Chainsaw for Hinging?

Thanks for all the responses. I was using a Stihl MS310 which has a 18" bar but is just to heavy for hinging. I have 2 other bigger saw for my firewood cutting so I'm going to sell this one and get a smaller one.

I'm with dogghr on this one as I'm using something that runs on gas.

Kubota you sure cut some good sized trees with that little saw but as much as I would like to have one I think for as much firewood I cut I'm going with a little bigger saw.

Jbird I was thinking of getting the MS250 or the MS271 but haven't made up my mind.The 250 weighs about 2.5 pds which may be a determining factor.

I clear cut an acre of woods last February with that little saw...

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It's cut some pretty amazing stuff and still starts 3rd pull dead cold and first pull all the rest of the time...

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011 Stihl....16" bar....full chisel chain.....$150 Craig's list....$50 in spare parts....dogghr has seen first hand the cutting that little saw will do!


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I have a little Stihl like they do ^^^. Full chisel chain like D has and will cut through anything I ask it to. It bogs down a little if I start to push it too hard and needs fuel refills too often, but a darn good saw. I would like to get the next size bigger just so that I'm not stopping to add gas and oil so often but can't justify spending the money when this one works as well as it does.
 
I clear cut an acre of woods last February with that little saw...

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It's cut some pretty amazing stuff and still starts 3rd pull dead cold and first pull all the rest of the time...

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Looks like you give that little saw a work out! I'm sure my 250 would have gotten real heavy by the time that chore was done. It's all about the right tool for the job. Looks like your little 170 is the ticket for hinging.

I tell my boy I know he burned up my saw by not putting the oil in the fuel. I would always tell him, "If it doesn't start in 3 pulls we will go home". He hated that saw......cause it always started. I used to put him to work to get some of the piss and vinegar out of him in his teenage years. I forgot to add the oil mix in and fried my initial saw......about the only thing I have found to kill it. I went right out and bought another one without any second thought.
 
I have a little Stihl like they do ^^^. Full chisel chain like D has and will cut through anything I ask it to. It bogs down a little if I start to push it too hard and needs fuel refills too often, but a darn good saw. I would like to get the next size bigger just so that I'm not stopping to add gas and oil so often but can't justify spending the money when this one works as well as it does.

Correct, with sharp chain you don't need down pressure....it will cut plenty fast up to a 12" wide cut...if the kids are being ohnery, then I'll blast em with chips on a high cut. When you get older, you will appreciate the smaller tank and shorter cut time. I get about an hour of cutting from the 011.....then open it up and let it cool down while I take a break. They perform best if allowed to cool down between runs. The 032with 20" bar will go for about 1.5 hr on a tank....that was fine 30 year ago....not so much now. The advantage of the longer bar is I don't have to bend down much to cut slash, but it will wear you out cutting overhead. Only use the 032 for about 1 session for the day (if needed at all for large trees) then go to the 011. I don't like the oiler on the 011 as microscopic grit can lock up the diaphragm shaft....so once or twice a season I have to take the oiler apart and blow it out....but that is easy enough though....drain the oil tank, pull 3 screws, blow out oil filter and shaft recess, and put it back together. Need to add a comment here, we fell more than we hinge and the little saw will handle both.

Here is the guy on Ebay who I get chain from....he has both yellow and green chain...green chain is plenty aggressive on the 011..he will custom cut for the number of links you need if your bar is non-standard. http://www.ebay.com/itm/STIHL-3-8-P...228963?hash=item3f2924faa3:g:CYAAAMXQzH9SHQni

PS....I have tried these full chisel chains on small Poulan but they don't have the power to run it. Poulan is a good safe starter saw for the novice...the 14" models.
 
Here are a few pics from this spring and a a mornin with little saw. SAMs Wholesale club sells 6-8 packs of janitorial squirt bottles for $4-6 per pack....they handle remedy/diesel or straight glyphosate just fine for a full season....if one stops working then toss it!
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I hinge cut 12 acres last Winter in 2 days with my little Stihl. Had my 13 year old working it too. Thought about buying him one so we could really get some work done.
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I still haven't made up my mind yet but a lot of good options posted but I will have a different saw before I hinge again that's for sure.

Kubota how old is that saw? You have cut some pretty good sized trees with that thing.

