How often do you tighten the chain while up a tree?

[Robert P]

I see these videos of taking down a tree from the top and they seem to go on and on without ever needing to tighten the chain. Based on how my Echo typically behaves there's no way I'd be able to do the amount of cutting needed to take down a tree without tightening the chain. Even with a Stihl chain which is what's on it now and brand new clutch drum. Are they just editing it out?

 

[lxskllr]

Didn't watch the video, but almost never, especially with the top handles. I do tighten the chain every once in awhile, and wouldn't go up a tree without a scrench unless I just forget. I'd expect long bars with big cuts to need retensioning more often.

 

[lxskllr]

Is your chain sharp? After a brief break in period, there should be minimal stretch, especially with Stihl chain. Lots of big cuts with the bar buried will heat things up more and cause the chain to sag. The saw should be cutting by itself, and not require levering on the dogs. You should be getting nice distinct chips, and not dust.

edit:
I think this was mentioned elsewhere, but it's worth repeating. If you tighten the chain while cutting, you should slacken it before packing the saw away. Otherwise it can overtighten as it cools, and put stress on the crank. Loosen it so it's hanging off the bar. Nice and obvious so you remember to tighten it before using it again.

 

[lumberjack]

I tighten the chain after I put it back on after throwing it, usually from slap back chaining some whippy twig.

Cool(ish) thing about the Milwaukee saws, they have an onboard aluminum scrench.

 

[lxskllr]

Also thought I'd mention not overtightening the chain. That'll cause it to heat up faster, stress the saw, and stretch the chain. The chain should be making contact with the bar rails at all points, but shouldn't be like a rubberband if you pull the chain up and release it.

The standard I use is it should snap down on the bar when pulled up, and not lazily fall. It's at the point where you /just/ get snap, and not beyond. Dunno how correct that is, and maybe others can comment, but that's how I judge.

 

[Mick!]

Usually after a pinch and pull episode.

 

[Mick!]

Also thought I'd mention not overtightening the chain. That'll cause it to heat up faster, stress the saw, and stretch the chain. The chain should be making contact with the bar rails at all points, but shouldn't be like a rubberband if you pull the chain up and release it.

The standard I use is it should snap down on the bar when pulled up, and not lazily fall. It's at the point where you /just/ get snap, and not beyond. Dunno how correct that is, and maybe others can comment, but that's how I judge.

You know it’s overtight when it runs down too quick and you get a ‘zzuuup’ noise from the chain and bar.

 

[Nutball]

On my 271t the bar would get tweaked up or down depending on which side of the bar I was cutting with. That would cause the chain to tighten or loosen. Just a design flaw of that model.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

An important factor wearing and stretching the chain is the angle and the number of rotations at each rivet. The actual force pulling it doesn't do much, as long as the parts don't move in relation to each other. I found that the killer for the chain is cutting a great number of small diameter limbs, like shredding them in the trailer/truck to make room for more. I saw a brand new chain on a 200T becoming unusable in just one day doing that. The slack went out of range of the adjuster. The chain folds / unfolds at both ends, but oscillates too in a wave form in between. Plus, the cutting links tend to rock back and forth each time they encounter and exist the wood. The more slack in the system, the more movements you get at the rivets of course. On the other side, over tightening the chain may reduce the oscillations, but that tends to squeeze the oil out of the tiny contact surfaces between the rivets and the links. Heavy load and poor lubrication, you guess easily the result.
The steel's properties are important too, Oregon's needs a more frequent tightening than Stihl's.

To me, "tightening" is a very bad word to name the process, like if you had to torque down a bolt. I'd prefer to use "adjusting", because if the slack needs indeed to be removed, the chain prefers to stand barely any tension in it.
To do that, i first pull up hard on the chain to get all the rivets in their working position (useful for the chain coming from the tool box), then I let go the chain to collect the slack on the bottom. I lift the bar's nose and turn the adjusting screw to remove the slack until the chain makes juuust contact with the underside of the bar, just a light kiss. If it's an hard nose bar like on the 44", I live it a little less close to get less friction on the nose. Still holding the nose up, I tighten the bar's nuts (real term this time). Then I verify it by spinning the chain by hand. It should go smoothly. Sometimes, I have to back up a little to free it a bit, mostly with the ms150T, as tightening the nut on this one tends curiously to tighten the chain too.

