what length bar do u use. been cutting w/16'' for 20 years but notice AS guys(&girls) are using 18 &up. mainly cutting firewood. thanks
bar length. your opions pls.
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deepsouth
ArboristSite Guru
Depends on the size timber.
I do a lot with 24" as I'm generally into biggish eucalypts, often about 24" at the base.
I do a lot with 24" as I'm generally into biggish eucalypts, often about 24" at the base.
It really depends on the size of the trees your cutting. My goto saw runs a 16 inch bar and is good for most of my needs. I also have the bigger felling/big stuff saw running a 20 even though it woudl probably pull a 24 easily. 20 is the longest bar I need for my cutting.
Kind'a depends on the saw size and how it balances, the size of the person using it, type of cutting, and personal preference.
I have a 16 and a 20 for my 026 (50cc class), Dad has an 18 on his. Cutting stuff up to about 16-inches, and in tight spots, I like my short bar the best... the saw has plenty of power to pull it. The 20-inch bar is nice when I'm cutting bigger stuff... or even real small stuff on the ground because I don't need to bend over as much. Dad's 18-inch bar feels like a compromise to me, sort of a Jack-Of-All-Trades thing; most of the time it just seems a bit too long or a bit too short... but that's one of those personal preference things.
I have a 16 and a 20 for my 026 (50cc class), Dad has an 18 on his. Cutting stuff up to about 16-inches, and in tight spots, I like my short bar the best... the saw has plenty of power to pull it. The 20-inch bar is nice when I'm cutting bigger stuff... or even real small stuff on the ground because I don't need to bend over as much. Dad's 18-inch bar feels like a compromise to me, sort of a Jack-Of-All-Trades thing; most of the time it just seems a bit too long or a bit too short... but that's one of those personal preference things.
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homemade
Certified Chainsaw Tester
I have a 20 in on my 362. it pulls it just fine but I was thinking about switching to a 16 in and a 9 pin sprocket. I'm usually cutting box elder which is a soft maple... I rarely find one that is or 18in or bigger. I would say it depends on the majority of your wood. There is no point in pulling an extra 4 to 8 inches of chain and bar if it never touches wood.
I run a 28 inch bar on my Barbie Saw. That's a little shorter than what is traditionally run on saws of decent size. 32 inch bars are pretty standard.
It has nothing to do with male appendages. It has everything to do with our terrain and safety. The latter is my concern. I like to stand far away from some things that I cut. There have been times I would like to have had a ten foot bar because of that.
It has nothing to do with male appendages. It has everything to do with our terrain and safety. The latter is my concern. I like to stand far away from some things that I cut. There have been times I would like to have had a ten foot bar because of that.
FLHX Storm
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currently I have three saws, one with an 18 inch bar (42ccs) and two with 20 inch bars (46 and 50cc's repectively)
When I'm feeling lazy and don't have a lot of serious wood to cut, I might use the 42cc 18". But more often than not I'll use one with a 20" bar. Of those, I'll use the 46cc for a slow cut and the 50cc for a fast cut. For me, I prefer the 46cc 20" for smallish diameter trees because I don't want to cut through the hinge wood and with a slow cut I can be sure not to. The larger diameter trees get my tree eater, the 50cc 20". So far to date I've felled trees with a 30 inch base on my property and could have done it with any one of the saws. If I want to stay on the one tree that diameter then I'd use the 42cc 18" But I prefer the felling takes place in a matter of minutes, not hours so it's the 50cc 20"
My "Go To" saw is the 46cc 20" since it's small enough to take care of just about anything from felling to limbing to bucking. I've even done some noodling with it. The saw that really gets things done of course is the 50cc 20". :msp_w00t:
I also have a 10" pole saw that can double as a regular chainsaw, but it's so TINY!
Some years back, I had a Poulan Wild Thing that I used to fell a 34" wide tree (40cc 18" bar) and although it did get the job done It would have been a lot better with something at least of a larger CC, like a 50.
I should also mention all of my saws for felling are Poulan's (pp4218av, pp4620avx, and pp5020av) Yeah, I know, I should have a REAL saw like a Stihl or Husky or any one of the others, but for now these are doing the job for me. :msp_smile:
When I'm feeling lazy and don't have a lot of serious wood to cut, I might use the 42cc 18". But more often than not I'll use one with a 20" bar. Of those, I'll use the 46cc for a slow cut and the 50cc for a fast cut. For me, I prefer the 46cc 20" for smallish diameter trees because I don't want to cut through the hinge wood and with a slow cut I can be sure not to. The larger diameter trees get my tree eater, the 50cc 20". So far to date I've felled trees with a 30 inch base on my property and could have done it with any one of the saws. If I want to stay on the one tree that diameter then I'd use the 42cc 18" But I prefer the felling takes place in a matter of minutes, not hours so it's the 50cc 20"
My "Go To" saw is the 46cc 20" since it's small enough to take care of just about anything from felling to limbing to bucking. I've even done some noodling with it. The saw that really gets things done of course is the 50cc 20". :msp_w00t:
I also have a 10" pole saw that can double as a regular chainsaw, but it's so TINY!
