Many people have this problem. I see this all the time in my shop, unfortunately they overlook one of the most common places to start with the drive sprocket, over a period of time depending on how much you use your saw the sprocket wears out just like any other drive component of the saw. Most sprockets are made by Oregon or Power Mate, I don’t think it makes a lot of difference which brand you use. Power Mate is O.E.M. on Husqvarna Saw’s but are becoming very scared to find so Oregon is sometimes your only choice, which is not a bad sprocket of choice. It is common sense that when the Chain gets hot it will expand and stretch and this is more apparent in the choice of Chain you choose to use Oregon, Sthil, Carlton etc. Chain is a personal preference not everyone will agree on one make but my personal experience has shone that Oregon has the most stretch when hot. One good thing Stihl has over Husqvarna is the way the tensioner works on there saws . Stihl has a great idea to adjust the tension on there saws from the front side of there saws and not in the back like Husqvarna. It is much more user friendly when it comes to making Chain adjustments my hats off for Stihl in this respect. When you pinch your Chain and try to free it from a cut and force the saw from the cut rather than use a alternate method like wedges or another saw you have just ruined your Chain and stretched it even more, and added more stress to you drive sprocket in the process. Over time you will notice a change if you keep using the Chain that you put undo pressure on trying to free it from a pinched cut. You would be surprised at the people who do this, instead of freeing the saw with wedges or another saw . Remember your sprocket is what makes your saw cut properly and needs to be replaced periodically as you use your saw over time. It doesn’t last forever. Have a nice day. Stumper
Actually I'm amazed at how many people really aren't even aware of the need for changing a sprocket. Such a quick and easy fix...
How do you know when it's time to change the sprocket? When I clean my saws I check the sprockets and they look perfectly fine. Is there something I should be looking for?
Imho, the first thing Anyone needs to do with a new saw is make sure it has a floating rim , clutch drum and sprocket on it. Just amazing how much better everything goes with a floating rim sprocket. How often to change out a rim sprocket ? When you can start to seestrap marks wore onto the rims of the sprocket. Its time to change it . LONG before there are continuous grooves wore into the rim. If your sprocket looks kinda like it was new , your prolly still gtg . Also, after you've replaced a couple sprocket rims. Its a good idea to change the drum bearing and drum. Maybe on your 3rd or 4th rim. Good idea to change the clutch springs at the same time. If you smoke your clutch many times the shoes will get wore down too much. Time for a whole new clutch at that point. Tho clutch shoes used to be available. . They all are wear items. Good thread. !!
Stumper, I want to thank you for writing all these posts about oil mix, bars, etc. Very simple and informative to the casual user like me.
I am not a huge fan of Husvarna Chainsaws, but the new chainsaws adjust from the front now. In fact they are probably better than Stihl. My 461 Stihl's chain adjuster was made from bent steel and it was deformed and had to be replaced. It was covered under warrantee BUT even the new one does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling. Husqvarna is far more sturdy, is even easier to access then Stihl, and has a positive engagement. Again, I am not a huge fan of Husqvarna and the more I run my new Husky 562 the more I hate it. However the chain adjuster is one of the highlights. I am not knocking your post, I am just pointing out that Husqvarna is catching up with Stihl in regards to chain adjuster placement. As for pinching chains, if a person has only one chainsaw, to free the bar and chain, they just need to carry a spare bar and chain with them. All they have to do is remove the powerhead from the stuck bar and chain, then attach the spare one and cut the bar and chain free. No spare chainsaw needed. I use a skidder so I can usually bat the tree around one way or the other to free my saw. If the pinched chain has damaged the chain or bar at all, my saws usually have enough power to wear the chain/bar down so that eventually it will saw wood. As discussed on another thread, while damage has been done, even at current dismal pulp prices, the tree I am cutting is worth more than the chain I am cutting with, and it only takes 4 trees to pay for the bar. In an hours time I will have paid for a bar/chain combination, and at the end of the day, for the chainsaw itself. By the time it would take to swap out a new bar and chain, I could have cut enough wood to pay for the bar/chain combination. Not everyone is in this situation, but I think sometimes we get all wrapped up in extending the life of a consumable, which has its name for a reason. For a firewood cutter, time is even more precious then for me (retired) who only have so many hours in a weekend to get their wood out.
