Husky 450 chain tightens up during use

[Petstang]

My Husqvarna 450 is about a year old, maybe 5 hours of total use. When I use it for 15 or so minutes at a time the chain will tighten up, even though I think it is loose enough to begin with . The last time it happened after making several passes through a 20 inch tree, the chain wouldn't move at all. I loosened up the chain tensioner and pulled the chain by hand and finally was able to free it up.

Any idea what is causing this?

Thanks

 

[dougand3]

Not oiling, getting hot and seizing is a possibility. Rev the saw with some paper under bar (or saw sitting on concrete) and see if you get a good oil spray line.

 

[woodhog73]

The last time it happened after making several passes through a 20 inch tree

Your oiler is not able to keep up in the cut. Small homeowner saw cutting large wood. It happens. The rate of oil being put on the chain is not enough to overcome the demands of cutting hard wood with the bar completely buried in wood. Resulting in a dry chain and possibly the oiler becoming clogged from build up.

Next time your cutting big dense wood every couple of minutes take the saw out of the cut and open it up wide open for 5 seconds or so not under load out of wood. It will allow the oiler to put some oil back on the chain. Should help you avoid a dry chain.

 

[Petstang]

Thank you both for the replies. I will check the oiler using a white piece of paper.

I've always suspected the oiling system. I never really see the chain looking "wet" like on my electric saw. I thought that was just the way the saw operated. The oil reservoir will slowly empty as the saw is being used so I thought it was operating correctly. Maybe not.

Where does the oil come out so I can check to see if it is clogged?

Home owner saw? Yikes! I am a home owner and did research this before purchasing. It had good reviews on several websites but maybe it is still under powered for my occasional needs.

Can never have too much power!

 

[dougand3]

Where does the oil come out so I can check to see if it is clogged?

Pull the B&C off, there's the inner bar plate. It has a slot near the top where oil will exit, go into bar oil hole and upward toward drivers. Make sure bar oil hole is clean and you can see thru it. The lower bar oil hole is the tensioner hole.

If you do many 20" trees, 60cc would be better. But you can get by going slowly with 50cc.

 

[DodgyNomad]

Yup, check your oiler. Clean the passages, turn up the bar oil adjuster if that saw has one. Most are located on the bottom of the saw.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

Watch some videos...
I have included a couple just so you can get an idea about saws.

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My favorite Donyboy he has a lot of info on his channel

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Ya spend some time on you-tube I'ts your friend!
Good luck!

 

[Jags]

Don't get hung up on the homeowner label. It just like lawn mowers. There are homeowner versions and commercial versions. It just is what it is.
As said above, the oiler is suspect. Also, you mentioned chain tension. How are you testing for this? Starting out with a chain that is too tight can get worse if lack of oil and heat is allowed to build. One other thing to mention. If buried in wood, is it possible that the bar groove is getting clogged with chips (not clearing)? This can stick a chain pretty tight.

 

[Dobish]

after taking off the bar and chain, clean everything (including the little hole by the oiler, and the groove. Also, you might want to look at a lighter weight bar oil. for a while I was having similar issues, and ended up going with something a little less viscous, and I don't really have the issue any more. Check your bar to make sure it isn't bent as well....

 

[Petstang]

Yup, check your oiler. Clean the passages, turn up the bar oil adjuster if that saw has one. Most are located on the bottom of the saw.

I found the area to turn up the bar oiler adjuster (first pic). But I'm not sure what to turn to adjust it. Is it one of the Allen screws in pic 2?

 

[Dairyman]

View attachment 191944 View attachment 191943 View attachment 191943

I found the area to turn up the bar oiler adjuster (first pic). But I'm not sure what to turn to adjust it. Is it one of the Allen screws in pic 2?

The 450 doesn't have an adjustable oiler.

 

[Petstang]

Why does it have that symbol in the first picture?

 

[Dairyman]

It uses the same case as a model that does.

 

[Petstang]

It uses the same case as a model that does.

Jeez, between the lousy pictogram owners manual and the misleading symbols on the case Husky doesn't make it easy on their customers-especially on what is an entry level saw.

Are Stihls like this too?

 

[highanddryinco]

Not familiar with Husky but neither of the allen screws shown are for oil adjustment.
That said and nothing brand specific but if it is slinging oil when you check, consider replacing that spur drive. There is some wear but it's hard to tell how much from the photo.
My little Stihl 011 which I love as my go to saw suddenly started doing what you are describing. All of a sudden the chain would get really tight. Let my finger off the throttle and it wouldn't coast at all, just slam to stop. I'd loosen it just a bit and then it would become totally sloppy and even flew off a couple of times. I had what I would consider minor wear on my spur but I finally decided to change it out because this tension thing was driving me nuts. About $18 for an Oregon aftermarket replacement. Changed it out and haven't had one issue since.
I think even with the "minor" wear, that chain rides up on high spots and make the chain overly tight.
Just a thought if you don't find an easy resolution.

 

[Dairyman]

It says fixed flow oiler on huskys webpage. [emoji53] Stihl isn't as bad as they use to be in that regard.

 

[highanddryinco]

Reading your post again...I see you only have five hours on the saw...unlikely the spur is the issue.

 

[Marshy]

How lose is your chain? If it doesn't have enough slack in it to be able to lift on the chain in the middle of the bar and expose half the depth of the drive link then it's too tight. Also, what kind of oil are you using? How sharp is the chain? A dull chain will generate a lot of heat.

