Buying chain

[Bermy]

So I went to the big Stihl dealer yesterday...I asked for 3/8 picco semi chisel (for my 020t) and got a blank look, and 'they don't make that' then I was shown some LP stuff that was polesaw chain...I asked for .325 semi chisel and got a 'we don't have any...'

Loads of Oregon and Windsor chain...but why doesn't a Stihl dealer stock Stihl chain one wonders?
So now I have Carlton, Oregon, Windsor chains...oh well, time to come out of my comfort zone...

 

[SkwerI]

Half the Stihl dealers around here don't know anything about chain either. If you tell them exactly what you want, they ask you what saw it's for so they can look it up. :roll:

 

[woodworkingboy]

If only the other chain makers would bring their standards up to those of Stihl chain, life could be easier.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Half the Stihl dealers around here don't know anything about chain either. If you tell them exactly what you want, they ask you what saw it's for so they can look it up. :roll:

Ditto, and I only have 1 Stihl dealer in town..... next one is 45 minutes.....
I stopped buying from them seeing they were not using any of my money to further their education .....

 

[HolmenTree]

So I went to the big Stihl dealer yesterday...I asked for 3/8 picco semi chisel (for my 020t) and got a blank look, and 'they don't make that' then I was shown some LP stuff that was polesaw chain...I asked for .325 semi chisel and got a 'we don't have any...'

Loads of Oregon and Windsor chain...but why doesn't a Stihl dealer stock Stihl chain one wonders?
So now I have Carlton, Oregon, Windsor chains...oh well, time to come out of my comfort zone...

Fiona your Stihl dealer is probably getting his sawchain inventory from a distributer who deals only in mass volumes for the whole island. I bet he's charging Stihl prices for that Oregon stuff too.
I have read your having a hard time finding small sized cutter safety pants. There is a dealer in my town who has some old inventory of pants from the 1980s that don't sell today. The waist sizes are mostly 28" inches with about a 30" or less inseam. They're in 2 types, green nylon and green wool. I believe they would only have front ballastic nylon protection but enough for a 020 or small ground saw. Very high quality Quebec manufactured with rubberized stitched bands inside the waist band to keep shirts tucked in. Zipper vents in the wool pants and some have zippers at the cuffs. The nylon summer ones are tough not like some of the cheap ones sold today.

Years ago we had young French Canadian loggers from Quebec who were small enough to wear these pants. These guys were amazingly fit and produced timber production like a pro athlete. Now today the dealer tells me they sell a pair every other year to women contract tree planters.....[another type of pro athlete]

 

[flushcut]

Buy in bulk and make your own loops, unless you like that dumbfounded look from the idiot behind the counter.

 

[woodworkingboy]

My Husky dealer might know that a new model saw has a magnesium crankcase, to tell a potential buyer, but if you say carburetor fuel inlet needle, he draws a blank. I find that the best place to find intelligence behind the counter is at a bearing supply company. They can almost create from their minds what you are looking for and then go fetch it off the shelf.

 

[Cobleskill]

Bearing houses seem to have more patience and perseverence than other parts places too. More competion?

 

[woodworkingboy]

Yeah, I noticed that too. Like they really feel for your problem when a bearing goes out, and get interested if you are wanting to build something from scratch.

 

[Al Smith]

Bearing houses are used to dealing with problems because as a rule bearings are purchased as a repair item .

 

[Bermy]

So Holmen, do they still have any of those trousers in stock?
This is Tasmania I'm talking about now for chain...in Bermuda they just let me go behind the counter and get what I need!

The smaller mower and chainsaw shops know what I'm talking about, but they rarely have Stihl chain, only Carlton, Windsor, Oregon.
A 74 link of .325 is about $32, Oregon and Windsor, a 50 link 3/8picco Carlton equivalent was $22

 

[HolmenTree]

So Holmen, do they still have any of those trousers in stock?

The last time I was in their store a month or so ago they still had some left. They're about 40 km north of me, but next time I go through which will probably be this weekend I'll ask what price they want for them.You'll probably want the wool cutter trousers seeing you're in a colder climate like Tasmania.
I'll PM you when I get more information.

 

[SkwerI]

Keep in mind she is only in Tasmania during the summer. She lives in Bermuda the other half of the year.

 

[Tree Reb]

She could always use them if she went to Cradle mountain.

You can get made up loops a fair bit cheaper than that, there's a few dealers. One did join here, but he's gone.

If you need more than a couple I'll send you the links.

 

[HolmenTree]

Keep in mind she is only in Tasmania during the summer. She lives in Bermuda the other half of the year.

Yeah she might be better off with the green summer nylon pants. I cut many a hot day over 35C in this pants. But I never had a pair in a little 28" waist

 

[Burnham]

Any pair of cut-proofs will be cooler if you wear them with suspenders and without a belt, and go with a slightly oversized waist. They vent some at the waist that way, believe it or not.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Damn B, that makes hella sense! Bummer is that most of us will be wearing a saddle or belt for wedges. Damn! At least the groundies can benefit.

 

[Bermy]

Ha ha...I'd probably get one of each...have to be able to adapt to climate change!
Its very nice in Tassie right now, sunny, probably low 70's, low humidity...kinda like winter in Bermuda
Winter will be another prospect...I like my ice in a glass with rum and coke...