3/8 vs .325 on MS290

[FlyingDutchman]

I bought a bar at a saw shop going out of business years ago. 20" Total superbar with a replaceable sprocket tip. On the box it has .325 pitch .63 ga. Common for stihl... or stamped on the bar is 3/8 .63 ga. Not common.

Saw shop local happened to have a 3/8 63 ga chain and I tried it and the bar is .325 pitch, chain did not fit the tip.

This is a worn out saw that will be big bore kitted/ muff modded and I'd like to put the new bar on to possibly boost the value for sale locally unless for some reason I love it when it's together. The original bar is pretty close to junk not a fleck of paint on it, took lots of dressing. It's a 3/8. Of course when I got the passel of Chinese parts I bought the 3/8 clutch rim sprocket.

The underlying question is, if you were going to run a "big power" saw is 325 pitch going to hurt the cutting speed (but chains would be readily available on the shelf) or should I stick with 3/8 pitch for speed sake.

 

[Franny K]

Could not you change either the rim sprocket, or the nose of the bar?

Is the splines of your rim drive such that only 9 tooth drive will fit? (0.325)

Stihl dealerships do not stock spools or rolls of both .325 and 3/8 chain of some sort in 0.063 to make up loops, or able to order?

I have no such saw and hence have not experimented with what you ask, just kind of suspect there would be some overlap depending on what specific chain you choose. If you had a 0.050 gauge bar NK and skip chain in 0.325 would be additional choices.

 

[foeke]

It's not even 4hp (maybe more after the upgrade). Sharpness is more of a factor than .325 vs 3/8.
It comes with .325 stock I believe.

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[LoveStihlQuality]

The 3/8 .063 is more common regionally. You could list bar for sale here, run your old bar while rebuilding.
Many 50 cc saws come with. 325 / .063 and run well. I'm less about speed, more of just what cuts well for the saw.
Common ms 290 rebuilds to up it to 64 cc ala MS 390. That then would be worthy of 3/8

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[FlyingDutchman]

FrannyK, the rim sprocket yeah no prob.

The bar nose would be cost prohibitive.

They did not have .63 3/8 on hand not very common according to them. They had loop that would work only because someone mistakenly ordered it

 

[farmer steve]

I run .325 on my 290. Personally I think 3/8 would slow the saw down although a lot of guys run it. My 1 buddy complained about his FILs 250 being a dog. It has a .325/18" bar on it. He came and ran my 250 with 3/8 picco/16" bar on it and couldn't believe the difference.

 

[B440]

I like the 3/8 over the .325 as it stays sharp longer. Everyone's experience is going to be different though, so you really need to try both.

 

[computeruser]

Who cares what is stocked locally? Order Oregon loops online. Problem solved!

As for the saw, it could work with either. It just depends what you are cutting as to which will work better for you. Not something I’d overthink.

 

[user 122190]

I switch from a .325 to 3/8. Big improvement!

 

[homemade]

I find gauge is is region specific wether it’s .050 or .063. Until you get to the longer bars. Then Stihl are all .063. I don’t believe your beyond the power limits of .325 even if you put a 390 top on. It will definitely benefit from 3/8 chain. Buy a new tip in 3/8 for your bar. There not too expensive if you buy aftermarket.

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

My grandfather ran a 0.325 chain on his (now mine) Poulan 245 for many years (74cc, GOBS of torque). He almost wore the Oregon rim down to the drive spline. (Ok, slight exaggeration but you get the idea). So I don't think that a 64cc saw is going to overpower a 0.325 chain.

If the saw came stock with 0.325, I would suggest switching to 3/8LP if possible. I did this with my CS490, and it made a huge difference.

 

[lambs]

If I were the OP, I'd look at what 290s commonly run with in the area and go with that, whether it is 3/8, 3/8 LP, or .325. Especially if he plans to sell the saw because buyers might expect a standard configuration. If converting to a 390, by all means go with 3/8.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

With an assumption being made about regions and the preferred chain, 3/8 in .63 gauge is uncommon and .50 3/8 is and .325 .63 ga is. My other 2 stihls are 3/8 .50 as was this saw originally, all saws being local since new some since the early 80s.

Homeade, thanks for the tip on the bar end did not know they were universal ish. Will explore

If 3/8 is better, and a bar or tip has to be ordered, what about .404?

 

[MS460WOODCHUCK]

3/8 all day long with mm and that saw with good compression will do fine and put alot of wood on the truck. With no mm the saw is a complete dog no matter what chain your running on it. Very, very choked up from factory!

 

[MS460WOODCHUCK]

I run .325 on my 290. Personally I think 3/8 would slow the saw down although a lot of guys run it. My 1 buddy complained about his FILs 250 being a dog. It has a .325/18" bar on it. He came and ran my 250 with 3/8 picco/16" bar on it and couldn't believe the difference.

I have a mm'd 250 with 16" .325 and it ran faster with it than the 3/8lp after being timed numerous times with me or my son running it. Do you have a mm on your 250? If not you really need to because like the 290 it is very choked up and not even close to its potential.

 

[Colt Marlington]

I try my best to get the setup I want on a saw when I buy it.
All this bar mount, gauge and pitch and kerf and sprocket swapping can be an expensive pain in the rear.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

https://www.taequipment.com/collect...sumura-pro-tip-sprocket-nose-assembly-fv-type

This tip would solve the problem but then id waste a perfectly good replaceable tip. Rim sprocket would solve the problem too and a 325 chain. It appears that Tsumara no longer makes .325 pitch 63 gauge replaceable tips per their website, so the bar may be trash anyways when the tip is worn. This replaceable tip configuration seems to be unique to Total/Tsumara.

So the verdict is still out, the rim sprocket and .325 seems like the best option to get it pretty to sell for minimum investment. The 3/8 seems like the best option if I'm going to own the saw myself.

 

[user 122190]

I use my ms290 quite a bit, so being properly set up is important to me. I would give odds that most people that run a 290 don't have a clue as to the pitch or gauge dimensions. And if you were to tell them they would look at you confused and thinking you were a bit weird. Only bar length do they understand, and bigger is always better.

https://www.taequipment.com/collect...sumura-pro-tip-sprocket-nose-assembly-fv-type

This tip would solve the problem but then id waste a perfectly good replaceable tip. Rim sprocket would solve the problem too and a 325 chain. It appears that Tsumara no longer makes .325 pitch 63 gauge replaceable tips per their website, so the bar may be trash anyways when the tip is worn. This replaceable tip configuration seems to be unique to Total/Tsumara.

So the verdict is still out, the rim sprocket and .325 seems like the best option to get it pretty to sell for minimum investment. The 3/8 seems like the best option if I'm going to own the saw myself.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

True enough. They probably won't understand muffler mod and big bore top end either then though too... I'm hoping the big ass west coast bucking spikes sell it.

I thought that 20" was too much for my last MS290 stock ... Which was stolen... With some mods and tuning it should be a fine saw. I bought the parts for me but since I lost my job this is the most salable thing I have going...

 

[user 122190]

True enough. They probably won't understand muffler mod and big bore top end either then though too... I'm hoping the big ass west coast bucking spikes sell it.

I thought that 20" was too much for my last MS290 stock ... Which was stolen... With some mods and tuning it should be a fine saw. I bought the parts for me but since I lost my job this is the most salable thing I have going...

When I changed the .325 to the 3/8, I dropped the bar length to 18 inches. It would very likely run the 20, but 18 is good for now. I have a big bore kit to install some time in the near future, and then I will convert back to a 20 when the 18 gets worn out.