milling with a poulan 245a??

[vw_motorsports]

I have a Poulan 245a and it's a 74cc saw and from what I could find a real torque monster. I has a 24" hard tipped bar. I was going to use a jonsered 2077turbo but I actually think the poulan may be better suited for milling. What chain setups do you guys recommend? I plan on milling some 20" dia pine.

 

[woodsrunner]

I'm not very familiar with that saw, so what I say may be off the mark, but, I'll take a shot. Run what you have to start with. That way IF it doesn't work out for you you're not out any cash. If you need to make a change after a few trial runs, I would go with a 28 inch sprocket nose and 3/8 chain in what ever pitch you can get easily in your area. I have given up on the "milling" chain, but, that's just me. I like 3/8 chain and for my normal use chains I run .050 gauge. For my long milling chains I use .063 gauge. So I would say 3/8 .050 would work for milling with that saw on a 28 inch bar. Bar length will depend on your mill. Check out what the Granberg folks say about maximum cut width and needed bar length for a given mill rail length. For instance, a MK-III with 24 inch rails will give you a maximum cut width of 20 inches but that requires a 28 inch bar.
My GB double ended mill eats up about 10-12 inches with a double powerhead setup but if I use a single powerhead and setup everything right, I only lose about 6 inches of bar length.
Scott

 

[mwrunt]

I have a Poulan 245a and it's a 74cc saw and from what I could find a real torque monster. I has a 24" hard tipped bar. I was going to use a jonsered 2077turbo but I actually think the poulan may be better suited for milling. What chain setups do you guys recommend? I plan on milling some 20" dia pine.

The poulan should work fine well if you search this forum you will find any saw will work i think there was a guy on here milling with a electric saw. It was slow and the saw didnt last long but he did it. I have also milled with my poulan 4218 to finish a slab of arbutis when my huskys fuel line broke.
Any saw will work but in teory bigger saw will allow for lower raker depth and a faster cut.
as for your bar you will loose less with a hardnose bar becouse you can clamp rite at the end so your 24 inch bar should be fine for 2 in logs and i also gained about 2 inches by removing the dogs

 

[excess650]

Milling chain would be my first choice, and semi-chisel (Stihl RM)would be second. By starting with milling chain you start with longer cutters, so they will last longer.