# New Stihl Destroyed



## BigV (Dec 21, 2011)

A friend of mine purchased a new Stihl Farm Boss on Saturday.
Yesterday was his first opportunity to use his new saw.

He attempted to cut a small black walnut. He notched the tree in the direction he though it was leaning and then began his back cut. The tree began to lean back the opposite direction he had notched and his new saw became pinched.

He calls a friend who came out with his saw and felled the tree and released his saw.
Unfortunately this is the resultâ€¦.

Rule number 1 when your saw gets pinched; remove the motor before felling the tree.

In addition to the obvious bar damage, the chain was destroyed, the air filter cover cracked and the oil pan cracked. The cost to fix was almost as much as a new saw.


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## firefighterjake (Dec 21, 2011)

I think I would cry if that happened to me . . . especially with a new saw.


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## MasterMech (Dec 21, 2011)

Part it out.  Worth some bucks especially since it was new.  Experience is priceless.  You can prolly recover $200 or better from it.


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## BrotherBart (Dec 21, 2011)

Everybody will have a bunch of "could'a, should'a, would'a". Bottom line is it happened and that really is a sad thing to happen to his new saw.

Took thirty years for me to figure out how to get a tree to sit down on the bar. I finally figured out how to do it three years ago.  :red: Three months later a pro from the power company did the same thing at the end of my driveway clearing the right of way.


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## thewoodlands (Dec 21, 2011)

You can always get another saw, glad he's okay.

This is the book forum members recommended I buy (I did) To Fell A Tree by Jeff Jepson.



zap


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## Flatbedford (Dec 21, 2011)

That really sucks about the saw! I can't believe the bar bent like that. I would probably cry if I did that.


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## Danno77 (Dec 21, 2011)

send me more pictures. i'll make an offer. Won't recoup much from me, but just an option.


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## mayhem (Dec 21, 2011)

I did that to my brand new Husky 359 while dropping a few trees before hurricane Irene hit my area.  Didn't do anything to the powerhead but the bar got bent pretty badly.

Live and learn.  Part out the saw or get the parts to fix it himself and learn something new.

I'll give him $50 for it!


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## smokinj (Dec 21, 2011)

2.00$ wedge....


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## CTYank (Dec 21, 2011)

Clue me please, since by your silence you all seem to be in the know, where is the "oil pan" as named by OP?

Stihl is now using pressure-lubed, non-crankcase-scavenged engines? Must make a real mess when tipped!


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## Danno77 (Dec 21, 2011)

I'm guessing it was a reference to the bar oil reservoir. But, yeah, "oil pan" made me think for a second...


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## mecreature (Dec 21, 2011)

Nice looking walnut in the background of that pic.


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## JustWood (Dec 21, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> 2.00$ wedge....



+1
I can remember the day I first bought wedges. It was the day after I smashed my last saw,,,,, 24 years ago ! A week or so after that I was in the saw shop and the owner said "Hey,,, that wedge you bought last week ,,, do you want a whole case of them , no one ever buys them and I've had this case forever"! Can't remember but I think I paid less than $1/each. Best investment I ever made.


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## Flatbedford (Dec 21, 2011)

Can't have too many wedges.


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## DMZX (Dec 21, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> 2.00$ wedge....



Yep, yep.  A wedge or two in every cut, even if the tree has an obvious lean.  And always wedge the tree over so the the saw is in a safe place (on the ground off to one side) when the face cut closes.


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## Highbeam (Dec 21, 2011)

When the tree is a pecker pole like that, doesn't the wedge hit the bar? You're driving the wedge in behind the bar as you make the felling cut (back cut) to prevent the tree from sitting on the bar right?


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## Danno77 (Dec 21, 2011)

Highbeam said:
			
		

> When the tree is a pecker pole like that, doesn't the wedge hit the bar? You're driving the wedge in behind the bar as you make the felling cut (back cut) to prevent the tree from sitting on the bar right?


Right. Wedges can't fix everything. Sometimes you can still get the wedge in if you need to by going in at in angle. I always keep a couple of wedges in my pocket while cutting, but I don't really use them that much. That's just me, though.


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## smokinj (Dec 21, 2011)

Danno77 said:
			
		

> Highbeam said:
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lol, bet he wished he had one!


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## mecreature (Dec 21, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> Danno77 said:
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It would have been worth a try.


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## Kenster (Dec 21, 2011)

I've pinched a bar twice when felling.  Once was with my old (now backup) Craftsman.  Ended up ruining the bar and chain on that one.  Fortunately, had a back up bar and chain to finish the job.   Just last week I was working on a really big Post Oak.  I actually got the bar pinched in the Face cut when I went back into it after being unable to wedge the tree over from the back cut (previous thread).  I removed the power head and laid a large, metal wedge in the face cut right next to the pinched bar and chain.  When the tree finally came down, the butt end rolled over that wedge and didn't even touch the bar and chain, which remained right there on the stump.  I was lucky.


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## Thistle (Dec 21, 2011)

Danno77 said:
			
		

> Highbeam said:
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I hear ya.I rarely have to use them,but there's always one in each of my back pockets just in case.One of my Christmas hints is a pouch for 2-3 wedges with slots for scrench & file/handle that fits on belt loop. Along with that 'rain hood' thingy for covering your neck & shoulders that attaches to back of  forestry helmet.We'll see if I was good enough this year haha.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 21, 2011)

What a nasty thing to do to a new saw!


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## LLigetfa (Dec 22, 2011)

I've never owned a wedge and never used one either.  If I pinched the bar working alone, I would take my axe and cut two poles, one to lever the other and push the tree over or at least open the kerf enough to free my bar.


