How big of a bar can it pull?

[Hermio]

Not quite so much as you might think. The engineers are also building to protect their warranty. As we all know, its a lot easier to burn up a saw with a bar that is overworking the engine. What you can do isn't necessarily what will keep warranty claims at a minimum.

The marketing department definitely has a hand in what size bar gets put on the saw. I got a tale on that very topic: My brother-in-law was very proud of his new Craftsman saw with a 24" bar. We were planning a tiny little project in the woods, and he assured me that his new saw would outperform my Shindaiwa 488 with the 18" bar. I said little, but suggested we wait and see. I assured him that bar length doesn't have much to do with the effectiveness of the power-head; that the marketing department is fooling the consumers into thinking you buy chainsaws according to the bar length they are sold with.

At the end of the day, he no longer scorned my little 488, and decided to return the Craftsman and get a 488 Shindaiwa. Which, incidentally, is still running strong 30 years later. Mine, that is. I don't know about his saw at this point.

I would guess that at least 90% of the general public thinks chainsaws are sized based on bar length. And cheapo stores will advertise that way. "What a deal on an 18" chainsaw!". But the engine might only be 35 cc.

 

[Hermio]

I Totally agree. Solid Information! A stock 661 is factoy rated for a maximum bar length of 32"
Slap a 36" on a stock 661 and there is a very noticeable difference. If yiur going to run a 42" on a 661. It must be modified if you want the powerhead to last. Many West coast cutters that require a 42" bar. When in the much bigger then average timber. All run Modified 90cc. Be it Husky or Stihl. Nobody runs stock 90cc when "over baring" a power saw. A huge factor to consider. When thinking about slapping a longer bar on One's saw. Regardless the size of saw. Is wether or not the entire bar is going to be buried in wood past the tip while cutting. If so, how often and for how long?
Just my two cents.

Ouch! You are putting periods in odd places, making what should be complete sentences into incomplete phrases. Hard to read!

 

[sean donato]

Ouch! You are putting periods in odd places, making what should be complete sentences into incomplete phrases. Hard to read!

I. Didn't. Have. A. Hard. Time. Reading. Anything. He. Wrote.

 

[Hermio]

I. Didn't. Have. A. Hard. Time. Reading. Anything. He. Wrote.

At least you get the point. "."

 

[Kodiak Kid]

Ouch! You are putting periods in odd places, making what should be complete sentences into incomplete phrases. Hard to read!

@Hermio! Thanks again for the English lesson!

 

[Kodiak Kid]

Run whatever bar length and chain type you like best that works for you! The choice is all yours and that's the bottom line!

 

[Kodiak Kid]

Guys have been running longer bars on saws with limited bar specs as long as I can remember. Show me a saw with an engineered spec for 72" and 80" bar... my dad ran those bar lengths in the 70's and 80's. I believe the northern California guys still run some of those bar's lengths. We're only talking about few inches over Stihl spec on MS361 C-Q 3/8 .050-gauge RS chain is limited to 25" that is a fact! it a work saw we're not talking a race saw. Yes, it probably going to be slightly slower who going know or care if its 20 or 30sec different in the cut. Pick the saw up so it not cutting full bar if you have to, we all do that to keep the chain speed up. I can't believe the east coast guy don't do that same as us west coast guys. The MS880*** .404 .063-gauge the longest bar spec is at 59" with RS chain and that's a fact! Come on... 4-pages arguments on a few inches. Yes, all chainsaw manufactures spec their saw bar lengths, those specs have no guideline limits on the type of Timber the end user cuts... those specs are guideline plain and simple... guidelines. I'm sure there's going to be some arguments about this... but those are the spec's from Stihlusa.com page 41 and that's the Engineer specs... doesn't matter where you live or the timber you cut! This poor guy probably doesn't know what to believe how helpful is that! The MS361 is a heck of a saw and it will pull a 28" bar and I run a 3/8 .063 gauge chain full comp.

Wether running full comp or full skip. A 361 with a 28 bar is going to cut slower than pouring molasses in late December! If One requires or absolutely needs the full length of a 28" bar. It is in thier best interest to step up to a 70cc class power saw. Fact!

