Stihl MS310 - max bar length?

[agarb]

I have a Stihl MS310.

I occasionally need to cut stuff that is a little on the large side for my 18" bar, so I looked thru an old Stihl catalog to see how long a bar I could put on it. Catalog said up to 24".

Great! Off to the dealer I go. Dealer says, "Nope...20 inches is the maximum, as the saw not powerful enough for a 24" bar."

I go home and email Stihl. They say, "Yes, a 24 inch bar will fit but is not recommended due to kickback considerations."

Who do I believe? Stihl or my dealer?

Thanks,
amg

 

[Lumberjack]

Well I run a 36" on my opened 044 to do big cuts. I would say get the 24" and go with it. If you haven't opened your can (muffler) then do that, and with the big bar, you may not notice the extra length.


Carl

 

[Lumberjack]

Never ran a new 31 or 29. The way I see it is, it is easier to make one slower cut completely through than to walk the saw around to make the cut, IMO.

Carl

 

[gatkeper1]

Check the Stihl web site
They list up to 28" to fit the MS310
Stihl Bar Chart

 

[Pacific]

I wouldn't go any larger than 24" if the Stihl dealer says run a 20" run it. I looked at the spec's of the 310 and it is only .5hp more than the MS260.

 

[ricksvar]

Stay with the shorter bar lenghts(what Stihl recommends)on their mid range saws.You'll need more bar oil to lube a longer bar and these saws will tend to run hotter with longer bars,with the oilers maxed.JMO

Rick

 

[buckwheat]

Not sure, but if you might have chain/pitch issues going over 20" with the 310. Be sure to check on that as you might have to swap out your sprocket, too.

 

[Ryan Willock]

If you want to be technical and not practical then you must realize that the MS310 takes the same bar as the MS260-MS660, therefore if you really wanted to you could put a 42'' bar on it; however the saw won't like it at all. My point is what will fit and what are practical are two differant things. The things you need to be looking at are; how much cutting will I be doing in wood over 20''-24''? Is it hardwood or softwood??? If you have the need to cut a lot of that size wood then I would recomend that you look at getting a MS440 or a husky 372xp. To answer your question your MS310 WILL fit a 24'' bar but preformance will SUCK unless you are used to a poulan!!

 

[powerequipman]

No, the 026/MS260 does NOT take the same bar as the MS310 and bigger models!!! The 026/MS260 takes a bar with a .325 tip sprocket. All the saws from MS310 on up take 3/8ths chain type bars until you get to the 088/MS880 which takes .404 chain!! I work at a Stihl dealership.

 

[powerequipman]

Rockyj, I'm talking about the bars and chains the saws are sold with. If you , say, put a 3/8ths chain on an 026 or on an 029 you are just saddling those saws with too much chain to work properly.

I have no idea what your problem is but I did not tell any half truths.

I've been doing this saw work a while though I'm new to the forum. The only problem is that in this area (fl panhandle) we don't see many saws bigger than the 066 and not a lot of those.

Cheers

By the way I know that the bar mount is consistant from the 026/MS260 thru to the 066/MS660 but within that range you can create chain sprocket and bar tip sprocket and chain pitch mis-matches for your self if you are not carefull that every thing matches up. I have to fix problems like this every day for customers. And that's not counting chain gauge mismatches that occur.

Does that clarify my stand on this enough for you or do I have to write another book on this subject to prove to you that you're not the only one in the world with a little bit of background in this subject?

Personally I have no axe to grind with you (lol) but I don't appreciate being attacked when I'm just trying to help the original poster!

 

[Ryan Willock]

Hey powerwhoever, in case you didn't know the MS260 generally has a rim sprocket that is quickly changed to 3/8ths if the owner so desires, really its not a hard consept. As for the bar fitting I would know as I have had an 026 an 029 and currently an ms191T, 036, MS460 and an 066G as well as a husky 346xp and 372xpgPP. But don's take my word or Brian's for it as we just make our living with the saws so what do we know??!

BTW, I never said it would be a good or bright combination to run a 24''b/c on a MS310..... I just said it would work

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by powerequipman
Rockyj, I'm talking about the bars and chains the saws are sold with. If you , say, put a 3/8ths chain on an 026 or on an 029 you are just saddling those saws with too much chain to work properly.

The MS200 comes with a micro 3/8, so I say it just depends. I aint no expert but the 24" bar is big for the powerhead. I run a 36" on a 044, but are working on an 066 right now. I fell/buck up trees at an ok rate for me. After opening the muffler I was ok+ with the speed, and personally I would rather run a 36" on the 044 instead of walking around with a 28".


Point: It all depends, for the little amount it would cost to try, I say do it. If you don't like it then you can A) deal with it or B) don't use it. Alot of people here like thier saws to cut swiftly, as do I. I don't see how a nonfrequent use would justify a new saw.

Get it, run it, learn to love it.


Carl

 

[bwalker]

say, put a 3/8ths chain on an 026 or on an 029 you are just saddling those saws with too much chain to work properly.

My 260 works fine setup with 3/8's. Put the proper carb on the 260 and it pulls 3/8, 18" bar all day long.

 

[dozerdan]

Hey people, chill out. You never see the three of me losing my temper. Its just bars and chains.
I think I will try to be a moderator.
Ben
Glad to here that you got your 260 back, how is it working for you.
Later
Keystone Weird

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by dozerdan
Hey people, chill out. You never see the three of me losing my temper. Its just bars and chains.

My point exactly.


Carl

 

[Tony Snyder]

Will a 24 inch bar fit on a 310? Yes. Is it a good idea? No.

I would suggest 18 inch or 20 inch, .325 pitch first choice, but it could pull 3/8ths.

You guys gotta quit taking those factory spec sheets for gospel, those ad people lie a lot.

 

[agarb]

Originally posted by RockyJSquirrel
Both are correct. Technically you can bolt a 24" bar on the saw but it would not be strong enough to cut well. And with the lower chain speed, your chances for kickback are increased. Your dealer was attempting to save you aggravation based on his experience and knowledge. He's probably done a little more of this than you have, I'd believe him.

Carl- He's running a 310, about the same as a 290. Not what you would call a strong saw.

Thanks, Rocky, that makes sense.

Seems that the general consenus is that the 24" bar will fit, but that the saw may be underpowered. I think I'll go ahead and try it and be prepared for disappointment. A bigger saw isn't in the budget, but $75 for a bar and chain doesn't look bad. If I don't like it, I'll ebay the bar off and shorten the chain to fit my 18" bar. Plus, its only for occasional use.

I shouldn't have any sprocket/chain issues as I'm currently running 3/8" - 0.050" on my 18" bar.

Now for another question... somebody mentioned opening up the muffler. I went out and took it off the saw and was amazed at how big the inlet is in relationship to the outlet. Any tips or pictures on how best to open the thing up? If I decide to open it up, will the carb need adjusted?

 

[Lumberjack]

I recently opened the muffler on my MS200, 250, and 044.

I did mine with a drill on the 250. For me, I wanted a hole about the size of the depressed rectangle. After drilling I blew it out with compressd air. You will need to adjust your carb to allow for the increased airflow.


Here is the link to the 250.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12019

Ask if you got any questions.


Carl

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Originally posted by Lumberjack
I recently opened the muffler on my MS200, 250, and 044.

I did mine with a drill on the 250. For me, I wanted a hole about the size of the depressed rectangle. After drilling I blew it out with compressd air.

Carl

Don't forget to deburr the edges! You don't want one breaking off and finding it's way into the barrel.

 

[Lumberjack]

Yea, I did mine with a chain file. When I feel like it I am going to take a flute cutter and smooth the hole up.


Carl