What's your favorite chain size for 50 cc saws?

[The Singing Arborist]

I got myself a new cs 501p and it came stock with .325 chain. It's the only .325 chainsaw I have. My other saws are 3/8 lp or 3/8 and I'd prefer to keep it that way. I put an 18" bar on it.

My primary use for it will be for chopping down 9" and larger sections while in the tree. So I've been leaning towards switching it to the 3/8 lp for a smoother cut. I seems like the 3/8 chain keeps its edge longer though.

I've used .325 chain on another 50 cc saw and never really liked it. For some reason it doesn't seem to keep its edge as long as even the lp chains. The chains I've used on my new saw so far have a little too much chatter in the cut for my liking. My dealer also doesn't have a good selection of chains in that size.

Thanks in advance for the opinions.

 

[Joab]

I got myself a new cs 501p and it came stock with .325 chain. It's the only .325 chainsaw I have. My other saws are 3/8 lp or 3/8 and I'd prefer to keep it that way. I put an 18" bar on it.

My primary use for it will be for chopping down 9" and larger sections while in the tree. So I've been leaning towards switching it to the 3/8 lp for a smoother cut. I seems like the 3/8 chain keeps its edge longer though.

I've used .325 chain on another 50 cc saw and never really liked it. For some reason it doesn't seem to keep its edge as long as even the lp chains. The chains I've used on my new saw so far have a little too much chatter in the cut for my liking. My dealer also doesn't have a good selection of chains in that size.

Thanks in advance for the opinions.

.325 pitch chain is what I'd run on a 50cc saw, generally. Its pretty standard on that size in pro saws in my area. I've never had any problem keeping an edge -- although not all chain is equal and I've heard complaints about about some of the box store chain brands (in all pitches). I've never run 3/8lp -- so I don't really have any basis for comparison. My best guess would be that if you want to cut as fast as possible and your saw has a reasonable amount of torque for a 50cc, .325 with a 15 or 16 inch bar is a good choice; if you want finer control or a longer bar, 3/8lp is better. At 18inches I could see going either way.

Envoyé de mon Moto G (5) en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[toadman]

This really depends on the model of saw, my dads husky 445 struggles hard with 16" 3/8" in any wood above 4" diameter, but the similar displacement 550 I was using at a friends house yesterday, had the 16" bar burried in dry dogwood with 3/8" stihl chisel & it cut ok.
My 56cc Stihl MS 290 won't really pull a 16" 3/8" in hardwood but pulls 18" .325 well (but not fast). my neighbors 50cc 271 I traded bars & chains with doesn't struggle at all with the 3/8" setup from what I have seen.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I've only run a 501p for a few cuts. No muffler mod and it wasn't all the way broke in. That said, it didn't feel real grunty. I have run 3/8 pretty extensively on a stock and ported 261v2 and a ported 346. The stock saw needed a noticeably lighter touch, though I suppose the depth gauges could be tuned a little better and make a less aggressive chain.

From my experience, .325 chain is a lot smoother, and less prone to grabbing and kickback. I've never run a saw in a tree, but I'd imagine those are desirable traits. 3/8lp is certainly more similar to that than it is to 3/8.

As was mentioned, not all chain is equal. I've had good experiences with stihl RS in .325. Since your saw is already set up for it, maybe grab a loop of that before ditching the .325 altogether.

 

[Mad Professor]

I've only run a 501p for a few cuts. No muffler mod and it wasn't all the way broke in. That said, it didn't feel real grunty. I have run 3/8 pretty extensively on a stock and ported 261v2 and a ported 346. The stock saw needed a noticeably lighter touch, though I suppose the depth gauges could be tuned a little better and make a less aggressive chain.

From my experience, .325 chain is a lot smoother, and less prone to grabbing and kickback. I've never run a saw in a tree, but I'd imagine those are desirable traits. 3/8lp is certainly more similar to that than it is to 3/8.

As was mentioned, not all chain is equal. I've had good experiences with stihl RS in .325. Since your saw is already set up for it, maybe grab a loop of that before ditching the .325 altogether.

On my 026s and 028S, they run 16" Stihl bars and 0.325 RS or RM chains. You have to be careful with raker height and not lean on them buried in hardwoods, they need to rev and are not torquey. I have lots of 3003 mount Stihl bars in 3/8, but they are on my 036 on up saws.

Stihl has a new 0.325 X 0.050 NK chain. It is supposed to be real good, but Stihl USA is dragging it's feet getting the chain and compatible bars.

Why is that Stihl?

 

[old CB]

Most of my saws run 3/8, and that's what I was entirely accustomed to. Even on a Dolmar 50cc saw that I ran for a while, 3/8. I liked having all chains the same

Then I got a couple of Husq. 346s, and both were running .325 on 18" bars. For that size saw I like the .325. I run those saws a lot for limbing & small dia. wood and I think .325 is best for such use.

I think the difficulty you had was probably due to brand quality rather than chain size.