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## bogydave (Dec 22, 2011)

Man that hurts just seeing the picture. 
Only good thing was the learning experience & no one got hurt.
Sorry for your buddy.


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## golfandwoodnut (Dec 22, 2011)

I would think you could fix it pretty cheap being that a bar and chain are not much.  Air filter cover is just plastic.  The oil can not be that big of deal either.  I agree that it only takes two nuts to get the power head off before felling the tree with another saw.  I had a tree do this once and I use a come-along to make the tree fall the way I wanted.  I have some wedges but I rarely use them, they did come in handy once but I can normally tell which way the tree is leaning or which side has more branches if it is a straight one.  The wedges seem to be handy for encouraging it to fall but if a tree is really leaning the wrong way wedges might keep the bar from pinching but you may not be able to move the tree the other way.


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## TMonter (Dec 22, 2011)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> I've never owned a wedge and never used one either.  If I pinched the bar working alone, I would take my axe and cut two poles, one to lever the other and push the tree over or at least open the kerf enough to free my bar.



That wouldn't be possible with some of the trees I cut. Sometimes you have to wedge them if you want them on the road.


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## Freeheat (Dec 22, 2011)

Man that would make me sick and my wife pissed( I would have to buy a new one)


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## BrotherBart (Dec 22, 2011)

estang said:
			
		

> Man that would make me sick and my wife pissed( I would have to buy a new one)



I would be pissed but my wife would never know it happened.  ;-)


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## wetwood (Dec 22, 2011)

BrotherBart said:
			
		

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My wife wouldn't know until she saw the money I spent on a new saw missing from the checking account.


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## Sisu (Dec 22, 2011)

Sorry for your loss.  On the brightside, it looks like you can really cut corners with that bar now.


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## oilstinks (Dec 22, 2011)

Come in sideways with two wedges behind the bar one on each side. If i hit a wedge i feel a tree on the ground is worth 2 bucks or more.


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## Danno77 (Dec 22, 2011)

I was gonna bid on this because I wanna do a 390 conversion to it, but this could be used to make one good saw with the crunched one...

Just a thought:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...85&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:1123#ht_500wt_922


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## mecreature (Dec 22, 2011)

Danno77 said:
			
		

> I was gonna bid on this because I wanna do a 390 conversion to it, but this could be used to make one good saw with the crunched one...
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> Just a thought:
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...85&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:1123#ht_500wt_922



You got it bad Danno. :zip:


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## Jags (Dec 22, 2011)

I always carry two bars and a couple wedges.  If the tree pinches the bar and I can't wedge it over, I take the powerhead off and bolt up the other bar to cut it free.


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## LLigetfa (Dec 22, 2011)

I assume  there is a spare chain in that plan.  Me thinks if the bar is pinched, the chain isn't going anywhere either.


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## Highbeam (Dec 22, 2011)

You just have to lift the chain loop off the top of the tree.


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## rbrown (Dec 23, 2011)

Removing the power head on a stuck saw is easy with an in board clutch and not so easy with an out board one.


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## Danno77 (Dec 23, 2011)

rbrown said:
			
		

> Removing the power head on a stuck saw is easy with an in board clutch and not so easy with an out board one.


Very true.


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## Oklaguy77 (Jan 22, 2012)

Wow....today I was out cutting wood with my "new" stihl ms290 Farm Boss (a week old) and I sat the tree on my bar. I hollered for help but all of us could not push the tree enough to free my saw. I took a strap and a chain and hooked on the tree with my truck, inching forward until they got my saw out, then I just pulled it on over. (I pulled at an angle to decrease the risk of having a new oak tree hood ornament) If I had read this post I might have thought to take it off the bar first...Thanks for sharing!


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## Beer Belly (Jan 22, 2012)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> I think I would cry if that happened to me . . . especially with a new saw.


I would cry from the beating I'd get from the Wife....at least he's safe


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## Thistle (Jan 22, 2012)

Beer Belly said:
			
		

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hahaha


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## amateur cutter (Jan 22, 2012)

Yep, I always carry 3 or 4 saws, wedges, chains, ropes etc. & sometimes stuff just goes bad. A saw is a saw, it is replaceable. I'm real glad no one got hurt. A C


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## Stevebass4 (Jan 22, 2012)

any chance he paid with a credit card??  most gold or better cards offer protection from acciudental damage / theft / loss within a few months after purchase 

he might want to see if he's covered


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## Kenster (Jan 23, 2012)

Stevebass4 said:
			
		

> any chance he paid with a credit card??  most gold or better cards offer protection from acciudental damage / theft / loss within a few months after purchase
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> he might want to see if he's covered



Ah!  Good call there!  +1


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## Grannyknot (Jan 23, 2012)

Accidents happen & we've dealt with pinched saws a half dozen times or so over the past few years, but never have had damage like that!!
I think one time we had a chain link bind.
First thing we always grab is ropes, chains, pulleys, and (or) come-alongs......is there noboddy else that uses these?


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## southbound (Jan 24, 2012)

Grannyknot said:
			
		

> Accidents happen & we've dealt with pinched saws a half dozen times or so over the past few years, but never have had damage like that!!
> I think one time we had a chain link bind.
> First thing we always grab is ropes, chains, pulleys, and (or) come-alongs......is there noboddy else that uses these?



I did while I was learning.....  Still do when I need them...

With the type of work I do we have to use wedges on 50% of the trees we fall.. Because of this we use splitting wedges instead of plastic felling wedges like I use when I cut timber...

The splitting wedges leave a mark on the stump that the higher ups can see..  We are lucky to have some equipment like a track loader on hand to help push when need be... Again in my 9 to 5 we can't make a mistake  If we did folks would loose power and I would loose my job and no one wants that..


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