Husqvarna 450 or Dolmar 421?

[LittleLebowski]

The 5020 isn't near the playing field a dolmar is. Nothing against either just a fact

Yup, that's what I was trying to say with my poor analogy.

 

[CoreyB]

Yup, that's what I was trying to say with my poor analogy.

28 min of sweet sounding 421 music. Plus testing different chains .

 

[Homelitexl903]

So I finally got a Dolmar 421 in blue. I plan on doing the muff mod and proper tune like I do on all my modern saws. I plan on ditching the chain it came with. My question for CoreyB, and others is what's the final result for best chain on this saw? I usually buy Stihl chain from my local saw shop but I have messed around with other brands I bought online. My question for Lebowski is how did the first go at the grip tape work? I sweat way more than a normal person in the summer and hate wearing gloves in the heat and I usually wear insulated leather gloves in the colder months and I would like more grip out of my plastic handle.

 

[CoreyB]

So I finally got a Dolmar 421 in blue. I plan on doing the muff mod and proper tune like I do on all my modern saws. I plan on ditching the chain it came with. My question for CoreyB, and others is what's the final result for best chain on this saw? I usually buy Stihl chain from my local saw shop but I have messed around with other brands I bought online. My question for Lebowski is how did the first go at the grip tape work? I sweat way more than a normal person in the summer and hate wearing gloves in the heat and I usually wear insulated leather gloves in the colder months and I would like more grip out of my plastic handle.

I really like 3/8 lp on the 421. It will pull .325 fine but.....
Stihl ps is king I have good luck with Oregon 91vxl after I sharpened it lol
Stihl ps on a 16" bar is a really capable combo.

 

[Andyshine77]

Stihl PS all the way.



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[LittleLebowski]

I assume that I need a new bar? Just dressed the edges off.

 

[7sleeper]

Nothing major wrong with your bar. Look's like you might have the chain a bit sloppy tightend. By the amount of paint left you should still run your bar at least half a dozen chains.

7

 

[LittleLebowski]

I'm fairly certain it's been tightened properly after each sharpening but the Stihl chains still stretch a bit.

 

[CoreyB]

The GB bars are cheep and seem to hold up pretty good.

 

[Andyshine77]

Still looks pretty good to me, but I do agree the chain was ran a bit loose.

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[LittleLebowski]

Still looks pretty good to me, but I do agree the chain was ran a bit loose.

It loosened up in less than a tank, more than once. These pre tensioned Stihl chains definitely stretch.

 

[Andyshine77]

Make sure to lift up the tip of the bar when you tension the chain, it takes the slack out. Depending on a few variables tightening the chain may be required more than once a tank of fuel.

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[Chris-PA]

Supposedly that wear spot/dip just behind the tip sprocket is from a loose chain, but all my narrow tip lo pro bars seem to do it. I suspect that somehow it is exacerbated by the small tip sprocket, but I don't know how. I think I read somewhere that it has to do with the chain links banging back against the bar after they come off the tip. It doesn't really make sense to me why the tip diameter would matter.

 

[jakethesnake]

Bar is still good to go I run my chain loose normally anyhow that bar will run a long time as some others mentioned

 

[Franny K]

I'm fairly certain it's been tightened properly after each sharpening but the Stihl chains still stretch a bit.

I find the Stihl Picco chains take a while to start to need any adjustment. The brand x ones seem to need adjustment within the first tank. The bar in the picture is normal, maybe at most half way to being put aside. I think it is just the chain going around the sprocket and tending to want to continue in circular motion. Similar wear is common where the chain comes off the drive sprocket. In theory I think it should want to go off as a tangent so if the chain wraps more than half way around it will have some inward force. As things warm up the chain will tend to get a bit looser, the more so the longer the bar.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

So I finally got a Dolmar 421 in blue. I plan on doing the muff mod and proper tune like I do on all my modern saws. I plan on ditching the chain it came with. My question for CoreyB, and others is what's the final result for best chain on this saw? I usually buy Stihl chain from my local saw shop but I have messed around with other brands I bought online. My question for Lebowski is how did the first go at the grip tape work? I sweat way more than a normal person in the summer and hate wearing gloves in the heat and I usually wear insulated leather gloves in the colder months and I would like more grip out of my plastic handle.

I've tried the 91vxl, the Carlton N1C, and the Stihl PS. The Stihl is nice chain, and definitely fast. It's also not cheap. I like the Carlton and the Oregon pretty well also. I think the 3/8lp just makes that saw seem very zippy. Even with a semi chisel chain, it cuts pretty quick for its size. The Oregon and Carlton are much cheaper. I paid $10/loop for my 56dl loops of Carlton.

 

[CoreyB]

I agree the 421 with lp is better then .325. I know many guys run it and the 421 pulls it just fine but you do lose something especially limbing .

 

[Chris-PA]

I was running a narrow tip lo pro bar today and looking at it I see it is more tapered going to the narrow tip. Maybe this means the links are getting pulling into the bar more than on larger tip bars.

 

[LittleLebowski]

I find the Stihl Picco chains take a while to start to need any adjustment.

I have had the opposite experience.

 

[LittleLebowski]

The GB bars are cheep and seem to hold up pretty good.

Is this the one you got for your 421?

http://leftcoastsupplies.com/product/16-gb-arbor-tech-bar-38lp/