You don't want a good chain hitting the catcher much either.
Rate Stihl's Advice on Chain Tension
- Thread starter Paul Bunions
- Start date
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rtrsam
ArboristSite Operative
I always figured, if I can set the saw on a flat surface, and pull the chain around the bar without dragging the saw, it's loose enough. If it's not sagging off the bar it's tight enough. Longer bars it can be tough to get the chain to not sag, especially when it gets hot. Tough to make falling cuts with a 72' bar when the chain keeps falling off
I use the Buckin' Billy Ray method which he showed in one of his videos. I tighten until I can pull the chain up and see a couple of the driver's tips even with the top surface of the bar groove. Which looks similar to the video in the OP.
The big takeaway here is that my longer chains were tighter than they needed to be.
