Adding a longer bar??

[Project man]

Hello, I'm on 6+ acres of property and @ 4 acres are steep hill side terrain. I would like to remove some large trees to open up a view to the lake below us and then when I feel proficient enough, remove trees that will someday fall on to our utility line serving our home. Currently I have a Husky 450 rancher saw which works well except the chains need constant sharpening. I was wondering if anyone has replaced the standard bar on the saw and substituted a longer one for easier bucking and extended chain life? I'm new to this kind of logging and appreciate any advice and recommendations.... SH

 

[Squareground3691]

What size were you running ? your kinda limited with the saws displacement,

 

[Chevboy0167]

Husqvarna and Oregon recommend a 20" bar max.

https://www.husqvarna.com/us/chainsaws/450-rancher/

https://www.oregonproducts.com/en/p...[3].name=obsolete&fixedFilters[3].value=false

 

[Michael E]

You might want to find out first why your chains need constant sharpening and fix that. A longer chain needs more time to sharpen.

I'm pretty tall (6ft3) and even with a long bar I can't stand while bucking. I just have a heavier, unbalanced saw with less power in the cut.

 

[LuDookie]

Chains should be constantly sharpened. I can rarely get a day of cutting without sharpening a chain and end up rarely getting 3 full tanks through my big saw with a 36 or 42 inch bar before I feel like touching it up. But I like my chains to be perfectly sharp and cutting effortlessly all the time. Most saws get sharpened every 4th tank of gas, and that’s a lot of wood cut, if the chain is done right. You’ll get marginal “more chain life” with a longer bar, if even noticeable at all.

 

[Project man]

Thanks for your input..... I think I will leave the saw alone with the 20" bar and take more time and effort sharpening the chains I already have for the saw. Do you have any recommendations for purchasing a used larger reliable saw with a longer bar? My goal is to harvest mostly large oak and maple trees on my property.

 

[Mad3400]

Thanks for your input..... I think I will leave the saw alone with the 20" bar and take more time and effort sharpening the chains I already have for the saw. Do you have any recommendations for purchasing a used larger reliable saw with a longer bar? My goal is to harvest mostly large oak and maple trees on my property.

If your looking for a used modern saw to pull a 32/36 bar.

Some great choices are with the 7310, 462 or 661.


Mad3400

 

[StoneyMeadowMaple]

It sounds like a chain sharpening and potentially operation issue, I don’t say that to be impolite, but if you are constantly feeling the chain is dull, keep an eye on your techniques, my FIL runs his chain into the dirt first cut every time, as such his saw is always dull. I have full chisel for the 550 which I take off every time I finish with it. A properly sharp chain on that saw with a 20”
Bar should be no problem in reasonably sized hardwood. Lots of good info out there on sharpening, but avoid gimmick sharpening devices, a good file, flat file, and raker guide are all you really need.

 

[LuDookie]

Thanks for your input..... I think I will leave the saw alone with the 20" bar and take more time and effort sharpening the chains I already have for the saw. Do you have any recommendations for purchasing a used larger reliable saw with a longer bar? My goal is to harvest mostly large oak and maple trees on my property.

There’s a bit of a learning curve when it comes to sharpening. There are tons of videos and stuff on it nowadays and they are worth watching. A sharp, nice cutting chain is more than half the battle.

As far as used and reliable…. That’s a gamble. I cut with 36” and 42” bars regularly, often buried and needing more, and I feel like nothing quite pulls them like a 395xp. I bought mine new and take care of it and feel like it’s as durable and reliable as it gets. Chainsaws are the most mistreated tool out there. Everything I’ve bought used has not been maintained to the level I like, and eventually failed.

 

[Project man]

Thanks so much for the recommendations and advice...... I have a lot of information to go over before I buy a larger more powerful saw....

 

[fields_mj]

FWIW, when cutting hardwoods, most people don't run their chains any more than 2 tanks of fuel meaning that after the 2nd tank of fuel the either the chain gets sharpened or gets swapped out for another sharp chain. Some of us even sharpen after every tank of fuel. If your chain is dulling faster than that, then (as others have mentioned) you're getting into some dirt. Either you're letting the tip touch the ground, or there's dirt embedded in or under the bark. This happens a lot if you're cutting logs that have been skidded/drug out of the woods.

As far as bigger saws and bigger bars, how big are the trees you think you will be cutting? If you provide as much information as possible, the folks on here will usually give really good advice on saws that will fit your application. The MS400 that was mentioned is a good saw that has an excellent power/weight ratio, but it's not been on the market very long. Finding a used one that's in good shape will likely be difficult. I don't have any history with Husqvarna saws so I can't make any recommendations there. They make great equipment, but all of my stuff has been Stihl. On the Stihl products, the newest models (MS400, MS462) lighter than than previous models of similar power. Spending more for the newer model may be harder on your wallet, but you're getting something in return. Whether or not its worth the extra cost to you is a different story.

 

[Project man]

Great advice and now I don't feel so bad sharpening the chain after cutting old dried hardwood like locus and oak....I will pay closer attention on how I sharpen the chain and be more selective when I buy new chains considering some are better for different cutting conditions and wood types.....BTW you operate some big ass saws!!

 

[fields_mj]

I don't run my big saws very often. I mainly just cut my own firewood, but I do a little bit volunteer work with a disaster relief organization. My favorite saws are my 036s. To me they have plenty of power with minimal weight. The 026 is also nice for limbing and smaller firewood. Having said that, if I were buying new saws today, I wouldn't even consider a 362. The 261 is too close in performance and weighs less, and the 400 has more power and weighs about the same so the 036/360 family of saws has essentially become obsolete IMHO.

I only run my big saws when I need to. I bought them to run with a 28" bar so I could easily noodle rounds that were otherwise too large for me to lift into the back of my truck. They also come out when I have a stack of logs that I'm bucking and I can cut through multiples at a time. They also come in handy when I run into something that's bigger than 20". My 036 saws will handle those trees, but the extra power makes a big difference when dealing with bigger trees. Then there's the occasional BIG tree that has to be dealt with. I bought the 42" bar to deal with a particular oak that died in the back of my yard. Where I originally planned on cutting it, it measured over 6' across and I was iffy on whether or not I'd run into trouble with a 36" bar. I ended up making the face cut about 2 ft higher where the trunk had narrowed to about 5-1/2'. The trunk produced 3 straight logs that were each over 10' long. The smallest end of the smallest log was still about 6" more than the 42" bar could reach through in one straight pass. I actually toasted my 064 cutting that log into firewood (it had insect damage). I had a friend of mine mill the others 2 and we split the lumber. I had to mill the those two in half in order to get them winched up onto my trailer. Part of me wishes I had gone with a 36" bar because the 42" is so heavy. The other part of me was glad to have the 42" bar to mill those logs in half. That said, I hope I never have to run that bar again. Not my definition of fun.