How to tension the chain on your Husqvarna chain saw

How to tension the chain on a chainsaw. Tips for tightening the chain. Chains on a chainsaw

Owners of chain saws are occasionally faced with a common problem. the chain starts to fly off the chainsaw or electric saw. We will learn why this is the case later in this review.

There are only three main reasons why a chain comes off:

Let’s look at why this or that problem occurs:

If the chain is stretched, it begins to sag, slipping off the tire

The reason, most likely, in the wear of the component itself. The chain has a finite life and is the most rapidly wearing working element of a chainsaw or electric saw. The metal is deformed due to the loads, so it not only blunts, but also becomes about 1 cm. Longer than on a new tool. The easiest way is to change the part, which means buying and installing a new chain.

For information on how to tighten the chain and whether it is possible to tighten the chain at home, in the review.

If there are problems with the bar, they lie in the place where it is fastened.

This reason is quite common: in the groove located between the outer plate installed on the chainring and the inner plate located on the body of the gasoline or electric saw. The cover is usually fastened with a bolt. This mount is called a motor mount. The tire mount, like the drive sprocket, is covered with protective covers. When the bolts on the mounts come loose, the tire vibrates more and starts to move.

If the bar is okay, tensioning is normal, as is the operation of the tool itself. If it is the bar that is causing the chain to stretch, fasten the bar and check the chainwheel.

Trouble with the sprocket.

If the drive sprocket is poorly secured, the chainsaw chain will also need to be tensioned, because sag cannot be avoided. Secure the bar sprocket by removing the engine guard, spark plugs and pulling out the air filter. A stopper is installed in place of the spark plug, the main task of which is to secure the piston. Then you can use a special wrench or a universal wrench for angle grinder to spin the clutch disk in the clockwise direction.

Make sure that the piston is in its end position. if you look in the hole to screw in the spark plug, the piston should be at the bottom.

Once you’ve got the piston locked in place, you can start to clamp the drive sprocket. Then all the elements are assembled in reverse order.

How to tension the chain on a chainsaw

The first thing the new chain saw owner has to learn after learning how to work safely with a powerful tool is how to adjust it. The next thing is to do after getting acquainted with the instruction manual testing the work, and if the saw doesn’t work correctly, the chain tensioning is probably the wrong reason. That’s why the question immediately arises. How to tension the chain on a chainsaw?

Usually manufacturers indicate in the chainsaw manual how to do it, but if for some reason it is lost, or the device was obtained without it, for example, by inheritance, the text below will help you find the right answer.

How to tension the chain?

To properly tighten the chain on the chain saw Husqvarna when the engine is not running, first release the screws that secure the cover. After that, the part that corrects the tensioning is turned. If the links are sagging at the bottom (even a little), they need to be tightened. Before you tighten the chain on your chainsaw (Husqvarna, for example), it’s a good idea to read the included documents. After all, the mechanisms of different firms have their own differences.

How the chain should be tensioned on the chainsaw? You can determine this by lifting it up. The shank should normally be loaded one-third of the way down the groove. If it is out completely, tighten the chain. If it is less than two thirds out, loosen it. When cranking, the links should run freely over the bar. After a normal tensioning motion by hand, the chainrings still have some inertia. If the chain slackens momentarily, it is an indication of overtightening.

To quickly tension the chain on your STIHL chain saw, there are special chain tensioning tools that help you do this without using a wrench. To use them, simply release the sprocket cover and then turn the adjusting wheel to the left to loosen, to the right to tighten. All this is only done when the links are cold.

How to rivet

You’ll need a repair link for the connection. Replacement sprockets can be found at any store that sells chainsaws and chain saw supplies. When buying a replacement link, be sure to consider the chain type, pitch, and profile. Links from different types of headsets are not interchangeable. Using a donor link from an old one is not recommended. The rivets are worn out, so you’ll need to grind the top plate for a good fit.

The link with the rivets is put on the chain and placed on the anvil with the open side up. After that, the top plate is put on the rivets and lightly tapped with a hammer so that it would sit as tightly as possible. After that you can start to flatten the rivets. Anvil, bead and hammer are used for this.

The headset is placed on the anvil, the chisel is placed on the rivet, and a sharp blow is made with the hammer. The second rivet is riveted in the same way. As a result, in the protruding part of the rivet, there should be a thickening that will reliably hold the upper plate of the link, not allowing it to disconnect.

The last step is to check that the chain link is moving and that it is not jammed when riveting.

Important: if the work was carried out incorrectly and the repair link does not go, then you can not install such a chain on a chainsaw.

Consider what can happen if you rivet incorrectly.

A chainsaw chain, if you look closely, has the saw teeth pointing in one direction. That’s why it’s so easy to find the right direction of the saw teeth on the guide bar:

If you position the chain saw itself in the plane of the guide bar, the row of teeth on top of the guide bar should be pointing towards the end of the bar with its sharp edges. Whereas the row of teeth at the bottom of the chainsaw should point in the opposite direction to the drive sprocket with their sharp edges.

