[ChainPoint] Ever check your CSM?

[ChainPoint Connections]

Hi ChainPoint¹s,

You will be surprised if and or when you find the right combination of
equipment and accessories in your saw work. Read this week¹s article
below... Chain Saw Mileage.

If you are on FaceBook or Twitter check out our pages and pictures of all
our travel, projects and trainings. Laura does a great job at keeping things
posted. Just search Forest Applications Training, Inc. or on Twitter
@ForestApps .

We are booking training dates for late Fall and early Winter right now. If
you have plans of chain saw training give Laura  a call at our office number
below or send your requests to info at forestapps.com .

Check out our website for all past articles and information...

You can now connect to FEMA and Hurricane Info from our homepage on the
website. www.forestapps.com  Check it Out.

Pass it along... If you enjoy the ChainPoint articles pass along to your
friends and work associates to sign up on ChainPoint. They can do so on our
website...

Good Sawing,
Tim Ard
Forest Applications Training, Inc.

O 770.222.2511


http://www.forestapps.com


Chain Saw Mileage
By Tim Ard, Forest Applications Training, Inc.
 
For years I¹ve challenge myself to plan out every drop of fuel used in my
saw for training programs. You would think that¹s kind of ridiculous, but
when you walk away from the truck or carry fuel and oil over to the cutting
site, it can be a quite a distance sometimes, so I always try to calculate
it as closely as possible. I hate to leave a training group just standing
around. 
 
When I was involved years ago with saw testing at logging and tree care
worksites we always kept up with run time on the saws by tanks of fuel. We
knew if an operator went through two gallons of gas in a day he had so many
hours of operation on the machine. It was very easy to calculate that way
and could easily be recorded by the supervisor or operator.
 
In later years I have realized there are several things that effect the run
time on a piece of equipment. If the engine is adjusted too rich, the fuel
consumption is higher for sure. If the operator applies a lot of pressure on
the saw chain while cutting it tends to use more fuel. Finally the main
denominator ­ if the saw¹s chain is dull you will see your fuel economy and
productivity go way downŠ
 
Recently I was part of a Community Makeover project that had me running a
saw at three or four sites in my area. I enjoy donating time to these
projects as it is for a very good cause. I had other volunteers to pull
brush to a chipper and clean up so all I had to do was the easy part -
sawing. My work portion was to cut down, take off larger limbs and buck the
pieces where they could be moved by hand or fit a loader bucket on to a
chipper.
 
I cut for three mornings at the projects (I wimped out close to noon each
day because the heat index was over 100 degrees). I cut, limbed and bucked
twenty some odd trees over the three mornings. I had three or four that were
just less than six inches but the average diameters were in the
fourteen-inch range with four in the eighteen to twenty-six inch size. There
was a substantial amount of brush clearing around the trees at one of the
sites. So, a good bit of sawing was going on with my 20² Stihl MS362 I chose
to use.
 
I nicked one rock the second day with my chain and had to remove some damage
but was able to make it through all the sawing with the one Oregon saw chain
loop and sharpened seven times over the three mornings. I still have about
1/8² of chain top left before the witness mark. Maintaining the sharp chain
was easy with the PFERD Chain Sharp.
 
I didn¹t write this bragging about my abilities but the combined efforts of
equipment, accessories and operation to reference my amazement at being able
to complete the entire project with a little less than two quarts of
TrueFuel50 premixed fuel. That¹s great Chain Saw Mileage in anyone¹s project
logbook. Think about itŠ. That¹s Impressive.
 
In closing, all the work was accomplished, even in the outrageously hot
temps, in full PPE. I am committed to my safety and others. I wore Elvex¹s
new Tectra helmet system and their safety glasses (with 1.5 bioptic lenses),
SwedePro Logger Pants, Tool Vest, Saw Mittens and Boots.
 
The reason I endorse the mentioned products is the simple reasonŠ. If
combined and used properly they achieve awesome results.
 
To find out more about the items discussed, ask for them at your local saw
dealer or visit our website at www.forestapps.com . Good Sawing!
 

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