or end grain. So correct chain tension, cutters being towed along rail, cutter tilting as it contacts wood, angles then control the rest- correct angle giving smooth productive cut. Hmmmn, like the guys style. Great find Rob.

For larger teeth, but single dog, do the larger husky dogs fit same mounting holes on the inboard side. Most stihls do. I put a single 660 inner on a smaller stihi few years ago, it worked well. Some laughed, but we were cutting medium overstood coppice and it made trimming stumps off much simpler. With stihl, 60cc and up you can get double dog set for all of them. But not for the 50cc. As far as I know, anyway.

Wills, I came up against same thing with our lgland 55A a few years ago, and it was like brush utter said. We needed all 100 odd metres of 11mm cable fitted to go out and back. Couldn't find a 6t block with 12t shackle with 11-12mm Shreve, they were miles bigger. Used a quality 4t American block with its whatever rated shackle, can't remember. Did feel bit nervous standing by winch pulling ropes. You don't want to assume only using the weight of the log or whatever, and shackles and blocks need to be rated above the max possible pull, coz if that log hooks up on a stump at 2m/s you will quickly jerk to max and if using lower rated shackle it will come apart and be shot at you like shrapnel. It's crap that there are no large diameter pulley, smaller Shreve diameter blocks available. Cheers, John

hello jon, went and had a look on igland site and could only see a odd mix of funky looking blocks, thought they'd have bit more info too? Cheers, John.

ok. Mate, your question is good and valid, but you won't get a clear picture on here because husky groupies are so afraid of being ridiculed they overcompensate and become noisy so you may think " oh husky gets the most votes, I have to get one", when other brand users actually are just getting on sawing and are not fussed to get drawn into it all. Truth is, and these guys all know it they just love the banter, all the pro saws are good, they all have some weak spots. But usually your 2stroke man will get them tuned up and if sharp chain and maintained good, they all good. Used to try to break myself on motox bike, one day saw the world champ race, he was like a ghost riding the wind that day, effortless, way out front. And I realised if I had the reining factory team bike, and he had a smoky old scrapheap scooter, he'd probably still end up in front. The difference between the pro saws is largely down to the users...

Exactly so.

ditto. If you're planning on keeping any saw running the most important thing above colour or brand or bar length is find a 2 stroke pro who you get on with and ask that person which saw. Them you can look over em, spin them around, and everyone has happy future.

3 dogs, where do you put the 3rd dawg!? Woof! :-P

Very good posts from all, I can only add to Alec's spot on post that on stihl RS 3/8" chain, on a 60cc 362, new chain can be grabby for bore cuts when new out of box, when checked with gauge the rakers were lower than 0.65mm new and before touching with file. One pass with file on cutters made that chain about right in ash and birch. But they were still a touch below gauge. So njc, you could also check a new chain on the bar with your gauge and see where they sit when it's running good. Filing definitely changes shape from original factory grind, so I agree that best way is to develop your own process until "your" tuning produces a working chain, and then adapt chain for cutting different woods if you're in different species for long periods. Cheers, John.

Think the original 660 dogs have same size teeth, those ones look like you'd lose another1/2" of bar length. Bought a pair about 4 years ago from stihl dealer and was something like £12 plus vat, so now probably £17 with inflation...

Probably late for advice but you might like to put a pressure gauge at various points to see what pressure you have. If it's running off spool of tractor, see if you got normal pressure at spool outlet without crane plugged in. That will tell if tractor is okay. If so, then probably relief valve needs checking, washing, etc. If separate pump, pressure test that at whatever point available to see if you have any, you don't want to start adjusting valves if you not getting pressure as spec.

Hello mike, We got a local engineer to roll us a couple of half circles which we then welded into a frame made of 60x60x5mm box. Then we use 19mm webbing strapping and a really good tensioner which winds them down pretty tight. We then use log grab to lift them out and stack up. Was less money than buying one, but already got the tools, welder etc. Cheers, John.

Our MOT on 130 costs £45. Tax is £225. Aviva insure for -£350 but it's 07 tipper. Fully loaded drives well apart from rolling over on bends and feeling as if it wouldn't stop if you wanted it too. Rust! Can't believe we make things from a substance that tries to dissolve.

Wondering what controls and pipework are like on those knuckle booms, if not using it offset could the oil be sent along to your attachment? With the price advantage on those machines, I did idly toy with the idea of removing all that heavy iron work and welding something else on. Then I shook my head and got real, remembered the to do list was long enough already...! A lot of people use them quite successfully though, if you can manage reduced reach etc. Trouble with multiple attachments can be that if you add them on bit by bit, can end up reconfiguring pipework put on earlier. Hard to plan ahead, but if you reckon on needing extra oil coolers, case drains, certain spec return pipes, ... I'll stop now!

£300 per day with driver, fuel provided by customer. £350-380 day all inclusive if output good. Good luck if you hire it out without driver, hasn't always ended well so I don't do it really.