Some years back, I had a Poulan Wild Thing that I used to fell a 34" wide tree (40cc 18" bar) and although it did get the job done It would have been a lot better with something at least of a larger CC, like a 50.
I should also mention all of my saws for felling are Poulan's (pp4218av, pp4620avx, and pp5020av) Yeah, I know, I should have a REAL saw like a Stihl or Husky or any one of the others, but for now these are doing the job for me. :msp_smile:
flashhole
Addicted to ArboristSite
I use 20" bars on my Stihl MS460 and 041. Both saws seem to balance well with that length bar and they use the same chain length. I have bigger bars but they are awkward for me because I'm only 5'9" and it takes a conscious effort to keep them out of the dirt. It's not all that often I get an opportunity to fell/limb/buck small trees and the 20" bars work well for the size trees I deal with. The stumps get the bigger saws and bigger bars.
Storm ... where you been girl? You haven't been posting much.
Storm ... where you been girl? You haven't been posting much.
When cutting eastern hardwoods, there seems to be a sweetspot for burying a bar and not bogging down much: Note that pitch and number of teeth in drive spocket (as already mentioned) matters.
50cc = 16" (.325 pitch)
60cc = 20" (3/8)
70cc = 24" (3/8)
From that starting point, you can adjust length according to your needs. If you live in the PNW or frequently cut softwoods, going a little longer is the norm. Maybe you want a little longer reach or want to put firewood length marks on your bar, so you'd put an 18 incher on a 50cc bar. Once you get into 70cc and larger, you can slap longer bars and various combinations of semi-skip and full skip chain to meet cutting needs.
And there's no rule that you can't have two bar lengths for the same saw. I keep a 24" bar on my Makita 7901, but I have a 32" bar for larger diameter wood that I use less frequently.
50cc = 16" (.325 pitch)
60cc = 20" (3/8)
70cc = 24" (3/8)
From that starting point, you can adjust length according to your needs. If you live in the PNW or frequently cut softwoods, going a little longer is the norm. Maybe you want a little longer reach or want to put firewood length marks on your bar, so you'd put an 18 incher on a 50cc bar. Once you get into 70cc and larger, you can slap longer bars and various combinations of semi-skip and full skip chain to meet cutting needs.
And there's no rule that you can't have two bar lengths for the same saw. I keep a 24" bar on my Makita 7901, but I have a 32" bar for larger diameter wood that I use less frequently.
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Depends what I am cutting. When I am going through hardwood like eucalyptus my saw of choice is a 066 wearing a 24" bar and chain. I also have a 32" bar for the bigger stuff.
My 028 Super has a 16" bar. I use it for the smaller trees and limbs. I also have a Husky 44 with an 18" and a Husky 266 that I bought with a 28" skip-tooth b/c. It is a bit long for that saw but it came that way and I don't have to bend over so much with the longer bar.
He saw, bar and chain you use depends on what you are cutting. If you stick around here long enough you will have more saws than you can count before you know it anyway.
My 028 Super has a 16" bar. I use it for the smaller trees and limbs. I also have a Husky 44 with an 18" and a Husky 266 that I bought with a 28" skip-tooth b/c. It is a bit long for that saw but it came that way and I don't have to bend over so much with the longer bar.
He saw, bar and chain you use depends on what you are cutting. If you stick around here long enough you will have more saws than you can count before you know it anyway.
Sagetown
Farmer and a STIHL
Hello farmer steve: Although I can get by with a 16" bar, I've found that a 20" bar sure saves the old back when bucking up logs for firewood.
FLHX Storm
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My main laptop with all the bells and whisles has overheating problems due to it's cooling fan malfunctioning. So I odered 2 new fans, one for a just in case thing. I didn't want to bring my backup laptop online simply because it was still a virgin which means it would have to be doing hundreds of updates. I finally succumbed and put it online. Hundreds of updates later, I was able to finally get back into the forum without having to reboot in the middle of reading.
Today the fans are supposed to be here so when I get another rainy, snowy day, I'll take the other laptop apart to replace the fan. That is not a job I'm looking forward to since you have to practically take the whole thing apart just to get to the fan.
I would rather be out splitting some gum. :msp_scared:BUT, while I have been waiting, I felled 7 more trees, one of which was a nice fat oak (30 inches across, used the 5020 for that one) and one sassafras only about 14 inches across. Then one black birch and four poplars which were about a foot across. I did the black birch and sassafras yesterday, both heavy side leaners towards my pump house. N no casualties (like the pump house being trashed) both were placed at 90 degrees of the their side lean.
