Stihl 026, bars, sprockets, and getting it right...

[Anonym]

Ok, so I got a really sweet deal on an 026 from my wife's uncle who took it in trade. Just picked it up this evening and was checking it out. First thing, it came with a 20" Sandvik bar with a 3/8 pitch and speed tip (replaceable nose), and the rim sprocket was a .325. :msp_confused:

I have an 18" Stihl bar that I was also planning on running, and lucked out to find that it was a .325, so all is good there. The question I have is about the Sandvik. From what I can tell, I have the option to get a 3/8 rim sprocket and run the bar/chain combo that came with it, but dealing with swapping the rim sprocket out every time I swap to the bigger bar/chain seems like a bit of a hassel.

I'd love to standardize, and noticed there is a Sandvik replacement nose sprocket on fleabay in .325. I understand that I would have to get new chains in .325, but can I simply swap out the nose on this bar to the .325 and not have any issues? Wondering if there would be any issues with the bar groove itself, and how difficult it is to swap noses. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

 

[blsnelling]

I'd stay with the .325 if it were me.

 

[MEATSAW]

I would check that rim out and make sure it was okay. If it was run like that it could have messed up some things.

Then I would sell that Sandvik bar (eBay, classifieds, swap meet, etc) and by myself another bar. 20" bars can be had for ~$30. For me it would far less of a hassle and would break about even financially.

That said, Sandviks are good bars, but definitely go with .325

 

[fearofpavement]

The 026 usually came with a .325 pitch bar and chain and .063 gauge. Make sure the sprocket, bar and chain are all "friends".

 

[TonyRumore]

I am not familiar with those bars, but usually a short 3/8 pitch bar like that (on a Stihl) will be .050 gauge and a .325 pitch bar will be .063. So if you put a .325 nose on that bar, the .063 gauge chain won't fit in the bar channel.

Tony

 

[Anonym]

Thanks guys. Yes, with my old 18" bar, I now have a rim, bar, and chain that are all .325 pitch and .063 gauge. Was hoping to get some use out of the 20" bar, but you're probably right that it would be cheaper in the long run to just sell this one and get the correct one to begin with.

So.... anybody interested in a 20" Sandvik speed-tip bar in 3/8 pitch and .050 gauge?!

 

[Whitespider]

...Was hoping to get some use out of the 20" bar...

If you've got the bar and chain... Why not use it? At least until the chain is worn out.
Heck, I can swap a rim sprocket with my eyes closed, using a pocket knife, faster than I can swap a chain (but leaving your eyes open and using a scrench to pry the clip off is probably better).
I've actually seen a 3/8 24-inch bar run on an 026... ya' ain't gonna' be able to lean on it, but the saw will pull it if the chain is sharp.

 

[Mad Professor]

Sweet spot for a 026/028 is a 0.325 w 16" bar.

That will cut a 30" round if needed but will tax the hell out of the saw.

Need to cut bigger? get into 70cc saws (038M 044)

 

[VikingDrive]

Sweet spot for a 026/028 is a 0.325 w 16" bar.

That will cut a 30" round if needed but will tax the hell out of the saw.

Need to cut bigger? get into 70cc saws (038M 044)

Yep. and with RSC chain and rakers about .028. It will flip chip. 026 is a sweet saw.

 

[Anonym]

Thinking about taking Whitespider's suggestion and grabbing the rim sprocket to run the 20" bar and see how I like it. If I don't, I won't have a lot invested.

Got it cleaned up and tuned the carb and it seems to be a sweet saw! Took the muffler off to see if a mod needed performed and it's not got anything in there to do anything with. There are no baffles and the front half has a very generous slash vent with a screen and outside guard that seems to breathe very well. I'm not going to do anything with it. Sharpened up my 18-inch chain and have a new one on stand-by, so I'll be in great shape as soon as this blasted weather breaks and you can start thinking about cooler weather and cutting wood.

I'll have to get some pics posted. Only thing I can find wrong is the air filter/carb cover was cracked pretty bad and has been glued back together. Probably pick one up off fleabay to replace it sometime...

