How best to save your chain

I have a question, and I’m sure this is the right place to get a thoughtful, appropriate answer. We all know that it is a bad thing for our chain to hit the ground, as it dulls the chain in nothing flat.

That being said, what is the best way when bucking logs to get your cut all the way through without ground contact? Small wood is easy- either lift them up or roll them over. But when there’s a tree or log that’s big, you can’t move it. Soooo, how do y’all do it? Tips and tricks are appreciated.

 

I usually try to put small rounds under the tree before i make any cuts. You can usually find a couple spots where it's up off the ground somewhere.
Then I will measure and start making cuts part way through till I find a spot I can get the whole way through then roll the shorter sections till I can get them cut off completely.
If its all on the ground, I will very carefully just use the tip of the bar to get through and make a shorter section I can handle rolling.

 

I’ve ran into this a few times. What I did was to slow chain speed considerably when I got close to the ground and controlled bar movement very carefully, letting it cut very slow until it got through enough to separate rounds, or to get 2 or 3 to roll enough to finish the cuts. I’ve also been close enough to rocks that I had to cut that spot with just the tip of the bar, again going slow and easy. I have a cant hook so I only need to do it once every so many rounds to get the wood rolled.

 

On the monsters, a wedge tapped in will normally break the log off the last inch or so of the cut. Dont need to cut all the way thru.

 

Sometimes with a large log you can cut almost through near the middle of the log then drive a wedge in the Kerf, that will bring the log off the ground in the middle. Cant hook and wedges are a must for me.

 

Only tip I can offer besides above, is a 8 foot steel bar. I've rolled 3 footer sugar maple with it before kubota. But I process on a flat 2 acre spot, stumps and woods would prevent this.

 

Same for me. If you have a large log you can also bore cut it and leave a bit on the top. Helps keeping the bottom from limbing while trying to get the last little bit. I always get close and use a cant hook to roll it.

 

Cut part way thru, keeping an eye on the kerf, and stop before if it starts closing or before you hit the dirt. Then roll it over with a cant hook and complete the cuts.

If it’s really big or still attached to the tree I’ll cut it into a few sections first, picking a couple of points where it’s off the ground. If I can get the bar underneath without being in the dirt and I estimate it the wood is in compression on the top side I’ll make a bottom-up cut most of the way thru and release it with a cut that’s slightly offset from the first.

 

I'm going to try this!
Thanks Cole!

 

That can help with muddy logs too - the chain will last a lot longer if you can come up thru the wood rather than cutting down thru the dirt.

 

This is the way I’ve always done it when I had no other choice.

 

For large logs cut half way, set the chain brake and leave the bar in the wood, then drive a small felling wedge in the cut. As you drive the wedge the log will rise up allowing you to finish the cut with out hitting the ground. Or, drive a long felling wedge under the the log at the point you want to cut it and cut away. You may hit the wedge but doing so won't hurt the chain.

 

I use finesse to keep out of the dirt. This works approximately 85% of the time. Sometimes I do partial cuts and roll the log to finish. Having plenty of experience with dipping my bar into turf, I can assure you that unless it is done repeatedly or in rocky soil, the chain will be just fine. If cutting black locust, ironwood and hedge apple doesn't hurt the chain...a little dirt won't either.