Bar for Stihl MS 361

[SawTroll]

I got a MS361W last november, but has'n even broken it in yet, as King Winter came about a montht early and cut my season short . Everything seems fine so far . It even oils nicely, but that could be due to the fact that I have only ran 15" Rollomatic E, 3/8 RSC (nice chain) .63 gauge. These saws are sold with .63 only in Norway,and the Stihl tech. representative highly recommended .63, mainly out of chip clearing reasons.

Even though I don't need it often, I am going to buy an 18" bar for the saw.

In other treads I have read about oiling issues with this saw and other Stihl's. How does the gauge of bar/chain affect oiling? Should I go for .50 or .63??

I plan on either buying an Oregon Pro-lite locally, or ordering a GB ProTop or Powertech from the USA (no GB representation in Norway). All these options will cost me less than halv of what a Rollomatic E bought in Norway will (about the eqvivalent of 150 US dollars)! What do you suggest??

I might run into troble getting .50 RSC in Norway. Will Oregon LP cut as effectively as the RSC?

 

[belgian]

I have just used my new 361 last week for the first time, and it has exceeded my expectations in both performance an ergonomics. Great saw . I run an 18" bar and a 3/8 RSC standard chain on it. I have noticed that kick back risk is quite present, but I guess that's due to the newness of the chain and me not used to handle it. I only had to increase slightly the oiling level against standard setting.
Lof.

 

[brent denny]

As mike said, chain gauge seems to have little or no effect on oiling. I only cut hardwoods with bars up to 24" so in a bigger size it might make a difference but not the 18" you are talking about. I think driver thickness is being confused with tooth width. Unless you are specifically talking about narrow kerf chain (as far as I know, only available in .050 gauge) the teeth on any particular kind of chain are the same, reguardless of gauge.

 

[brent denny]

Please explain Mike. The tooth on any given chain is far wider than the driver so how would a wider driver make a wider kerf? Not trying to argue, just understand.

 

[Crofter]

The 50 and 58 guage chains have the same width driver body, with the .050 reduced on the tang below the side links.The 063 is the same thickness all the way down so is roughly 5 thou thicker. It uses differnt rivets than the .050 and .058

 

[brent denny]

OK, I think I understand now. The wider chassis on the .063 will, for lack of a better way of putting it, "push" the tooth out a further distance on each side, widening the kerf?

 

[brent denny]

Duh! Now I get it. When you rivet the tie straps and cutters on to a wider drive link, the whole setup is bound to be wider! Sorry to seem like such a waterhead but I just couldnt visualize it and all of the sudden it dawned on me.....

 

[SawTroll]

Thank you very much for your response!

Mike, I think you are right and the Stihl tech. that I asked wrong. So.050 gauge it will be. In fact your first post on this tread almost is a duplicate of the argumentation I used when asking if the saw cold be delivered with .050! Maybe they keep to one and only gauge, and insist that it is the best for all applications to simplify logistics for themselves.

By the way, I have not stated that my 361 is a bad oiler. I just suspected that it could be, as that is indicated in some other treads at this site.

Does any of you know what the weight difference between the bars that I mentioned initially is? Is it worth considering at all?

 

[SawTroll]

European 361

Belgian, have you notised that our european (and the Canadian ?) 361's is stronger than the US version ?? To my knowledge the muffler and maybe the ignition or carburettor is different.

 

[belgian]

Sawtroll,

I did not notice it immediately, but indeed you're right. Ours is 3,4 kW instead of 3,2 kW in the US. I also notice that Stihl recommends a 20' bar in the US, but in europe, they specify max. 18" in their catalogue. Don't know the reason though. Probably we have harder wood in Europe, and we are a bit stronger men to control that power !!

 

[Lakeside53]

Sawtroll,

I did not notice it immediately, but indeed you're right. Ours is 3,4 kW instead of 3,2 kW in the US. I also notice that Stihl recommends a 20' bar in the US, but in europe, they specify max. 18" in their catalogue. Don't know the reason though. Probably we have harder wood in Europe, and we are a bit stronger men to control that power !!

Interesting... The US version uses an HD34A carb. I don''t see any other carb or coil used, and only one flywheel/coil so timing is the same. There are two different part numbers available for the cylinder and two mufflers, but no idea if these are materially different. Anyone have an insight into where the extra .2kw comes from? Maybe just a factor carb adjustment? surely not....

 

[SawTroll]

Still looking for comments on 18" bar & chain !

