Chainsaw Lanyard Mod !Pics!

bonner1040

Nick from Ohio
Joined
Nov 25, 2011
Messages
5,853
Location
Indianapolis / Cleveland
So I use a chainsaw lanyard because I paid for my own trim saw and if I drop it I know my boss wont pay for a new one. I bought the Weaver bungee lanyard but i didnt like the way it worked. This is the one

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I really didn't like how I had to use the ring to connect to the little clip on my Cougar saddle, those clips don't work well for my little fingers and I just don't like it. Since none of the lanyards available really fit what I was looking for I made a few quick modifications, its been about 2 months I and am really pleased with the results.

I started by replacing the dogsnap with an aluminum locking carabiner, way better connection to the centered red haul loop on my saddle. Next, I removed the aluminum ring and squeezed an aluminum key nosed non locking carabiner in there, it was a black diamond and I put a small piece of athletic tape on it so that it fits nice and snug. It hasn't moved or turned at all since I put it in there. At the end of the twisted part where normally it would girth hitch to the saw I installed a standard quicklink. Taking the remaining material between quicklink and the non-locking carabiner i folded it over and wrapped it against the material on the other side of the biner with black tape, this made a firm 'handle' underneath the carabiner that lets the saw hang directly down (the blue part in the drawing). Its also really helpful when you are in those 'tough spots' as it is firm and easy to hold as well as aiding in stowing and unstowing the saw.

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I really like the ease of the non locker as the attachment. It clips smoothly to the hanging ring, gear loops, or in a pinch a dee (this can be uncomfortable having the saw pulling on your hips and is not recommended SOP).

Having the lanyard connected to the center of the harness allows me to have plenty of reach with the saw, I'm 6'4" with long arms, to either side simply by passing the saw behind me. Having the saw saw on the lanyard gives me a feeling of security and the part where it is doubled over and taped should act as a shock absorber of sorts if it is ever dropped.

The whole thing hangs as close or closer on my saddle than a standard short dog snap lanyard although the drawing is not to perfect scale.

When I get home, (I leave india tomorrow night!) I will take some pictures of it and edit this post to include them. Thanks for reading, sorry I don't have pictures now but as I said I am out of town and pretty bored so here I am sharing my thoughts!

Thoughts, gripes, similar feelings? And yes I am sure some of you guys never use a lanyard and have never dropped your saw, I have never dropped mine either but you never know :)!

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When I get home, (I leave INDIA tomorrow night!) I will take some pictures of it and edit this post to include them. Thanks for reading, sorry I don't have pictures now but as I said I am out of town and pretty BORED so here I am sharing my thoughts!

How can you be in India and being bored??? Enjoy! ;)

About your lanyard, I'd like to see a pic. Just got back from work now and my brain refuses to follow that long description in english. :/:
 
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  • #6
Investing in a Dyneema Factory...:lol:

My wife to be is an Indian American, her immediate family is in New Jersey but the extended family is her in Bangalore and Mysore. We came to meet them and do wedding shopping.
 
I agree with the carabiner instead of the dog snap...I have small screwlinks on mine, nice and secure.
Waiting for your picture....
 
I bought one of those 6mm saw lanyard jobs from American arborist. It has the aluminum ferruls that break away at 150 lbs of force. I LOVED it but cut it up too much.
 
It may not apply in this situation but I try to keep away from non-locking carabiners as part of my gear. I have occasionally had them inadvertently come open and a rope insinuate itself into the biner....in other words, a rope forces itself into the biner. My first lanyard had no locking feature at all. Several times I remember having a rope drop into the mouth of the lanyard and force it open...always a bad sound and sensation.,,unexpected clicks or movements can be attention getters.

Years ago when I first started reading tree forums there was a situation a climber described where a rigged limb took an unexpected swing and he became a part of the rigging. He survived but becoming part of the rigging is very bad juju.

The non-locker might be a liability.
 
Bermy's idea of screw links sounds like a better idea. I serve on a search and recovery underwater dive team and also do some commercial diving. I have had a few situations (when tethered to a line tender on land or in tight spots underwater where different pieces of gear rub against each other) where a non-locking biner has allowed a piece of equipment to come loose. I now use either screw links or "dog snaps" for better security.
 
Looks like you have a non-breakaway set-up. Fixing that would be my first modification. A small non-loadbearing key biner without a gate pin at the nose, taped shut, is our mod at work on our bucket lanyard for the 200t. Wouldn't want to get the saw grabbed and shockload the bucket. Our climbing 200T has a breakaway bungee lanyard. My own non-breakaway has a key biner on it, too. I wouldn't want to have my harness catch the load of a falling chunk with saw stuck in it. Haven't experienced a saw snatcher, but don't want to, either.
 
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  • #14
You make a good point.. I guess I inadvertently made that mod as well.. I cut the webbing Most of the way but the bungee inside held so I repaired it with tape, it holds the saw just fine and caught when another guy dropped it, but an excessive force would snap it. As far as the non locker is concerned, I clip in to my ring on the yellow piece of the cougar, I am pretty sure that would break if it got wrapped up in rigging... thoughts?

I just landed in Newark. Back to Cleveland tomorrow
pictures to follow..

Thanks for feedback so far...
Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk
 
Looks like you have a non-breakaway set-up. Fixing that would be my first modification.

I have never used a breakaway lanyard and never will. I have however seen many saws come hurtling out of trees. Always scary, usually expensive and never good. Think before you cut and saw-snatch will not happen.

Dave
 
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