You can’t put the chain with its teeth facing inward against the grooves in the guide bar, it just won’t fit on the bar. That’s why it is necessary to put the chain on the guide bar in such a way that the guide lugs of the saw blade links are turned to the guide bar.

Sequence of chain change and adjustment

Changing the chain on a domestic and professional chainsaw is in no way technically difficult. The key to successful adjustment is to follow the instructions in the instruction manual carefully.

Because of the thermal expansion of the metal, the chain can only be fitted on the guide bar when the bar is cold and needs to be adjusted afterwards.

  • The classic solution involves turning on the anti-rotation lock, unscrewing the threaded fasteners, removing the guide bar and clearing the sawdust from the guide slot.
  • Then check that the size of the shanks corresponds to the slot width, determine which side of the chain is on the chainsaw, attach the bar and adjust the chain in the sequence shown in the manual.
  • Before putting the chain on the chain saw, make sure the chain direction on the chain saw is as described and that the chain tensioning mechanism has enough slack.

After adjusting a new chain it is recommended to run the saw at medium rpm for 2-3 minutes, and then check the chain tensioning once again. This moment can be combined with a visual inspection of the lubrication system.

Idler design and operating principle

The chain tension is adjusted by simply sliding the bar:

Husqvarna | Tensioning the Chain on a Chainsaw.

The bar is moved with a simple gear mechanism that transmits the force from the adjusting screw to the bar.

There is a spike on the adjusting shaft, which must necessarily fall into the hole on the bar when installing it. This engagement is what makes the bar move when adjusting.

the screw is located under the hole in the drive sprocket cover on the side or front, depending on the chainsaw model.

Most models have a slot for a flat-blade screwdriver. Its clockwise or counterclockwise rotation moves the guide bar slowly, in millimeters per revolution. This allows the proper tension to be obtained simply and accurately.

The tensioner mechanism is simple and therefore quite reliable. Fails for only one reason. if pinion gears are made of soft or brittle metal. Some unscrupulous manufacturers use parts made with powder metallurgy. The teeth on such gears slip quickly.

In such cases you have to change the whole assembly. The chain can be tensioned by hand or with a vise. The guide bar is clamped carefully, without pressure on the grooves, in a vice, the chainsaw is pulled away from the vice until the necessary tensioning of the chain is achieved. It is a temporary measure. The chain needs to be tightened often and without an adjustment mechanism it is inconvenient to do so.

adjustment is carried out with the bar with the chain fully in place, with the fastening nuts loosened, of which there can be one or two, depending on the model.

Expert’s tip

New chains stretch more than old ones in the first hours. That’s why you should check the tensioning after the first 12 to 20 minutes. work.

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Overloading will overload the engine with loss of power and wear out the cutting attachments and chainsaw parts, especially the drive and clutch sprocket.

After 3 to 4 chainrings wear out, the bar should be replaced with a new one.

After 6 to 8 chains and 2 tires have been worn, the condition of the drive sprocket should be evaluated. They wear out after a different lifetime on different models. Worn sprocket teeth have irregular sizes. Even if the chain doesn’t slip on them, its life is shortened.

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After every tensioning adjustment, it is advisable to lubricate the drive sprocket at the end of the bar. There are special holes near it for that. The oil from the pump gets there on a residual principle, and sometimes not at all. That’s why you should have a lubricator on hand with a wrench and screwdriver for tensioning. 3 to 4 drops are sufficient for lubrication.

Lack of lubrication speeds up wear on cutting bar and chain stretching. Planned oil consumption varies with the chainsaw. Some models have 1 oil last almost as long as 1 tank of gasoline. Others use up to 1 oil can for 2 gasoline pumps. Good lubrication is indicated by an oily sheen and soft running of the chain in the groove.

No low-quality chains should be used. They stretch quickly, damage the parts in contact with them and need to be tightened more often.

Keyless tensioning system

It is relatively new, if not cutting edge. Differs from the classic wrench, as follows:

Instead of a nut with a key for 13 on the cover is a wing nut (rotary cap) with a handle for tightening by hand. It also has a nut, but it is hidden inside. instead of the screwdriver adjusting screw on this system, the tension is adjusted by means of the tensioning wheel (adjusting knob).

Instead of a pinion shaft there is a sprocket and a tension washer.

  • the mechanism itself is more complicated than a traditional wrench;
  • the installation of the cutting set causes more problems, because the.к. Makes it difficult to mate all the parts in the right order;
  • Smaller adjustment stroke, slightly stretched chain will still work with the traditional tensioning system, here it will sag and become unserviceable.

the only positive point is: you don’t need a screwdriver and wrench, you can adjust and tighten it by hand. Positive feedback on this system can not be noted. On the contrary, there are a large number of negative ones. To those accustomed to the traditional adjustment, keyless system during assembly seems to be a technical puzzle.

Perhaps, in time, the keyless system will prove its right to use. But it still comes to the point where customers take their new chain saws back to the store and change it for a conventional one, still not having understood the assembly and advantages of the new system.