Stihl MS 362 bar lengths

[Andrew15]

So....Right now i have a 40cm(16") bar on my 362 even though it can run up to a 50cm(20") on but i don't really need a 20" bar on it so i was just curios if it would be able to comfortably run a 45cm(18") bar,mainly because i pretty tall,im like 185 cm(6.0 ft) so the 40 cm bar feels kinda short.What do you think?

 

[Rugger]

So....Right now i have a 40cm(16") bar on my 362 even though it can run up to a 50cm(20") on but i don't really need a 20" bar on it so i was just curios if it would be able to comfortably run a 45cm(18") bar,mainly because i pretty tall,im like 185 cm(6.0 ft) so the 40 cm bar feels kinda short.What do you think?

I run a 20” Stihl lite bar on mine with no issues at all, in fact I feel it balances the saw better as well. I am going to pick up a 24” as well, I have sever back issues form a 22ry military career and bending all day is a recipe for disaster.

 

[cuttinstihl]

IME, a 24” on a 60cc class saw is great for ground level work. I’m about 6’1 so a 24” provides good reach to the ground while still maintaining decent power. I’ve got 20”-28” bars for my Echo 620P, and the 24” is just about all I run on it now

 

[TheJollyLogger]

I feel like a 24 pushes the oiler a bit on a 360 series, but they love 20s, balances very nice. I can't imagine a 16, it's got to feel really tail heavy.

 

[WearTheChaps]

I run a 18"on a 55. You won't have a problem

 

[jblnut]

I run a 16 on my 041 and 026 when I’m in the woods cutting trees down and working the saws and a 24 when I’m bucking it all up in the yard so I don’t have to bend over so far. Run the oiler wide open and go to town. Bending over sucks.

 

[esean]

If you already have a 40cm no point in just going up to 45cm, you'll barely notice the difference. Go straight to 50cm.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

I feel like a 24 pushes the oiler a bit on a 360 series, but they love 20s, balances very nice. I can't imagine a 16, it's got to feel really tail heavy.

Only if you are burying the thing all the time. For general cutting to 12-16” while standing up a 24 or even a 28” is fine. Works great with a 1983 61

 

[ZinTrees]

when I put a 20" bar on my 261 people freaked out saying it wouldn't oil or pull it, especially when I went to the fatter 3/8" 0.050 chain instead of the stock .325
but in the end, it pulled it fine, id put a 25" on the 362 any day of the week, just cant burry the entire bar all day every day and expect it to last, cutting stuff up to 18-20" diameter wont be an issue, the extra length is really nice for limbing
probably go with a 25" light bar, since the 362 is such a light saw already, and I do believe a light 25 will balance it out nicely too

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

So....Right now i have a 40cm(16") bar on my 362 even though it can run up to a 50cm(20") on but i don't really need a 20" bar on it so i was just curios if it would be able to comfortably run a 45cm(18") bar,mainly because i pretty tall,im like 185 cm(6.0 ft) so the 40 cm bar feels kinda short.What do you think?

Being tall I like longer bars, but as @Rugger said balance is also important. You'll notice the difference in bar length, though as @esean said you might want to go to a lightweight 20" bar and turn the oiler all the way up. I ran a 24" bar on @Juliana Wolf's MS 400 (basically an overbored 362) for brushing; obviously a 10" bar would "be enough" for 2-inch and smaller sticks, but the reach of the 24" bar is nice.

Matching the bar to the powerhead, 20" should feel great, your chain should stay sharp longer (unless you hit something), and the cuts should be more enjoyable and faster due more sharp links lasting longer and any extra weight being in the cut. Like @singinwoodwackr said, you can (if you want) cut bigger stuff, slower--do not strain the powerhead because the buildup of heat causes them to burn out, just go slow and keep the saw mostly unloaded (this really shouldn't be an issue as the 362 is a bit big for the power it puts out so heat isn't much of an issue, even on the over-bored MS 400).

 

[Hickahollar]

Mine pretty much wears the 25 inch bar. It cuts just fine. I can bury it in oaks around here and just let it eat and it's plenty fast. Just don't try to push it or it will not like it.

 

[Hickahollar]

In my opinion (you know what they say about opinions) the ms362 has its peak torque kind of in the mid to high range. It cuts fine as long as it's in its rpm range but if you go below a certain point it just kind of goes flat it's torque curve is not linear. Also old school saws like a xl12 have so much low end torque its kind of hard to bog it down but they don't have anywhere the speed of a 362. My ms250 will out cut a xl12 in a 20 inch round but just barely. But that being said I can lean hard on that xl12 and it just moans louder and takes it. ms362 nope its gonna stop. But it's gonna cut almost twice as fast if you let it cut, and have a good chain. My 362 has cut a 50 inch log with 25 inch bar. My buddy's 660 clone with 36 inch bar does it better about 40 % faster. My ms880 does it even better probably about 25% faster with 42 inch bar. A ms362 can handle big wood but for me getting a used 880 for the frequency I cut 40" wood made since but I didn't have too.