[ChainPoint] Tough Brakes...

Fri Apr 9 21:06:34 EDT 2010

Hi Everyone,

Check out the article on Chain Brakes below...

We have just placed on the calendar a very special Train the Trainer open
enrollment class in a very unique location. July 19-23, 2010 in Susanville,
CA. More info to come but if you want to really find out more on wedging
large pines this will be the class for you. Not just for instructors but for
those who want to explain what they learn... To pass it along.  We have
spaces for 20 participants in this class. David Perkins will be an assisting
instructor. For more info  contact info at forestapps.com

Those of you who are receiving the eVideo Introduction DVD  You should be
receiving them soon. They have all been mailed.
Please send me a message and let me know your thoughts...
timard at forestapps.com

Intro eVideos are available for purchase from our eStore.

You can follow our activities on Twitter -   @ForestApps

Good Sawing,
Tim Ard
Forest Applications Training, Inc.

O 770.222.2511

http://www.forestapps.com

Tough BrakesŠ.
By Tim Ard, Forest Applications Training, Inc.

Innovation takes time to be tried, tested and perfected. New ideas taken
from concept to commonplace often take decades.

The chain brake has been readily available on chain saws since the early
1980¹s. It was designed and available as an accessory to certain chain saws
a few years prior. The chain brake has proven its worth in saw safety and
has become standard equipment on most chain saws for close to thirty years.
In my opinion it is one of the most significant developments in safety of
the chain saw operator to ever be offered to date.

Today a couple manufactures are competing to make the chain brake system
even more user friendly and better fit the applications of current chainsaw
operators. Retaining operator productivity and offering new designs for
improved brake operations has challenged manufacturers.

In my training I emphasize awareness of the reactive forces of the chain saw
and discuss the chain brake working to stop the chain rotation giving the
operator greater reaction time. I also discuss the important technique of
using the brake system as a parking brake. When you take a hand off the saw
the chain brake can go on to remove some chance of the spinning chain coming
in contact with the operator. Applying the brake before removing a hand and
then release the brake to begin work removes a lot of incident potential.

Two manufacturers, I am aware of, have added new innovations in chain brake
designs to a couple saw models. Stihl® and Husqvarna® are reviving the
Battle of the Brakes.

I requested a Husqvarna® saw with a TrioBrake(TM)  for evaluation to compare
to the Stihl®  C-Q Brake. I was hoping to compare side-by-side but to date
they haven¹t sent the saw. So I am going to complete the comparison,
evaluating the TrioBrake(TM)  saw at a later date. I have included my
findings on the Stihl® unit. So enjoy!

In the following review I have written the evaluation of the machine
basically right out of the box. I reviewed a fresh unit with the open mind
of an operator and/or a chainsaw mechanicŠ Here are my findings.

Stihl® MS 362 C-Q

First Impressions:  CES Rating*  5

Unpacked the saw from the box, filled it with bar oil and 50Fuel (Your
Stihl® dealer will do the set up for you). The engine started (from dry) in
4 pulls with compression release on. Compression seems good on the unit
right out of the box. I¹ve had problems starting some new saws in the past
using the compression release before the engine is broken in. Saws are
usually a little hard to start until the compression gets seated.  The MS
362 starter system is smooth with or without the compression release engaged
and the recoil rope didn¹t attempt to snatch my fingers (some light weight,
high compression saws will jerk at your fingers when you pull the rope, this
one did not at all).

The chain oiler primed quickly and was ready for use in less than a minute
with sufficient oil all around the bar surface.

I warmed the saw up and ran it up to top rpm. High speed had a good flutter.
It seems like there may be a governor system in the saw but the tachometer
didn¹t show any change in reading so, I assume the compensator designed air
box is managing the situation and not electronics. The high speed no load is
said to be 14000 rpm in the owner manual. I left the adjustments a little
rich on the high screw for a couple tanks of fuel, just to get everything
seated and broken in a bit.   I have since turned it up to just under the
14k (maximum) since I have several tanks through it now. Carburetor
adjustment is easily set and is very consistent on this engine. The fuel
economy (gas mileage) is much better at the proper setting and runs out well
with little smoke from the exhaust. Good deal!

