longest bar for stihl 046?

[046]

Hi all,

My first post here...

I'm running a 20" bar on my stihl 046 and would like some feedback on what everyone is running on their 044/046?

Thanks,
CY

 

[spencerhenry]

i run an 044 with a 20" bar almost all of the time. only on rare ocassions do i run my 25, or 28. most of the trees i cut are under 24" dbh. cutting aspen, sub-alpine fir, engelman spruce, blue spruce, doug fir, lodgepole pine and ponderosa pine. my brother runs a 16" or 20" on his ms460.

 

[Lumberjack]

I run a 20" normally on my 044. However I run up to a 36" on it when it is needed. However that is too big for most things, and the chain must be sharp, and it takes forever to sharpen it. I am gettin an 066-660 to fix that ich.

 

[wiley_p]

28" standard, when cutting dead wood, locust, madrone etc I go to a 24" bar and I'm not convinced it is noticible, I always have a 7 tooth on the 046 so maybe thats why the 4" shorter isnt that noticable.

 

[046]

Thanks for all the kind feedback. Being a newbie here I don't know the rules yet. So please forgive me while I'm getting aquainted.

I need to as a dumb question. What does DBH stand for?

I'm in Oklahoma, a lot of Oaks. Not many larger than 48" in diameter. 20" bar a little short for those jobs.

It seems my 046 should pull a 28" bar with no problems.

Thanks again,
CY

 

[MasterBlaster]

I would go with the 28" for your needs.

DBH = diameter at breast height.

You may wanna take a gander at this; http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9893&highlight=Too+Freaking+Long

 

[Dadatwins]

20" most common on 044 I've seen. I think 24" - 28" max in my opinion for a 046. Do not think they pump enough oil for long 32" - 36" bar especially in hardwood. I would step up to 066 to run the longer bars.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I wish all of em offered an accessory oil button to pump, I can't imagine why they don't.

I liked that about my old Super 25.

 

[Dadatwins]

Originally posted by RockyJSquirrel
It would be nice if the saw manufacturers would simply put adequate oilers on their saws to begin with.

I wish they would at least recognize the problem. I guess when they test them in a vise they spray oil and think thats ok. I know those old homelites and macs and even s25 were dinosaurs but at least if you needed a little more oil on bar just hit the plunger. With all the EPA and such going on oil output will probably go down again in 2005 when new regs come out.

 

[lucky]

Welcome 046! I mainly cut live oak and run a 28" bar on my 046. It pulls just fine. Oil output is ok. I think it would pull a 32 inch bar ok but might be a little slower. Take it easy. John

 

[JimL]

ive seen boys around here runnin 3 footers, there aint that much ???? timber around than youd need a 3 footer on.

 

[046]

Originally posted by RockyJSquirrel
Amazing how more and more often the only good reason for not running a longer bar on a Stihl is lack of oiling capacity. The 046 and even the 044 will pull a 28" (sharp) chain just fine but the limitations are dictated by the oiler output. It would be nice if the saw manufacturers would simply put adequate oilers on their saws to begin with.

Rocky, Thanks for pointing out the lack of oil issues.

I just can't imagine the pump not having enough capacity to pump enough volume. Surely this must be a regulation problem

Mybe some of the stihl techs could enlighten us on how this could be taken care of :angel:

I have not had any oiling problems, but I have not run a long bar on my 046 yet.

After reading the excellent feedback and going thru the links.

I've come to the conclusion:

Since I'm in the south dealing with hardwoods. For my 046, I would not want to use more than a 28". anything larger needs an 066 or better. The 32" length commonly used are for soft woods in the west.

I don't know if it's worth getting an 066 for the few times I would actually need it. That is until I run into a deal, I can't turn down

Thanks for the kind welcome to this forum.

CY

 

[Sethro]

Don't they make a west coast oilers? I runn a 28" on 044's with 30RCS

 

[Ryan Willock]

In hardwoods on a MS460 I like to run a 20''-24'' bar and chain with a 7 pin sprocket. I have run a 28'' but for production logging I feel that that is too much bar for a 70cc class saw. Even in 36''-48'' wood I normally only run a 24'' bar on my 460, on my PP372xpg I run a 20'' and have cut some pretty big stuff with it.

 

[Pacific]

I wouldn't run a 32 on a 046 unless I was cutting nothing but Western Red but for bucking and falling Doug Fir and Hemlock a 28" bar is perfect on a 46.

I don't ever cut hardwoods so I run nothing but long bars on my saws even my 260 sports a 20" anything shorter is too small

 

[Gypo Logger]

I think some woodticks outfit their saws with bars based on what they might cut in their wildest dreams. Anything more than 24" is just a Paul Bunyan complex if used East of the Rocky Mountains. For those wanting to satiate a Paul Bunyan complex, don't try to fool yourself and others with rediculously long bars on small saws, but if you must, look like you're for real and put a 36" on a stock 088. LOL
John

 

[Pacific]

When I was dropping the small firs nextdoor to my parents place the 260 with a 20" bar worked great for falling the firs up to 20"s in diameter.

You guys that live in flatlands where you can walk around a tree and stand on any side of it can get away with moving around the tree to make your cuts. When you can only stand safely on one side of the tree you need a bar long enough to make the cuts in one pass.

In this area you don't have the luxury to work on flat ground your always working on some kind of slope or in situations where you can only work on one side of the tree.

The worst part when working on slopes is your walking down the slope and step on a slippery chunk of wood or a loose rock and take a slide down the hill.

 

[Brush Stomper]

Just a question?? Someone using a 20 and 24 - Which has better balance? I have only used a 20" on my 460. Thanks

 

[Ryan Willock]

I like the 24'' on my 460 but I have a new guy working with me so I have him running a 20'' on it for safety reasons untill he gets used to things.

 

[Pacific]

When I was in the learning stages of using a chainsaw I started with a small Jonsered with a 16" bar about a month into it I switched to a 051 with a 28" bar. I started bucking firewood when I was 16 yrs old now 11 years later working with big saws don't fizz me a bit. I'am more scared to use a table or a 7 1/4 circular saw then I'am my 046 with a 28" bar or a 051 with a 33" bar.

Its what ever you get used to probably 90% 044s-066s saws being used by pros in this area run 28" and longer bars. Saws like the 036 and smaller use 24" and shorter bars a faller I was watching was using a 036 with a 28" bar he said the bar is pushing the saws limits.

You easterners are so used to cutting p*cker poles you don't need a long bar on your saws to cut the wood back there

For West Coast guys like me we are cutting larger diameter soft woods like Fir Cedar and Hemlock so we need a saw with a long bar. P*cker poles are used for firewood its amazing what you easteners call saw logs something we would throw in a slash pile if it was a softwood.