sprocket tip vs hard nose bars

[wojo]

hi guys i was wondering whats the difference between the sprocket tip bar and the hard nose bar. I know that the sprocket tip has a sprocket nose. is there an advantage of one over the other. thanks

 

[taplinhill]

Hard nose work good in dirty conditions that might jam the sprocket nose.



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[2dogs]

For the most part a hardnose bar like Stihl's Duromatic is a special purpose bar designed for abrasive conditions. 2 days ago I finished work on a 5 week vegetation management project in our local river flood control channel. As a crew we cut many thousands of small willows and other trees. For the past few years I have gone through 2 or 3 bars on the project. Late last year I bought 2 Duromatic bars, 1 for the 260 and 1 for the 361. Everyone else on the project used at least 2 bars while the Duromatic hardly showed any wear except for losing the paint. For abrasive conditions a hardnose bar excells.

For regular wood cutting I use a sprocket nose bar as it is more efficient. In addition most of the wear occurs near the tip on the replaceable nose. I do run Oregon ProLite bars on 2 saws even though they are not replaceable nose bars. Because of their light weight they my choice on the small saws.

 

[woodfarmer]

with the price of a replaceable sprocket around $25 the hard nose bars are a much better buy for cutting dirty wood, i find when cutting certain types of wood, they will jam a sprocket nose bar

 

[nilzlofgren]

A hardnose bar will rob a little of your saws power, due to friction. But that's probably negligible. Welcome to the site.

 

[stevethekiwi]

hard nose good for milling. you get an extra couple of inches at the end as you dont pinch the sproket when clamping the mill

 

[wojo]

thanks for the replies, so do you guys think it would be a good idea to just run a hard nose bar over the sprocket tip because, if it is better in dirty conditions then it would also be better in clean conditions right? how much power would i lose going from a sprocket tip to a hard nose? thanks for the welcome

 

[GASoline71]

No... run a sprocket tip... you will like it waaaaayyyyy more betterer.

Trust me...

Gary

 

[2dogs]

I will run a sprocket tip bar unless conditions are very gritty like working on a beach or cutting railroad ties or salvage/demo work. A sprocket tip runs with less friction and less heat. However bars are cheap so why not own both?

 

[stevethekiwi]

sproket tip.

 

[Soilarch]

I didn't notice any difference from sprocket to hard nose. Then again I'm not really pushing the limits of my saw.

Let me high-jack the thread slightly and ask if shagbark hickory is considered "dirty" enough to warrant a hard nose. I'm running 24" so the nose is rarely part of the equation...but I'll be buying a backup bar before too long since I can't seem to find anybody local who can grind/square up my sprocket bar.

And in the red oak when I make cuts using the top of the bar there's been a time or two the chips get wedged underneath the chain and stall the saw out. Will this be more common with a sprocket-nose. (I only ran my sprocketnose for about an hour. Then ran around trying to buy a bar on a Saturday afternoon.)

 

[GASoline71]

Dirty is just that... cuttin' low stumps or roots, trees with sand in the bark, railroad ties... that sort of stuff...

Gary

 

[stevethekiwi]

lol i dont cut dirty

 

[Brushwacker]

I like a hardnose bar as long as I have plenty of power for the length bar I am running. Easiar to maintain, chain stays on better for me especially when limbing small stringy hardwood limbs. I use both cause I watch for deals and try to pick bars up cheap enough to make a profit on whether it be to put on a saw I am selling or sell a bar outright sometimes.

 

[serial killer]

Surely the illustrious Mr. Wojo already knows the answer to this question. Why bother asking it unless you are cataloging the responses for future harassment?

 

[wojo]

Surely the illustrious Mr. Wojo already knows the answer to this question. Why bother asking it unless you are cataloging the responses for future harassment?

why would i ask the question if i already knew the answer? try and think a little bit before you type. if you dont want to answer the question then dont click on it, simple enough.
the reason i was asking is because, right now i have a 20" and 24" bar and i was thinking about getting a 28" bar and didnt know if i should get a hard nose or stay with the sprocket tip. and i didnt know of the advantages or disadvantages of one or the other

 

[SawTroll]

thanks for the replies, so do you guys think it would be a good idea to just run a hard nose bar over the sprocket tip because, if it is better in dirty conditions then it would also be better in clean conditions right? how much power would i lose going from a sprocket tip to a hard nose? thanks for the welcome

No!

 

[SawTroll]

Dirty is just that... cuttin' low stumps or roots, trees with sand in the bark, railroad ties... that sort of stuff...

Gary

Yes!

 

[M Lintner]

Surely the illustrious Mr. Wojo already knows the answer to this question. Why bother asking it unless you are cataloging the responses for future harassment?

I’m glad someone asked. I have a McCulloch 1-43 w/hard nosed bar. I now know to leave it on and use my Pro Mac610 or Poulan 455; when it’s clean wood, and save the 1-43for the muck.

 

[Huskybill]

I think the best set up for less friction is the roller nose with the rim on the clutch. For dirt I throw on a chipper round tooth chain it’s less forgiving in dirty situations.
I cut at a landing once cleaning it up and had the worst time keeping the chain sharp.