The air filter element is a two-stage design and is fed with pre-cleaned air
pulled (or pushed up) from the flywheel area creating a three-stage air
cleaning system. The two cleanable elements however are a little tricky to
reinstall, you have to take your time and get them seated correctly. I will
practice a bit on it and see if it¹s me or design. Right now it¹s easy to
distort the element shape and you have to really be particular that the
filter seals to its mount. Sawdust gets around the top edge of the
pre-filter element easily if not. The total (three stage) filter system
seems to stop all particles however with the primary element the last stop
before the carburetor throat. Tapping out the secondary pre-filter
occasionally throughout the workday keeps the primary element virtually
clean as new.

Checking the fasteners right out of the box, I found the screws slightly
loose on polymer parts but all others were tight on the crankcase,
carburetor area and starter housings. After running it for several tanks all
the screws are still snug. Top covers on saws are notorious for screws that
vibrate loose. The MS 362 has twist locking style fasteners (similar to
Dzus®) on the top cover that hold it down securely and are ready for 200mph
plus. This type of fastener has been used in racing applications in the auto
and motorcycle industries for years, glad to see them used here. They are
quick and they work!

The new chain brake system on this MS 362 is much improved. The first Q-C
units I observed and ran in the field with the two-position chain brake
activation, I had difficulties performing carburetor adjustments, chain
sharpening and chain tensioning because of the rear brake activation lever.
It was a two-person task, as someone had to work the two brake controls.  It
seemed in the earlier versions, the brake levers were somehow tied together
and it was hard to work independently with these areas, performing
adjustments. On the new version the system now works like a usual brake
lever in front with the added rear release lever activating the brake if
your hand is removed from the rear handle. When your hand is removed from
the rear handle the brake is applied. If the front brake handle/guard is
engaged forward, the brake is applied. It engages in two ways to tighten the
brake band to the clutch drum during work applications. Stopping the
rotating saw chain quickly.

The brake system also engages with a push or kick of substantial force. It
is designed to be inertia activated. I found it to take a fairly strong
inertia force to trigger the front brake. I couldn¹t get it to trigger in a
fairly strong kick on the tip. I had to drop the saw bar hard into a wedge
(without it running) to trigger it. So the inertia feature is working but
shouldn¹t trigger without reason and if the saw operator actually lost
control and the saw left their hands, the release of the grip on the rear
handle would immediately activate the brake because of the rear activation
feature. In all - the new system works super for reactive force situations
as well as loss of control scenarios such as slips and falls. That is a
great feature!

Fit and finish of the MS 362 C-Q is very precise and the see through fuel
tank is a great feature. You can observe fuel volume quickly during
operations without opening the tank cap.  The fuel cap and the oil cap take
some added attention to make sure you start the twist locking action in the
right place. If you don¹t start the twist in the right position, when you
flip over the twist lock, the cap will leak around the seal. With a little
practice it¹s not really a problem, unless you do not start it right.

I haven¹t put this much run time on a Stihl® saw in several years. I found
it to be a pleasurable experience. Especially since the AV system is now
spring mounted- it¹s firm but has very little vibration felt at the handles.
The two-position chain brake activation is the reason I wanted to run the
saw and I am glad I did. It¹s a new system that has great potential of
reducing loss of control lacerations and reactive force incidents of chain
saw operation. 

I have used the MS 362 C-Q in several training classes now and feel very
confident it can offer added safety to operators who for some reason have a
habit of removing a hand from the rear handle to grab or move an object or
brush. It¹s a great innovation in chainsaw safety advancement. I endorse
this innovative unit and highly recommend it for your chain saw
applications.

For more info on the MS 362 go to
http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/MS362CQ.html

* To define the ChainPoint Endorsement System (CES Rating) use the following
1 through 5 rating.

1-    Not impressed at all back to the design bench

2-    Could have limited applications

3-    Suggest closer evaluation

4-    Recommend it

5-   Endorse - Highly Recommend it

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