42" bar on Husky 390?

[Timberwerks]

Thought I would post my question here as well:

Right now I'm running a 56" with an 880 and I also want a dedicated 36" mill. First thought was to get another 880 but I can get a new / old stock 390 for a good price. Could a 390 handle a 42" bar on a 36" mill? My gut says no but would like to read thoughts from others.

 

[mdavlee]

I think you would be better off with a 395. I've used 390s with 36" and it wasn't ideal in hardwoods.

 

[Timberwerks]

I think I may pick it up for a bucking saw. I may be able to get it for $850.00 - $880.00 with 28" bar and chain, 2011 showroom saw, never run. Good Deal?

 

[Macman125]

A 42 inch bar is a bit much for a 90cc saw.

 

[mdavlee]

I think I may pick it up for a bucking saw. I may be able to get it for $850.00 - $880.00 with 28" bar and chain, 2011 showroom saw, never run. Good Deal?

That's not a bad price with a bar. I bought one like that one time for around $875 with a 28".

 

[outdoorsman0490]

I have a 390 I made from a 385, mm. The normal bar on it is a 32", but I put the 42" on it about once a month when doing a tree that requires it. It runs fine, I have full skip on it. With that said, if I was doing trees that consistently were larger than 3.5', I would have a 3120 or 880; I do like my 390 more than the 394 I had.

 

[pops21]

A 390 in a mill running that long of a bar is far from ideal. 42" is 880/3120 territory in a mill.

 

[HuskStihl]

My 385 can pull a 42 skip in pine, but it couldn't oil it. The hot 394 on the other hand....

 

[groundup]

I do like my 390 more than the 394 I had.

I do like my 390 more than my 394 as well but the 394 is nice for bars over 28"

 

[HuskStihl]

I do like my 390 more than my 394 as well but the 394 is nice for bars over 28"

That's what it's for. And it also makes a wonderful boat anchor!

 

[wadeclinton]

We have a 390 at work. It sucks. We run a 28" to 32" bar and chisel ground full comp chain. Mainly for cutting yellow/white pine. At 2000' to 3000' elev it's ok. At 7000' it blows, no power, crummy idle, the list goes on.... If it had a non EPA carb the story may be different. I'd say trying to run that big of a bar at any elevation is a no go. For milling we prefer the 3120 and a 42" bar.

 

[nstueve]

We have a 390 at work. It sucks. We run a 28" to 32" bar and chisel ground full comp chain. Mainly for cutting yellow/white pine. At 2000' to 3000' elev it's ok. At 7000' it blows, no power, crummy idle, the list goes on.... If it had a non EPA carb the story may be different. I'd say trying to run that big of a bar at any elevation is a no go. For milling we prefer the 3120 and a 42" bar.

It would help if you used skip on soft woods too... Less to pull and less to sharpen and more room for chip in larger wood.

OP,
You could probably pull a 42in bar with full skip in clean wood for bucking but the power would be lacking and the oiler might not keep up. Stihl oilomatic chain helps carry oil down long bars. Stihl chain either has dimples or a hole strait through the drivers for picking up oil (capillary action). You can modifiy the oiler to pump more if you so choose. You can also have it ported to carry its weight a little better too.

Either way I'm with the others... It's not the saw you want for a 36in mill. Although the opinions might change if you talking about a 36in bar mill that will only have 30in of capable milling length. Old muscle saws that are still easy to get parts for work good for mills... Stihl 075/076 comes to mind. 111cc and have AM P&C's available and they have some serious low end grunt to pull a 42in bar. Also the older muscle saws have manual oil pumps for cooping with extra long bars. You can also use a driper on the end of the bar for the return chain oiling.

 

[mdavlee]

Pull the limiters off the 390 and tune it for the elevation and it will be a lot better. I wouldn't mind using a 395 on a mill with a 42". I know they'll pull full comp in hardwoods with a little work.

 

[JakeG]

For milling with a 42" bar, I wouldn't go any smaller than a strong 394/395 but would prefer more cc's.

If money permits, that's a good deal on the 390!

 

[moody]

This isn't a matter of will it pull it. It's will it oil it? The truth is that's 6 cube + territory because of oiler capacity and output.

 

[Timberwerks]

Thanks for the replies guys. Still waiting on final price but I think I will pick it up for bucking and some felling work. For the 36" mill I'll use the 880 I have now until money permits for another 880. The 390 may be to good to pass up though because of the savings.

 

[CJ1]

Have to agree a 395 would be better for mill use. The 390 is great for hand cutting but with a 36" bar full comp it works hard in hardwood. I would not run it on a mill. CJ