Teach me please!!

[Tnspark82]

Alright guys. I wanna learn something that I do not understand!!
First I cut timber I the southeast US. TN to be specific. I run a 372xp with a 20" bar and a 390xp with a 24" bar. I get on average 2 18 wheeler loads a day. It's just me cutting and hauling, my father drags for me.

That's said how do y'all run such long bars on your saw?? My 372 will do pretty good with a 24" in popular or gum but oak, hickory, n other hard woods it's ok but not great. My 390 screams with a 24" bar and does pretty good with a 28". Are the woods y'all cut a lot easier to go thru??? No body that cuts timber that I know of around me uses anything bigger. I know out west there are crazy big trees does it just take forever to cut one down?? Someone explain how that works because here especially in a good sound white oak some of you guys would be so slow you would have to wedge every tree or bust them.

 

[1Alpha1]

Well......it's going to come up sooner or later, so I'll ask and get it out of the way.

What brand of oil are you using and at what mix ratio?

 

[Tnspark82]

I just use the husqvarna oil. It's 50:1. Been using it forever. It easy to get and they always have it at the saw shop.

 

[thumbilly]

The thing you have to remember is the longer the bar the more drive links. More drive links = lower gear ratio = more power getting the chain. I haven't ran bigger than 32" mainly in dead ash so im no expert. But my 390xp running a 32" will actually cut faster than my 562xp with a 20"

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[madmarksolomon]

A lot depends on the timber you are in. I run 8 pin sprockets on the ms460 32" bar , also 8 pin for the ms660 36" bar, 7 pin on the 660 with a 42" bar, full skip chisel chain 063 3/8 with the stops adjusted accordingly to the wood I'm in, and all saws are woods ported with 3 ports on mufflers and max flow intakes.
I've have not had a problem with cutting to slow, all be it I never cut production for hardwoods, just fir, pine, and ceder. Hopefully that may help you a little.

 

[Tnspark82]

Yes Thank you for that. My saws are all stock. The fact you are not cutting for production makes a difference. I just want the trees on the ground as safe as possible.

 

[Banguts]

Been using the bosses 390xp with a 32" full skip, and it's a bit disappointing compared to my 461 with aftermarket muffler and max flow. I'm in northern CA, run a 25" and 32" on the 461, a 28" on my 440... I do square grind my own chains, though..

 

[merc_man]

I dont cut for a living, just to heat my house. I cut a lot of ash. I cut a bumch of shag hickory and that stuff is just hard as heck. I could probly.cut.two ash blocks to one hickory.

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[Acornhill]

You are cutting a lot of wood a day, keep chains sharp and saws clean to keep heat down. I always say use only as long as Bar needed to put the tree on the ground. Safety first as you stated


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[mudfly]

The thing you have to remember is the longer the bar the more drive links. More drive links = lower gear ratio = more power getting the chain. I haven't ran bigger than 32" mainly in dead ash so im no expert. But my 390xp running a 32" will actually cut faster than my 562xp with a 20"

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I hope you are joking in your response. Chain speed and torque will be the exact same with any bar length (excluding the added drag of the longer bar). The only way to change speed or torque is to run a different pin sprocket (lower count for more torque, higher count for more chain speed). That is where your gear ratio is. It has nothing to do with your bar length or drive link count.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

The thing you have to remember is the longer the bar the more drive links. More drive links = lower gear ratio = more power getting the chain. I haven't ran bigger than 32" mainly in dead ash so im no expert. But my 390xp running a 32" will actually cut faster than my 562xp with a 20"

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Huh? This makes no sense.

I hope you are joking in your response. Chain speed and torque will be the exact same with any bar length (excluding the added drag of the longer bar). The only way to change speed or torque is to run a different pin sprocket (lower count for more torque, higher count for more chain speed). That is where your gear ratio is. It has nothing to do with your bar length or drive link count.

^^^ This.

 

[Charlie Pendleton]

Alright guys. I wanna learn something that I do not understand!!
First I cut timber I the southeast US. TN to be specific. I run a 372xp with a 20" bar and a 390xp with a 24" bar. I get on average 2 18 wheeler loads a day. It's just me cutting and hauling, my father drags for me.

That's said how do y'all run such long bars on your saw?? My 372 will do pretty good with a 24" in popular or gum but oak, hickory, n other hard woods it's ok but not great. My 390 screams with a 24" bar and does pretty good with a 28". Are the woods y'all cut a lot easier to go thru??? No body that cuts timber that I know of around me uses anything bigger. I know out west there are crazy big trees does it just take forever to cut one down?? Someone explain how that works because here especially in a good sound white oak some of you guys would be so slow you would have to wedge every tree or bust them.

