Best bar length

[John Bruner]

YIPPEE! Since I posted my comment; I placed a call to Oregon. And the gentleman I spoke with FOUND my bar! He said it was one they supplied to Dewalt for their 20" battery operated saw.
He gave me the part number and I found it on Amazon! In a couple of weeks I will have my lightweight 20" EGO chainsaw!

Thank you to everyone's suggestions. I'm sure one of them would have worked out as well.

 

[John Bruner]

Thank you to everyone's suggestions. I'm sure one of them would have worked out as well.

I've got another question; is the drive link specified on the side of the guide bar common to all chainsaws on which the bar might fit?
Meaning of course that the studs and tensioner and oil hole all line up. Or does it matter which brand or model saw you intend to put it on?

 

[Hickock56]

It's a question of whether you prefer a 50-60cc saw with a short bar that requires the operator to bend over or kneel, or do you prefer a +70cc saw with a much longer bar that allows you to buck firewood that's on the ground without bending over.

By the time you throw a 32" bar on a 72cc saw, there's no comparison in weight to a 50cc saw with a 16"-20" bar. Even though the saw is heavier, you end up operating it close to your body instead of having to kneel or reach out with it like you would with a smaller saw and shorter bar. Even a 10 lb power head with a 16" bar gets heavy when you're holding it out at arms length for a while.

That's exactly where I'm at, I was just trying to verify my thinking wasn't incorrect. I'm definitely leaning the direction of the 28 or 32 at least for large softwood. I'm already good at wearing myself out with the 20" on the 390, and I've learned the limitations of the 500i pushing it hard. It's only money right might as well keep Stihl and my local shop in business.

 

[fields_mj]

That's exactly where I'm at, I was just trying to verify my thinking wasn't incorrect. I'm definitely leaning the direction of the 28 or 32 at least for large softwood. I'm already good at wearing myself out with the 20" on the 390, and I've learned the limitations of the 500i pushing it hard. It's only money right might as well keep Stihl and my local shop in business.

Yeah, a 390 is NOT a saw you want want to run at arms length. It's a great saw for bucking, but you're going to be bending over a fair amount with it. There's no harm in getting a longer bar for your 500 and see how you like it. I don't see any reason an 80cc saw shouldn't run a 28" or 32" bar. Even if you don't end up liking it, you've added the longer bar to your list of tools should you ever need it. If you're like me, you WILL eventually need it...

 

[TOTALCHAOS69]

I bought my 500i with a 36” bar. It’s awfully nose heavy though. Seems like my 391 and 500i are the same weight but I don’t remember for sure. The 500 usually has a 25” on it and the 391 a 20”. Wonder what the weight difference is in a regular 36” and a 36” Light?

 

[fields_mj]

Here's what I was able to find with regards to the weight of various Stihl 36" bars. I can't personally verify the information, but the values were posted with pictures of each of the bars sitting on a digital scale which is good enough for me.


36" Stihl ES bar .050 hard to read but says - 5 lb 2.0 oz

36" Stihl ES bar .063 says 5lb 0.5oz

36" Stihl ES Light Bar .050 3lb 10.5 oz

36" Stihl ES WIDE tip bar 5lb 7 oz

36" Tsumura light weight bar .063 4 lb

 

[bruiser2]

I'm of the three saw method 362 for felling the trees with a 25-in bar 026 with a 20 inch bar for bucking and the 201tfor limbing . Now mind you this is all predicated on what type of wood how large and how hard

 

[Hickock56]

I'm of the three saw method 362 for felling the trees with a 25-in bar 026 with a 20 inch bar for bucking and the 201tfor limbing . Now mind you this is all predicated on what type of wood how large and how hard

I have been giving the 201T a hard look for a while, that saw would definitely fill a niche for limbing and smaller stuff. I'm really good at pushing my saws and myself hard and our wood varies around here quite a bit. It'd help to have more tools in the toolbox to match conditions for sure.

 

[fields_mj]

I'm of the three saw method 362 for felling the trees with a 25-in bar 026 with a 20 inch bar for bucking and the 201tfor limbing . Now mind you this is all predicated on what type of wood how large and how hard

I'm curios why you fell with the 362 but buck with the 026? I like my 026, but personally I prefer my 036 for both of those tasks. Even with the same 18" or 20" bar on both saws, my 036 walks circles around my 026 when I'm bucking hardwood of any size (over 8").

 

[bruiser2]

WWell first of all

I'm curios why you fell with the 362 but buck with the 026? I like my 026, but personally I prefer my 036 for both of those tasks. Even with the same 18" or 20" bar on both saws, my 036 walks circles around my 026 when I'm bucking hardwood of any size (over 8").

Because of weight. Don't get me wrong I love my 362 but, after a while it gets heavy. If you're bucking all day you get tired.

 

[fields_mj]

I get that. With a 25" bar, I can see where it would get heavy before too long. To me, its has always seemed like the sweet spot for an 026 is wood that's in the 6" to 10" range, where as for the 036 the sweet spot is the 10" to 16" range. Most of what I cut is in the 12"-18" range, and I don't cut anything under 6" except for limbing so an 18" bar is all I need for bucking most of my wood. It keeps the overall weight of my 036 down. For me, a 25" bar wouldn't be enough to keep me from bending over. The extra length would just add weight and eat up extra HP that I'd rather use for keeping my chain speed up and taking thicker chips, so I'm better off running an 18" bar. It lets me max out my chain speed while still being able to run a more aggressive chain. Since I'm running .325 chain on both saws, if I hit a rock with my 036, I can pull the bar and chain off the 026 and get right back to work. I do like running a 20" bar on the 026 though. For limbing it keeps me from having to reach out quite as far. If I'm into a slightly bigger tree where I'm making a lot of cuts that are over 18", I normally use a bigger saw with a 28" bar. I'm starting to rebuild my 064 though, and when its done I plan on putting a 25" bar on it. I'll use it for bucking bigger firewood, and may reserve the 90cc saw and 28" bar for noodling or the occasional really big tree.