Help I’m going bar length crazy

[TimberWolf530]

This may not work for you , but over the past almost 40 years of sawing, this is what I've found works best for me. FWIW, my guidelines are as follows: Small saws (30cc & 40cc class) - 12-14' bar with 3/8 picco, .043 or .050ga chain. Medium saws ( 50cc class) - 16-18" bar with .325 chain. Medium/Large saws (60cc class) - 18-20" 3/8 chain. Note: I've used a 24" bar and it works OK, but prefer the 20". Large saws (70cc +) - 20" and up bar with 3/8, .050 or .058ga chain. I try to use the shortest bar on the smallest(lightest) saw I can get away with. I always bring the big saw just in case, but it doesn't break my heart if I don't have to drag that thing around all day.

 

[c5rulz]

This may not work for you , but over the past almost 40 years of sawing, this is what I've found works best for me. FWIW, my guidelines are as follows: Small saws (30cc & 40cc class) - 12-14' bar with 3/8 picco, .043 or .050ga chain. Medium saws ( 50cc class) - 16-18" bar with .325 chain. Medium/Large saws (60cc class) - 18-20" 3/8 chain. Note: I've used a 24" bar and it works OK, but prefer the 20". Large saws (70cc +) - 20" and up bar with 3/8, .050 or .058ga chain. I try to use the shortest bar on the smallest(lightest) saw I can get away with. I always bring the big saw just in case, but it doesn't break my heart if I don't have to drag that thing around all day.

Can't agree more.

Bar length should balance with the power head.

Don't even get me going on large bucking spikes on small saws.

 

[svk]

I like having multiple bars and chains of different lengths. And I’m a fan of 3/8 on 50cc pro saws. So I have 16 and 20.

If you wanted one bar length I’d go with 18. But since you have 16 and 20 I’d keep them.

 

[rarefish383]

When I was young and strong, I went the other way. Instead of buying two different bars for the same power head, I bought two power heads with different bars, a 24” and a 36”. The bonus was, no one else would mess with my 100 CC Super 1050’s.

 

[c5rulz]

When I was young and strong, I went the other way. Instead of buying two different bars for the same power head, I bought two power heads with different bars, a 24” and a 36”. The bonus was, no one else would mess with my 100 CC Super 1050’s.

Well I kind of do this. I buy several of the same powerheads and just switch saws when the chain gets dull. Found a really nice 357XP two weeks ago to add to the other two 357XPs. My patience and tolerance is just about gone on auto tune saws with hot start issues. I have had two 562XPs and one 550XP, two of the three are gone and the third is on borrowed time.