A worthwhile upgrade....

[keyman512us]

I'm starting this post becuase it's worthy to mention...

Tonight I ventured over to Gooses' homestead to help out with a little "tree climbing" project. It seems he got a "special delivery in the mail"... a new bar and chains and something everyone out there on this forum should take into consideration:

A chain brake retrofit for those 'widowmakers' out there that so many people seem to have.

I harvest firewood...swing a chainsaw up topside as well as down below. I have saws "that the big boys have"...but my saws, even though they might be percieved "to be dangerous" to the average 'weekend warrior' becuase they are bigger and more powerfull than their smaller cousins' like the poulans, craftsmans or makitas... are safer in your hands mainly because they have something the smaller sized saws don't...An inertial chain brake.

This feature is the most valuable form of PPE you can have when using a chainsaw.

Goose made a wise choice... and so should others, this is what safety is:

 

[Eric Johnson]

I totally agree with that.

 

[Gooserider]

Just as an FYI it was not an expensive change, nor was it difficult. The part was 16.99 plus shipping. As Keyman's photo shows, it is essentially a new bar cover with the brake mechanism and lever installed. The conversion consisted of taking off the old bar cover, transferring the bar adjuster screw and tab to the new cover, removing the old hand guard from where it attaches to the front handle (one screw) and putting the new bar cover on.

The only real gotcha is that the brake has to be off to fit the band over the clutch drum, and it is hard to reset it with just the part in your hand due to lack of leverage - once on the saw resetting is easy. The brake trips if either the saw kicks back so your hand pushes the guard forward, or if the saw is dropped down and stopped suddenly, just like the big saws. So far I'm delighted with it - it has worked 100% when I've tested it, but hasn't had a false trigger while using the saw.

I've also switched from the stock 16" bar to a 12" bar, and the saw seems to cut MUCH better as a result, although it does seem like I get more vibration - not sure if that is the short bar or the brake, or the new chains which are old fashioned no bumper link chains with just a cutter and raker - I think the seller said they were "Windsor" brand chains, and at least one was clearly marked as NOT being "anti kickback" Again the saw does now seem more inclined to kick back, but it's easily controllable. Of course it does mean that some of my logs are going to be a real pain to cut, but I think it's worth it.

FWIW, I got the stuff from [email protected]] The Place Nashville[/email] Who is an E-bay seller, although because I wanted stuff that wasn't on their regular store list I bought from them w/o going through E-Pay.

Total cost for the bar, brake kit, 2 chains, a new sprocket, and an airfilter was about $80, of which I think they charged me $10 for shipping, which I thought was reasonable.

Gooserider