To Chainsaw or not to Chainsaw, that is the question
- Thread starter TerraCrawler
- Start date
Boostpowered
Rank VI
Member III
Looked to me if it were still in one piece you could have hugged the right hand side and went under it without cutting anything. I guess that depends on the overall height of your rig though.
Dave K
Rank IV
Off-Road Ranger I
View attachment 104902Everyone that thinks an ax will do what a chainsaw will should think again. Drove in to a dead end trail to explore a mine. 16” tree fell and brought a second in with it blocking my way out. Long story short, three cuts to remove one and lay the other all the way on the road to be able to drive over it. 1.5 hours and this hand later, the trail is not truly “clear”. Just passable.... for some people. Chainsaw would have been a god send.
Three days later the hand is looking pretty good!
Three days later the hand is looking pretty good!
Member III
Remember, we all have our differences and Preferences! This is all just opinions and let’s keep it a friendly conversation! Thanks everyone! Vance.
Does a rope saw work very well? I carry a bow saw, but it looks like the rope saw is more compact...I'd be interested in getting one if anybody has had good luck with them
Dave K
Rank IV
Off-Road Ranger I
One thing here for sure is a fact. One uses that section of your hand that doesn’t look so good in the picture WAY more than you think! 
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Yeah, thats pretty brutal. And and hour and a half swinging an axe would surely wear out shoulder and arm muscles. The battery powered chainsaws posted on here are looking pretty good...One thing here for sure is a fact. One uses that section of your hand that doesn’t look so good in the picture WAY more than you think!
Member III
A trick when cutting wood with a hand saw is to use a little diesel to keep the blade clean and not sticking. My Grandpa, used to always tell others he used a diesel saw! Vance.
Influencer I
Works very well with a cross buck saw as well! Small boy axe and a med cross buck saw you can go along ways....
We started carrying a chainsaw due to situations like this. It also helps process firewood when we're out and about.
Traveler III
I use frog lube for the same purpose. Biodegradable, and it protects the metal from corrosion to boot.
Love my STIHL 044. This thing is a beast however it is pretty big and I normally won't take it. I do however always carry an Axe. If I do decide to build my DIY Off-Road Trailer I probably will carry the STIHL more often. It just takes up too much space in the back of my Wrangler.
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Enthusiast III
I got a little Stihl MS180 last spring, not the 180c just the plain 180. It's an awesome little truck saw. Fits in my toolbox and doesnt weigh much. A tank of premix and bar oil will do quite a bit of cutting but I carry an extra quart of oil and a small metal can of premix. When the small metal can gets emptied I grab more out of my dirtbike jug.
It's not as powerful as the saws I grew up running but has been fine for all the situations I have ran into. I would suggest a hatchet and some plastic wedges aswell.
2 weekends ago I was riding the dirt bike in some Idaho high country. There is still a lot of dead fall on the roads. The jeeps and other well equipped offroaders with winches and such were just driving off the road through the high mountain vegetation. That is what gets it shut down for everyone. Spend a few minutes clearing the road or turn around. The trees were small enough inwas able to ride my dirtbike right over the top of the them. Just big enough I couldn't move them.
It's not as powerful as the saws I grew up running but has been fine for all the situations I have ran into. I would suggest a hatchet and some plastic wedges aswell.
2 weekends ago I was riding the dirt bike in some Idaho high country. There is still a lot of dead fall on the roads. The jeeps and other well equipped offroaders with winches and such were just driving off the road through the high mountain vegetation. That is what gets it shut down for everyone. Spend a few minutes clearing the road or turn around. The trees were small enough inwas able to ride my dirtbike right over the top of the them. Just big enough I couldn't move them.
Enthusiast III
I routinely camp with a trailer and always have a chainsaw in the tongue box. Stihl MS271 Farm Boss (18") is a great saw that's not too big but certainly big enough to cut 99% of the things you'll come across on any offroad adventure. If I travel without the trailer in areas with potential fallen trees then I always carry the saw on my Jeep. I also carry a full size ax, camp ax, Sven saw and my Silky 330. My entire overland/camp/trek/offroad philosophy is to be as prepared as I can be - not just for myself but for others as well.
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Member II
I carry a bow saw. Easy to pack. I’ve been cutting a tree blocking the trail and had a ranger come up and help.,
I carry a Stihl Farmboss with a 20" blade. Does everything I need it to do. I carry it in a chain saw box I obtained from Northern Tool. The box is kind of big but it holds extra fuel and oil and you cannot smell anything in the vehicle. I have thought about slimming down and getting an electric but really no sense in spending money unnecessarily just to have a few more inches of space.
Chain stretch can mean a number of things but "need a new saw" generally isn't one of them.
Chain too tight is #1 culprit, bad or inadequate lube, getting it in the dirt will wear out the drive gear which acts like a stretched chain and then the wear on the gear actually stretches the chain, and then there is the Chinamans chains.
Advocate I
Whenever we go deep we bring at least one chainsaw in the group. Really, just about anytime I go on something that isn't a "major road." Even a well-maintained fireroad can have downed trees. A lot of people's attitude is "we'll just turn back if we have to." But what if you're on an out-and-back route and a tree falls across your path once you've already gone past, but you still need to come back through the same way to get out?
-TJ
-TJ
