How big of a bar and chain can I run

[bitzer]

I've run a 24" on my 455 for about a year now. Extra reach for limbing and it cuts fine in wood up 18" (mostly elm, ash, and boxelder). It would get a little slow in the bigger logs when I was running it stock(12,500 rpm factory setting) but with a muffler mod and some cylinder porting it runs just fine. Just the same though if I'm regularly cutting any wood 18" and above I pull out the 84 cc. When cutting firewood on the ground the longer bar really saves on your back! Just keep in mind where your tip is and don't dig any dirt with it.

 

[gallegosmike]

Ive got a stock 455 Rancher. It is has been a good saw for me. Till I bought a pro grade saw(s) and never looked back! Anyways, the saws power band is better suited for a 16" to 18" bar. It can pull a 20" bar, but it is lacking the power to do it with authority! It is hard to use my rancher anymore. Ive been reading too much info on this site and have become a horse power JUNKY! I keep getting buy over powered saws that are over kill for the firewood that I normally cut. :monkey:

 

[Henry G.]

20" is the MAX for a 455. Even that is pushing it in quasi hard wood, unless you want to post one of those "see-saw" vids on yoo-****.
A 357 runs a 20" with AUTHORITY. If you have time to spend straining your back bent over a log then have fun with the 455, a decent firewood saw but thats it.

 

[bjorn773]

I've been running a 24" bar on my 359 for several years now. I haven't run a Rancher, but the specs are pretty close... I believe within a few cc's. It's obviously not as quick through big stuff with the 24" bar, but it does the job. We all use what we can afford.

 

[Woodcutteranon]

I have a stock 455 Rancher. Its just over a year old. I have an 18 inch bar 3/8 chain. It is a workhorse. Also very smooth. I love it. I recommend the 18 inch bar...I am the opposite when recommending bars and I lean towards the shorter bar than what you think you'll need. The saw works easier, you use less gas and oil and the saw is easier to keep out of the dirt. At least for me...I can't seem to be able to see the end of the bar sometimes.

 

[Streblerm]

I like 16" on my firewood saws. If you are going to cut bigger stuff you may want to go with the 20". If for firewood 20" will hit more dirt and spin the chain slower. It is no big deal if you dont cut alot. You just have to get used to the bar length on your own. I dont think I would go bigger than 20" on the rancher. Not saying you cant but depends on your needs.

Actually the chain will spin at the same speed whether you have a 12" bar or a 60" bar if you are using the same size sprocket. I'm sure what you meant to say was that you need more power to get a chain around a longer bar, so you may want to change to a smaller sprocket which will slow the chain down.



That being said, I would go with an 18" bar personally. I haven't run into too much firewood that I couldn't handle with an 18" bar. A 20" bar might be pushing it a little on that saw. If you have bigger wood to deal with sometimes, you may want to consider a 16" for everyday use and a 20" for those times when you need it. I could see myself cutting a lot of dirt using a 20" all the time

 

[woodsrunner]

I've been running a 24" bar on my 359 for several years now. I haven't run a Rancher, but the specs are pretty close... I believe within a few cc's. It's obviously not as quick through big stuff with the 24" bar, but it does the job. We all use what we can afford.

The 359 is a lot more saw than a 455. It will handle a 24 inch bar if used judiciously. 455 has 55.5 cc displacement and 3.5 hp; 359 has 59 cc displacement and 3.9 hp. I had a 455 and replaced it with a 359. I also have a 24 inch bar for mine for limbing so I don't have to bend over so much when doing cleanup limbing chores. Llike after the ice storm in Kentucky this year when I was clearing roads and trails it was the ticket for the smaller stuff. But normally it wears an 18 inch bar for normal cutting chores. The 455 doesn't have the power to satisfy ME with a 24. Just my 2 cents.

But the OP can run any sized bar he wants, as long as he is satisfied, that's what counts.

Scott

 

[RRSsawshop]

The 455 comes with a 20" bar 3/8 chain at most of the"box" stores and it should handle the soft woods of Montana!!!
If my memory is correct it also has rim sprocket so he could also change the pin easly!!
Biggest small mount bar is a 28" BUT that WAY to BIG for this saw!!!!

 

[neilo]

I guess maybe I should have clarified a bit more. I have to cut up a 44" diameter maple log and right now the longest bar I have available is a 20" on a Husky 50. I repaired a saw for a friend of mine and he gave me a 455 for doing it for him. I also have an old Pro Mac 610 with a 20" bar on it, would this saw be better suited for a longer bar than the 455?

 

[Zachary pepper]

For one, you will have a hard time finding anything longer than a 20" in a small mount Husky bar.
For two, I don't think the saw really has enough power stock to pull much more than that anyway.
Put a 20" on it and be happy, put an 18" on it and cut just a hair faster, anything less than an 18" for firewood is a joke IMO, but I guess I am the only one around here that cuts real wood.

 

[Old2stroke]

Nothing wrong with using a bar that is too long for the power of the saw. If the saw won't pull the chain when it is fully buried in the wood, keep the rpm up by just rocking the saw around in the cut to reduce the amount of wood that is in actual contact with the chain.

 

[OM617YOTA]

The bar pricing mentioned on the first page had me raising my eyebrows, till I saw that this thread is from 2009.