<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Hi ChainPoints,</div><div><br></div><div>HappyNew Year from Forest Applications Training!</div><div><br></div><div>Wanted to pass along a great article from Randy Scully at Stihl. Lots of great info!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Also, Laura is organizing remaining dates for Winter and Spring training workshops. Contact our office or email us if you are considering training for 2016. </div><div><br></div><div>Looking forward to seeing you this year!</div><div><br></div><div><br><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Good Sawing,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tim Ard</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Forest Applications Training, Inc.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">O <a href="tel:770.543.9862" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2">770.543.9862</a></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">C <a href="tel:770.331.9091" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3">770.331.9091</a></span></div><div><br></div><div><font color="#000000" style="font-size: 13pt; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.forestapps.com/" style="font-size: 13pt; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">ForestApps.com</a></font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mail:</span></div><div><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://5" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="address" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">PO Box 429</font></a></div><div><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://5" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="address" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">Rome, GA 30162</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Shipping:</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">3361 Martha Berry Hwy</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Suite 100, #143</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Rome, GA 30165</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sent from my iPhone</span></div></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><h2 class="date-header" style="margin: 0px; position: relative; min-height: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="padding: 0.1em 10px; margin: 0px -10px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font size="3">Monday, December 14, 2015</font></span></h2><div class="date-posts"><div class="post-outer" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div class="post hentry uncustomized-post-template" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/BlogPosting" style="position: relative; min-height: 0px; margin: 0px;"><font color="#000000"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a name="1055151638824363050"></a></span></font><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="margin: 0px; position: relative; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><font size="3"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Careful Cutting - Working in a Winter Wonderland</span></font></h3><div class="post-header" style="line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1055151638824363050" itemprop="articleBody" style="width: 355px; line-height: 1.3; position: relative;"><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong>Tips for Cold Weather Chain Saw Operation</strong><br><em>By Randy Scully, National Service Manager for </em>STIHL Incorporated<em> </em><br><br></span><div class="separator" style="text-align: start; clear: both;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pKqW1JFyCj4/UM9RYOmBOnI/AAAAAAAAApQ/399fF4uLIvQ/s1600/Winter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="text-decoration: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000"><img border="0" eea="true" height="97" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pKqW1JFyCj4/UM9RYOmBOnI/AAAAAAAAApQ/399fF4uLIvQ/s280/Winter.JPG" width="280" style="border: 1px solid rgb(241, 241, 241); position: relative; padding: 5px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%;"></font></a></div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>With the onset of winter, thoughts shift to some of the challenges of winter chain saw operation. With a little extra care, your chain saw can offer peak performance even in the face of extreme cold temperatures. Please remember that STIHL recommends use of fuel with no more than 10% ethanol content. Using fuel with greater than 10% ethanol content may cause damage to your equipment and may void your STIHL warranty. <a href="http://www.stihlusa.com/information/articles/gasoline-guidelines-outdoor-power-equipment/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">Learn More</a>…<br><br><br>You will also need to take extra precautions for specific weather-related hazards.<br><br><strong><u>Personal Protective Equipment</u></strong><br><br>While working with a chain saw during the winter, as always, wear <a href="http://www.stihlusa.com/products/protective-and-work-wear/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">protective apparel</a>, such as chaps, hearing protection and gloves. In the winter, wood is even more likely to splinter, so use of a helmet and eye protection remains critical. Some manufacturers offer winter protective pants made with materials that are both cut retardant and resistant to water and snow, providing an option to the protective leg wear you would normally wear.<br><br><strong><u>Winter Chain Saw Maintenance and Operation</u></strong><br><br>The first thing to do to prepare your chain saw for use in temperatures under 40° F is to switch the winter/summer shutter on your saw to “winter” to activate the carburetor pre-heater system, if your chain saw has this feature. Leaving the shutter on the summer position could result in carburetor icing, causing the machine to perform poorly, idle erratically, and even run lean, which could eventually cause major engine failure.<br><br>Your chain saw will require some extra maintenance during winter. The following are some basic recommendations:<br></span><ul style="padding: 0px 2.5em; margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 1.4;"><li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Be sure to keep the sprocket cover clean to prevent snow and moisture from freezing with sawdust and oil that normally collect around the sprocket area.</span></li><li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Clean the chain brake more often, especially with chain saws that have the chain brake in the sprocket cover.</span></li><li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Remove snow from around the fuel tank opening before refueling, so snow doesn't fall in the tank; water and moisture in the fuel can cause unnecessary aggravation.</span></li><li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Keep the anti-vibration system free from snow and ice that could freeze and affect operation of the anti-vibration system, resulting in increased operator fatigue.</span></li><li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Wipe away any snow, ice or water droplets from around the throttle trigger and throttle trigger interlock to ensure they remain operational.</span></li><li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Also keep the cooling air intake clean and free from snow, ice and sawdust to prevent your engine from overheating. Take care that bulkier winter clothing does not get sucked up against the cooling air intake. This can restrict air flow and cause major engine failure.</span></li><li style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Be extra attentive to risk-reducing features and control mechanisms on your chain saw and keep them clean.</span></li></ul><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><u>Special Weather-Related Precautions</u></strong><br><br>Be aware that the ground might be frozen and slippery. You will need solid footing with good traction. With all your winter tree work, take extreme care in the freezing weather. When it's windy, stormy or rainfall is heavy, consider delaying the work to avoid hazards.<br><br>Since frozen wood is harder than non-frozen wood, you may want to decrease the saw chain’s filing angle by five degrees. Decreasing the chain’s angle increases cutting performance in frozen woods and decreases the wear to your guide bar and saw chain. You can learn more about <a href="http://www.stihlusa.com/WebContent/CMSFileLibrary/downloads/STIHL-Sharp-Advice-Saw-Chain-Guide-Bars.pdf#search="sharp advice"" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">care and maintenance of your saw chain and guide bar</a> in our manual. Or you can watch this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJUcCwzDgbw" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">video on sharpening your chain</a> on our YouTube channel. <br><br>Keep ice from building up on the handles of your chain saw to prevent your hands from slipping off the machine. Before you start felling, try to remove the snow around the trunk of the tree and knock off as much snow and ice as possible from low hanging limbs, which pose an increased risk of distraction from falling snow while you are cutting the tree.<br><br><br>As you face the challenges of winter work, taking a few extra maintenance steps and being extra alert to potential hazards can increase the productivity of your equipment and reduce the risk of injury.<br><br><em>Randy Scully is product service manager for </em>STIHL Inc<em>., based in Virginia Beach, Virginia.</em></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>