Considerations for bar length when purchasing new saw

[BillF]

What additional considerations would there be for choosing a bar length for a new saw beyond the width of trees you would be cutting? I'm trying to decide between a 16" and an 18". On the same saw would a longer bar be less safe or would it be less powerful, or would such differences be insignificant? My older, less powerful saw, has a 16" bar and perhaps 20% or less of the work would involve trees of a greater diameter than what a 16" bar could cover readily. I'm planning on purchasing a Stihl 261.

Thanks for any advice anyone can give.

Bill

 

[CNBTreeTrimming]

I would stick within the range suggested by the manufacture. Other than that it's not a bad idea to get a couple bars in different lengths to cover your cutting needs. Smaller bars will feel more efficient in the cut so if you don't need a big bar then a small one is better.

 

[Saw Bones]

What additional considerations would there be for choosing a bar length for a new saw beyond the width of trees you would be cutting? I'm trying to decide between a 16" and an 18". On the same saw would a longer bar be less safe or would it be less powerful, or would such differences be insignificant? My older, less powerful saw, has a 16" bar and perhaps 20% or less of the work would involve trees of a greater diameter than what a 16" bar could cover readily. I'm planning on purchasing a Stihl 261.

Thanks for any advice anyone can give.

Bill

Be sure you have enough Horse power to pull the chain on the bigger bar. Keep the chain sharp, and dont try to go too fast. Stay with the length recomended by the MFG

 

[BillF]

Stihl makes this saw available in 16, 18, and 20 inch bar lengths.

Thanks for these responses or any other pieces of advice anyone can offer.

 

[Guido Salvage]

As a general rule of thumb, I do not run a bar that is any longer than 1/3 of the cc's of the saw. With the 261 being a 50cc saw, the 16" bar would be what I would use and it is what I have on my 026. It takes more power to pull a chain on a longer bar than on a short bar and you want the power to go towards cutting the wood, not overcoming the friction between the bar and chain.

The only advantage I can see to a longer bar would be saving your back if you are tall and will be bending over a lot.

 

[Philbert]

What additional considerations would there be for choosing a bar length for a new saw beyond the width of trees you would be cutting?

Welcome to A.S.!

Longer bars are heavier, affect the saw balance, produce more drag, cost more, have more expensive chains, have more cutters to sharpen, are harder to manipulate in some limbing and clearing tasks, and make your saw harder to transport and store.

They let you cut larger wood, increase your reach, and look really cool.

A 16 or 18 inch bar would be fine with that saw - they are pretty close, and the difference will be small. If it is your only saw, you might like the longer bar for occasionally cutting bigger stuff. If you already have a larger saw with a longer bar, you might like to keep this one a little shorter to keep it light and nimble. If you have a brother-in-law with a similar saw, be sure to get a different length bar so that he cannot use your chains!

As noted, saws work best within the range that they are designed for.

Philbert

 

[BlackOakTreeServ]

What additional considerations would there be for choosing a bar length for a new saw beyond the width of trees you would be cutting? I'm trying to decide between a 16" and an 18". On the same saw would a longer bar be less safe or would it be less powerful, or would such differences be insignificant? My older, less powerful saw, has a 16" bar and perhaps 20% or less of the work would involve trees of a greater diameter than what a 16" bar could cover readily. I'm planning on purchasing a Stihl 261.

Thanks for any advice anyone can give.

Bill

Welcome Bill,
since you already have a 16" bar on your older saw, get the 18" or 20" bar for the ms261....I use a 20" bar .325 RSC (yellow) chain on my ms261
and it pulls it with no prob.

 

[computeruser]

That saw would be nice with 16" and 3/8" chain.

 

[Tree Pig]

I would go with the 18" on the 261 I have cut a good amount of wood with one and it ran just fine in oak.