3/8 vs. 325 on Husky 359; also maintenance questions

[housevet]

A little background - I heat my 2000 sq ft home entirely with a wood stove. I cut all wood from trees that have been blown down on my property & some leftovers from a timber harvest. Most wood is tulip poplar, but also some red oak, ash and other hardwoods. I cut about 10 cords for each winter. Had a Husky 350, but made a newbie mistake - didn't check/tighten bolts regularly and had a muffler bolt apparently work loose and subsequently strip it's threads. Didn't notice for a few cuts and ended up with some melted plastic parts! Not much fun, but gave me a good excuse to step up a bit to a Husky 359e!
Got a used 359 locally with 20inch bar and stock 3/8 pitch 7 tooth rim sprocket.
I just recently learned that the rim sprocket should be replaced after every second chain replacement, and that new chains should be used with new sprocket. Also learned that should only keep 2 chains in rotation to keep that sprocket replacement simple. Is that really generally advisable and do most pros or heavy use landowners do that?
I have used about 5 chains in my rotation over the last couple years as a I like to cut a LOT of firewood in one day and don't like to stop to sharpen that much. Has this really affected my saw adversely? I only replaced my sprocket (but was a spur type on the 350) once over the years that I owned the 350.
Also, since I have a couple 18inch 325 pitch bars, what would be the difference in getting a 325 pitch 7 tooth rim sprocket for my 359? After reading a bunch of previous threads about 325 vs 3/8, I think I have a reasonable idea of the basic differences, bit am unsure about the difference with specifically the Husky 359.
For cutting hardwood of some pretty good diameters - most trees are 85-125 ft tall so have a range of 2 ft diameters down to obviously much smaller - how will the 325 pitch with narrow kerf bars/chains work for my 359?
I know these are pretty basic questions, but if I don't ask, I'll just continue muddling on!
Thanks in advance for your advice!!

 

[shadow745]

I think the "replace the sprocket after 2 chains" is just a factory thing. I think it really depends on how clean the chain/sprocket stays, how well it's lubricated, not getting too hot to increase wear, etc...... I read the same thing in the manual for my 455 Rancher and I'm on my 3rd or 4th chain and all is OK. There is some wear on the sprocket teeth, but not nearly enough to bind the chain in any way. Once I have to replace it I am going with a rim/drum setup instead of the stock spur sprocket.

I'd say the .325 narrow kerf chain would make any saw cut faster because it's digging through less wood. I do love how the 3/8 pitch on my 455 digs in, but sometimes it bites too hard and slows it down a bit, but does look impressive throwing out those huge shavings. Later!

 

[LouB]

I have a 359 Husky with a 20 inch bar and 3/8 inch chain. This combination works well for hardwood like you describe. I don't think there is any real advantage to switching to a .325 chain on this saw.

Try taking the time to do a quick touch-up filing on your chain every couple of tanks of gas. This takes very little time and your saw will appreciate the attention.

As for changing the rim sprocket... If the chain is kept out of the dirt that rim seems to last a long time. I finally changed the rim sprocket in an 026 after many chain replacements and many hours of operation. The sprocket was still in good shape when it was replaced.

If your 359 is not handling the larger timber, a 441 would certainly do the job for you....

Lou Braun

 

[coug]

I'm running the pixel chain on a 350 and a 345 Husky and am quite impressed with the cutting performance of this chain in hardwoods. Both saws are running .325 pitch.

The chain stretches some wicked when new and I threw one on the 345. Both the chain and the bar were history. I replaced both and kept after the tension and things got better, but, I had one big divot right under the bar nose after a spell. Now I run the chain so tight it hurts, but that seemed to have cured the ills.

coug

 

[outdoortype]

You have to change more than the rim...

Most of the 359's come set up with a 3/8 x 7 "large spline" clutch & sprocket. Unfortunately, the .325 x 7 or. 325 x 8 tooth configuration is only available as a "small spline" rim. This means that you have to change the clutch drum $15-20 and worm gear $5-10 that allows the oil pump to mesh with the clutch. This is not brain surgery but is an added expense.

I'm a big fan of the 359 and If I didn't have a ton of 3/8 chains I would try the .325 experiment myself(I still might). I think the .325 would cut faster in the dead, hard oaks I cut 95% of the time. However, If you cut mostly Tulip Poplar you're better off sticking with 3/8 setup. I cut one large Tulip Poplar last year and the 3/8 cleared the chip and didn't get bogged down like .325 setup on my other saw. The .325 chain on my 51 kept getting jammed up with debris and especially under the clutch cover. Just my .02 and good luck!!

 

[housevet]

small vs large spline

Thanks for all the help!
A question for outdoortype: at http://bartz.wss-pro.com they have listed in their OEM parts list for the 359 a 325 x 7 rim sprocket part number 501457402. Do you know if the issue about the large vs. small spline be an issue with that particular sprocket? I was hoping that since it was listed in the husqvarna parts list for that saw that it wouldn't require any other changes to my setup.
I have been running a 350 with a .325 setup and haven't had issues with chip cloggage on the poplar, so that's why I was hoping I could switch the 359 over and use chains & bars I already have for the old 350!
Thanks again for your input!