Wayne's Ramblingz

[Mesquite]

Here is my ms 201tc, i put a tennis racket handle wrap on the grip. It now feels awesome in the hand. I also put the west coast saw 3 point felling dawgz on it. i dont use them to much with this saw but when i do im grateful i ponied up for them. I'm also very happy with the power the 201 offers, I run a 14 inch bar and STIHL PICCO™ Super (PS) chain.

When I first bought the saw they gave me a green label chain and I was pissed when I found out how it cut, I took the saw back the same day and told them there was something wrong with the bar or chain. Need less to say that chain found the bottom of the tool box and is waiting for the day I need to cut roots or something so vile, I wouldnt dare think about cutting it with my good chains.

 

[Mesquite]

do any of you guys have any tips for tuning the carb on a blower? a br450 to be exact. i had heard you could tune by the rpms. i have tuned mine by ear, and a tach. but its hard because its always underload and the the compressor wheel makes noise that interferes with the engine sound.

 

[flushcut]

Jaysus, I just fill the saw with premixed alkylate and go logging.
No reason to turn it into a religion.

Blasphemy! 😂

 

[Treeaddict]

Stephen, what octane do you run?? I generally use 89 octane with 10%ethanol and about 45:1 Stihl HP Ultra mix. Premix is more expensive than a professional carb rebuild with oem parts in my way of thinking. The fuel I use is never more than a month old and I won’t let a saw sit more than 3 weeks without it being run.

 

[SkwerI]

The Stihl ultra mix is great stuff. Has fuel stabilizers in it. I've had saws sit for a year and they fired right up. Winter gas isn't as good as summer gas, but generally my Stihl mix gas is good for 4-6 months in the can. Every time I try a different mix oil, I end up having carb issues. They mysteriously clear up when I go back to Stihl ultra mix.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Stephen, what octane do you run?? I generally use 89 octane with 10%ethanol and about 45:1 Stihl HP Ultra mix. Premix is more expensive than a professional carb rebuild with oem parts in my way of thinking. The fuel I use is never more than a month old and I won’t let a saw sit more than 3 weeks without it being run.

89-91 octane 10% ethanol mixed with Stihl Ultra at 40-45:1
And what Brian said.

 

[lxskllr]

You can get corn free gas in Delta. It's a little spendy cause of the corn free penalty + PA taxes, but cheaper than premix. It's a bit of a hike, especially for you, but if you go that way for work sometimes, it might be worth taking a 5G can or two and filling up.

 

[Treeaddict]

My neighbor does the Delta PA run every couple months for the corn free. He’s filled a can for me here and there when we connect. I take it when I can get it.

 

[stikine]

No ethanol up here fortunately

 

[Mesquite]

I will take the ethanol here than lice in weather that cold!!!

Does running the O rig add another 1 to the mechanical advantage? Making it a 3 to 1?

It's hard to tell a difference compared to running your rope threw a pulley. That was night and day difference. I know the argument of it putting more weight on the hitch cord and that's why I waited so long to try it. Depending on how fast I burn through a cord I'm thinking about getting a figure 8 or something along those lines.

 

[Burnham]

Yeah, who wants cold lice?

 

[Mesquite]

I dont know what I meant to say but I know it had nothing to do with lice. Hahaha

 

[SeanKroll]

O- rig just adjusts the positioning of your MRS hitch.

Easier to tend.

 

[Mesquite]

so that makes the leg that goes threw my bridge a redirect? i find that it is easiest to adjust the distance of the hitch, i used to use my smallest whoopie which i could get my bridge to the hitch beanr about 18 to 24 inches away, while ascending. i find that getting the hitch above where i pull really helps me. with the o rig i can use my accessory hitch from the top of the pulley to the other leg of rope really makes adjusting the length of the hitch away from my bridge as simple as moving a friction hitch up or down.

i have been doing some light thinking about mechanical hitches and thought i would get your guys opinions since you have steered me wrong yet. i have always liked the unicender with the drum from climbing innovations and recently the zigzag i have hear has worked really reliable for a couple of guys. what would you recommend for a first device? its not that i dont like hitches but i find that when i jump on board to what the majority of people are doing these days, that they are doing it because its better or makes things easier. in this line of work, easier means less fatigue, more energy for later in the day. take the hitch climber pulley, for a while i was like im good i have a good system going i dont need one. then once i added that to my setup i was like holy cow this is why they are using pulleys.

thanks guys

 

[lxskllr]

I don't think there's an undisputed king of mechanicals. It's a matter of personal taste and preference. There's been too many failures with the zigzag to get me to own one, and for undefined reasons, I'm biased against Petzl hardware anyway. For purely mechanical, the Unicender and Ropewrench Roperunner are on my short list, but I like hitch cord.

