Questions about Stihl bars and chains

[HandLogger]

After a lot of zoning hassles, we finally managed to purchase a parcel of forest land in the Berkshires. We had a "mini tornado" pass through the area last week, so we have some good saw logs lying on the ground that need to be moved soon.

As I was taught the Swedish GOL boring method to fell trees, I don't usually use more than a 20" bar. In the case of this storm, however, there are some logs on downhill slopes that need to be bucked from one side (for safety). Consequently, I'm looking for a longer bar for our MS660.

I tend to do a lot of bore cutting when I'm sawing, so I'm asking for thoughts on which type of bar I should buy -- Rollomatic ES or Duromatic E -- and which type of chain to use (with a 28" bar). I'll be cutting both soft and hardwoods on the property, so good versatility would be a factor. I'd also like to get some thoughts on what half skip and full skip chains are best for (upsides, as well as down). By the way, our chains are normally sharpened manually.

Have a good one and thanks for your time.

 

[computeruser]

Get the ES bar. No need for a hardnose bar for your purposes, or much of anybody's purposes.

Your saw should be able to pull full-comp chain on a 28" bar with an 8t or 7t sprocket, especially if it isn't running the current choked-down muffler. Running less chain (skip, half-skip) would be a waste of your saw's power. On a 36" bar you might want skip, but definitely not on 28".

RS/RSC, RSK or RSLK would all be good choices in the Stihl chain lineup. Similar stuff from Oregon, Carlton/WP would work nicely, too.

EDIT: I typed faster than Ed did!

 

[Ed*L]

Go with the rollomatic bar, hardnose bars are for very dirty conditions. I can't imagine you would hurt the sprocket tip from bore cutting, but you can replace it if necessary.
For chain, I would use the Stihl RS, if you are getting it from Stihl, I don't know what you have available.

Chain type, try the skip first, it will work good in the softwoods and you shouldn't lose much (if any) speed in hardwoods. The 660 has plenty of power and won't be sweating much with a 28" bar.

My only concern is bore cutting with the skip chain, I've never done it. The bar tip might want to bounce around on you. Since you are experienced and trained to bore cut trees, you should be able to figure out really quick if it's to dangerous.

Ed

 

[Ed*L]

EDIT: I typed faster than Ed did!

You looking over my shoulder again? :hmm3grin2orange:

Ed

 

[SawTroll]

RSC sounds good, but if you bore-cut a lot you should at least try RSK.

 

[HandLogger]

Thanks to the wolverines!

I appreciate the replies for the Michiganers on the board. We used to visit Lake Orion, Lapeer and [near] Grayling back in the 70s, so I'm fond of youse guys, aye?

The Rollomatic ES bar sounds like the way to go, but I'm still wondering about a good chain ...

Compuser: we've got a "jungle" 660, so there isn't much in the way of a muffler to fret over at all.

Ed: your words about skip chains and the 28" bar combination are well taken. I think I'll stick with the good old 33RS or 33RSC until such time that we may need a longer bar.

In closing, employing the word "bouncing" in a sentence pertaining to our Brazilian MS660 doesn't sound very comforting. That saw can get heavy at the end of the day, even with a 20" bar, so any degree of loss of control seems pretty hazardous ... The GOL instructors definitely put safety first, and that has always stuck with me. Besides, I keep a pair of eaten chaps hanging in the shop to remind me of why one should always respect this particular saw.

Have a good one up there,
HandLogger

 

[pbuehning]

The GOL instructors definitely put safety first, and that has always stuck with me. Besides, I keep a pair of eaten chaps hanging in the shop to remind me of why one should always respect this particular saw.

Have a good one up there,
HandLogger

Pardon me for being silly, BUT I respect all saws - each and every one of them can bite you!

 

[HandLogger]

Huh?

"I was taught the Swedish GOL boring method to fell trees..."

"...there are some logs on downhill slopes that need to be bucked from one side (for safety)."

"The GOL instructors definitely put safety first, and that has always stuck with me."

I appreciate your input, pbuehning, but I was replying to the folks that added actual content to the thread. The initial post reads "MS660," so equipping this saw is clearly the subject of this particular board.

By the way, going through the time and expense to become professionally certified to log my own property should demonstrate an inclination toward safety. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you, but I think the safety aspects of what we're doing have been well covered here ... please read the entire thread carefully -- there were certainly better quotes relating to safe logging in there

 

[pbuehning]

Again, pardon me for being silly - I just got back from 2 20+ hour days of storm restoration (electrical power industry) here in the northeast. It always amazes me how unsafe John Q Public can be. I laud your interest in safety and had no intention of offending - stay safe.

 

[Lakeside53]

Go with the rollomatic bar, hardnose bars are for very dirty conditions. I can't imagine you would hurt the sprocket tip from bore cutting, but you can replace it if necessary.
For chain, I would use the Stihl RS, if you are getting it from Stihl, I don't know what you have available.

Chain type, try the skip first, it will work good in the softwoods and you shouldn't lose much (if any) speed in hardwoods. The 660 has plenty of power and won't be sweating much with a 28" bar.

My only concern is bore cutting with the skip chain, I've never done it. The bar tip might want to bounce around on you. Since you are experienced and trained to bore cut trees, you should be able to figure out really quick if it's to dangerous.

Ed

+1, except.. skip won't buy you anything on an 066/28 inch, and generally cut slower.