Most of us west coasters cut pine, fir etc.
My 372 rips a burried 28. My 555 screams with a 24 and the 2100 turns whatever you want but is fitted with a 36.
Im willing to say if your saws are running right your probably just cutting much harder wood. I get lucky every now and then and find someone wanting a elm or ash taken down and i notice power loss/ chain speed with the bars I run if they are burried.

 

[thumbilly]

I hope you are joking in your response. Chain speed and torque will be the exact same with any bar length (excluding the added drag of the longer bar). The only way to change speed or torque is to run a different pin sprocket (lower count for more torque, higher count for more chain speed). That is where your gear ratio is. It has nothing to do with your bar length or drive link count.

Well no not at the time[emoji848][emoji42]. Here's a lesson kids dont post half asleep, your brain isn't with the program. You are definitely right about the gear ratio. Maybe its just me but for what i cut the longer bars just feel smoother and faster. Be it that it pulls the saw down to its power ban or like with a heavy flywheel the added rotational mass holds momentum better for small changes. I dunno im not an engineer or scientist! Hell not even close to chainsaw expert. But i will admit when im wrong and love to learn correct knowledge. I go by how the saw acts and sounds and for what i cut a 372xp seems much happier with 24" vs. 20".

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[president]

The thing you have to remember is the longer the bar the more drive links. More drive links = lower gear ratio = more power getting the chain. I haven't ran bigger than 32" mainly in dead ash so im no expert. But my 390xp running a 32" will actually cut faster than my 562xp with a 20"

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never thought about the gear ratio aspect,good insight

 

[ironman_gq]

Skip chain will give you some of your power back going to a longer bar, your pulling less cutters through the wood. Could also go down one pin on the sprocket depending on what you have on there now, a 7 pin will pull better than an 8 just a little slower.

 

[Khntr85]

Been using the bosses 390xp with a 32" full skip, and it's a bit disappointing compared to my 461 with aftermarket muffler and max flow. I'm in northern CA, run a 25" and 32" on the 461, a 28" on my 440... I do square grind my own chains, though..

I just cut up a maple with a 32" on my 461, damn thing was ripping....

I love the 461...have you been getting good use from them

 

[user 149785]

Most of us west coasters cut pine, fir etc.
My 372 rips a burried 28. My 555 screams with a 24 and the 2100 turns whatever you want but is fitted with a 36.
Im willing to say if your saws are running right your probably just cutting much harder wood. I get lucky every now and then and find someone wanting a elm or ash taken down and i notice power loss/ chain speed with the bars I run if they are burried.

Absolutely true. Type of timber should always dictate your set up. Ive been cuttin' southern hardwoods for a long time now. (Over 20 yrs) ive tried the west coast set up 8 pin with skip chain and it dont work. Skip in hardwood dulls to quick especially if your cuttin storm damage thats been down for a while an 8 pin rim robbs your low end torque no matter what brand saw you run. 7 pin with full comp even on long bars 28" over in this type of timber works best. When im cuttin large eastern red cedar out come the 8 pin and skip chain.

 

[Tnspark82]

Thanks guys for your response. Learned something from it. Sounds like I'm doing alright for the southern hardwood. I only own a 28" bar. I have yet to see timber where anything big is needed. With that I have only used it a few times. I would love to go out west and cut one of the stupid big trees down!!!!

 

[Charlie Pendleton]

Absolutely true. Type of timber should always dictate your set up. Ive been cuttin' southern hardwoods for a long time now. (Over 20 yrs) ive tried the west coast set up 8 pin with skip chain and it dont work. Skip in hardwood dulls to quick especially if your cuttin storm damage thats been down for a while an 8 pin rim robbs your low end torque no matter what brand saw you run. 7 pin with full comp even on long bars 28" over in this type of timber works best. When im cuttin large eastern red cedar out come the 8 pin and skip chain.

Something else I get away with though frowned upon is I set my rakers at 45 thousandth but pine is so soft it still cuts like butter , I'm sure if I were in the south or east coast cutting hardwood I wouldn't have a clutch side crank bearing in any saw I own.

 

[Tnspark82]

Lol!! Alright. I keep my drags pretty aggressive. Especially on my 390xp. I don't measure them or anything with a gauge. I just look down the teeth and want just the smallest amount of daylight between the drag/raker and the cutting edge of the tooth. I also keep them wicked sharp. I want my saw razor sharp all the time. I point my saws several times a day.