24" or 28" Bar for Husq. 288

[JohnAlbers]

I have a Husq. 288 that came with an 8 tooth sprocket, 20" bar and 3 matching chains .058, 3/8. There are a few trees that I need to drop that will require a larger bar, something in the 24" to 28" area. The first question would be do I need to change my sprocket to go to these size bars? I have been told "no" and that the 20" chains that have will work with 7 or 8 tooth sprockets, how can that be? If I add a larger bar how are the Husqvarna bars compared to the Oregon ones? I have been to the Oregon web page and they talk about "Lubri Jet" and "Lubri Dam" features that sound good but do they work? I cut wood for myself and a few friends for nice weekend fires, not my day job. What would be my best option for bar, chain style and do I need a new sprocket. Thank you for any help that you can give me.

John

 

[Stumper]

Oregon makes the Husky branded bars so they are pretty similar-Haha. A 288 has gobs of power to pull a chain on any of the bar lengths you named. I would definitely choose the 8 pin sprocket for 20 and 24 inch bars-the 28 could go either way. The 8 moves the chain faster but the 7 is geared lower and lets the saw's torque hold up better under load.

 

[JohnAlbers]

7 & 8 tooth sprockets

If I am running an 8 tooth sprocket now can I change to a 7 tooth and still use my old chains? Are sprockets sized to your chain, ie) .058 and/or 3/8?

John

 

[JohnAlbers]

Bar and chain size

When you have a chain that is .058 I know that is the part of the chain the runs in the bar. When you go to a .050 or .063 does the size of the cutter change? On a longer bar are you better off running .050 vs .058 because the slot in the bar is smaller so there would be more oil for the bar? Thank you for your help.

John

 

[computeruser]

If I am running an 8 tooth sprocket now can I change to a 7 tooth and still use my old chains? Are sprockets sized to your chain, ie) .058 and/or 3/8?

They are sized with respect to pitch, so any 3/8" pitch chain will work with any 3/8" sprocket. You should be able to use your old chains just fine. Only occasionally does the difference in sprocket size require a link be added to or removed from the chain. Yours should not be one of those cases.

When you have a chain that is .058 I know that is the part of the chain the runs in the bar. When you go to a .050 or .063 does the size of the cutter change? On a longer bar are you better off running .050 vs .058 because the slot in the bar is smaller so there would be more oil for the bar? Thank you.

Nope, same size cutter. It really comes down to a durability/availability thing, where some communities tend to be big on .058 and others on .050, so you go with what your local dealers are most likely to have in stock. For .063, there is some increase in durability but I'm not sure how much that really matters in practice. 120cc saws are often quite happy with 3/8" .050 milling with huge bars, after all.

And no, there is no real oiling advantage that comes with running a smaller gauge chain at longer lengths, though your theory does make some sense. At normal bar lengths for a particular powerhead, odds are that the manufacturer designed in enough oiling capacity. That said, some folks running long bars prefer Stihl chain in .063 because their chain has drivers that are drilled-out and the resulting hole in the driver captures and holds more oil than a solid driver would.

 

[JohnAlbers]

Thank you!

I am new to chainsaws. Thank you for your help with my many questions.

John