As far as I can see, no one has commented on the bars and chains that I listed as my options. I have read a lot of treads one b & c topics in the past, and it seems that GB pro-top has a better reputation than any Oregon bar. My only concern with it is if there is a lot of extra weight that will affect the balance of the saw aversely

Has anyone tried the GB Powertech? Does it matter that the nose sprocket has just 10 teeth vs 11?

Concerning chain, I definitely want anti-wib, and as far as I know this narrows the choice to Stihl RSC or Oregon 72LP when I want round ground chisel. Any opinions on that choise? (Could be wrong on this)

As mentioned earlier, the choise of gauge is set at 0.050.

 

[sedanman]

I have a Stihl MS-361 and an 064. I have 3 bars that 'will fit' both saws, 16 inch, 20 inch and 28 inch. The 20 inch gets shared by the 2 saws, the 361 usually wears the 16 inch and the 064 ususally wears the 20". Either saw works well with the 20", I have not had the 16" on the 064 or the 28" on the 361. I suspect the the 064 would like the 16" a lot more than the 361 would tolerate the 28" LOL

 

[brent denny]

Hi, sawtroll. I think stihl bars are top notch but the gb bars are hard to beat, especailly for the money. I believe the powertech is a solid bar (not laminated) but it doesnt have the replaceable tip. I think it is a little smaller profile with a smaller nose (compared to the pro-top) so it its probably a little lighter and longer. I think you would be hard pressed to notice a balance issue with any 18" solid bar on that saw. As far as the chain goes, again stihl is top notch. The oregon is cheaper (around here) and also files much easier.

 

[Noah]

As far as I can see, no one has commented on the bars and chains that I listed as my options. My only consern with it is if there is a lot of extra weight that will affect the balanse of the saw adversly

I don't know if you are concerned with just brand, or weight concerning length, but my 361 carried a 20 bar and was a little nose heavy IF you are used to carrying small saws. However, it wasn't much of a balance problem, except while carrying it. While it was in wood, it wasn't an issue. Its the biggest bar that a couple of stihl techs recommended, but without using one, I'm going to guess that it could handle a 24" max AFTER the break in period, (approx. 5-15 tanks). This is no slam on Stihls, so any of you Stihl fanatics don't get defensive, but it seemed enemic and slow in anything but very soft wood when new; as oppossed to a comparable hp wise Husky 365. But as it broke in, that 361 turned into a whole different saw. Powerwise, it exceeded what the Husky was putting out when new. It handled a 20" w/ a 3/8" square beveled RS I think it was, in plung cuts in hard maple. Only problem when it was running was It was only oil thirsty.

 

[SawTroll]

Noah, your statement about 20" bar balance in that earlier tread is one of the reasons I ask these questions about bar weight.
I am used to carry a smaller saw, and I noticed an improvement in balance when changing from 13" to 15" om my 353G.
The 361 too, balances quite nicely with the 15", but a little more weight up front could be an improvement, but I don't want to install a bar that moves the saw into a distinctly nose-heavy balance.

My conclusion by now is that weight difference between the bars that I listed as options is little to be concerned with, so I will opt for the .050 GB Pro-Top.

Thank you for your response gentlemen!

 

[SawTroll]

Update!

I just discovered that buying a bar mail-order from USA to Norway is a bad deal afterall, due to freight cost. It was much higher than I expected.

That leaves me with Stihl and Oregon as the only real options. Not a big crises, but nevertheless a disappointment!

 

[SawTroll]

New update

I ended up by buying a Stihl Rollomatic E, and RSC chain in .063.

It wasn't what I really wanted, but I settled for what was easy to obtain locally - even though it cost a bit more than other options. Where I live Stihl bars cost a lot of money, but my dealer compensates it by selling chain for half the cost of Oregon chain.

It works great so far, no problems with oiling.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

SawTroll-You know I run a 24" on my 361, and I've not had a problem with oiling. It's not dripping off the chain, but it oils plenty. I'd imagine you've got plenty of oil with the 18".

Now let's talk full wraps.....
(Just kidding.)

Jeff

 

[SawTroll]

Jeff, I didn't really expect any problems with the oiling, but mentioned it anyway, as oiling issues with the 361 has been mentioned by others.
One of the reasons for buying a Stihl bar was that I wanted to be sure it was compatible with the oiliomatic system.
I also wanted to support my local Stihl dealer, who sells Stihl chain for half the price of what Oregon chain will cost me...

The saw balances just about perfect with the 18" bar, I think it must be a bit front heavy with a 24" one (?)