Hi guys - I've got 4-5 20" loops that I keep around for my 450 rancher. Normally I keep them hanging on my wall off a peg. When I head out to the woods, I'll take one or two with me as spares. Inevitably, no matter how careful I am putting them in my bucket, when it comes time to pull them out for use, they come out a tangled 'effing mess. You know what I mean? The chain has looped on itself 45 times and the once 20" chain is now 4". I then spend anywhere from 2 to 20 minutes trying to get them straight and unlooped. Maybe its a skill set that I don't have yet, but damm if that doesn't irriate me. Some chains will have 3-4 loops on them I'll twist and turn and WOOP! they'll be straight as if by magic. Other times it will only have one loops and I'll fight and fight and finally say screw it and pull out the sharpener and resharpen the chain that is on the bar. How do you guys keep your spare chains that you take with you in the woods from getting all tangled up with themselves? Or is there some trick that I'm missing to untangle when the chain loops on itself.
I put them in zipoc bags . 1 chain per bag .S fold the chain into the bag ,lay the bag flat . Never have to spend much more than 2-20 minutes getting the chains ready to put on the saw ... Seriously it work fairly well . But some chains have a life of their own and twist themselves up outta spite .
I lay them flat in the bed of the truck stretched out..... i have a bedrub though, they dont slide around that way.
I bag them separately, but if you have a clamp that doubles as a spreader you can keep the loops in the same shape as when they are hanging on a nail. You can hold 5+ chains with one clamp.
I sure remember the first time i removed a chain, just flopped it down just had no idea that later i would spend around an hour getting it untangled. I learned quickly treat chains very very and very carefully , today i lub them when storing them hanging on nails on wall. Also the quicker you get the new chain on your bar, the less chance it will snarl up on you. Remember chains are not our friends, we really don't treat them good and they know how to get back at us.
Hmm...someone needs to make a spring loaded chain holder/stretcher...like you store snelled fishing hooks on...here, like this...only bigger.
If you put one twist-tie right in the middle holding the two sides tight together they don't get tangled/looped.
A small board with 2 nails? Are you handy with wood? How about making something like this.... It's a rough 10 second sketch, but you could size it to fit in your bucket... Maybe secure the chains with some tiny bungee straps or a rubber band? Stack the chains around the upright...
gonna have to try that!! ErikR - I was thinking something similar as well. Something that acts like the chain is on the bar. Got a couple of ideas now noodling around in my head.
I use the stretch wrap film packing stuff. Just zigzag it together and wrap it up. I then sharpie on a description and pile them in a drawer until needed.
X2 on the zip lock bags. Easy to label me thriw in a drawer, doesn’t get tangled with other chains. I'm glad I’m not the only one that gets chains tangled amongst itself . I’m getting better at getting them untangle though!
That's my solution as well. I have been carrying a couple of new chains in the factory box in my tool bag, but I have started carrying usually three saws with me on saw day. If one gets dull I just switch chainsaws. If I throw a chain, I might put it back on in the field, or I might not. It kind of depends on my mood and how much time I have left, and how bad I want to run that particular saw. But I never sharpen a chain in the field, because I have never had to, just grab another saw. I will adjust the chain tension on the tail gate in the woods, but that's about it, because I don't have to. If I dull or mess up three saws, it's time to go home. Of course home is usually only 10 minutes away or less on the side by side, usually.
Wrap them up in your hand like a coil spring and put it in a ziplock. Then just unroll when you need it
I have the wife keep the little plastic Tupperware like containers lunch meat comes in. Label chains what it is, sharp? gauge, # DLs, & pitch. Put in container and spritz with an aerosol spray oil for storage.
I dont. I keep spares in Ziploc bags or a snap shut plastic container and in the toolbox that goes cutting with me. Untangling a chain is a "skill" that comes with time, but i understand your frustration!
When you buy them new they just come in a box and can be tangled up. I keep mine in a Ziploc bag with a piece of paper telling me what chain it is. Size, drive link, type of cutter. Getting a chain straightened back out is something that you can get good at. It usually takes me less than 60 seconds to untangle a chain. I can tell by looking at the tangled loops and identifying them and what move to make to get them straight.
I have had pretty good luck by laying the tangled chain on a flat surface to get it straightened out. Makes it easy to see what needs to be done.
