How long a chain

[Preston]

I've got about 7 rather large red oaks that are going to have to come down on my place and need a question answered. My 034 came with a 16 inch bar. I put a 20" on it right after I got it. Now my problem is the 20" bar just is not long enough to make a clean through cut on any of these trees and I'm just good enough to make the cuts I need for the notch and hinge moving back and forth.

My question is a 26" bar and chain to much for my 034 to pull in order to fell these 7 trees? Once they're down I'll put the 20" back on.

Thoughts

 

[excess650]

Wedges are going to be your friend!

You can put the longer B&C on your saw to get the extended reach, but it may bog, so expect it to cut on the slow side. Full skip chain may help in that you'll be pulling less cutters through. Use wedges and be methodical.

 

[T0RN4D0]

You don't need a longer bar for felling. Actually a longer bar is a lot more useful when bucking then for felling.

And yes, 26 would be an overkill for that saw.

 

[SteveH]

I used an 034 exclusively for ten yr. and used an 18" bar on it. For me, it worked best with that length bar. I cut many, many trees up to 25" diameter or more. For bucking, yes, you will have to cut from both sides, not a big deal in my book. Much longer bar than that, you will soon be thinking about a larger saw like a 362 or 036. On those saws, I use a 20" bar.

If all you are cutting are those 7 trees, then back to smaller ones, a larger saw and/or bar is a matter of something you want, not what you need. There will be a bit more time involved cutting those 7 with what you have, but it'll be over with and done.

Unless........you just want a larger saw. I never tried a longer-than-18" bar on my 034, but the saw would have been at or past its limit if I had, in my experience.

 

[MPE]

26" is too much for that saw.

Honestly, for felling, a longer bar is rarely necessary on relatively flat ground. Watch some of the videos on YouTube relating to bore cutting and to European felling techniques, and you'll see what can be done with a peppy powerhead, a relatively short bar, and a few wedges.

Now, for bucking things up, or dropping trees that are hung or that broke off half-way up, the short bar techniques are not the best or the safest way to handle things. For these tasks, a longer bar is nice, especially if you're making firewood out of the tree and doing the same cut over and over again every 16-20". This is where the big HP, long-enough bar saws shine.

 

[logging22]

Sounds like a good excuse to get another, bigger saw.:msp_thumbup:

 

[chainsawman2011]

stihl 034 bar length

A 25" bar on 034 stihl heck no. even with skip chain it would bog so bad in that oak. An 036 pro runs out of power with a skip chain and a 25" bar. Use a max of 20" bar on it and if you need longer buy a bigger saw. Ms441 or ms460 those would run a 25" nicely.

 

[Preston]

Thanks everybody. Good advice for an old fart. I won't over load my old saw.