 

[Mesquite]

These pictures are of my custom blower straps for my stihl br450. First we got my chest strap that I made out of a $3 buckle and a couple bucks worth of 1 inch webbing i think it was 2 foot cut in half and then doubled over for each side. The belly strap is from a Husqvarna 150 bt that you can see I just do some quick links to secure it so now the blowers more better on those long hauls. I also off the limiters for the carburetor adjustment and took off this little baffle on the outside of the exhaust that was probably cutting the flow in half and had no other reason besides that, it was held on by 2 t 25 heads. It blows way harder and was definitely worth the hour or so I put into it.

 

[Mesquite]

After doing research the unicender is off my list currently. there's a lot of setback when you go from descending to not. There's a video that poplar mechanic does that shows the issue. I have no problem with the zig zag August hunakey broke his old one and has a video on his YouTube that shows that they are stronger than we're going to ever need. There may have been issues and recalls in the past with other ones but I don't see a reason not to get it currently. After investigating the rope runner pro that is now at the top of my list. The reason the rope runner pro jump the list past the zigzag is because switching from Mrs and SRT the zigzag needs some type of friction device which is more money for me currently and when you're spending that type of money I'd rather get one thing that doesn't need anything else to work going from one thing to another. From what I've read about the rope runner pro it works with a lot of different ropes and it's easy to ascend and descend with it. By next device I'm going to research into is going to be the akimbo even though I've heard it's pretty finicky.

 

[Tree09]

Rope runner pro for me.

 

[SeanKroll]

I'm thinking of going that way, too.

 

[Mesquite]

@Tree09 do you climb srt? Drt? One or both? With the rope runner pro (rrp)? is there anything about it that you wish was different? How does it tend out rope while limb Walking? And how is taking in slack as your coming back from the limb walk?

 

[Tree09]

There's all sorts of threads here about this and more by people far far better than I'll ever be, and that's just the device i have run personally. I climb srt in spreading trees (think silver maples over houses), I'm slow but i do ok. The thing tends like glass and locks firm. Easily applied and controlled descent, i am not a good enough climber to use the device to it's true potential but it's very controlled speed and stop. Hitches are good, ran a rope wrench for a long time but this just makes it effortless in ease of use. Takes seconds to put on the rope and your good to go, no dressing and setting to adjust it. To me it feels beautiful. There's a reason industrial climbing uses mechanicals exclusively, and this is far smoother and easier than a hitch. I only do trees part time and i have one, and wouldn't consider not having one now.

 

[Treeaddict]

I like the Unicender. It doesn’t sit back at all. A slight pain to tend slack but not a dealbreaker. Could be modified. On the little amount of time on the Akimbo, it’s my favorite. I say that but it was already adjusted to the rope for me so I didn’t have to dial it in. Didn’t do more than ascending and descending on it though. It’s definitely on my short list.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

From what I have read, the rope runner was more versatile with different ropes than the Pro version . Rope runner is on my list of devises to buy. I like to preset my lines on multiple climbs ahead of my self. A RR would be more forgiving than an Akimbo when switching ropes. Don't get me wrong about the Akimbo though. Love it. I have a pretty good memory on dialing it to each rope I use. And of course, old faithful Hitch Hiker. Mechanical s are faster to switch over IMO. Not many are friendly with 11mm ropes though. And I prefer those when I am up a 100 plus feet.

 

[lxskllr]

Why's that Stephen; weight?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Yes. Pulling things up to yourself or all of 200 feet stashed in a bag on the back of your harness.
In pine TDs, I'll often bag the line and deploy it once I hit my topping point, or if I need something. Less rope on the ground for the grounds man to worry about. Just hangs off my behind till I need it. Limbs can rain if no lowering going on.