Mountain Bike Accessories for Trail Work
Chain Saw Carrier
Missoula smokejumper Keith Wolferman designed and fabricated the simple, yet effective chain saw carrier that MTDC sent to Alaska for testing (Figure 2). He built it to fit a Stihl 036 with 20-inch (508-mm) bar, a fairly large saw. If you decide you want some of these, build them to fit the saws you will be carrying. We do not recommend carrying saws larger than the one we tested. The smaller the saw, the easier it will be to transport.
Figure 2-MTDC's prototype chain saw carrier consists
of a power head cushion and side scabbard.
The rack is simple. Three layers of one half inch (12.7-mm), closed-cell foam were glued together with spray adhesive and topped by a one-sixteenths of an inch (1.6-mm) sheet of aluminum. The rack fits snugly on top of the bike rack as a cushion for the saw's power head (Figure 3).
Figure 3-The power head cushion topped with sheet
aluminum needs to be high enough so that the saw dogs clear
the side scabbard. The height will vary with different brands of saws.
The side scabbard was fabricated from two pieces of inexpensive, high-density one and an eighth inch (3.2-mm) polyethylene plastic, with a three-eighths of an inch (9.5-mm) spacer between the pieces. The Seward trail crew found that the saw teeth chewed through the soft polyethylene, and they recommended that the inside of the top of the scabbard be lined with one-sixteenths of an inch (1.6-mm) aluminum, folded back over the top of the scabbard. Perhaps the teeth could be shielded from direct contact with the polyethylene by a tight-fitting rubber or plastic guard that could be slipped over the teeth before the bar was placed in the scabbard. We don't have all the details yet on the best fix for this problem.
We selected the heavy-duty Blackburn Expedition EX-1+ rear cargo rack as a mount for the chain saw scabbard. We also tried the heavy-duty Burley Moose Rack, available from that company's dealers on special order. Both worked equally well. The Seward trail crew also used the carrier with the less expensive Blackburn Mountaineering rack. It worked fine, too.
We designed our prototype to be permanently mounted to the rack (Figure 4). This was a mistake, because the trail crew sometimes needed to remove the chain saw carrier without taking the rack off. All the fasteners on the cargo rack had been treated with Loctite to keep them from loosening. Future versions of the chain saw carrier need to feature bendable hook attachments rather than solid loop attachments to hold both the power head cushion and side scabbard to the cargo rack.
Figure 4-We should have used clips
rather than the closed clamps shown so the
chain saw carrier could be removed easily.
So long as the saw was nearly all that was being carried, it could be carried safely, despite its high center of gravity and its weight on the back of the bike (Figure 5).
Figure 5-Two bikes, one for saw and one for gear, are needed to
outfit a crew. Handlebar bags on the front help to balance weight in rear.
The bike's front shocks limit the ability to carry offsetting weight up front. Front cargo racks and shocks are not compatible. A second bike is needed to transport safety gear like chain saw chaps, first aid kit, gas, oil, personal protective equipment, saw kit, radio, bike tool kit, ax, water filter, personal gear, water, and food. Each bike carries at least 30 pounds (13.5 kg). Needless to say, use the smallest saw that will meet your needs.