 

[Kodiak Kid]

I. Didn't. Have. A. Hard. Time. Reading. Anything. He. Wrote.

Now hold on Big Sean D. If it is @Hermio 's best interest to give me lessons in English. Let him do so as such. It's a free country!

 

[sean donato]

Now hold on Big Sean D. If it is @Hermio 's best interest to give me lessons in English. Let him do so as such. It's a free country!

Sorry brother, I had to.

 

[Hermio]

@Hermio! Thanks again for the English lesson!

I am happy to serve!

 

[Rooshooter]

I would guess that at least 90% of the general public thinks chainsaws are sized based on bar length. And cheapo stores will advertise that way. "What a deal on an 18" chainsaw!". But the engine might only be 35 cc.

Well you are fairly right on what customers and sales people ( particularly hardware stores ) think when it comes to bar size, I get quite a few inquiries from weekend warriors looking to buy a used saw and when I ask them what size saw they are looking for I am quite often told " about 20"or 25" etc " so then I have to ask what timber are you cutting what diameter, seasoned or not and then explain power required vs bar length.
Also had an inquiry once from a bloke in NZ asking what is the longest bar available in Husky mount, when I told him 84 inch he said it would be a real pose to have a saw with a bar that long even though he would probably never be able to utilize it. I told him he was a Richard Cranium ( d*ckhead ) and that was the end of conversation.

 

[Hermio]

Well you are fairly right on what customers and sales people ( particularly hardware stores ) think when it comes to bar size, I get quite a few inquiries from weekend warriors looking to buy a used saw and when I ask them what size saw they are looking for I am quite often told " about 20"or 25" etc " so then I have to ask what timber are you cutting what diameter, seasoned or not and then explain power required vs bar length.
Also had an inquiry once from a bloke in NZ asking what is the longest bar available in Husky mount, when I told him 84 inch he said it would be a real pose to have a saw with a bar that long even though he would probably never be able to utilize it. I told him he was a Richard Cranium ( d*ckhead ) and that was the end of conversation.

I was curious, so I did a name search. There really is someone named that. There are also quite a few named Richard Head, which is even more direct. It escapes me why parents with a family name of Head would name their son Richard. Maybe they think it will make him tough, ala the boy names Sue.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Wether running full comp or full skip. A 361 with a 28 bar is going to cut slower than pouring molasses in late December! If One requires or absolutely needs the full length of a 28" bar. It is in thier best interest to step up to a 70cc class power saw. Fact!

If I only had a couple cuts to make and a 60cc powerhead was all I had, I'd do it. Full skip chain, easy on the depth gauges, take your time and don't be in any hurry at all.

On a daily basis, no.

 

[lone wolf]

If I only had a couple cuts to make and a 60cc powerhead was all I had, I'd do it. Full skip chain, easy on the depth gauges, take your time and don't be in any hurry at all.

On a daily basis, no.

If the dog didn't stop to take a dump, he would have caught the rabbit! Coulda shouda wouda went to a party!

 

[fields_mj]

It's a perfectly good analogy, over load the saw with a long bar just like overloading a pickup. More wear and tear. Just the same as that guy's dismal video (s) that was not a happy saw. Did it for the job? Sure, slowly and miserably.
If we're comparing qualifications, I did like wise for many years different sector, now i work on much more expensive and complicated systems. Our last upgrade was around $1 million in cost and we're still working out the bugs, and have redesigned several things.

Tangent. A friend of mine has a 14k dump trailer that he uses to transport his tractor and haul some firewood. He pulls it with a Tundra with no issues BUT he knows how much weight he can put in it and drives like he has some sense. He frequently loans his trailer out to friends and always makes it a point to warn them about how much weight to put in the trailer because their fancy half ton truck will break LONG before the trailer does. So far, 2 of them have snapped their frames behind the cab. Like a saw, you can overload a truck SOME and be okay so long as you limit the number of times it happens and operate it accordingly. With a truck its actually pretty easy to overload it to the point of experiencing a catastrophic failure pretty quickly. I think that's where some people are taking exception to your analogy.