Repair Damaged Chain?

[jatoxico]

According to a dealer the chain that came w/ the recon'd Husqvarna I bought hit a chain catch at some point although not the one on my saw since that one is totally unmarred.

The chain would not ride in the bar groove due to the damage and the bar was brand new. The company sent a new chain and I still have the old one. I could probably file down the teeth and get it to work. If I did is it likely to mess up the bar? Be nice to have a free spare and seems do-able but its not like a new chain is too expensive either.

 

[TreePointer]

It depends on the nature of the damage.

If a chain is thrown off the bar, often the damage will be on the drive links. Take your bar off the saw and manually run your chain around the saw. Try to determine which drive links are damaged by feeling which ones give the most resistance in the bar groove. Usually, it just takes some filing with a flat/bastard file to true the few drive links that have been damaged.

 

[BEConklin]

..like you say - new chains are pretty cheap too

 

[mstoelton]

New chains are too cheap to risk damage to the bar or worse. Get a new chain, it is easy and fast to replace.

 

[Grateful11]

I've got one that jumped off my 455 and only has a stiff link. I went to buy a new chain and asked the guy at the shop if he could loosen up the link that would no longer flex and he flat said no without even looking at it. Is there a way to loosen stiff links? When I done bicycle repair in my youth you could loosen a stiff link with a chain breaker.

 

[Mag Craft]

I would inspect the drive links and file the burrs back down level with the rest of the link.
Then with the bar off put it on and see how smooth it moves with out catching. When your done the chain should work fine and you will have a spare.

 

[jatoxico]

I would inspect the drive links and file the burrs back down level with the rest of the link.
Then with the bar off put it on and see how smooth it moves with out catching. When your done the chain should work fine and you will have a spare.

Good advice and as Tree Pointer said the damage is to the drive link teeth. The bar/chain operate in a tough environment so I think I can leave the micrometer on the shelf. I'll give a close inspection and see how easy it is to get a file into the damaged areas. If I can get it to run smoothly in the bar and can file it smoothly enough not to feel catchy on my thumbnail it ought to be fine. If the damage goes tight up to the adjoining link and it can't be filed I'll trash it.

I suppose I could (should?) clamp the drive teeth in a vice 2-3 at a time to make sure it's "true" side to side. Any other method to check the drive link teeth are not bent side to side or is running smooth in the bar a good enough test?

 

[Mag Craft]

Hold the bar horizontal and pull the chain thru it and if it runs smooth then your good to go.

 

[roadiestar]

For the price of a new chain toss it in the trash. Why even chance using it.

 

[Mag Craft]

This is not rocket science. Should be easy peasy.

 

[jatoxico]

For the price of a new chain toss it in the trash. Why even chance using it.

Mainly since if I can fix it in 5 min with a couple swipes of a file why waste it? Sounds like others have already done it w/o an issue. If I find any links are not rotating freely or anything that looks like it could cause it to let go it's getting trashed.

 

[Mag Craft]

I can be sitting in front of crap on TV or I can do something that will produce an item that is usable when done.
Same amount of time either way.

 

[jatoxico]

I can be sitting in front of crap on TV or I can do something that will produce an item that is usable when done.
Same amount of time either way.

My thinking too. That and I try to resist being a part of the throw away society where I can. Not to mention I'll get a better knowledge of how the equipment functions which is never bad. Helps you to run things better.

 

[Grateful11]

The burr problem is pretty easy to fix. Back in the day when I had a 371XP it was a great saw but for some reason it was bad about throwing chains. I only stopped fixing the chains when a portion of a drive link was missing, which happened immediately on a couple of first throws of a good chain. That saw had an aluminum chain catcher.

Definitely compare the drive link profile to the drive links that don't have burrs, if they're in bad shape I wouldn't fix it.

 

[Jags]

or is running smooth in the bar a good enough test?

Yes - it is the only test that really counts. Being a new bar the drive links can't be out by much without you noticing it. The bar will act as your "straight edge".

 

[smokedragon]

I had a chain jump ship a couple of years ago. Put it on the saw with the tension really slack. Running it in the top of the bar, if I found which links were sticking, I marked them with a black marker. Then took the flat file to both sides of the drive link. Put it back on, found one additional offender...........After that, TADA. Still run that chain for what it's worth.

I have three chains for my MS290, run them till all three need sharpening. I have cut through bullets, bolts, concrete (long story)......if a tooth ain't broke off, it gets filed and used again.

 

[jatoxico]

Just to wrap this thread up I went over the chain with a bastard file. First w/o even bothering to put it on the bar, finding the roughest spots. Afterwards put it on the bar and marked a couple spots that needed to be hit again. Back on the saw ran smooth by hand. Tightened to correct tension and ran the saw to make sure the chain didn't jump then made a few small cuts and it's all good.

*all in all the 435 (2013 model) was $150.00 inc spare brake/clutch cover and (now) spare chain.

 

[Mag Craft]

Just to wrap this thread up I went over the chain with a bastard file. First w/o even bothering to put it on the bar, finding the roughest spots. Afterwards put it on the bar and marked a couple spots that needed to be hit again. Back on the saw ran smooth by hand. Tightened to correct tension and ran the saw to make sure the chain didn't jump then made a few small cuts and it's all good.

*all in all the 435 (2013 model) was $150.00 inc spare brake/clutch cover and (now) spare chain.

Way to go. Like you said previously you now have the experience and a little more knowledge on how these things work.

 

[smokedragon]

you now have the experience and a little more knowledge on how these things work.

+1 to that. Even if you decide you wrecked the chain, you were gonna buy a new one anyway.......why not get the experience.