28" bar is starting to loosen up/break in...YAY!

[isaaccarlson]

Some of you might remember when I got it around Christmas time and commented on how stiff it was.......
When I first put it on it pulled really hard. I now have close to an hour on it and it pulls easier with each cut. I dropped a 30" oak today and the bar was feeling better and better as I went along. I can now pull the chain around the bar fairly easily by hand.....where I was not able to move it with my fingers when I got it.

 

[Industry]

Are you sure you got the right chain for that bar? It sounds like an .058 chain in an .050 bar, or an .063 chain in an .058 bar. Chain should fit snug, but move freely. there should be no "break in" other than the initial stretch of the chain. At least, not in my experience.

 

[Henry G.]

:agree2:
Just put a 28" Oregon power match on my 394, you need to grease and oil the bar before using. Other than having to knock the rakers down a touch this thing eats wood from the get go.

 

[Burvol]

SMOKIN' that clutch brother!

 

[gwiley]

Uh oh, I hope you bought a spare

I have never had to break in a bar - I would double check the guage on the bar and chain, although it sounds as though you might have "fixed" that problem already.

 

[isaaccarlson]

I checked everything over and it is the right chain for the bar.

It was just stubborn for a while. Never had one like that.

 

[Wishie22]

The paint may have needed to get worn off, and bar lubed with some oil.

My powermatch bars are usually a little tight when brand new. Couple of rotations of the chain, paint wear and the saw apply some oil they seem allot smoother. After cutting a couple of things they glided like they should.

 

[isaaccarlson]

I haven't used it much except on the oak.

Once I made a few good cuts in the oak it was doing a lot better. It did look like there was some paint in/on the rails.

 

[flushcut]

I never needed to break in a bar before except for the paint but it's working for you now. I was wondering if you ever got around to dropping that big cottonwood.

 

[southbound]

I just put a after market clutch cover on one of mine and I could not pull the chain...I had to remove a little from the cover.Seems the face of the cover that touched the bar was a little taller and longer so it would pinch the rails closed.......

 

[isaaccarlson]

no.....I think dad was just flapping his gums....

or else he has a lot of mud. Now he says next year....we'll see. I found a guy looking for cottonwood rounds bigger than 20" so I am pretty anxious to drop that tree....I will just have to be happy with others I suppose. There are some big maples and oaks that need cutting around here because they are dying or dead.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

I had a new 24" GB bar that was tight for the first 10-20 minutes. The sprocket rolled over just fine. Running a drive link through it didn't find any burs, the bar and chain were both .058 guage and new at the same time. I made sure it was oiling right and added a bit extra out of the jug. After a couple of sharpenings it wasn't noticible anymore.

It just took a little while for the paint to wear off the tops and insides of the rails. Once they had wore in together, then it wasn't a problem. It seems as though my new 16" bars and chains do it too. Only to a lesser extent because the bar is shorter with fewer drive links dragging in the rails.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

No prob w/28" on my MS-460, but the RSC chain on that one seems to dull quicker on that saw vs. same chain on the 036 w/20" bar....tryin to find the happy medium with filing the teeth vs. rakers I guess....