Aftermarket Felling Dogs

I know this topic has been discussed, but I'm looking at new saw dogs for my 441. The dogs that come stock are puny, and when I'm noodling, the wood isn't held in place by the saw...hoping changing to bigger dogs would make a difference. I'm not looking at new ones for dropping monster trees. But, one of mine is bent, so this is the perfect time to take it off for repair and upgrade.

I have a call into Tree Stuff after checking Bailey's. Hopefully, I can find something that works.

 

Pro Safety makes the best of the AM dogs and handles.
http://www.prosafetyproducts.com/Products.html

 

Search felling dogs on ebay.

 

Here you go. These are listed for 440 but assume the months are the same on 441??

Check out this item I found on eBay: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=121154320851&alt=web

 

Stay away from the Hutzl (Chinese) spikes, metal is not hardened, bends VERY easilly!

 

I bought some aftermarket ones from dozerdan , I think on ebay for my 650. There probably from china and if I bend those I think I am doing something I shouldnt with the saw!!!

 

Maybe they werent from dozerdan...I was looking at some from him maybe...I think his were off parts saws...I really only needed the outer but I went ahead and bought both aftermarket ones for about the same price.

I think this is the seller I bought from.

Check out this item I found on eBay: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=360992188739&alt=we

 

I ended up just getting the large felling dogs from Stihl via TreeStuff. They called me back, and I'm pretty loyal to companies that give good service. I paid a little more getting the OEM, but I think they'll work ok. Guy said they were 2 inch spikes. If they are not what I wanted, then I'll go to ProSafety Products...those looked great. The order was around $35.

 

Yeah...buying the OEM is always safe. I told him it was for a 441. He said it is the same size that comes on the 660. My friend has a 660, and I would be happy with those.

Although, the stock 441 OEM got bent, so maybe it's cheap steel. I need the handforged Gransfors felling spikes. Those would hold up.

 

Ok got ya Dex I figured there could very well be difference as it was not listed.

 

Anyone who could bend these I'll gladly admit my inferiority.

 

I think all saws should come with the hd outer spikes

 

Where'd those come from? Nice

 

The most important for me is the lowest outer spike. That's what holds the wood I'm trying to noodle in place. With that one bent, you have a heck of a time holding the wood in place till the chain has dug in.

 

Saw King in Canyonville,OR. Called ''hadstones'' for the no longer in business California company that custom built these extra large aftermarket dawgs for the big Mac's in the late '60's to mid '70's .The company was H & S or Hadstone.not much info known about them unless you locate some old timer on the West Coast.

My saw originally had the inner one when I got it,I called Saw King to see if he had a matching outer one to go with....They are identical size/shape. You use common 1/4-20 x 3/4 bolts & nuts for anchoring them to the powerhead & clutch cover.I use locknuts with nylon bushings on 2 of the 3 for each dawg,no risk of vibrating loose then.

 

What's the total weight on that set-up? Is that the once in a while saw?

 

Depending on what big stuff (28" or more) I have at the time,normally use it for roughing out large slabs/blocks for woodworking,woodturning. I don't need that much oomph that often,but is an absolute blast to run,just unbelievable.

Just has a vintage late 60's General 30" rollernose bar with .404 skip chain.Was square ground chisel when new in May 2013,but I recently reshaped it (just takes 4-5 strokes per tooth with a near new 7/32 round file) to a regular chipper chain profile. Sometime later this year I plan on getting a 48" rollernose w/ matching new skip chain for it,when the extra cash is here.

Saw with bar/chain & full tanks is around 32 pounds.It rarely gets used more than 10 hrs monthly most of the time less than that. I do know that 36" & 38" White Oak was NOTHING for that beast last January.They never really advertised it much when the saw was new in the early to late '70's - but a 100% stock version like mine is said to have between 10 & 12 horsepower . With RPM around 11,000 wide open.There is no Stihl or Husqvarna made today that can match it in HP & brute torque.The biggest Stihl- the MS880 & biggest Husky the 3120XP are around 8.5 HP according to factory reports,weigh about a pound or so less & are close in RPM,s,sometimes a bit higher if tuned differently.Even its closest competitor back in the day - the legendary Stihl 090 was a close match in HP/torque,but was 7 pounds heavier with less RPM's


There was also an optional high performance factory racing cart engine which could be installed with slight modifications by McCulloch dealers on the west coast if the user wanted maximum performance.Now today saws with the cart engines are quite rare & expensive,since not many are still in usuable condition after such hard use & in some cases being trashed & rebuilt many times.Finally sitting in unknown barns/sheds for the past 3+ decades until someone rescues them.The cart engine was available in several versions,different model numbers over the years.Said to have 15 horsepower & max out at 12,000RPM.Which was unheard of for such a big saw in those days.

The 125 can pull a 60" bar buried all day long,was specifically designed for & used in the massive old growth Douglas Fir & Redwood forests in the Pacific Northwest from Alaska & B.C.Canada all the way down through Washington,Oregon & California.



Hope I didn't put y'all to sleep with that history lesson.....

 

That sounds like a beast. I don't think I'd have the grunt to run something that big. I also don't get a shot at wood that big either. Too bad you couldn't give it a try on that big oak you posted about last week. I'm sure the tree service will have their work cut out for them if using anything less than the biggest Stihl or Husqvarna to cut those rounds.