 

[Nutball]

Quite often the chain tightens when the nut tightens because the tension of the chain pulls the bar slightly out of alignment, which actually shortens the distance between both sprockets, so tightening gets the bar pointed as straight as it should be effectively making it longer. sometimes the key to installing a tight new chain is to have the bar tip pointed as far away from straight as you can get it to get the chain over the tip.

 

[Kaveman]

I have world class ground support now. There's no scrench on my harness anymore.

If it was properly adjusted when you left the ground, you'll probably be fine to finish the tree. Unless your chain has been smoked to scrap, then you replace that junk with a quality, sharp chain.

A climbing saw's chain should have plenty of time to shed heat from one cut, or series of cuts, before the next one. If not, you're probably not using enough saw.

Also, whenever possible, crank that oiler up! A little extra lube is much cheaper than all the parts and hassle of the stuff downstream. Not only does it reduce friction but the excess oil flung off the bar takes something else with it, heat.

 

[Burnham]

I cannot remember ever needing to adjust a chain in the tree, or send one down to be adjusted. But I generally did carry a scrench if there's a fair amount of cutting planned, because you never know .

 

[pigwot]

Only time I can recall having to tighten was when it was a brand new chain, and needed to be adjusted by lunch break, especially when it was Oregon chain.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I only need a chain tool if I throw a chain. Or as Patrick pointed out.
Chains are usually adjusted prior to ascent.
If I throw a chain, groundie handles it.
Back in the day, I used to carry one of the folding screnches in its own pouch on my belt.
Came in so handy so infrequently, that I stopped bringin it aloft.

 

[Burnham]

Less stuff to carry is better, usually.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Less is more

 

[Nutball]

If I anticipate the chain loosening quickly (new oregon chain among other reasons) I'll start off with it on the tight side.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Tight, and often I'll cut on some wood to stretch it and adjust again as needed

 

[Nutball]

Don't be that guy who hits the chain brake immediately after each cut. That stretches a chain real quick. May even wear out the brake by the time you really need it.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Also, after tightening the chain, 'I'll run the chain forward a couple of times around the bar using the scrench to "push it". This helps place the chain into any wear point in the sproket. Then check tension again.

 

[lxskllr]

I do more or less the same thing, but follow up with a powered run around the bar as a final check before I call it good.

 

[Robert P]

I found that the killer for the chain is cutting a great number of small diameter limbs, like shredding them in the trailer/truck to make room for more. I saw a brand new chain on a 200T becoming unusable in just one day doing that.

Interesting, that's mostly what I'm doing, clearing out the scrub in my backyard, going through a lot of 1" or less young trees and occasional palmettos close to the ground with the saw at 90 degrees - also cutting a number of vines.

 

[lxskllr]

I can't say for certain, but I feel like I had to retension more when slashing brush also. I haven't done a lot of that in awhile after getting clearingsaws.

Dunno how much land you're dealing with, but a brushcutter/clearingsaw is *much* nicer to use, especially for various sticker plants. Keeps you away from the action.

edit:
BTW, brush slashing would be a good use for Chinese chain. It barely needs to be sharp for brush/vines, and it's cheaper to beatup than good chain. Especially if you're working around fenceposts, rocks, and other crap. Save the good chains for good wood.

 

[Nutball]

Sustained high rpm causes a lot of centrifugal force, and like Marc said a lot more cycles on the moving parts. Also twigs like to get under the chain and stretch it as they get forced around the sprocket tip.

 

[Robert P]

I can't say for certain, but I feel like I had to retension more when slashing brush also. I haven't done a lot of that in awhile after getting clearingsaws.

Dunno how much land you're dealing with, but a brushcutter/clearingsaw is *much* nicer to use, especially for various sticker plants. Keeps you away from the action.

edit:
BTW, brush slashing would be a good use for Chinese chain. It barely needs to be sharp for brush/vines, and it's cheaper to beatup than good chain. Especially if you're working around fenceposts, rocks, and other crap. Save the good chains for good wood.

It's an 80' wide lot I'm maybe 1/3 of the way through a maybe 30' deep from the back fence patch of the backyard, not a massive project. Making it easier with heavier gear isn't a priority because I treat it as a cardio and calorie-burning activity.