Picking a bar

[Jasonrkba]

Im building a ms390. I see buckin billy always say get a long bar. The 25 inch seems to be the pick for this saw. Im thinking skip tooth .325 .050 on a 28 inch. How do you guys think it will run? I've never run these saws and don't know what to expect. It is 61-62cc. This will be used as a basic firewood saw and light felling.

Thanks. Jason.

 

[lone wolf]

Im building a ms390. I see buckin billy always say get a long bar. The 25 inch seems to be the pick for this saw. Im thinking skip tooth .325 .050 on a 28 inch. How do you guys think it will run? I've never run these saws and don't know what to expect. It is 61-62cc. This will be used as a basic firewood saw and light felling.

Thanks. Jason.

If it was me i would go with a 20 in bar on that size saw with 3/8

 

[5shot]

I have the MS361 and 20" was the overwhelming recommendation.

 

[michael j]

Do they make a .325 skip?

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Im building a ms390. I see buckin billy always say get a long bar. The 25 inch seems to be the pick for this saw. Im thinking skip tooth .325 .050 on a 28 inch. How do you guys think it will run? I've never run these saws and don't know what to expect. It is 61-62cc. This will be used as a basic firewood saw and light felling.

Thanks. Jason.

Building? As in stock standard- or pepped up? That will make a difference.
Mr Smith tends to cut species and growth that is not too demanding on medium power saws wearing longer bars and is a VERY proficient chain filer.

Unless all your other saws are .325, I would not bother with it on a saw that size. Go with 3/8 and you have a bar that will swap with any other standard Stihl bar mount saw you own, or plan to own, up to 066, MS661 (which are a nice fit with a 28).
My guess is you are planning to gain reach and less back bending, rather than full length bar buried repeat cuts bucking 26" logs. In those kinds of situations, the saw should pull the chain okay (if the oiler can keep up), but may not be too balanced and be nose heavy on the bar.

 

[Jasonrkba]

Yea it's stock now but may attempt porting in the future. I'm on the fence right now, and yes to avoid bending over.

 

[user 122190]

Get a 3/8 pitch chain. My 50cc saw pulls it fine. >60cc will pull it even better.

 

[Trailsawyer]

I would use 3/8" pitch chain, semi-skip and full skip are much easier find, and probably cheaper!

 

[U&A]

Id do no more than a 25” but 20” will suit the saw better.

You would be amazed what you can do with 20”. My absolute favorite saw is my 50cc ported jobber. It screams with a 18” .325 and i do most of my saw time with that saw.


Sent while firmly grasping my Redline lubed Ram [emoji231]

 

[tomalophicon]

Im building a ms390. I see buckin billy always say get a long bar. The 25 inch seems to be the pick for this saw. Im thinking skip tooth .325 .050 on a 28 inch. How do you guys think it will run? I've never run these saws and don't know what to expect. It is 61-62cc. This will be used as a basic firewood saw and light felling.

Thanks. Jason.

That dude broke his back didn't he? I can see why he doesn't want to bend over but for most people I can't see 20" being an issue. Your mileage may vary but I'm 6'4" and have no issue with a 20" bar bucking firewood.

 

[Trailsawyer]

I've run 20" bars on my 50 and 60cc saws since I bought my first 032 back in 1983 - hundreds of cord of firewood, and we used to log out 65 miles of trail every year
"for fun"! They work great with 3/8 full comp chain here in the Northwest! I will say that as I've gotten a little older I appreciate the 25 and 28" light bars a lot more!
I kept my 056 Mag, with a 36" bar handy for the bigger stuff for a lot of years..... they are not to heavy to pack - as long as you have a good mule!

 

[Jasonrkba]

Well I'll give it a shot with 3/8 simi skip 25 inch and if it runs like a dog I'll put a smaller one on it. Or take the plung and try porting. I've been watching Tinman for a couple months and seem to be getting more comfortable with the idea. I may try on an aftermarket before screwing up the oem. If you guys have a favorite guy to watch or learn from your advice is very much appreciated.

Thanks. Jason

 

[Jasonrkba]

Also I have a ms290 and husqvarna 61 that im running a 20 inch bar on in my lineup as well as about 25-30 vintage saws with 20 inch bars. I have a bad back (3 herniated disk) and anything I can do to help is a plus.

 

[lone wolf]

Also I have a ms290 and husqvarna 61 that im running a 20 inch bar on in my lineup as well as about 25-30 vintage saws with 20 inch bars. I have a bad back (3 herniated disk) and anything I can do to help is a plus.

I would think a smaller lighter saw would help a bad back like an MS 241C

 

[Jasonrkba]

Its the bending over for long periods that kill me. I push through but that is not necessarily what I should be doing. I have a 025 I use for light duty. I got a really good deal on the 1127 chasi and decided to take this route on the build. The long bar idea is an idea I got from watching billyray. As said above he is an excellent filer and Im working on improving in that area. I live on a tree farm and we also have horse stables we lease out. It is my responsibility to maintain the trails. We also heat with a wood stove. I run saws 5-6 days a month. Currently my "big saw" is a p41 with a 24 bar. A delight to run but it is getting long at the tooth and I consider it part of my vintage collection. I imagine there are lots of better options out there but this is what I have to work with at the moment... Getting older is not for whimps.

 

[Bango Skank]

Do they make a .325 skip?

Good question, I’ve never seen it.

Also do they make .325 bars over 20” ? Never seen that either, but anything is possible.

 

[sean donato]

Yes and yes.
Chain
https://www.baileysonline.com/woodlandpro-20rcs-325-x-050-skiptooth-chainsaw-chain-wpp-20rcs.htmlBar

https://www.cannonbar.com/product/csm-h6-24-50-2-050-gauge-325-pitch-replaceable-tip/First of both I Google with many more results.

 

[czyhorse]

Good question, I’ve never seen it.

Also do they make .325 bars over 20” ? Never seen that either, but anything is possible.

I don’t know if they make a .325 bar over 20” but I did see Buckin Billy Ray take a 32” .050 bar and put a .325 sprocket nose on it and run .325 .050 chain on it. He didn’t say how he figured the drive link count but he did it.

 

[Pioneer]

Had a 20 inch bar 3/8 pitch on my 390. Like my ms250 it was a stingy oiler, even when turned full up. I would not expect it to oil properly with a longer bar than 20 inch unless you limited the cutting to small diameter wood.
If you're just going for reach and don't expect to cut a bar full of wood you should be fine.
My back gives me grief too and I find it helps a lot to kneel on the ground and bring yourself level with the wood you're cutting when conditions permit. This really takes the strain off your back when you have to buck a log with a bar that can't reach the ground.

 

[thomasinvancouver]

Im building a ms390. I see buckin billy always say get a long bar. The 25 inch seems to be the pick for this saw. Im thinking skip tooth .325 .050 on a 28 inch. How do you guys think it will run? I've never run these saws and don't know what to expect. It is 61-62cc. This will be used as a basic firewood saw and light felling.

Thanks. Jason.

I think it sounds like a fine setup. It’s that, or a 12” bar running .404 skip with an 9 pin sprocket.

Seriously, it sounds fine.