Liam@Broc

Not to be cheeky but was it successful? Did it require follow up?

Yes I’d say Gaultheria. It’s a rough one, anyone treated it before?

@Stephen Blair Ye.. I think a daily clean over here on the west is a good shout. @adw Ye, the one I took a picture of is an older but not old 135. It has that split design as you say. The new 550XP IIs have a solid band and have broken at the same place. @s o c I wouldn't say often or severe. Though the new saws are sensitive it seems to not take too much to bring it on, that mixed with complicated multi stem (knotty) stumps. After having done FISA checks only on Friday I didn't record any kick back. I would say the break can come a bit harshly though.

@The avantgardener correct and well spotted, this one saw is mainly used for crosscutting logs, it's 135. It was taken up after the others broke. So this would rule out a manufacturing fault I'd think.

There has to be a balance to be met between whacking it on from full rev to not using it enough or safely. I admit that the drum in the previous picks is filthy!

@Wonky Given the age of the saws it would seem unlikely that they'd be worn in that way. I have attached some photos of the breakage point, it is a clean break and in this image the band has bent in the opposite direction of where it was going. Breakage point is the same on all saws. @Stephen Blair I agree, safety is of course paramount, however, I also agree with the point earlier about putting unnecessary wear on the band and running the risk of it failing when it's needed most. As well, I feel I use the brake often and don't seem to wear through them. Whacking the break on is definitely what's taught. Do you find that you wear through bands after a month of use? We definitely have lots of crap getting in there though there's no way to avoid that on some jobs, more regular cleaning perhaps.

Hi Guys, Thanks for the input, much appreciated. I think we are all thinking the same thing.. operator error. The least experienced of our crew was definitely doing this and it was addressed, I was surprised to see it from the others. I guess I'll need to keep a closer eye on their technique. Possibly a lot of the break coming on mid cut with kick back given the state of these trees. @Steve Bullman They are Husqvarna 550xp II, I have the 550xp and there has never been an issue with the brake.

Hello, Over the past week all of my employees have broken at least one brake band. Having never broke a band myself I am wondering if there are any pro tips on what to look out for that might be causing excessive wear? They have all broke at the point where the band comes round and begins to wrap round the smaller circle nearer the brake handle. The saws are only 1 month old, all the same make, same model, from the same supplier. They have been going under tough conditions brashing and snedding gnarly sitka spruce though I'd hope to get more than a month out of a band. Given that I did not have as many brake bands in store as spare this will slow the job somewhat, so any advice on the issue would be much appreciated! all the best, Liam Broc