 

[cuinrearview]

.325 66dl

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

.325 pitch - .063 gauge.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

Running .325/.050 full skip on a 20" bar on a Husky 350....loves it and it screams in the cut.

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[Cliff R]

I run Oregon .325" semi-chisel on all my 50-55cc saws with 18" bars. A few of them have enough power for longer bars or to move up to 3/8" (.375" not LP) but I've tried it before and not overly fond of it for general purpose use.

The .325" semi-chisel stays sharp a long time, and cuts very smooth. The 18" bars ensures plenty of power in larger material when I really should have went to a bigger saw, and super quick cutting when limbing and smaller logs/limbs........

 

[Andyshine77]

Depends on the saw. Most modern 50cc saws like the 550 or 261 are at home with .325" that setup is smooth and great for zipping through smaller stuff. 3/8 will actually be a little faster on the stronger 50cc saws, and 3/8 will most definitely be more durable. I just find 3/8 just a bit more grabby in the smalls. Now the older 50cc saws tend to have that lower end torque, so I usually run 3/8 on them, and the Dolmar 5100 runs best with 3/8 as it seems to have the right torque curve for it. Really both work just fine and I would suggest trying both and seeing which one works for you. That said from my experience out of the box the small Echo saws like the cs 501p will not be happy with regular 3/8 If you port the saw it would be fine, but stock I'd stick with .325"

 

[PV Hiker]

I have picked up two Stihl 261C saws both with 20" bars. One set up stock with .325 RS chain. Other with 3/8' RSF chain( full skip). I have not been able to try them out much to make a decision what I like yet. As said above by others, If I knew I was going to do a lot of limbing/ brush work the .325 would be less grabby. Out in our forest with mostly pine that is dead or mostly dead I expect both to do just fine.

 

[Philbert]

Always ran .325 on MS250 and MS260 series saws, since this is what they came with. Worked fine. A lot of guys here say they converted theirs to full sized 3/8" pitch so that they would run the same chain on all saws.

My Husqvarna 353 came with Narrow Kerf .325 chain, which I also kept and also like. 3/8" low profile ('Picco') seems a bit small for a 50cc saw, unless you are doing mostly small branches / limbs with it.

Oregon mentioned a new, low -profile .325 chain ('nano') more than a year ago, but I have not seen it yet.
https://www.oregonproducts.com/en/p...dcut-saw-chain-and-guide-bars/c/speedcut-sc-p

Philbert

 

[Huskybill]

My smaller saws run .325” .050” LG 66DL full chisel but my newer bars/chains I stock have been .325” .058” for up to 60 cc.. my mid size saws 266/268/371/372/570/575/ use 3/8” .058” chain. My 385/288/2100 get 404 chain.

 

[The Singing Arborist]

Sounds like the consensus is to stick with the .325, maybe get better chain than the stuff they had at the dealer. They didn't have a premade loop for me there, and the only bulk chain they had was rotary brand (I don't have the exact part number for that). Maybe I'll have to order some better chain and see if it can convert me.

Huge thanks for the help guys.

 

[Philbert]

. . . the only bulk chain they had was rotary brand . . .

That might be your issue right there.

Philbert

 

[Huskybill]

Sounds like the consensus is to stick with the .325, maybe get better chain than the stuff they had at the dealer. They didn't have a premade loop for me there, and the only bulk chain they had was rotary brand (I don't have the exact part number for that). Maybe I'll have to order some better chain and see if it can convert me.

Huge thanks for the help guys.

Well if your dealer doesn’t stock chain loops that you want it’s time to mail order. I agree with you.

 

[chipper1]

If the current 325 you have is jumpy taking some of the hook out with a size larger file or taking the cutters back a little to "raise" the rakers should help. Stihl RS is a great 325 full chisel but I think it would be a bit aggressive out of the box to use it in the tree. Stihl ps3 however would be a nice smooth chain on that saw and would fit into what you currently have for chains. If I didn't have a boat load of 325 chain I'd run 3/8 picco on my stock 50cc saws as I like it a lot, on the modded and more modern saws I'd run 3/8 and I do over 325, but I'm not in a tree with them either.

 

[chipper1]

This really depends on the model of saw, my dads husky 445 struggles hard with 16" 3/8" in any wood above 4" diameter, but the similar displacement 550 I was using at a friends house yesterday, had the 16" bar burried in dry dogwood with 3/8" stihl chisel & it cut ok.
My 56cc Stihl MS 290 won't really pull a 16" 3/8" in hardwood but pulls 18" .325 well (but not fast). my neighbors 50cc 271 I traded bars & chains with doesn't struggle at all with the 3/8" setup from what I have seen.

Welcome to AS Toad.
Sounds like theres a problem with the 290 if the 271 is out pulling it.

 

[Pioneer]

I've been using the new Stihl .325 -23 RS pro on an ms250 for a few weeks now, and it's pretty nice. Fast, smooth, and seems to be holding an edge ok so far. Have yet to compare it to 3/8 lp full chisel narrow kerf.