Why would you want 3/8 instead of .325 on a 550?

[cscltd]

Yup as mentioned above. Drive links have burrs on them on the tip going into bar. Only needs to be enough that you can feel with fingernail and it will bind especially on new bar.

 

[bsmith717]

OK 40 years of saws, chains and bars, and I never knew thickness of the driver on the chain had anything to do with cutting speed.
The driver thickness must match the bar groove,
The pitch of the chain (.325, 3/8 picco, 3/8 which is NOT the same as picco or extended pitch or whatever the manufacturer wants to call it) must match the sprocket and the bar nose sprocket.
There are various types of cutters on each of there types of chain (lo pro, safety, regular, round tooth, square tooth, etc.) and different rakers to go with the teeth.
So now I have either explained it or muddied the waters further.
For the bar you have pictured it takes .325 pitch with .050 (50 gauge) drivers 66 drivers in length.
The type of tooth is whatever you want to use. 90% of the chain leaving out shop is a single raker square tooth design. Stihl calls it rapid super.
You can use any make chain on any saw, as long as the gauge, pitch and number of drivers match.
I hope this helps.

This could be due to my misconception that 3/8 chain was wider than a .325 chain. There was a guy on YouTube that switched his 550 ton 3/8 and it cut way slower with a similar chain. I could only reason that this hard to me because the chain/cutter/kerf was more significant.

 

[bsmith717]

My b&c
View attachment 1187593

That looks familiar.

The numbers on the bar and chain seem to be a fit/match. SP33G chain 0.325 pitch, 0.050 drivers Bar is 0.325 pitch 0.050 groove.

Is this the chain that you said "jumped off" when you did the autotune?

If so check over all the drivers carefully that they are not damaged/peened. If they are damaged they will be thicker at damaged spots and bind in the bar groove. You can fix damaged drivers if they are not too bad with a small flat file or a dremel.

In all my years and through many pinched/sketch pulls I’ve never had a chain f up that quickly. But this is my first xcut and from what I’ve heard they’re pretty much the best.

Yup as mentioned above. Drive links have burrs on them on the tip going into bar. Only needs to be enough that you can feel with fingernail and it will bind especially on new bar.

This will be very disappointing if that is what is causing this.

 

[bsmith717]

I’ll tell you what I think I’m gonna register my saw tonight on the website and take it into a local dealer and have them look at it cause I’m about done with this.

It’s hard not to feel good though with this little girl sitting next to the XP though.

 

[bsmith717]

Here’s l the pick slip. I’m pretty sure one of you gentlemen asked if I had it.

 

[Philbert]

There are low profile (less tall) cutters.

There are narrow kerf (narrower) cutters.

There are cutters that are BOTH low profile AND narrow kerf.


That mark on your bar indicates that it is designed for narrow kerf (NK) / ‘Pixel’ chain.

.325 NK chain came on my Husqvarna 353 many years ago, and I like it.

Some guys don’t like that the NK bars are a bit more flexible than standard kerf bars. The Oregon laminated NK bars are a little stiffer.

See posts around #150 in this thread:
https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/new-oregon-narrow-kerf-chain-and-speedcut-guide-bars.285694/

Philbert

 

[Mad Professor]

I’ll tell you what I think I’m gonna register my saw tonight on the website and take it into a local dealer and have them look at it cause I’m about done with this.

It’s hard not to feel good though with this little girl sitting next to the XP though.

It will take you 30 seconds to take a look at the drivers on the chain..........

 

[muddy42]

Generally I believe that everything should be in proportion to the power of the saw. Bigger cylinder, stronger chassis, stronger crank, longer bar, wider chain etc. That's why bigger saws come with bigger chains. The only reason I can see to bend the rules slightly would be the ease of only needing one file size or one sprocket.

 

[coffeebrk]

Nothing wrong with your B&C.
I put my Guage on all 3 bars and the new Husky is the tightest. It's because there is a light coat of paint in the bar groove that will wear quickly as you use it. My Speedcut bar is very new but has no paint in the bar groove so that is the difference.
When I got my 550xp I noticed the same thing you did.

 

[bsmith717]

It will take you 30 seconds to take a look at the drivers on the chain..........

My bad. I already did that and thought I posted that the bar is perfectly smooth and straight and the chains drivers are perfect aswell. It’s getting bound by the sprocket not performing as it should I believe.

 

[cscltd]

From the one clip of you moving chain and part of it moving and other parts of chain binding is classic chain came off and damaged drive links.
Just to give you heads up, that is not a warranty situation. “Selling shop” may correct it as a courtesy, but since it was purchased elsewhere they may not.
In the 70’s and 80’s we use to see a 058 link occasionally (1 loop in 1000+) get on a 050 loop of chain from factory, but that would bind from the start. Haven’t seen one in 20+ years with newer manufacturing processes.

