.043 vs .050 & .050 vs .063 chain

[oneoldbanjo]

I have noticed that Stihl offers the Picco chain in both .043 & .050 guages and that the 3/8 chain is offered in both .050 and .063 guages. It also seems a bit odd that the .325/.063 chain used on the 3.2 HP 260 is the same thickness of drive link gauge as the chain used on the 8.6 hp 880 - while the 360, 440, 441, 650, and 660 can use either the .050 or .063 gauge!

What is the purpose of having different thicknesses of drive links? Is one better suited to smaller/larger saws? I did a search and could not find any thread that discusses this topic.

 

[maccall]

I have noticed that Stihl offers the Picco chain in both .043 & .050 guages and that the 3/8 chain is offered in both .050 and .063 guages. It also seems a bit odd that the .325/.063 chain used on the 3.2 HP 260 is the same thickness of drive link gauge as the chain used on the 8.6 hp 880 - while the 360, 440, 441, 650, and 660 can use either the .050 or .063 gauge!

What is the purpose of having different thicknesses of drive links? Is one better suited to smaller/larger saws? I did a search and could not find any thread that discusses this topic.

It's mostly to make things more complicated and parts incompatible for people who have many saws. In theory, a chain with wider gauge should weigh more and thus take more power to run, but I don't know if it has any real life difference.

Since the strength of the chain is more determined by it's pitch, the only other difference I can think of is that the different gauges might be better or worse on distributing bar oil, but then it also depends how much oil the pump is delivering.

I would like to say that larger saws have thicker drive links and vice versa, but then I think then PNW guys mostly uses 0.050 gauge, so there goes that theory down the drain.

No, I think it's mostly a question of cultural habits, and really annoying.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

Well if the intent was to make things confusing and somewhat complicated.....I believe it is working. I bought 3 chains on eBay for my 192T in .050 gauge - and the bar is .043. OOOOPS!!!! The only good news is that the 12 inch long chains are pretty cheap and I don't stand to lose too much.

 

[wkpoor]

I just bought a roll of 3/8 .058 from Baileys last week and realized finding a bar to match for a Husky and a Stihl proved very difficult. I've since then heard the .058 is a bastard size. The chain was cheap, not so for the bars which in turn offest the cost of the chain. At least this roll of Oregon feels extremely sharp.

 

[gavin]

I just bought a roll of 3/8 .058 from Baileys last week and realized finding a bar to match for a Husky and a Stihl proved very difficult. I've since then heard the .058 is a bastard size. The chain was cheap, not so for the bars which in turn offest the cost of the chain. At least this roll of Oregon feels extremely sharp.

around here tons of husky guys use .058 gauge (myself included) but i've never seen a stihl bar that takes it. the fire fighting crew i'm on uses all stihls (460s and 660s) and we run 3/8 pitch .050 guage on all of them. so if you're looking for chain that will run on both husky and stihl i would pick .050 because it seems more common than .063.

 

[2dogs]

My little MS260 16" runs (.325) .063, and all my 36" and 42" bars in 3/8 are .063. Everything else is 3/8 .050. I used to run .325 .050 narrow kerf bars and chains but had very bad luck with them.

 

[chainsaw kid]

.050 is the way to go....most common

Good read oneoldbanjo. I just drove home from work and was listening to some killer banjo

 

[SawTroll]

around here tons of husky guys use .058 gauge (myself included) but i've never seen a stihl bar that takes it. the fire fighting crew i'm on uses all stihls (460s and 660s) and we run 3/8 pitch .050 guage on all of them. so if you're looking for chain that will run on both husky and stihl i would pick .050 because it seems more common than .063.

That is correct in the US, but here all the brands seem to have "banned" the .050, except for .325NK amd 3/8" lo-pro.

Husky etc go with the .058, Stihl with the .063, except for shorter .325 bars and chain (.058).

 

[chainsaw kid]

I'm thinking that the .063 is a heavier chain maybe stronger and doesn't stretch as easy as a .050 ......supposedly more durable

The downside to running a .063 would be more surface area, friction/drag plus a heavier chain slowing down the saw some minuscule amount adversely affecting performance.

Again, this is my speculation in need of critiquing

 

[Tree Sling'r]

I guess it just depends where you at. No one around here runs anything but 3/8 .063.

 

[bcorradi]

I agree with Tree Slingr that it seems region dependant. Based on my experience 3/8 .050 is more common than .063.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

I don't believe that the surface area of 0.063 will be any greater than the 0.050 - as the profile of the drive links is the same and the part that touches the sides of the bar groove are the same - just a 0.013 larger slot in the bar. The chain will weigh a little more as a result of the thicker drive links - and this will hurt acceleration but should have little or no affect on a saw that is cutting at full throttle at a steady load. The only thing that I can imagine changes is the outer links are 0.013 wider (0.0065 each side) of the drive links and this may cause a little more drag on the sides of the wood if the actual cutter width is the same.

It does appear that when a saw can use two different gauges - the Stihl website always has the narrower one as their recommended chain and bar combination.

 

[Crofter]

Chain guage is determined by the thickness of the tang of the drive link (the lower portion that fits in the bar groove. The upper portion that is part of the chassis of the chain can be the same thickness or greater. On Stihl chain the body at the rivet is .063 on all guages of standard 3/8 chain and only the lower portion of the drive tangs reduced for 50 and 58 guage. It has larger bearing surface area at the rivet hub so will reduce chain "stretch" somewhat. Its overall width will be the same in all guages. Compared for instance with a carlton or oregon .050 chain it will be .005 thicker for the drive link and each side strap is .010 thicker so a total .025 thicker. It is considerably heavier but you wont notice it at all on a work saw but you would not choose it to make a race chain.

 

[SawTroll]

I'm thinking that the .063 is a heavier chain maybe stronger and doesn't stretch as easy as a .050 ......supposedly more durable

The downside to running a .063 would be more surface area, friction/drag plus a heavier chain slowing down the saw some minuscule amount adversely affecting performance.

Again, this is my speculation in need of critiquing

The drive tangs has nothing to do with stretch.

 

[SawTroll]

Here is a very good post from another tread;

Oregon and Stihl 3/8,.050 and .063 chain do indeed use the same cutter and chassis. The only difference is the drive teeth are a bit thicker. This results in a wider bar groove, which may be advantageous in certain types of wood.
For instance I know from personal experience that the wider bar groove clogs up less often when cutting standing dead red oak. With a .050 bar the bar becomes clogged with the fine chips generated by cutting dead oak that it will stop the chain.
I imagine the same would be true in fibrous softwood trees out west.
The .050 gauge bar rails should wear slower given they have more bearing area.

 

[SawTroll]

I agree with Tree Slingr that it seems region dependant. ......

No doubt about that!

 

[chainsaw kid]

Ok, thanks guys for all the feedback....makes sense and is clear to me now.

That being said, I just called my local stihl dealer and asked for the two different chains and he said to go with the .050 because it's most common out here (East cost....New England) and I could go in about any place and find .050 but if I wanted .063 he could special order it and it runs about a buck more a chain. He emphasized about .050 being easier to find around here.