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A Chainsaw is a type of hand tool available in Farming Simulator 15, designed to cut down trees and clear the branches off the resulting logs. This is the first step in the process of Forestry, and Chainsaws will likely remain your primary tool for this job until the later stages of game.

There are three Chainsaws available in the base game - but they are entirely identical to one another in terms of functionality. The only differences between the three saws is decorative.

List of Chainsaws[]

Chainsaw Price
($)
Maintenance
($ / day)
Husqvarna

Husqvarna 550

1,000 0
Mcculloch

McCulloch CS 410

1,000 0
Jonsered

Jonsered CS 2252

1,000 0

Overview[]

The Chainsaw is the most basic and most important tool for Forestry, at least during the early game. It can perform three important functions: Cutting down trees, chopping them into comfortably-sized logs, and stripping the branches off the logs. Once these three steps are completed, you will have Logs that can be sold for profit, or further processed into Wood Chips.

The Chainsaw is a hand-held tool. It does not exist in the game world after being purchased, but will appear "out of thin air" whenever it is required, and put back into nothingness when the work is done. You may only purchase one of each model of Chainsaw - the game will not allow you to have more than one of each. There is no functional need to purchase more than one chainsaw at all.

When in first-person mode, the Chainsaw can be pulled out and put to work on any type of tree in the game. To do so, orient the Chainsaw at the angle you wish to cut the tree in, and put the blade edge of the chainsaw right next to the tree. A blue circle will appear, showing you where the tree will cut. Activate the saw and hold it until the cut is complete. Small branches are easier to cut - simply move the Chainsaw into contact with the branch while it is active, and the branch will disappear.

Once the process is complete, the resulting Logs can be loaded into a Log Trailer, for transport elsewhere. The Logs can be sold directly at the Lumberyard for a tidy profit. Alternatively, Logs can be further processed by a Wood Chipper to create Wood Chips, which are even more profitable.

At the later stages of the game, you can purchase a Tree Cutter machine that can automate the cutting process and make it very quick and accurate. However, the only Tree Cutter available in the base game, the Ponsse ScorpionKing, is both prohibitively expensive and only capable of working with Fir trees.

Purchase and Storage[]

Chainsaws can be purchased from the store just like any other piece of equipment. Each Chainsaw available in the base game costs exactly $1,000, and there is no functional difference between them.

Once purchased, the Chainsaw is put into storage. It does not appear anywhere in the game world, and does not need to be picked up, dropped, or transported from place to place.

Instead, in first-person mode (i.e., when not inside a vehicle), you can use one of several different methods to put the Chainsaw in your hands immediately. Depending on whether you are playing the game on a PC or Console, the controls for pulling out a Chainsaw will be different.

Once in your hand, the Chainsaw can be put to work immediately. It does not need to be fueled. It can be put away at any time, in which case it will disappear from the game world again, and can be called back as described above.

Processing Trees[]

The Chainsaw's only designed purpose is to cut down trees, and transform them into Logs. The Chainsaw can cut any type of tree available in the base game.

The tree-cutting process has three separate stages, which must all be performed in order to turn a tree into Logs. Each step is discussed separately, below.

Cutting Down a Tree[]

Once you have selected the tree you wish to cut, pull out your Chainsaw and approach that tree. Put the Chainsaw as close as possible to the outer edge of the tree. If the Chainsaw is correctly positioned, a blue ring should appear around the tree trunk.

Note that you may first need to orient your chainsaw properly, depending on what angle you wish to cut the tree at. Rotate the Chainsaw to a horizontal angle to make a clean cut right through the trunk. Rotate it diagonally to make a diagonal cut. Note that your Chainsaw starts off at a vertical angle, which cannot be used to cut standing trees. The blue cutting ring will not appear while the Chainsaw is at this angle.

Once the blue ring is visible and at the correct angle, press and hold the cutting button to cut through the tree. As soon as you press the button, the ring will turn green, to indicate that the cutting is in progress. You must hold the button down until the ring turns blue again - indicating that the cut has been completed.

Note that releasing the cutting button before the cut is complete will cause it to be aborted. An aborted cut, regardless of how deep it went into the tree, has absolutely no effect on the tree whatsoever. Only completed cuts will affect a tree at all.

If the cutting angle was sufficiently diagonal, the tree should fall over on its own after the first cut. If the tree has not fallen over, you may need to ram it with a vehicle to cause it to fall.

Stripping Branches[]

The next step will be to remove all of the smaller branches off the tree. These small branches jut out of the trunk of the tree, and usually appear darker in color. Most notably, small branches often (but not always) bear leaves on them.

Cutting these small branches off is quite easy. A small branch will simply disappear whenever it comes in contact with an active Chainsaw. You can keep the Chainsaw cutting button down and simply move it to touch each small branch until they all disappear.

Note that if the tree is lying in a certain angle on the ground, some of the smaller branches may be hiding underground. To clear them off, you may need to force the log to roll over. This can be done with a vehicle ramming the felled tree.

Cutting Logs[]

Once the tree has been cleared of smaller branches, it is essentially ready for sale. However, it will be difficult to transport as one piece, and would not fetch an optimal price. Therefore, at this stage, the Chainsaw can be used to chop the tree into several pieces.

To do this, once again, align the edge of the chainsaw with the edge of the tree at the point where you wish to cut, and rotate it into the correct angle. When the blue ring appears around the tree, click and hold the cutting button until the cut is completed. The ring will turn green while cutting, and will then turn blue again once the cut is completed. If you release the cutting button prematurely, the tree will not be affected.

For highest profits, make sure the pieces you cut are as straight as possible. It is best to make your cuts at a point where the tree trunk makes visible bends.

Stripping Larger Branches[]

Some types of trees have additional branches that are almost as thick as the trunk. These must be removed using the same cutting procedure described above for felling the tree and cutting it into logs. Depending on tree type, the removed branches may or may not be large enough to be carried off and sold along with the trunk.

Note that some trees, like the Fir, do not have such larger branches.

Controls (PC)[]

  • Chainsaws can be activated in first person mode by pressing the X button, or by using the scroll wheel.
  • Holding down the left mouse button runs the chainsaw at full power, allowing it to cut through small branches or saw through larger trunks and branches.
  • In order to cut a larger branch, wait for a blue circle to appear around the trunk. This circle marks the area that will be cut. When the sawing is begun, the circle turns green, and then will turn blue again after the sawing is complete.
  • The chainsaw can be rotated using the J and N buttons, or by holding down the right mouse button and dragging the mouse horizontally.
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