Do you have on the drive rim on sprocket correctly??
Not down the side of rim?

 

[bsmith717]

Nothing wrong with your B&C.
I put my Guage on all 3 bars and the new Husky is the tightest. It's because there is a light coat of paint in the bar groove that will wear quickly as you use it. My Speedcut bar is very new but has no paint in the bar groove so that is the difference.
When I got my 550xp I noticed the same thing you did.

If I put the chain on the bar and hold it I can spin it just fine. When I put the bar/chain on the saw and don’t tighten the cover nuts it also seems to spin fine. But as soon as I tighten the nuts it gets jammed as it comes around the back of the sprocket over the top from my observations.

if it’s really broken/factory defect it with be that much more of a shame as this is the only saw I have purchased brand new

 

[jblnut]

I’m far less experienced than some posting on here but ….. sorry if you’ve answered these already …..

How tight are you tensioning the chain ?

Is it only binding in one spot on the chain or the entire length ?

Have you tried a different chain on this bar ?

Have you tried this chain on a different bar ?

 

[epo]

If I put the chain on the bar and hold it I can spin it just fine. When I put the bar/chain on the saw and don’t tighten the cover nuts it also seems to spin fine. But as soon as I tighten the nuts it gets jammed as it comes around the back of the sprocket over the top from my observations.

if it’s really broken/factory defect it with be that much more of a shame as this is the only saw I have purchased brand new

In the video you said that you can't even pull the chain when it is only put on the bar, now there is no problem with that. Something doesn't add up here...

 

[thenne1713]

Same as 3/8 vs 3/8 low pro (picco)... the pitch is the same but the reduction of the chasis size changes the size of the rims /sprockets required. I suspect in the case of the new .325" variations the difference would be fairly minimal, although probably not insignificant.

Sorry, JD BUT WRONG/ confused. 325 NOT SAME AS 3/8 or 3/8picco. 3/8=0.375, NOT 0.325

 

[thenne1713]

I’m a novice at best I just do t get it. Are there more chain options in 3/8?

The narrow kerf (.050) also seems like a better choice than the wider .058. Wouldn’t a wider kerf would only make your saw have to work harder.

Please enlighten my day.

 

[thenne1713]

Bsmith717, You have some confusion, hope this helps: 050/058 is related to the guide bar GAUGE= Bar GROOVE/ Chain DRIVE LINK thickness, whereas KERF is in the WOOD, and related to width of the Cutter/s. To confuse, or hopefully Clarify, NARROW KERF chain, I believe comes ONLY in 0.325 drive PITCH? If the Kerf start to get too narrow, the BAR/ LINKS AND PINS start to drag in the wood, cause drag, heat and crooked cut issues... this is, as example, an issue of concern when some try to use a 3/8-LP chain on a regular 3/8 bar.

TIP: If MILLING, the KERF of the 3/8WP (Woodland Pro/ Carlton) RIPPING Chain is very close to 1/4" KERF that many used to brag on for the LP chain.

 

[Mad Professor]

If I put the chain on the bar and hold it I can spin it just fine. When I put the bar/chain on the saw and don’t tighten the cover nuts it also seems to spin fine. But as soon as I tighten the nuts it gets jammed as it comes around the back of the sprocket over the top from my observations.

if it’s really broken/factory defect it with be that much more of a shame as this is the only saw I have purchased brand new

In the video you said that you can't even pull the chain when it is only put on the bar, now there is no problem with that. Something doesn't add up here...

What he said ^^^^^ !!!

Something was up with bar and chain alone in your video clips. Is the bar sprocket free? I still think you need to look at the drivers more closely........also look at the teeth on the bar sprocket, chance Husky put the wrong pitch one on the bar, a mismatch there will show up on the teeth.......made on a Monday morning.......

 

[Mad Professor]

One other thing. If the drive sprocket is wrong pitch, that is going to damage the drivers too. That damage will look different than a chain jumping off. It will on the front/leading edge.

Do you know how to get the clutch off, to check the rim?

 

[Mad Professor]

Generally I believe that everything should be in proportion to the power of the saw. Bigger cylinder, stronger chassis, stronger crank, longer bar, wider chain etc. That's why bigger saws come with bigger chains. The only reason I can see to bend the rules slightly would be the ease of only needing one file size or one sprocket.

3/8 picco/lo pro works wonderful for milling lumber. Takes less power, cuts faster, and smaller kerf wastes less wood.

I've been running that on my 066 > 25 years now.