ms290 ideal bar chain for 55cc to 80cc +

[gearhead88]

I have a ms290 with a 16'' bar, .325 pitch, .063 gauge, 8 tooth sprocket . I'm about to get a 20'' bar for it. I was planing on getting a stihl rollomatic es because i want the replaceable tip on it and they seem to be better quality over the standard e, but the 20'' es only comes in 3/8, .050 pitch. I've since leaned towards a forester pro to save money which i could get in the .325/20'' to fit my sprocket. However I plan on getting a bigger saw soon capable of housing a 36'' bar and would like to be able to use the 20'' on both so im thinking about getting a 3/8 sprocket for the ms290 and ditching the .325. So my question is should i go with 3/8 .050 or 3/8 .063. Which will be an ideal chain for both as i plan to buy chain by the roll. Also at what point does a 3/8 pitch become to small. Or is .325/.063 ideal for the saw

 

[s sidewall]

I'm no chain expert but 3/8-.50 is more ready available for me. Only have one saw in .325p .50g, rest are 3/8p .50g.

Steve, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I run 3/8" 0.050 on most of my saws. I have 4 or 5 saws I regularly use, and they have anywhere from an 18" bar to 36". Primiarly use a Stihl 460 and Husqy 288XP, one has a 24" bar, the other a 28"

 

[Deleted member 149229]

3/8” .050 is your most common. Some are going to laugh but when your talking an engine as small as an 80 cc (compared to a 5.3L Chevy) and you get a bigger bar, say over 100 dL, the extra weight of .063 chain could affect performance. Need @Philbert to find the weight difference between same dl but .050 and .063 in say 115 dl. He’s the chain guru.

 

[Philbert]

I have a ms290 with a 16'' bar, .325 pitch, .063 gauge, 8 tooth sprocket . . . . . at what point does a 3/8 pitch become to small. Or is .325/.063 ideal for the saw

Need @Philbert to find the weight difference between same dl but .050 and .063 in say 115 dl.

Every saw has a 'sweet spot', IMO, with the right combination of: chain pitch; guide bar length; and drive sprocket tooth count. This may vary slightly with the type of cutting you do, and the type of wood that you cut. Again, my opinion is to find the best combination for each saw, optimizing the performance of each, rather than trying to find one 'solution' and impose it on all of your saws.

Lots of trade offs:
- quality of STIHL OEM bars vs. Forrester (might find some other options to choose from);
- length of guide bar vs. balance of assembled saw;
- smaller pitch cutters taking more, smaller 'bites' vs. larger pitch cutters taking fewer, larger 'bites'.
- sprocket tooth counts: chain speed vs. torque;
- custom chain configurations vs. the availability of stock sizes;
- etc.

As far as 3/8 pitch 0.050 gauge vs. 0.063 gauge, I am sure that you could measure a weight difference on a sensitive scale, but that you would not be able to objectively detect it in use. Heavy users claim that the 0.063 chains hold up better, and that they oil better on longer bars. As noted 3/8 0.050 is what is commonly supplied 0n new STIHL saws here in the US, but you can find 0.063 if you are willing to look, or order from a supplier. With a 36" bar, lots of guys also go to skip tooth spacing, so a single roll of chain may still not fit all of your needs.

The 'fun' part of owning a chainsaw is that you get to choose!

Welcome to A.S. - keep us informed of what you do, and how it works out!

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

P.S. - 'Why' STIHL supplies most .325 chain with 0.063 gauge drive links, and 3/8 chain with 0.050 drive links as 'standard' on many saws in the US is a mystery that has never been adequately explained to me.

I 'get' why smaller powered saws have smaller pitch chains, and why many smaller pitch chains have narrower drive link pitches, but not the above.

Philbert

 

[c5rulz]

P.S. - 'Why' STIHL supplies most .325 chain with 0.063 gauge drive links, and 3/8 chain with 0.050 drive links as 'standard' on many saws in the US is a mystery that has never been adequately explained to me.

I 'get' why smaller powered saws have smaller pitch chains, and why many smaller pitch chains have narrower drive link pitches, but not the above.

Philbert

Stihl puts 63 gauge chain on small saws because users of small "homeowners saws" don't know any better and will be forever stuck buying Stihl chain. So Stihl can forever STEAL from them with confiscatory prices from them. Sure Stihl chain is good, but it is not double to 2.5x better as the price indicates.

I got a deal on rolls of 3.8ths LGX for $200 roll, (never to be repeated again) so I bought 3 rolls. $8 for 72DL is plenty good enough chain for this old hack.

 

[Philbert]

And Husqvarna / Jonsered supply a lot 0.058 gauge chain, but they seemed to be a bit more consistent about it!

Philbert

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I guess my question is, what saw are you gonna buy to run up to a 36" bar? Also, why do you want to run a 20" on your 290?

If it were me, I'd probably keep the 16" .325 on the 290. Then I'd get a few setups for your bigger saw. Like 20", 28", and 36". Especially if the bigger saw is on the smaller side, like a 7900, 385. If you find yourself always using the 20" on the big saw and wish it was a little lighter, then get yourself a 65-70cc saw.

 

[Philbert]

I'd probably keep the 16" .325 on the 290. Then I'd get a few setups for your bigger saw. Like 20", 28", and 36". . . then get yourself a 65-70cc saw.

. . . and so it begins: Chainsaw Acquisition Disorder . . . !

Philbert

 

[user 122190]

I have an 18" 3/8 on my 290. It's a lot of cutting power for the saw. Chisel + full skip and a super sharp chain makes it work very well. Depending on the wood a 20 might be a bit much.

 

[Mustang71]

I have a 20" on my 290 and it's .325. It did fine like that before I upgraded it to a 49mm. It's a rollomatic bar.