Whether you live in a town that’s currently enjoying warm days and bright sun or is covered in feet of snow, this is about the time when you need to start thinking about your spring yard care needs. Just because the snow is gone doesn’t mean the work is over – powerful thunderstorms and stronger natural disasters can throw tree limbs and other debris around your property much more easily than a snow storm.
But if you’ve been using your Husqvarna chainsaw all winter, odds are it might need some tender loving care before it’s ready to take on Mother Nature in springtime. While regular maintenance is essential for small motor machines, you’ll want to pay particular attention to these three changes you can make to get your chainsaw in shape for spring.
Prepare your chainsaw now for a smooth transition into spring.
1. Stay sharp
Even people who’ve never touched a chainsaw in their lives will probably say that the blade is the most important part of the machine – and they’d be right. A well-adjusted and sharpened blade can make all the difference between a clean cut and a chainsaw that skips around, putting you in danger.
However, after an entire winter of slicing cold-hardened wood, your chain won’t be near the condition it was in at the start of the season. A dull blade can’t bite into whatever you’re trying to cut, so it might skip across the surface. If you’re not the most seasoned chainsaw operator, this could spell disaster.
Instead, take some time while it’s still cold out to either sharpen or change the blade of your chainsaw. With the proper safety precautions, you can manually file the teeth with a handheld tool, or you can just replace the blade wholesale and start spring with a fresh edge.
“Even the best designed machines need some maintenance every now and then.”
2. Air it out
In the world of chainsaws where these machines work in very harsh and debris-filled environments, you definitely get what you pay for. Inexpensive models might easily get jammed up with sawdust and other materials, but tools like the Husqvarna 240 14″chainsaw have enough power to push through any job.
Even the best designed machines need some maintenance every now and then, and you’ll definitely want to clear out the air filter in your chainsaw before spring starts and the cutting jobs really start rolling in. The filter is designed to catch debris that would otherwise harm the engine and other internal structures, so you should actually be cleaning this more regularly than between seasons.
3. Name that tune
The blades might get all the glory, but it’s the engine that really makes the chainsaw what it is. That’s why you should be in the habit of performing regular tune-ups on your tool’s carburetor.
This can be a complex process with dozens of steps, so you shouldn’t attempt to mess around with the internal parts of your chainsaw if you’re not completely comfortable. Your local hardware store should be able to fix your chainsaw just in time for spring.