The last six, I used the 4620. Anyway, the one laptop was my reason for not being online for about a week.
Like many have said, depends on the trees your cutting. I use 20" bar on 60-64 cc saws the majority of the time. When I'm workin on medium size trees, say between 25"-30" dia. I will use a slightly larger saw and bar. Usually 24" If I'm workin on larger trees, say 36" and up. I will use one of my bigger saws with either 28" or 30" bars.
If your like most members of this site, you will own more saws than you do trees.:msp_ohmy: at least it seems that way. Its nice to have options, and run different saws. None of this is "necessary" though. I cut my firewood for 20+ years with just one 56cc saw with 18" & 20" bars. Seemed to work. LOL
Gregg,
If your like most members of this site, you will own more saws than you do trees.:msp_ohmy: at least it seems that way. Its nice to have options, and run different saws. None of this is "necessary" though. I cut my firewood for 20+ years with just one 56cc saw with 18" & 20" bars. Seemed to work. LOL
Gregg,
AIM
Addicted to ArboristSite
18" bar on my Husky. I like the length. Feels nicely balanced.
My 064 has a 25" or a 28 " (can't remember which) bar on it and although it's very handy for the bigger stuff, it's a bit nose heavy and cumbersome for a lot of use.
I think an 18 or 20 is about perfect for general cutting.
My 064 has a 25" or a 28 " (can't remember which) bar on it and although it's very handy for the bigger stuff, it's a bit nose heavy and cumbersome for a lot of use.
I think an 18 or 20 is about perfect for general cutting.
I run a 14"-16" bar on my 33cc saw, and a 24"-32" on my 79cc saw.
Hmmmmmmmm............... Methinks I need something in the 50cc class.
Oh crap, am I coming down with something?:msp_w00t:
Hmmmmmmmm............... Methinks I need something in the 50cc class.
Oh crap, am I coming down with something?:msp_w00t:
Nosmo
Addicted to ArboristSite
What Size Bar
I use a 16" bar on both the MS260 and MS362. Usually what I cut those 16" bars are long enough.
I like the added power of the MS362 in the harder woods.
Nosmo
I use a 16" bar on both the MS260 and MS362. Usually what I cut those 16" bars are long enough.
I like the added power of the MS362 in the harder woods.
Nosmo
savageactor7
ArboristSite Guru
We used a 16" for quite awhile too.
Mostly the main consideration is the size of trees you harvest. After that it's personal preference, I'm using a 24" bar to cut a lot of Maple limb wood as it lays on the ground...since I'm into maple now. Otherwise its the 20" bar for ash trees.
I have back issues, so with a 24' bar I can keep my back straight, bend at the knees and with my right elbow resting on a bent knee make really good serious production on those smaller limbs. Years ago I wouldn't bother with them but with the newer EPA stoves those arm size rounds are worth my time now...sorry to ramble.
Oh and another consideration is that imo, when using a straight arm longer bars are harder to kick back in your face. Not that anyone ever plans on that cause it would be a bad idea to reason...'because I have a longer bar I'm bullet proof to kick backs'...No, never think like that, woodcutting can be very cruel endeavor to those that fail to respect the nature of the beast. After all ever the pros have mishaps.
Mostly the main consideration is the size of trees you harvest. After that it's personal preference, I'm using a 24" bar to cut a lot of Maple limb wood as it lays on the ground...since I'm into maple now. Otherwise its the 20" bar for ash trees.
I have back issues, so with a 24' bar I can keep my back straight, bend at the knees and with my right elbow resting on a bent knee make really good serious production on those smaller limbs. Years ago I wouldn't bother with them but with the newer EPA stoves those arm size rounds are worth my time now...sorry to ramble.
Oh and another consideration is that imo, when using a straight arm longer bars are harder to kick back in your face. Not that anyone ever plans on that cause it would be a bad idea to reason...'because I have a longer bar I'm bullet proof to kick backs'...No, never think like that, woodcutting can be very cruel endeavor to those that fail to respect the nature of the beast. After all ever the pros have mishaps.
Itsme7
ArboristSite Operative
I use 20-24" on a 372xp, depending on what im cutting. Would like a small lightweight saw with a 14-16" bar at some point for the smaller stuff.
While it might be a little bit on the small side, I can't count the number of gallons of fuel that I've run thru my Echo CS 340. It's 10 years old and still going strong. The dogs that are molded into the plactic case are about worn flat.
Running 18" on my MS362, the max for me in hardwoods. Running a 20" on the 064 with 8 tooth rim (was with it when I bought it) but I'll probably change it in a 24/25" or a 28" in the future. Don't have wood bigger than that. 064 with 20" is great for noodling!
