Stihl MS250 plunge cutting stumps

[ultrarunner]

I decided to cut my stumps with the MS250 after not being able to rent a stump grinder a few weeks ago...

Had no problems making the cuts.

What I am wondering is plunge cutting putting too much stress on the saw?

Didn't realize at first just how hot the bar got... had plenty of Stihl bar lube in the tank.

The edge of the bar has some blueing where before it was painted...

 

[two_bit_score]

Maybe the angle you are attacking at is not allowing proper lubrication?

 

[ultrarunner]

Cutting flush with the ground... carefully dug around stump and power washed a couple of weeks ago.

Bar is 16" and stumps 30 to 36" Monterey Pine.

 

[two_bit_score]

Cutting flush with the ground... carefully dug around stump and power washed a couple of weeks ago.

Bar is 16" and stumps 30 to 36" Monterey Pine.

OK I see now.

 

[newbury]

Stihl is known for being stingy on oil. I swapped out the oilers on both my 660's for the heavy duty Aussie oilers. Make sure your oiler is maxed and take frequent breaks.

 

[Youare]

Cutting stumps usually dulls a chain pretty quick. As the chain gets dull you push a little harder which heats the bar and chain. Sharpen the chain often and take your time. No matter how clean the stump looks near the ground there is always dirt grit in the wood.

Randy

 

[TomSeller]

The tree down at the roots can encase dirt and rocks. Also, the wood is stronger.

 

[s219]

Yeah, you're dulling the chain which in turn heats up the bar more. Could also be that the dirt and debris has clogged up the oiler port, so make sure that is cleaned out and flowing.

A bad thing about flush cutting large stumps with a small saw like the 250 is that the saw head is close to the ground which is bad for airflow through the cooling fins, and you're likely making long (time wise) cuts with the saw. It can overheat or seize the saw, so be careful. I generally pull out my biggest saw (77cc) and bar (28") when cutting stumps so that it's a quick easy affair. You can really beat the snot out of a small saw like a 250 when doing that work.

 

[ultrarunner]

It's something I will avoid if possible in the future... and you are right about being close to the ground and a pile of sawdust.

The plan was to rent a stump grinder for $187 for 4 hours... the yard wouldn't let me leave with it because my truck license plate was missing the current year sticker... thefts are common and I had already paid for next year so I was driving without a current year sticker for 13 days.

Needed to get the stumps cut down for equipment access...

I really did work the saw hard and it got me to thinking...

Thanks to all for the input...

 

[XSKIER]

Wouldn't a 110 TLB work better on a stump than a MS250 any how?