New Stihl 362 but what bar size to run

[merkel]

I am picking up a Stihl 362 and cant decide what bar to run...18" or 20". Chain will be 3/8x.063. Any suggestions for hardwoods? Curious to everyone's opinion!

 

[KarlD]

I run mine with a 20” and it’s been fine....even better since a little muffler mod

 

[computeruser]

18” would get my vote.

 

[cuinrearview]

18” would get my vote.

+1, both I built this year were in their happy zone here.

 

[rwoods]

Depends upon what you are cutting and personal preference. Will obviously have more cutting power with the lesser drag of a shorter bar. Personally I like 20”, but if mine had come with an 18” I doubt I would have upsized it. I had one with a 25” and it did fine. No speedster, but fine nonetheless.

See if your dealer will let you handle it with each bar. Get the one that feels most natural to you.

Ron

 

[Mad Professor]

No experience with the 362, but 20" is the happy spot on my 036.

 

[holeycow]

This is for a 2011 ( non moronic ) model


20 solid is slightly nose heavy

18 solid is ever-so-slightly handle heavy

24" is stupid, but many run them. I have Never felt a 24 light. The saw is a little sluggish with a 24. Almost neutered, imo.

I have an 18 solid on my 2011. I wish I had a 19.. ha!

I dont think the difference between 18 and 20 is worth talking about, really. Get whatever is cheaper. It may not be the 18.?

 

[Mad Professor]

This is for a 2011 ( non moronic ) model


20 solid is slightly nose heavy

18 solid is ever-so-slightly handle heavy

24" is stupid, but many run them. I have Never felt a 24 light. The saw is a little sluggish with a 24. Almost neutered, imo.

I have an 18 solid on my 2011. I wish I had a 19.. ha!

I dont think the difference between 18 and 20 is worth talking about, really. Get whatever is cheaper. It may not be the 18.?

One of the other reasons I went with the 20" on my 036, is that is more useful on my 038 saws. Something to consider if you have a few saws with 3003 bar mounts.

 

[ShneaSIG]

I use a 20" on mine for general purpose work. 25" when I need a little more reach. And it does fine with a 25, by the way.

 

[dmb2613]

Strange, I hear a lot about 3/8 X .063 west of here but the norm here is 3/8 X .050 . +2 on the 18 inch

 

[Bastard]

Do you Guys use the longer bars with a modified Oil Pump?
I think that the 362 is a little weak on the Oiler Output...

But it seems like a general fact that the Chainsaws in the USA are used with longer Bars then whe use here in Germany an Europe. Here we run 362's regulary with 40-45cm, with 50cm (20") only when there isn't a 70ccm like a 440/469/462 at the hand...

Maybe it's because of harder Woods or that we don't have skip chains...

 

[holeycow]

The full wrap, full pro 362 has the higher output oil pump in Canada, anyway.

The longer bar is mostly a west coast thing in NA. Soft wood. Big trees. Among other things..

 

[Bastard]

Thats really interessting, here we don't have wrap handles and modified saws are hard to find.

I heard that the MS460 Pump will fit, but with quality oil (Stihl Bio Plus) I had no problems. But when i got cheap Mineral bar oil a year ago i killed the bar and chain within some cuts...

 

[ShneaSIG]

I used the 25" bar with full comp chain on plenty of North American red oak varieties without issue. A bit stingy on oil, but not terrible. No, it wasn't as fast as the bigger displacement saws, but the saw didn't struggle.

 

[BangBang77]

I run a Tsumura 18" on my MS360 Pro and love the power with the shorter bar.

I am sure it would do okay with a 24" but that is why I have 441/460/461s and an 066.

 

[huskihl]

It's only a difference of 2". Up to 17" wood they'll cut the same, as the saw doesn't know what bar is on it. I'd buy whichever bar and chain is most available so you can always easily pick up a spare chain when needed

 

[merkel]

I am looking at a 3/8"x.063 bar in 18" but cant find a Tsumura in anything except a 3/8x.050. Where can they be had on .063?

 

[BangBang77]

I'm not sure if they make the 18" Tsumura in 0.063" gauge? Mine is 0.050". The shortest Tsumura I have found in 3/8 x 0.063" is a 20".

Due to the majority of 3/8" aftermarket bars (Tsumura, Sugihara, Cannon, etc) typically being produced in 0.050", I started switching over to 0.050" sometime last year and have been shedding all of my 0.063" stock on hand. The only 0.063" I still have and use is 0.325" bars for my 026s and 261. I was too heavily invested in bars and chains in 0.063" to make the jump, and see no point in doing so now as the 0.325" x 0.063" chain is in every Stihl dealer within 300 miles of my house.