346 bar length?

[Brushwacker]

I can understand that - no problem, as I have "heard" of your lower back issue before. However, for most people a shorter bar vs. bending is not a real issue.

If most of us were short that might be true, but people come in different sizes and shapes and taller people bend up to several inches more. If your cutting firewood a few hours or more maybe a few hundred bends or more, + the amount of time in the bent position while the saw is cutting and the weight of the saw pulling on a bent body.Sounds like good exercise for a few minutes. A bar that reaches ground level while standing straight up using a sharp chain and back pain from cutting firewood is not usually an issue here, an 18" bar and less then perfectly sharp chain is a pain for my back in about 10 minutes usually which I much rather do without and it really sucks when you know it can easily be avoided with a longer bar and properly sharpened chain. Some circumstances are different but most of my cutting goes that way.

 

[SawTroll]

If most of us were short that might be true, but people come in different sizes and shapes and taller people bend up to several inches more. If your cutting firewood a few hours or more maybe a few hundred bends or more, + the amount of time in the bent position while the saw is cutting and the weight of the saw pulling on a bent body.Sounds like good exercise for a few minutes. A bar that reaches ground level while standing straight up using a sharp chain and back pain from cutting firewood is not usually an issue here, an 18" bar and less then perfectly sharp chain is a pain for my back in about 10 minutes usually which I much rather do without and it really sucks when you know it can easily be avoided with a longer bar and properly sharpened chain. Some circumstances are different but most of my cutting goes that way.

I am 6' 1", that should be a bit over average, and have a very bad lower back - but a short bar has never been an issue to me. The bar I have mostly used on the MS361W is just 15" (with 3/8x8), and I have done a lot of limbing and bucking close to the ground with it. My new 560xpg has a 16" one now, and it probably will stay that way most of the time. :msp_biggrin:

 

[komatsuvarna]

I bought my 346 new with a 16'' bar, and I really liked that combo. It worked great if the wood was up off the ground, but staying bent over cutting wood close to ground was killing my back side. I put a 20'' bar on it, and swapped it to 3/8s. The 20'' bar is about perfect for my height, and swapped it to 3/8s to make it more simpler for myself. Granted the 20'' bar is to big for the saw in 20'' wood, but it still balances great and handles well. Anything over 14-16'', im pulling out a bigger saw anyways.

 

[SawTroll]

I bought my 346 new with a 16'' bar, and I really liked that combo. It worked great if the wood was up off the ground, but staying bent over cutting wood close to ground was killing my back side. I put a 20'' bar on it, and swapped it to 3/8s. The 20'' bar is about perfect for my height, and swapped it to 3/8s to make it more simpler for myself. Granted the 20'' bar is to big for the saw in 20'' wood, but it still balances great and handles well. Anything over 14-16'', im pulling out a bigger saw anyways.

That set-up will surely detract from the performance and handling of the saw, but it will surely work.

 

[komatsuvarna]

That set-up will surely detract from the performance and handling of the saw, but it will surely work.

Well good friend, what works for you, might not work for me. It performs well and handles just fine with the 20'' 3/8s......










































































for me.

 

[andydodgegeek]

I just got my 346 with an 18" bar and .325 chain and it is a joy to run, I was very impressed at how it handles and the speed of it for limbing. I havent even tried to bury the bar in big wood but that isnt what I purchased this saw for, if I got big wood I will grab a big saw. HAHAHA. I chose the 18" bar because I am 6'1" and have a gut and the trees are sooo far away when they are on the ground. HAHAHA.

 

[REJ2]

Bought mine with an 18" and .325 setup mostly because I can share chains with another 50cc saw in my stable, actually glad I did because it works well.

 

[SawTroll]

Well good friend, what works for you, might not work for me. It performs well and handles just fine with the 20'' 3/8s......

for me.

"Just fine" isn't good enough for me! :hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Brushwacker]

I am 6' 1", that should be a bit over average, and have a very bad lower back - but a short bar has never been an issue to me. The bar I have mostly used on the MS361W is just 15" (with 3/8x8), and I have done a lot of limbing and bucking close to the ground with it. My new 560xpg has a 16" one now, and it probably will stay that way most of the time. :msp_biggrin:

Me's happy, you're happy. Either your back must bend better then mine or maybe your arms are about 5" longer then mine.
I've used 16" bars many hours myself the past 3 decades. If thats all I had cutting my wood would become way more of a pain for sure and slower. Don't like crawling over and walking around big logs to finish bucking them up to 16" firewood lengths. Bucking up a 25 to 30" diameter trunk suspended up in the air a foot or so is way less effort on my part with a 24" or longer bar resting its weight through the wood saving from much manuevering, walking around carrying the saw around to complete cuts with a short bar. I would say longer is safer also being the wood or tree can fall on you and it gives you a bit of distance and chance for better footing to move away easiar. I nicked and cut a few shoes over the years also. Don't ever remember it happening with a long bar. For some reason an 18" Husky seems the worse for doing that to me. My back is usually hurting and the blade is heading that way . If I'm using a 20" stihl my back almost always feels fine and for some reason the blades angle comfortably stays away from my toes.
Most of the trees here aren't long tall with little limbs that crack off on the bottom when they hit. I've had trunks suspended head high at times. Large percentage of the firewood is made up out of limb wood around here, your not just walking the log area snipping them off, its cutting and moving in the brush from the ends of the limbs and moving over the wood pieces you cut. Some trees I like a smaller saw with a short bar primarily to get through and move some of the brush in the tree top and buck up suspended small diameter limbs but the 20" + is what puts in far most the hours for me. 22" and 24" are my favorite al around, 20" is pretty nice, 28" not bad, 32" once in a while if I have something real big.

 

[Typhoon]

My vote is .325 chain on a 20" bar. I do more limbing and firewood cutting with the 346, therefore bending over a lot. My back is strong and in good shape but I noticed a difference when I stepped up to a 20, my back doesn't get tired nearly as fast. 16" is too short imho and 18" is better. 20 is perrrrfect!! :msp_thumbup: