What is the benefit of .404 Chain ?

[Wood Doctor]

Trying to run .404 pitch chain? I hope you have lots of horsepower and a long bar. Otherwise, forget it.

 

[Overkill338]

Trying to run .404 pitch chain? I hope you have lots of horsepower and a long bar. Otherwise, forget it.

Welded three 60" bars together, and using my 261 as a supercharger on top of my great grandpas 880 from the Civil War. He told JWB tried to fell a tree on Lincoln with it, but I just don't have provenance to prove it.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

So, am I hearing that .404 has advantages on a saw powerful enough to pull it? If so, that supports my general theory that each saw has a ‘sweet spot’, with a certain sprocket (teeth) / bar (length) / and chain (pitch and type) combination. Philbert

The way Philbert presented his answer I would have to agree. However chains bar length and type of chain overlap on most saws. One saw might work really well with a skip tooth, but struggle with a setup that require less HP. The .404 shines with a larger torque saw that runs a fairly slow chain speed. Now we can get into chisel bit vs. semi chisel bit on certain sizes of bar. I have found that the semi chains can be a little more forgiving with less power then a chisel bit. The straight chisel bit in large part can pull a little more wood out cleanly than the semi chains. Then evaluate a soft wood that is clean vs. a dirty hard wood. I would say for most part a slower chain speed rewards a OP with a chain that stays sharp longer. At some point the OP will not care about chain speed because they want to get the most amount of cuts done in a day. A aggressive chain with low rakers and fast chain speed along with a saw that has a well matched power, but powerful motor will also reward user with many cords yielded Although the OP might have to go through several chains to do it. As was stated one has to consider a multitude of options to get to the point were as with every cut they get a bigger smile. Thanks

 

[Overkill338]

The way Philbert presented his answer I would have to agree. However chains bar length and type of chain overlap on most saws. One saw might work really well with a skip tooth, but struggle with a setup that require less HP. The .404 shines with a larger torque saw that runs a fairly slow chain speed. Now we can get into chisel bit vs. semi chisel bit on certain sizes of bar. I have found that the semi chains can be a little more forgiving with less power then a chisel bit. The straight chisel bit in large part can pull a little more wood out cleanly than the semi chains. Then evaluate a soft wood that is clean vs. a dirty hard wood. I would say for most part a slower chain speed rewards a OP with a chain that stays sharp longer. At some point the OP will not care about chain speed because they want to get the most amount of cuts done in a day. A aggressive chain with low rakers and fast chain speed along with a saw that has a well matched power, but powerful motor will also reward user with many cords yielded Although the OP might have to go through several chains to do it. As was stated one has to consider a multitude of options to get to the point were as with every cut they get a bigger smile. Thanks

Ive given up on the 404 for now. I did swap my 261 over to 3/8 on a 20" bar, and running a Full Skip chain on it. I may have to get a 16 or 18 for the 3/8, but from the little cutting I did today, I can see it if its any slower.