Light weight bar rant.

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Saw Bar

I aint going to use some pansy lightweighty bar for falling timber. I use my bar as a pry bar :hmm3grin2orange: :biggrinbounce2:The lightweight bars are useless as springboards :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[056kid]

I've run them for over 10 years in harsh enviorments, guess I must be a pansy and not hard enough on my equipment.

Like I said, never had any trouble with mine in the woods. Yea, It got bent, then I just bent it back. . When you take 5 and you bend your bar because you leaned on the thing, there is something wrong. That was when I first bent it. I remember cutting off a double walnut stump so I could take home some gun stock blanks. When I pushed the stump off, it took my saw with it, no big deal right. It bent a good 1/3 of the bar in a bad way. Thatwas the second time. I had a thread about it. I hammered that out, and am still using the bar with no problems.

I agree the new Stihl RW bars are much stiffer than the Oregon...but I only had issues with the 36" Oregon being to "whippy"..... I still run a 30" Oregon RW (sold the 32" and 36") ... it doesnt seem to flexy in the shorter lengths. (28 or 30)

It is not whippy really, it is just fragile, too fargile to be cutting pulpwood size stuff with, which is always there along with the nice.

Maybe Im hard on my stuff, I don't think so. I went through a few bars back when I started falling timber, but I don't have any problems wearing the paint off them.

 

[Oldsawnut]

I have no experience with the techlite... The oregon are pretty flexible.. Stihl rw are stiff but my local dealer said if they get bent or twisted they arent repairable like the oregons either.. So its kind of a catch 22 with me..

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Saw Bar

The light weight bars are good when they are shorter then 32". I have 36" Windsor that was fairly lightweight and it flexes badly at WOT I like stiffer bars because I am slow movin and the bars get twisted and used as a pry bar constantly, I straighten the bars regularly.

 

[madhatte]

I'd like to know more about the Husky Techlite bars. I know the3 strengths and weaknesses of the other brands, but so far I haven't heard any real-world tales of the Huskys.

Meanwhile, I still really like the Sugiharas. Half-price means a lot when we're bickering over ounces.

 

[056kid]

Sugis had my interest at one point, but i could not find a good place to buy, plus the tips are hard to come by compared to the other more prominent manufacturers. Next bar will be an Oregon Pro I think.

 

[wyk]

It's a 32" if I remember right. It doesn't take much at all to flex them. I had a 28" and 32" and have sold them both. I have a 28" stihl lightweight now and it is just as stiff as a regular es bar.

This.

My 32" RW Oregon bar is very bendy. You do have to use care with them. I have heard a lot of good things about the Stihl LW bars. Too bad they don't make em for Husky. I read the Husky bars only go to 28, tho. Is that right?

Here's what Madsens says:

How A Reduced-Weight Bar Affects The Performance Of A Pro Chain Saw

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Saw Bar

Why not dimple the surface of the bar then use epoxy to level it, dimpling would shave a few ounces and stay stiff

 

[KiwiBro]

Tsumura FK series.

End of..

 

[SawTroll]

Man up swing around a couple ounces. Then spend the same money get a bar, couple chains, some wedges and anything else you burn through. My theory on it anyway.

The needs will vary, as will the amount of abuse the bars have to endure....:msp_rolleyes:

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Saw Bar

It boils down to simple muscle math, some are weaker then others and it is ok to be a little weaker then someone else.. We all setup our saws the way we like. It is like the Ford versus Chevy versus Dodge they are all good in their own unique ways. The light weight bars will work some sawyers and not work for others. Lightweight bars are good for swaping trees out ,not so good for falling and bucking.

 

[SawTroll]

I'd like to know more about the Husky Techlite bars. I know the3 strengths and weaknesses of the other brands, but so far I haven't heard any real-world tales of the Huskys.

Meanwhile, I still really like the Sugiharas. Half-price means a lot when we're bickering over ounces.

I don't think the Sugiharas are as light - specially not the longer ones? :msp_unsure:

 

[Gologit]

These bars are fine for seasoned careful pros, but even they can have a bad day. Alot of new fallers only got a couple of days on their bars. They don't handle abuse well. Mind you I heard that some local faller only got 8 days on his Stihl light bar. Would like to hear from him what happened. A good faller got 48 days falling with one of the Light Stihls, so thats not bad.

Dave.

Well said.

 

[Taxmantoo]

Meanwhile, I still really like the Sugiharas. Half-price means a lot when we're bickering over ounces.

The fellow who taught Sarah Palin how to drop a tree (on her TV show) seemed to do quite well with a long Sugi. He posted here a little.

 

[ChipMonger]

These bars are fine for seasoned careful pros, but even they can have a bad day. Alot of new fallers only got a couple of days on their bars. They don't handle abuse well. Mind you I heard that some local faller only got 8 days on his Stihl light bar. Would like to hear from him what happened. A good faller got 48 days falling with one of the Light Stihls, so thats not bad.

Dave.

Dave-

You make some great points. I have a couple questions. When you say one guy got 8 days and the other guy got 48 days out of a bar what do you mean? where the bars bent beyond repair? inserts loose? rails damaged beyond repair? or was it the conditions and use given to them everyday by the faller?

 

[brendog84cj8]

I have had good luck with my 28 Oregon RW on my 372xpw. Now I am not a logger full time, just a guy with a saw addiction and firewood problem. The techlite and ES light weight were not available when I got the oregon. I will admit I have been into the local saw shop to check those techlite and ES Light out and there is no doubt that the Oregon is the most "flexy".

 

[thechainsawguy]

Dave-

You make some great points. I have a couple questions. When you say one guy got 8 days and the other guy got 48 days out of a bar what do you mean? where the bars bent beyond repair? inserts loose? rails damaged beyond repair? or was it the conditions and use given to them everyday by the faller?

Hi, I don't know, he just thought the bar was garbage, but then again, some people don't admit it if they made a mistake, so I am trying to talk to him and get the bar, then I can compare it to the Tsumura light and tough and the Oregon reduced weight

 

[madhatte]

So Techlite only goes to 28"... hmm. OK, I like 28" for a lot of things, so I might still give one a try. I checked out the Stihls when they were first released and was favorably impressed with both their rigidity and their fit/finish. I haven't had the chance to run one yet, but I will soon, I think. However, it's getting to where I really only run 16" and 32" bars as everything in between is a compromise.

 

[SawTroll]

So Techlite only goes to 28"... hmm. OK, I like 28" for a lot of things, so I might still give one a try. I checked out the Stihls when they were first released and was favorably impressed with both their rigidity and their fit/finish. I haven't had the chance to run one yet, but I will soon, I think. However, it's getting to where I really only run 16" and 32" bars as everything in between is a compromise.

Actually, it is made only in 20" and 28" at the moment, maybe to "test" the market. Time will tell! opcorn:opcorn:

 

[komatsuvarna]

So Techlite only goes to 28"... hmm. OK, I like 28" for a lot of things, so I might still give one a try. I checked out the Stihls when they were first released and was favorably impressed with both their rigidity and their fit/finish. I haven't had the chance to run one yet, but I will soon, I think. However, it's getting to where I really only run 16" and 32" bars as everything in between is a compromise.

20 and 28 as far as I know.