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50-Hp Hot Saw Cuts Logs In Record Time
When it comes to cutting through logs, Rick Halvorson, AlmaCenter, Wis.,is a cut above the rest.
Halvorson uses a souped-up, stripped-down version of a conventional chain saw - he calls it his "Hot Saw" - to compete at lumberjack contests. Last year he set a world's record at the Lumberjack World Championship nea
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50-Hp Hot Saw Cuts Logs In Record Time WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Chain Saws 18-1-20 When it comes to cutting through logs, Rick Halvorson, AlmaCenter, Wis.,is a cut above the rest.
Halvorson uses a souped-up, stripped-down version of a conventional chain saw - he calls it his "Hot Saw" - to compete at lumberjack contests. Last year he set a world's record at the Lumberjack World Championship near Hayward, Wis., zip-ping through a 20-in. dia. white pine log three times in only 8.03 seconds. Of the 13 contests Halvorson entered last year, he won 12 and took second place in the other one.
Halvorson's 50 hp saw has a 26-in. long bar and weighs a hefty 65 Ibs. However, he has a built-in advantage for handling the big saw - his weight. "I weigh 330 lbs. so when I pick up my Hot Saw, it minds me pretty well," says Rick.
The engine on Rick's saw came off a racing 3-wheeler ATV. It was rebuilt to increase the rpm's from 8,000 to 11,500. The fuel intake port was rebuilt so that fuel flows directly into the crankcase instead of having to go through the cylinder first. A tapered expansion chamber on the engine increases horsepower by 30 to 40%. Exhaust from the expansion chamber is pushed back into the cylinder just as the pistons come up, increasing compression. A steel frame connects the engine tothesaw, which is equipped with a two-part handle. The back handle is fastened to the frame, and the top handle is fastened to the engine.
Bars and sprockets must be special made to fit the chain, which has a 1/2 in. pitch (the pitch is the length of each link) compared to the normal 3/8-in. pitch, and the teeth are much higher than on a conventional chain so they can carry away more wood chips. There are only a couple companies in the U.S. that make the sprockets. Halvorson builds his own chain bars by welding together pieces of conventional bars.
It takes about 15 hours to sharpen the chain, and he has to resharpen it after every contest. "Each tooth has to be sharpened exactly right because in competition, one or two hundredths of a second can make a big difference. At Hayward, all of the finalists were within one second of each other."
Contact. FARM SHOW Followup, Rick Halvorson, N 1125 S. Alma Center Road, Alma Center, Wis. 54611 (ph 715 964-8451).
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