You'll find lots of warnings online about keeping yourself safe while operating a chainsaw. Here is how to protect your chainsaw from unnecessary wear and damage.
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While chainsaws are rugged tools capable of helping you get some of your toughest yard work done, you still need to treat them with care. To make sure your chainsaw is ready to go for your next cleanup project, avoid these 11 things.
Nobody plans to run their chainsaw into the dirt. But when you cut close to the ground, you’re just begging for a quick dip into dirt, rocks and crud. All it takes is a second in the dirt to dull the cutters. In addition to dulling the cutters, dirt also wears out the chain links faster, causing the chain to stretch, dramatically increasing your chainsaw maintenance. Plus, dirt wears the sprocket at the bar tip. Always support a log far enough off the ground to give you enough clearance to prevent an accidental slip into the dirt.
One of the best chainsaw tips is to always work with a properly tightened chain. A chain that’s too loose can come off the bar, creating an unsafe condition while you’re cutting. An overly loose or tight chain also wears out the drive sprocket and causes rapid chain and bar wear. To determine if your chain is properly tensioned, pull up on the chain. The drive links should still be in the bar groove. If the links come out of the bar, the chain is too loose.
It’s free, right? Well, not really. Filling the reservoir with used oil instead of the proper lube will cost you more in the long run due to accelerated bar and chain wear. Used motor oil contains fuel, acid, water and soot, and none of those ingredients are good for moving parts. Isn’t that why you drained the oil out of your engine? So skip the “free” oil and use real bar and chain oil or fresh motor oil in a pinch to avoid unnecessary chainsaw maintenance.
Don’t care about starting yourself on fire by refueling your chainsaw when it’s hot? Fine. But why burn up a perfectly good chainsaw just because you’re too impatient to wait for it to cool off? The heat from a hot engine vaporizes the fuel as you pour it into the tank. If the vapor ignites, you’ll be pouring gasoline right onto the, ah, fire. If you want your chainsaw to live to see another day, let it cool for at least 10 minutes before refilling it. If the engine is still too hot to touch, a good chainsaw tip is to take a walk, eat a Twinkie or call a friend.
Chainsaws have a safety kickback braking mechanism that stops the blade by locking the clutch drum/drive sprocket. But you can accidentally activate the brake by knocking the kickback handle as you set the chainsaw against a downed tree limb or stump. If you hit the throttle hard while the brake is on, you can burn up the centrifugal clutch in just seconds. If the chain doesn’t spin when you squeeze the trigger, STOP and make sure the kickback brake isn’t on. If it’s on, release it and then hit the trigger.
Cutting with a sharp blade actually extends the life of your chainsaw and reduces regular maintenance. That’s because a sharp blade pulls itself into the wood, while a dull blade requires lots of downward pressure. That pressure wears out the bar, drive links, clutch sprocket and clutch. When the blade starts making sawdust instead of chips, it’s time to stop and sharpen the blade.
You should add fuel stabilizer right at the pump as you fill your gas can. But even with stabilized gas, most chainsaw manufacturers recommend emptying the tank and running the carburetor dry before storing the machine. Emptying the tank prevents corrosion and gum formation in the tiny passages of the carburetor. Emptying the tank also extends the life of the carburetor diaphragm. Pour the old gas into a container. Then start the engine and run out the last bit of gas before putting it away.
This one’s really simple—2-cycle oil is designed to lubricate and burn with the gas. Regular motor oil is designed to lubricate but not burn. What happens if you run out of 2-cycle oil and substitute regular motor oil in your chainsaw? It’ll foul the spark plug, leave carbon deposits on the piston head, in the piston ring grooves and in the exhaust port. Plus, the engine will spit unburned motor oil out the muffler, so you’ll get oil all over your hands. Run the engine long enough with regular motor oil and you’re looking at a complete tear-down and cleaning. Cha-ching!
Chainsaws kick up a lot of dust and the air filter prevents that dust and dirt from entering the combustion chamber. But if you don’t clean/replace your air filter (shown here), the engine will suck some of that dirt and dust into the combustion chamber, causing excessive wear. If you notice a loss of engine power or excessive fuel consumption, check the air filter. Some filters can be cleaned, but others must be replaced. Replacement filters are cheap, a new chainsaw engine isn’t!
Avoid storing your chainsaw in an uncovered location outdoors or in a basement. “If the air is too humid, it may rust the chain or other working parts,” Bob Cain of Bob’s Small Engine Repair says. “It’s even worse if you leave it out in the elements.” Instead, make sure your chainsaw is clean and dry, then store it in a dry location that is well out of reach of children. “Always store it in the case,” Cain says. High on a shelf in your garage or shed is a great place to store your chainsaw between uses or seasons.
While you can mix your own fuel of gas and 2-cycle engine oil, Cain recommends using a pre-mixed product instead. “I only use True Fuel in my chainsaw, and really any two-cycle engines. It contains no ethanol and has all the necessary additives to extend engine life,” he says. Pre-mixed fuel is also the precise ratio or gas and oil for optimal engine performance, reducing the risk of damage. Unlike gasoline, True Fuel has a longer shelf life that resists oxidation and evaporation. “You can leave True Fuel in a machine for up to eight months without issues,” Cain says.
You should always wear protective gear to avoid injury when operating a chainsaw. This includes a hard hat, safety goggles, hearing protection, chainsaw gloves, chaps or cut-resistant pants and steel-toe boots.
If you’ve been performing regular chainsaw maintenance, your first steps include checking for proper fuel levels, pressing the primer bulb and making sure the kill switch is on. If it still won’t start, clean or replace the air filter, check the fuel lines for blockages and clean the carburetor. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this work, take it to a repair shop.
Bob Cain is the owner of Bob’s Small Engine Repair in Three Rivers, Massachusetts. He has over 25 years of experience fixing small engines.
