[Does’ Leap]

Hi John:

I am considering a Stihl 631. My dealer (who also sells Husky) is pushing this saw. He brought me back into the shop to look at my saw and his shop was filled with Husqvarna saws and not one Stihl. He hasn’t had a major Stihl repair for the 5 years he has been carrying them.

The downside is the 631 is almost a pound heavier than the 372 and doesn’t turn as fast – plenty of torque though. It is also more expensive (pushing $1000). Hope to borrow a logger friend’s 631 and give it a try. He loves it. Anyone run Stihls out there?

George

[Does’ Leap]

Other picture…

[Does’ Leap]

“George,
Do you have any pictures of that arrangement for reference?”

Hi Ed:

Pictures aren’t great but they show some of my modifications. One shows the beefier 1/2″ eye bolts. These are particularly important where you have two eyebolts are linked together as they get a lot of ware, but for an extra couple of bucks, I would add them to where your front side straps attach to the yoke as well.

The other picture shows my mower pole. I found that when I switched to a plug yoke on my mower, it brought my pole up too high and I was worried about oil distribution in the gear box. Stacking and welding pipe on top of the pole (pictured) brought the pole length down. Not elegant, but it worked. I have since purchased dollies for my two mowers and don’t need this set-up. Now I just have one 3/4″ pipe welded to the top of the steel pole cap. The only other change not pictured is beefing up to a 3/4″, grade-8 plug.

George

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Hi Brad:

Any issues with the new fangled carburetor on the 562, or non-carburetor I should say? A commercial logging buddy of mine with a large skidder figures he should get about a year out of saw, but he is cutting 5-6 mbf/day. Go figure.

I still have my old Husky 365 and it is still going (with some repairs) having cut 3-4x the footage than I was able to cut with that 372.

George

[Does’ Leap]

I have also used the plug yoke exclusively for the past 6 years or so. It is a great set-up. I have made a few modifications to Les’s design: (1) He suggested using 3/8 eye bolts. I wore through those after about 1.5 years and have gone with 1/2″ eye bolts instead. So far so good. (2) Original design calls for a 5/8 plug, I have gone to 3/4″ grade 8 steel. If you use grade 8, take care to keep it as cool as possible while welding it. (3) Instead of drilling through the steel receiver and into your wood on the end of the pole to receive the “plug” part of the yoke, I weld a short piece of 3/4″ pipe on the top of the receiver. This extends the life of the pole, is a more secure home for the yoke, and enables you to put a cotter pin on the end of your “plug” to prevent the yoke from slipping out while harnessing.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Thanks for sharing that Erika. I do not participate in Facebook and it is it nice to see some of that conversation.

Carl, thanks for the articulate insight. I would be interested to read about your interactions with your new team.

George

[Does’ Leap]

We have not personally dealt with scratches, but I have heard of people curing their horses of chronic problems with Selenium supplementation. It would be worth seeing if she is currently supplemented and it might be a good thing to try.

Kristan

[Does’ Leap]

I have an 80 bushel Lancaster on two wheels and love it. I have had problems with the forecart side-slipping on wet side hills and, like Tom, I need to be careful about jack-knifing at the bottom of hills.

George

[Does’ Leap]

“George-
What are you using for your poles? Hornbeam, round or squared is pretty bombproof and easy to come by…”

I use almost exclusively ash. I have a hardhack pole on my scoot. I have done some research on wood characteristics and suitability for poles and have even consulted an engineer at the University of Vermont. As you might have imagined, poles not only need to be strong, but flexible. Turns out, ash – above all other species – fits the bill perfectly (at least according to my research).

I still manage to break ’em. Some of this is due to the fact that some of my equipment is not kept undercover and moisture, over time, will undermine strength. I have broken poles mowing, raking hay, moving blocked firewood in a wagon, and several poles on my logging arch.

Aluminum seems like a good alternative!

George

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Does' Leap.

[Does’ Leap]

Aluminum seems like a great alternative to steel and wood. I have broken close to half a dozen wooden polls in the past 7 years or so. With the exception of one time which resulted in a wreck, breaking these polls was non-eventful (other than the hassle). I have been thinking of alternatives to wood ever since and have ruled out steel.

Bill, what are the specs on your pole (wall thickness and overall dimensions)?

George

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I have never used Samsom but I have received their catalogs and they seem pricey. Before committing to Sampson it would be worth getting a quote from Zimmerman’s Harness – highly recommended. (717)354-5667. I also suggest looking into the length of the front tug (via the search on the forum) which harness makers generally make too long. I think mine is 22″ for a 17 h horse.

George

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Anton, as Jay stated the trailer gear mowers were meant to be towed behind a tractor. I am not 100% sure but I believe that they were geared lower than the standard #9 to account for the higher tractor speed. If I were you, I would stay away from them.

George

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Good story with a good ending! Glad it worked out OK for you and your team.

George

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Ditto on the above comments. I’ve done it. Not a bad job and well worth the effort. I think I put two seals on there for good measure. To add to Jay’s suggestion, I snapped a half dozen pictures of the gear assembly as I was taking it apart to refer back to during the reassembly.

Good luck.

George

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I have rigged a v-plow for my bobsled which worked well. It removed a good portion of the snow from the main skid roads. I have also used an 8′ section of pulpwood and hitched it to the back of my logging arch at an angle with 2 chains which worked as a hybrid plow and packer. The latter of the 2 methods I think worked best and is easier to put together. Finally, just yarding wood is effective but obviously difficult for a while.

George

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