Thanks for the info and recommendations. :msp_thumbup:

 

[blsnelling]

20" 3/8 on a 026 is not a good combination, unless just using the longer bar for added to reach. It won't be real happy pulling it if buried.

 

[Anonym]

Here's a couple pictures of the saw and the bar. The piston and cylinder look fantastic when I pulled the muffler last night. Just need to replace that cracked cover and I'll be golden...

View attachment 246380
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[procarbine2k1]

Sweet spot for a 026/028 is a 0.325 w 16" bar.

x2, what I have on the 260 and I really like it.

 

[TonyRumore]

Just a couple observations on your pics.......it looks like you have the aluminum handle which is nice, compared to the plastic handle. And the adjustable carb on the H side. I don't recall any 026's coming with that medium size felling dawg on the right side....probably aftermarket considering the non-standard socket head cap screws holding it in place. Saw looks good. I wouldn't worry about that little crack in the air filter cover, but that's just me. I don't have any show-saws.

Tony

 

[Anonym]

Thanks, Tony. Yes, I like the aluminum handle and the fully adjustable carb. Holding off on the replacement cover until I can find a used one reasonable.

Just a quick update, I picked up a 3/8 rim sprocket from my local Stihl dealer and ran the 20-incher to see how it handled. Seems pretty decent, and I don't plan on cutting full depth, so I decided to keep it on there. I'll need a new 325 sprocket to run my 18-incher anyway since running the wrong pitch chain chewed it up pretty good, and after a good cleaning, looks like there's a crack on it. So, I placed an order this morning for a new 325 sprocket, a replacement nose sprocket for the bar, and a cheap bar and a couple chains for the 021. I think I should be good for cutting some firewood as soon as the weather cools off a bit.

My dad brought his 026 over last night. He hasn't ran it much because "it never ran quite right" and has been lugging around an MS310 (cutting the same wood I've been handling with the 021!). I took a look at it and it needed major carb adjustment and needed the little baffle switched from "winter" to "summer". His eyes popped when we got it lined out, and I think I just saved him about 2.5 pounds worth of saw for most of his normal cutting. It was doing some excessive oiling and found out that someone drilled the oiler hole on his bar all the way through, so he threw in a new bar for it on my order and took my 18-incher home to play with until his new bar comes in.

Can't wait to get out with him cutting some wood...

 

[w8ye]

I have a woods ported 026 PRO and it came with a Stihl 20" X .325 X .063 Bar & RSC Chain with a 7 pin rim.

I changed it to a Stihl 16" X 3/8" X .050 Bar and RSC chain 7 pin rim. And that's the way I use it now for limbing. If I need something bigger, I get another chainsaw.

To swap the rims from .325 to 3/8" back and forth is no big deal and just requires the use of your needle valve screw driver or bar wrench to take off the E-clip and snap it back in place.

The 3/8" 7 pin rim is pretty close to the diameter of a 8 pin .325 rim.

 

[Anonym]

Forgot to ask if there were any other Stihls that shared the same plastic as the non-pro 026. I know the 024 and the 036 look similar, but haven't seen one that would be compatible for replacing that cracked air filter cover. Just looking to keep options open!

 

[redoakneck]

Get 5 or 6 extra e-clips, as when you pop them off, sometimes they can get lost. Had them richochet around the shop a few times.

Also helps to drill 2, 3/8" holes in the muffler to let it breath. Re-tune afterward. That out board clutch makes it easy to change yer rims and pitch.

 

[Anonym]

Thanks for the tip. Muffler looked to not be too restrictive, but a couple holes on the exhaust end is probably not a bad thing...

 

[SawTroll]

Get 5 or 6 extra e-clips, as when you pop them off, sometimes they can get lost. Had them richochet around the shop a few times.

Also helps to drill 2, 3/8" holes in the muffler to let it breath. Re-tune afterward. That out board clutch makes it easy to change yer rims and pitch.

Inboard clutch.