Professional Soldiers ® - View Single Post - Chain Saw Selection and Basic Maintenance

XJWoody · 02-01-2009, 09:36

Thanks for mentioning storm clean-up. I grew up in the countryside west of Boston, so our saw use was 98% firewood harvesting, and 2% debris clean up. Dad had an older (70s) ProMac something or other, approx 60cc -80cc class. It was a pretty coarse piece of kit, but it was reliable, and pretty much state of the art for it's era. Mr H can no doubt relate, and I bet he still has an oversized thumb from mashing the chain oiler.

When Hurricane Fran blew through NC some years ago, we lost a number of larger oaks. Several didn't fall completely, and were snagged by otherwise healthy trees. I was equipped with close to zero skills, and a little Husky 41, but we slogged through the mess and netted a few years worth of wood to burn. In hindsight, I was way out of my league, under equipped, and quite lucky I didn't get squashed or filleted. The extent of my PPE was a pair of gloves, Oakleys, and workboots. It was summertime, so I can imagine shorts and a tee rounded out the duty uniform. After a couple sessions, I taped some foam pipe insulation to the front handlebar to fend off vibration (which conflicted with the chain brake, so it was defeated with a zip-tie.

FUBAR, soup sammich, high-order jackassery etc... Live & learn? Absolutely. I share this as a good example of bad practices. I was "that guy" in full regalia.

I shall work up a section on troubleshooting, since even with meticulous care, sometimes our junk just won't light off. There are a few steps to follow, and they apply to most any internal combustion engine. It may not ultimately help one fix the issue, but it should get them pointed towards resolving it.

If I may inquire of the currently-serving QPs, if your team has a saw on inventory, what brand/model is it? Is there a standard-issue NSN piece, or is it something that would be local-purchased based on need? I can't imagine that a team with a tropical focus would have the same requirements as a team that works in the frozen tundra, but the Army works in mysterious ways. I would think the primary uses might include clearing a camp site or LZ, field construction of structures, and creation or reduction of obstacles. If this is a breach of TTP, I'll go do some log PT. I don't really have need to know, and I'd hate to be the next cat that curiosity killed.

Don

02-01-2009, 09:36	#8
XJWoody Auxiliary Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Carthage Posts: 94	Thanks for mentioning storm clean-up. I grew up in the countryside west of Boston, so our saw use was 98% firewood harvesting, and 2% debris clean up. Dad had an older (70s) ProMac something or other, approx 60cc -80cc class. It was a pretty coarse piece of kit, but it was reliable, and pretty much state of the art for it's era. Mr H can no doubt relate, and I bet he still has an oversized thumb from mashing the chain oiler. When Hurricane Fran blew through NC some years ago, we lost a number of larger oaks. Several didn't fall completely, and were snagged by otherwise healthy trees. I was equipped with close to zero skills, and a little Husky 41, but we slogged through the mess and netted a few years worth of wood to burn. In hindsight, I was way out of my league, under equipped, and quite lucky I didn't get squashed or filleted. The extent of my PPE was a pair of gloves, Oakleys, and workboots. It was summertime, so I can imagine shorts and a tee rounded out the duty uniform. After a couple sessions, I taped some foam pipe insulation to the front handlebar to fend off vibration (which conflicted with the chain brake, so it was defeated with a zip-tie. FUBAR, soup sammich, high-order jackassery etc... Live & learn? Absolutely. I share this as a good example of bad practices. I was "that guy" in full regalia. I shall work up a section on troubleshooting, since even with meticulous care, sometimes our junk just won't light off. There are a few steps to follow, and they apply to most any internal combustion engine. It may not ultimately help one fix the issue, but it should get them pointed towards resolving it. If I may inquire of the currently-serving QPs, if your team has a saw on inventory, what brand/model is it? Is there a standard-issue NSN piece, or is it something that would be local-purchased based on need? I can't imagine that a team with a tropical focus would have the same requirements as a team that works in the frozen tundra, but the Army works in mysterious ways. I would think the primary uses might include clearing a camp site or LZ, field construction of structures, and creation or reduction of obstacles. If this is a breach of TTP, I'll go do some log PT. I don't really have need to know, and I'd hate to be the next cat that curiosity killed. Don Last edited by XJWoody; 02-01-2009 at 09:49.
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