Dgallow I'm with you on the 30 yrs ago statement and thanks for the info about bottles and chains. I have a coworker that used to trim highline R/W and he preaches to me all the time about getting a top mounted trigger.
 
Has anyone looked at the Stihl MS180? It gives almost a couple more CC but adds another 1/2 pound and not sure it would be worth it.
 
I still haven't made up my mind yet but a lot of good options posted but I will have a different saw before I hinge again that's for sure.

Kubota how old is that saw? You have cut some pretty good sized trees with that thing.

Dgallow I'm with you on the 30 yrs ago statement and thanks for the info about bottles and chains. I have a coworker that used to trim highline R/W and he preaches to me all the time about getting a top mounted trigger.
Bought in winter of 2013 for $179 and still running like a champ! For an inexpensive stihl it is a workhorse well beyond its cc..
 
Does anyone have a go to video for hinge cutting safely? Do you guys only hinge up to a certain diameter? This still seems kinda dangerous to me. I would be the guy someone would find pinned under a tree in the woods.
 
This is about as big as I can go on hickory and keep it alive...they all split like this but the attached part will heal and keep the tree alive horizontally.

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It heals like this...

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Tree is still alive and has been for past 2 years...

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Does anyone have a go to video for hinge cutting safely? Do you guys only hinge up to a certain diameter? This still seems kinda dangerous to me. I would be the guy someone would find pinned under a tree in the woods.
The bigger you get, obviously the more dangerous. The real danger is when those trees "recliner" or whatever that move is called when it splits at the cut and a section of the trunk stays parallel with the log as it goes over. I haven't had much luck getting big dangerous stuff to hinge. Typically, I get better results with stuff under 4".

As far as saws go, I've got an MS250 and a silky. After a full day of cutting this weekend, I'd like to have a smaller limb saw. Even a 250 starts getting heavy after 3-4 tanks in a day, especially when you're cutting tons of small stems with it. It was fewer and larger trees, it likely wouldn't be an issue. But my place is covered in pitchfork handles.
 
Anything over roughly 18" across I won't even attempt or consider to hinge. That is my personal choice. I tend to simply drop those trees and remove the trunk for firewood and leave the top. I also tend to leave a comfortable stump (say 24" tall) in case it decides to sprout as well and provide more food/cover. I prefer to limit my hinging to those of 12" across or smaller.

As far as the danger goes. Always stand to the side of the tree. If it "kicks", or "barbed chairs" you are much more out of the way. As with any saw work there is always some risk involved. I also prefer to hinge only as high as about my upper chest or shoulder height. This is simply a matter of having reasonable control of the saw. Higher than that and I just don't feel comfortable at all. I also prefer to cut as little as possible with the saw. On small stuff I have even used a hand saw at times and did more pushing and pulling to get the tree to topple over.
 
A little off topic, but are any of you mushroom hunters? Do you find that Morels under hinged trees? I've had great luck finding morels under naturally damaged trees (I actually spend as much time looking up while mushroom hunting as I do looking down). I didn't find many last yr but almost everyone I did find was under a tree damaged and broken up by wind. Half a tree sticking up that still had leafs was the ticket. Sounds a lot like hinging...
 
Does anyone have a go to video for hinge cutting safely? Do you guys only hinge up to a certain diameter? This still seems kinda dangerous to me. I would be the guy someone would find pinned under a tree in the woods.

As mentioned already stick with the smaller diameter trees. You'll learn which trees hinge well, and which don't. For me it was white oaks and hickory, sometimes black oak. For large trees I would just girdle it and let mother nature put it where she wants it. Medium to large trees I looked at from a safety first standpoint. If I felt I could hinge it safely then I would try it, but always error on the side of safety. Often the large ones don't hinge well anyway due to the sheer force of the drop.
Also plan your cuts so that trees fall on top of other hinged trees. If you've got 4 or 5 hung up in other tree tops and you're working underneath them that's a recipe for disaster.
I also learned quickly on hillsides to start at the bottom and work uphill to keep from working under trees that get hung up. Your trees will typically fall on the side with more branches. They will have more branches (more growth) where there is more sunlight and that is usually on a downhill side of a slope.
Good luck and be careful.
 
Husquvarna 240. I cant say its the best saw for hinging. Just what i use. Power leaves a little to be desired when falling trees over 12".
 
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