What long bar for stihl 660

[booyah]

Hi guys,

I currently have a granberg 36" with a stihl 660 that has been working out great for me so far. I might have the opportunity to mill a few bigger logs though, something on the order of 5' diameter redwood. I'm thinking about getting a bigger bar, and had some questions..

1) Can my saw actually pull a longer bar like a 56 or 60", or would that be wishful thinking? I don't really want to spend a ton of money on a bigger powerhead like an 880 or 3120 right now.. perhaps sometime down the road though if more opportunities to mill big timber come up.
2) What are the advantages/disadvantages of using a regular bar vs. a double ender with a helper handle? Is the helper handle useful in a mill of this size?
3) Anyone have experience with granberg double ended bars? How do they compare to say, woodlandPro/cannon?

Thanks!
-Jim

 

[BlueRider]

I've milled a lot of wood with an 051 which is 2cc smaller than an 066 or a 660 and a 42" bar is pretty much maxing out the saw. Stihl recomends 36" maximum bar length and with a 42" bar that is about how much bar will be in the wood by the time you clamp a mill onto it. another saw to keep in mind would be an 075 which at 111cc is only 7cc smaller than a 3120 and 10cc smaller than an 880. the power band and max rpm on the older saws is a bit different but for the price difference on a 075/076 vs a 880 or a 3120 is well worth considering.

I currently mill with an 075 with a 42" woodsman pro bar and a 48" grandberg mill. I can handle the mill by myself but I doubt I could handle anything bigger with out help.

 

[PhilB]

Jim,

Anyone have experience with granberg double ended bars? How do they compare to say, woodlandPro/cannon?

I ordered a granberg mill with a double ended bar from Bailey's and the bar received was a WoodlandPro bar.

Phil

 

[gemniii]

Hi guys,

I currently have a granberg 36" with a stihl 660 that has been working out great for me so far. I might have the opportunity to mill a few bigger logs though, something on the order of 5' diameter redwood. I'm thinking about getting a bigger bar, and had some questions..

1) Can my saw actually pull a longer bar like a 56 or 60", or would that be wishful thinking? I don't really want to spend a ton of money on a bigger powerhead like an 880 or 3120 right now.. perhaps sometime down the road though if more opportunities to mill big timber come up.
2) What are the advantages/disadvantages of using a regular bar vs. a double ender with a helper handle? Is the helper handle useful in a mill of this size?
3) Anyone have experience with granberg double ended bars? How do they compare to say, woodlandPro/cannon?

Thanks!
-Jim

1) If your saw is at top tune, sharp chain, and ported and fully muf modded I think it might pull a 56" bar IN an Alaskan type mill (only using 50" or less). I've run my 42" bar buried in a stump and it handled it.
2) one of the BIG complaints brought up every time I mention using dual powerheads is that it requires a helper, the same would be true of a double ender with a helper handle.
3) nope

Check out a thread I started about 8 months ago.

I reviewed the following threads (about 130 posts) dating back to 2006.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=131067&highlight=double
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=93170&highlight=double
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=83782&highlight=double
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=82713&highlight=double
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=72603&highlight=double
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=71180&highlight=double
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=53049&highlight=double
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=45909&highlight=double
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=37797&highlight=double

Out of that I found one post of someone who did use 2 heads and said it worked well and a couple of posts saying they had tried it but recommended a bigger single powerhead. And the rest opinions about how it wasn't cost effective, blah, blah, blah by people with opinons but no hands on experience

Well I've got some trees like this:

And expect to get more.

I've got one 660 and am planning on getting another one, whether I use it for a dual powerhead setup or not. With the additional costs of bar and mark III mod being about $300.

So is there anyone else with actual dual powerhead experience who can chime in before I buy a dual ended 72" bar for my 660's?

Again I realize an 090 is what I need, but two 660's is what I'm going to have, along with a helper when I tackle the big hardwoods.

woodsrunner pics more:

 

[smokinj]

Two 660 should make a nice combo....Look into the daul power head set-up myself was looking at two 460.

 

[john taliaferro]

i am running a 27" with a 460 and 88 on 60" but i think a 2x 660 would cook on your trees . Ya work the rakers tell saws are working hard you should do a lot more than a 88 ,problem with weight could be overcome . I think two 460 on a 42" would be mean