 

[Petstang]

How lose is your chain? If it doesn't have enough slack in it to be able to lift on the chain in the middle of the bar and expose half the depth of the drive link then it's too tight. Also, what kind of oil are you using? How sharp is the chain? A dull chain will generate a lot of heat.

I think the chain was the proper tightness based on your description. I use Husky bar oil. The chain is the one that came with the saw. About 5 hours on it. Never hit a rock and kept it out of the dirt. I still get big pieces in the saw dust so I think the chain is still sharp.

I think my next move will be to run it without the chain, bar and cover and see if the oiler is working.

 

[Marshy]

I think the chain was the proper tightness based on your description. I use Husky bar oil. The chain is the one that came with the saw. About 5 hours on it. Never hit a rock and kept it out of the dirt. I still get big pieces in the saw dust so I think the chain is still sharp.

I think my next move will be to run it without the chain, bar and cover and see if the oiler is working.

If you could, post is a pic of the chain cutter. From your description it sounds sharp.
Here is a good pic of what you should aim for.

 

[Marshy]

This is about the tension you should be shooting for.

 

[woodhog73]

The chain is the one that came with the saw. About 5 hours on it. Never hit a rock and kept it out of the dirt. I still get big pieces in the saw dust so I think the chain is still sharp.

Highly unlikely your chain is still sharp after 5 hours of cutting. Even in clean wood never hitting dirt or any rot in the center, I'm touching up my chain every 30 minutes or so.

Check your chain again.

I'm betting your chain only gets dry when buried in wood that takes the whole bar. The oiler on that model is not high output. And since it's not adjustable it's already as high as it can be set at. Probably never happens when limbing or cutting small logs. Like others have said clean the entire system and see what results you get.

Doesn't make it a bad saw. Just have to learn to work around it. When bucking big logs take the saw out of the cut every so often and open the throttle to allow some oil to be put back on the chain.

 

[Marshy]

... When bucking big logs take the saw out of the cut every so often and open the throttle to allow some oil to be put back on the chain.

That's just a band-aid for the real issue. You shouldn't have to free rev a saw like that to get oil flow on the chain.

OP, if you have cut a few tanks of gas with the saw and have not sharpened then the chain needs sharpening. Even in clean wood is common to have to sharpen every other to every 3rd tank of fuel. Just a light touch up does wonders. If you don't know how to free hand sharpen then buy a guide or talk with your dealer. They might sharpen chains for a small fee. An easy test for you would be to install a new chain and see if the issue continues. Having a spare chain is already a good idea. Then if you are cutting and dull it you can just swap chains and continue cutting.

 

[Petstang]

That's just a band-aid for the real issue. You shouldn't have to free rev a saw like that to get oil flow on the chain.

OP, if you have cut a few tanks of gas with the saw and have not sharpened then the chain needs sharpening. Even in clean wood is common to have to sharpen every other to every 3rd tank of fuel. Just a light touch up does wonders. If you don't know how to free hand sharpen then buy a guide or talk with your dealer. They might sharpen chains for a small fee. An easy test for you would be to install a new chain and see if the issue continues. Having a spare chain is already a good idea. Then if you are cutting and dull it you can just swap chains and continue cutting.

Good idea on getting a second chain. I've always had two with my previous saw.

Where is a good place to get a replacement, and how do I know the specifications of the chain I need? It can't be as simple as "20 inch chain for Husky 450". I can remember reading somewhere about different "color" chains, and "beginner" chains.

 

[Marshy]

Good idea on getting a second chain. I've always had two with my previous saw.

Where is a good place to get a replacement, and how do I know the specifications of the chain I need? It can't be as simple as "20 inch chain for Husky 450". I can remember reading somewhere about different "color" chains, and "beginner" chains.

Stihl color codes their chains and I haven't a clue what that's all about.
My suggestion is if you bought your saw from a dealer go back to the dealer and tell them what you have and they will get the chain you need. I would also suggest you take your chain off the bar and bring it into them for two reasons. 1) they will make sure they are giving you the right chain, and 2) ask them if the chain is dull and needs to be sharpened. Ask them if they sharpen chain and could do it before you leave the store. (They likely can if they aren't overly busy).
If you plan on sharpening your own chains and don't already have a filing guide then ask then what guide you need (husky makes different roller guides for different sized chain). If necessary, ask them how to file it.
Tell them about the problem you are experiencing.

If you don't have a dealer then you can still go to tractor supply or Lowe's/Home Depot and get a replacement chain. In the chainsaw isle they will have a book. Just look up your saw and they will tell you the chain to buy. I could guess what chain you have but would rather not. Again, take your chain with you and compare it to the new one to be sure if you like.

I'm general when talking chain there are a few terminologies you might want to become familiar with. Drive Links (DL) - those are the links with the heel that ride in the bar groove. Chain is sold by the number of DL for a given length of bar. Thickness of the heel on the dive link is called the gauge. There are 3 common sizes and are measured in inches (0.063, 0.058, 0.050). The gauge of the chain needs to match the gauge of the bar (the slot) the drive link rides in. Pitch of the chain - in short, it's the distance between drive Links. Smaller saw, likely yours uses 0.325" pitch chain. The pith if the chain needs to be correct for the spur sprocket. There are 3 common pitches for saws, 0.325, 0.375 (also known as 3/8), and 0.404. they are measured in inches. The pitch of the chain governs the size of the cutter and the size of the file you need to sharpen it with. There are a lot of other variables for the type of cutters and the rakers (bump in front of the cutter) so I'm going to stop there before either turns into a novel.