GB bars how are they?

hi, i want to get a 32" bar for my Husqvarna 288xp and was looking at this one GB 32" CN40 Hi-Tech Titanium Chainsaw Bar (HVT32-50PA). has any one used them if so whats your opinion on them.

Fettlst said:

hi, i want to get a 32" bar for my Husqvarna 288xp and was looking at this one GB 32" CN40 Hi-Tech Titanium Chainsaw Bar (HVT32-50PA). has any one used them if so whats your opinion on them.

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I run a few of them and they hold up really well...I have them on my saws from 20" to 36"







.

Its funny that you bring the subject up. Amick's had some special with what they were promoting as GB Ti bars painted grey with the Husqvarna logo. I don't recall exactly where I found this on their site, but I did buy a 28" from them at a smokin' deal. Maybe do a search for "Amick's GB bar special"

edit: I found the link, but it is for 24" and 28" only http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=62972

Yep,these are the go i use a 18'',25'' and 36'' alot and they last a lot longer than the stihl ones anyway.

Cheers
MS260 Pro
MS441
MS660

I have a GB 32 incher I have used on the 441. It has been fine for the limited time I have used it.

I also have a 24" GB Ti I have done some logging with. It does not hold a candle to the Stihl ES bars I have.
The rails are wearing much faster. The Stihl bar has felled and limbed thousands of board feet and a few loads of pulp.
The GB bar as done a couple of semi loads and a couple of loads of pulp. The Stihl bar is in better shape than the GB.

Following are a couple of pics of the 32" GB when it was new and close to it.

i run a 28" GB bar on my makita. i think it's a great bar...

Gb bars are hard, seem to hold up well.

Took some grinding and cutting to make the bar fit a very oversized gear, but works great.

excess650 said:

Its funny that you bring the subject up. Amick's had some special with what they were promoting as GB Ti bars painted grey with the Husqvarna logo. I don't recall exactly where I found this on their site, but I did buy a 28" from them at a smokin' deal.

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I got one of the 28" bars. Great deal.

PA Plumber said:

I have a GB 32 incher I have used on the 441. It has been fine for the limited time I have used it.

I also have a 24" GB Ti I have done some logging with. It does not hold a candle to the Stihl ES bars I have.
The rails are wearing much faster. The Stihl bar has felled and limbed thousands of board feet and a few loads of pulp.
The GB bar as done a couple of semi loads and a couple of loads of pulp. The Stihl bar is in better shape than the GB.

Following are a couple of pics of the 32" GB when it was new and close to it.

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Not holding up as well, or the paint comes off easier?
The Pro top bars have left me less than impresed, better than Oregon and stock Husky by a LONG shot, but not what I hoped for.
My 32" Ti bar, has held up very well considering what I have asked it to do!!!
No, it's not an ES, Stihl is the only one that makes it, and it's worth the money, if you have it to spend!

Been a good bar for me, Ive had a 25 inch pro top for a while now. It don't have any paint left on it anymore.

I agree with the consensus. I have a GB Ti 18" on my 361. Its a good bar, but the Stihl Rollo ES is hands down far superior in regard to how they wear.

Maybe I got one that was a little soft. Don't know. It is a decent enough bar, just hasn't held up as well as the Stihl.
Both were cutting Eastern Hemlock and the Stihl bar has done a few cords of firewood.


The GB has started to pit along the rails.




No pitting on the ES bar yet...

PA Plumber said:

Maybe I got one that was a little soft. Don't know. It is a decent enough bar, just hasn't held up as well as the Stihl.
Both were cutting Eastern Hemlock and the Stihl bar has done a few cords of firewood.


The GB has started to pit along the rails.

No pitting on the ES bar yet...

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That looks exactly like the wear on my GB bar, only the pitting is a little worse. This bar only has maybe 4 tanks on it, mostly cutting hackberry and ash.

I just got my first GB bar on a j-red 111s. It's a 36 incher with the internal roller. Ihave never seen one of these in person before. I will post more once I get some wear on it.

i put a 24 incher on my Makita, has seemed to run fine, not sure how i feel about the 3 rivet replaceable nose though, the fit and finish doesn't seem to be that of an oregon . . .my uncle the crusty old swede logger laughed when he saw the makita and laughed even harder when he saw the GB Bar . . . he'd praised me had it been a stihl and windsor set up.

Mines not as well made as my still bars, But it didn't cost as much either. I'm not an expert but the stihl bars are hard to beat for quality.

GB Titanium CN40 Chainsaw Bar

When I ordered my 372xp a month or so ago I ordered it with a 20" bar and it came into the dealer with an 18". Seemed to me that was kind of like mounting a V8 on a vespa scooter for the type of cutting that I wanted this saw for, so the dealer willing subbed in an alternate bar and chain. What he gave me was an Oregon "Pro-Lite" combo. I've only cut a cord or 2 with it and it doesn't seem to be holding up real well so I surfed on over to Bailey's website and ordered up a GB titanium and a couple of pro chains for it. Hopefully this will be a good choice, I'll keep you posted how on it works out.

The GB bars are a very good hard bar. I have a 36 and a 24, both are shorter than other brands of the same length. If you hold a saw on it's side the GB does not flex near as much as an es or windsor. I think they are the best. JMO.:greenchainsaw:

OMG, I bought a pair of GB's because they were a little cheaper than Stihls ES, and ya they don't flex much, to bad if ya make a mistake they get bent easy, then crack if you try to straighten. ES wobbles all over, but usually never get bent, and the one time I bent one, I got it straight, no cracking. If you never have a tree go the wrong way, or make a buck on a log that's under tension not the way you thought, I guess it don't matter, save about 25% for a bar that lasts less than 1/2 as long, sounds good.

Here is the order, feel free to correct me if you really know different

1. Stihl ES
2. Cannon
3. Oregon
4. everything else

I have both Stihl ES and GB Pro-Top & Ti bars in 16-24 inch 3/8 size. I like the GB bars better, and they bend and flex and hold up really well. They also have less of an oval shape than the ES bars. The Stihls are .063 so they may be wearing faster becasue the rails are thinner. The GBs are all .050.

Anyway, for the money, the GB bars are good. I have pinched them in big trees, bent them and bent them back, and no cracks, or permanent damage. Hell, you cannot even tell where the bars were bent. They have held up well. I have cut a lot of firs, redwoods, oaks and maples with them.