Stihl MS261 C-M 3/8 Chain?

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sunfish said:
Not your question, but a lot of the replies here.

You can run 3/8 chain on your 261 with no problem. It may or may not be any better than .325.

Gage has nothing to do with the original question...
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Very true.
 
Brush Ape said:
Just take off the chain and stand on it, moody. You'll find out about over rrevvvng faster.
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And you've yet to explain how chain can cause this. You've confused the OP with statements that aren't true. Your over revving statement is not a factor here as the OP is wanting a bar and chain on the saw. Your statement about bearing failure was false. The only thing gauge affects is oil carried down the bar rail. It's ok to say you're not sure. But it's not ok to post misinformation. I'm not mad and I'm not telling you to stop posting, I'm just saying be sure before you post you have gotten reliable information.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
moody said:
I'd love for someone to explain how chain could cause "over revving". I would also like someone to explain this over rrevving as well.
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Local Stihl tech's comments FWIW: We were discussing bar lengths for my MS440's and he recommended 20" and certainly no shorter than 18" for hardwood, for the reason that too short a bar and chain length wouldn't load the motor enough to keep it within the power band at WOT. Basically he was saying that the bottom end will last longer at 9500 rpm than 13000 rpm due to increased dynamic loads & heat. However, his standard fuel mix is 50:1 w/Stihl dino oil (orange bottle); running a good synthetic oil at 32:1 or 40:1 probably makes this "over-revving" concern a moot point.
 
fishinfiend said:
Yes I know that this is another MS 261 3/8 thread, but it is different. It is asking about saw failures with the 3/8 chain. After reading the other threads on 3/8 vs 325 I was sold on 3/8 but after my dealer told me about how there may be premature failures, I had to look into it. I would not have started this thread if I would have seen it on another one. Also, there would have not been this thread if I was a Thread Hijacker but I am not. So, you do but you don't have another MS261 3/8 b/c thread.
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Your thread is different and definitely has merit and is worth answering. Ask your dealer where his premature failure information came from - if it came from Stihl then it is legit. The answer could be as simple as him not having a 3/8" bar in stock to sell you. Seriously.
 
Philip Wheelock said:
Local Stihl tech's comments FWIW: We were discussing bar lengths for my MS440's and he recommended 20" and certainly no shorter than 18" for hardwood, for the reason that too short a bar and chain length wouldn't load the motor enough to keep it within the power band at WOT. Basically he was saying that the bottom end will last longer at 9500 rpm than 13000 rpm due to increased dynamic loads & heat. However, his standard fuel mix is 50:1 w/Stihl dino oil (orange bottle); running a good synthetic oil at 32:1 or 40:1 probably makes this "over-revving" concern a moot point.
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Local Stihl tech needs to learn how to adjust the chain to suit the wood or how to put more pressure on a saw. If a stock MS440 can pull 13,000 in the cut, well it ain't cutting.
 
moody said:
And you've yet to explain how chain can cause this. You've confused the OP with statements that aren't true. Your over revving statement is not a factor here as the OP is wanting a bar and chain on the saw. Your statement about bearing failure was false. The only thing gauge affects is oil carried down the bar rail. It's ok to say you're not sure. But it's not ok to post misinformation. I'm not mad and I'm not telling you to stop posting, I'm just saying be sure before you post you have gotten reliable information.
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My thoughts are that the gauge question came about related to kerf because somebody didn't know that there is a difference between standard 3/8" chain and 3/8"LP. They assumed that 3/8" .050" meant low profile chain, hence the narrower kerf over 3/8" .063". This is why the thread got off track and had nothing to do with the OP's question.
 
When I talked to him he said that it came from stihl, but he got all the numbers for putting the saw together with 3/8. he was willing to do it right then but the saw is a lot of money and I wanted to ask around before I said do it. The reason he said it was because the saw has smaller bearings and shaft over the bigger saws.

I have another question now, it is 3/8 .050 or .325 .063?
 
[
fishinfiend said:
When I talked to him he said that it came from stihl, but he got all the numbers for putting the saw together with 3/8. he was willing to do it right then but the saw is a lot of money and I wanted to ask around before I said do it. The reason he said it was because the saw has smaller bearings and shaft over the bigger saws.

I have another question now, it is 3/8 .050 or .325 .063?
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I've not seen or been told about bearing issues with the 261. Guys that run more than one saw try to stick with the same pitch and guage chain. Running either of those will boil down to personal preference. Some say there's a difference in speed but the average cutter wont notice it while cutting.
 
i was running my masterminded 441 m-tronic the other day with an 18" bar, 3/8ths .050 rs, full chissel/comp chain, and i think i might have "over-revved" it in the cut...

the reason i think this is because it ripped through the red oak log i was cutting really phukking fast !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
moody said:
I'd love for someone to explain how chain could cause "over revving". I would also like someone to explain this over rrevving as well.
Click to expand...


If yer not careful you'll blow these out...

muffler_bearings.jpg
 
showrguy said:
i was running my masterminded 441 m-tronic the other day with an 18" bar, 3/8ths .050 rs, full chissel/comp chain, and i think i might have "over-revved" it in the cut...

the reason i think this is because it ripped through the red oak log i was cutting really phukking fast !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
There is no "over revving" a saw when cutting...
 

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