Finally got to put my new Stihl MS390 to work!

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Kenster

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Jan 10, 2010
1,705
Texas- West of Houston
I finally had time to walk back into the woods with my new MS390 with modified muffler. There were two oaks on the ground, courtesy of a severe storm and a hurricane, that had fallen on top of each other a year apart. I had harvested about 12 feet of trunk from each tree last year and went back in to pull out some more wood. One of the trunks was about 12 inch diameter and the other close to 20. The larger one was getting a wee bit punky- maybe an inch depth but the rest was nice and solid. I cut the remaining trunks away from the tops. The tops, with up to eight inch thick limbs, were getting pretty rotten. The two trunks were about 16 and 24 feet respectively. I cut them into roughly 5.5 foot logs (four 16 inch bar lengths). I can pull them out with a long chain hooked to my 8N tractor, then use a chain and my boom pole to take them to my processing area without dragging them through the dirt.

Next, I moved to a standing dead hickory, about 35 feet tall. Not punky at all. Most of the top branches had already dropped off. This tree was conveniently located right on the easement path that runs along the perimeter of my property. My muffler modified 390 with 16 inch bar sliced through that tree like a buzz saw through angel food cake. I got a good notch cut. My back cut was high on one side so I cut another one, leaving about an inch and a half hinge on the 18 inch trunk. It quickly fell right onto the path where I bucked it into four-bar lengths again. Pinched the saw on the first buck so had to walk back to the house for a wedge and small sledge. (I'm learning)

Next up, hooking the boom pole and chain to the 8N and bringing in the logs. Then I'll buck them down to 16 inch rounds and begin to split a little at a time, as I have time. Time to try out the new Fiskars Super Splitter!

I'll try to post some pics later.

Cheers!

Ken: Bellville, TX
 
Glad to hear you got the hang of it!
 
smokinjay said:
Glad to hear you got the hang of it!

Thanks, Jay. I get it to fire right up after about the third pull now. I've been starting it just for fun every day. Today was for work, though.
 
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