Your chain of choice on a 50 cc saw?

[SuperDuty04]

I'm considering buying a second bar for my muf modded ms261cm. It's currently got an 18" .325. I'm considering going to a 16" 3/8 b&c since a 16" would handle most of my needs. Thoughts?

 

[sunfish]

3/8" / . 058" / 16" & 1 8" on most of mine. . 325 on one.
Oregon semi chisel perfered.

 

[Ronaldo]

Exactly how I'd set them up. The AV on the Dolly really absorbs any extra vibes associated with 3/8.

The anti vibe on the Dolmar is amazingly smooth! Its deceptive on how fast it's actually cutting because the perception is that it's so smooth your not getting much accomplished. Smoothest saw I have used.....Husqvarna 576 would be in the running too, as a super smooth A/V saw.

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[computeruser]

I’m running an 16” Oregon Speedcut bar and chain (95TXL) on my 545, it’s great. It is narrow kerf. Curious how it would differ from reg Kerf or 3/8, but not enough to actually buy all of that to compare

Standard kerf will run fine on that saw/bar combo without clearance issues if you feel like trying a loop sometime. 3/8” wont be worth the bother, in that you won’t gain anything, based on my experience with a 545.

 

[cuinrearview]

Oregon 20LPX in a 13” NK bar with an 8t rim is what I use on both MM and ported 346s.

Have also run 3/8” Oregon LGX on a 16” bar with good results on these saws, but it is much more grabby when cutting little stuff that is between finger sized and wrist sized, which comprises a lot of what I cut. In finger sized springy stuff I throw 3/8” off the bar regularly, but never with .325”. If I was cutting firewood sized stuff only, I’d probably run 3/8” much or all of the time.

When I had 026s, they seemed to feel best with .325”. Dolmar 5100s felt best with 3/8”.

I'm hoping this will be the ticket for arm sized stuff and under Brandon. With a shorter bar and chain of course. It's all I had and I just got it together.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

3/8lo pro will probably be the fastest through the cut if you're using a chain like Stihl PS. It will also be there fastest back to the filing bench. For bucking hardwood full sized 3/8 is probably the best choice if you're looking for fast cuts and a little more durability.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I'm considering buying a second bar for my muf modded ms261cm. It's currently got an 18" .325. I'm considering going to a 16" 3/8 b&c since a 16" would handle most of my needs. Thoughts?

Depends what your use is. I run 16" 3/8 on my 261 a lot for cutting firewood, but I do swap back to .325 for limbing and thinning type work. 3/8 is much less enjoyable for that. Get in touch with Julian, @redbull660. He's got great prices on the tsumura lightweight bars. A 16" lightweight 3/8 bar on a 261 would be a very nice setup.

 

[r black]

I run Oregon chain .325 18 inch on a 550xp MII as your running on the ms261 , not sure a change to 16" .375 would be worth the $ ....... a good sharp chain/or several may best cost effective option.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

.325/.063

Works for me.

 

[CR888]

So many chain options for this class of saw, it comes down to what wood types your cutting that dictates the ultimate setup. Advising a general purpose setup is one thing, stating what the 'best' is just depends.

 

[Kyfan]

I prefer semi chisel for limbing because it isnt as grabby and doesnt need sharpened as much. I really hate sharpening the .325 chain.

 

[Cliff R]

Here's what I've found to be most ideal for my saws. For the 40cc and under I use 14" bars with 3/8LP Oregon chains with no safety features. Not only is 14" pretty ideal for most smaller limbing saws it keeps things pretty much standardized so I'm only buying 3/8" LP with 52 drive links, packs of two can be had under $20.

All of my 50-55cc saws get 18" .325".

I use my 50cc saws for a lot of the cutting we do these days as most of it is tops left over from logging operations. They cut fast, are light weight, and I like to have good power to weight ratios with them so I'm not tossing them aside when the limbs start looking like logs. I typically shift over to the larger saws when the 50cc saw I'm using runs out of fuel or the top gets over about 16" in diameter.

I've tried "briefly" 3/8" LP on longer bars and not overly fond of it. Same with .325", about 18" is about it's useful limit IF the saw pulling it has enough power to run a 20" or longer bar.

I'll add here that in recent years I've switched over mostly to semi-chisel cutters, even on the bigger saws. They just stay sharp much longer and the loss in cutting performance right off the bench razor sharp is barely noticed......FWIW......Cliff

 

[Brushwacker]

Oregon 20LPX in a 13” NK bar with an 8t rim is what I use on both MM and ported
When I had 026s, they seemed to feel best with .325”. Dolmar 5100s felt best with 3/8”.

That 13" set up likely would put my back out of good usable service in 5 or less minutes bucking firewood.

There seems to be several different opinions as to which type of chain is best for a 50 cc sized saw. .325? 3/8? 3/8 low profile? .325 narrow kerf? 3/8 narrow kerf?
What would you use for a saw that might be bucking hardwood up to the full width of a 16 inch bar? Speed is the deciding factor.

What your saying here bucking 16inch hard wood all considered for speed (not just 1 or2 cuts but keeping it fast all day)
3/8 16inch full chisel for clean wood semi not so clean. Stihl chain has been the most consistent for me, next Oregon . I think most the chain is worth the money but wouldn't bet my day on no name China chain.
My ported 026 has .325 and is very smooth for an 026. When the hardwoods get over the 12in diameter i prefer 60+cc in 3/8.
Have an 025 with 16inch picco, fast little cutter and quick to sharpen. Wouldn't be my choice on a 261 though.

 

[Smacktooth]

Standard kerf will run fine on that saw/bar combo without clearance issues if you feel like trying a loop sometime.

. Oh really? Didn’t know you could run a reg .325 chain on NK bar.

Btw, anybody used an 8 pin on a 545?

 

[BlacknTan]

I'm pretty new to .325, but was very impressed with the speed and smoothness of LPX on the new 550.

 

[merc_man]

Heres my 026 with a 20 inch 3/8 set up. Was accually quite impressed.

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[merc_man]

That saw normally wears an 18 inch .325 set up.

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[bwalker]

.325 is the best for a 50CC saw IMO. However I have always ran 3/8" and a 16" bar on my 50cc saws. Mostly because when I was doing alot of cutting I purchased chain by the roll and it was easier to have only one size on hand. The other advantage to 3/8" is the ability to use Stihl RM chain for cutting really dirty wood. I'm not sure if Stihl ever made non saftey RM chain in .325. If they did I never saw it.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

. Oh really? Didn’t know you could run a reg .325 chain on NK bar.

Btw, anybody used an 8 pin on a 545?

Sometimes you need a spacer if the chain doesn't have clearance under the clutch cover, but some saws don't need it.

 

[svk]

If you have something powerful like a Husky 550/346, Stihl 261, or Dolmar I would run 3/8. Otherwise .325 (or 3/8 LP depending on what bar mount you have). Something like a Husky 350 or 450 with a narrow kerf setup cuts nicely with a 16" bar.