which bar lengths for stihl 362?

[FLINT]

Hey guys,

I have an OLD 028 that has cut probably more wood than Noah, and have kind of been waiting for it to die,

My plans have been to replace it with a 361, which has now turned into a 362.

anyways, in the event that the saw dies sooner than later, I wanted to decide which bar lengths I want to get with my 362.

I was originally thinking to just get a 20" and that would be good for most stuff.

Then I was thinking that since the 16" bar on my 028 is good for most stuff, that maybe I should split the difference, and go with an 18" bar and then get a 24" bar for the big stuff.

So what do you think?

16"
18"
20"
24"

or what combination do you think would be ideal ??????

Thanks!

 

[8433jeff]

Why not get it now before the 028 dies? Switching bars around sucks, get another saw. You could go the 18-24" bar route on a 362, only combo in your choices that makes sense IMHO. Run skip chain and an 8 pin sprocket on the 24".


Or you could go get two saws.


Or you could get saws with all those bar lengths. Like me. And plenty others on this site also.

 

[ZeroJunk]

Or, he could just put a Tecomec 028 Super cylinder kit on the 028 and build another ark.

 

[longbar]

It would prolly cut better with a 18" but 20" is more of a "cut all size" and that saw can handle it

 

[FLINT]

Or, he could just put a Tecomec 028 Super cylinder kit on the 028 and build another ark.

haha, yeah, i keep going back and forth on how much time/money I want to put into keeping this saw alive. I'm replacing the oil cover and gear right now.


I am kind of liking the idea of the 18"/24" bar combo with the 362.

my dad just had a HUGE red oak fall this summer and the 16" bar on the 028 isn't going to cut it.

I do have the 08S with 21" bar though.

 

[nmurph]

what length bar do you need? that saw will pull anything up to a 24". asking us to recommend a bar is like asking you to recommend a truck to me.

 

[fields_mj]

What size wood do you normally cut?

If a 16" bar has met all your needs so far, then I would either stick with that, or mabye get an 18" bar. It's nice to have a 24" bar and chain hanging on the wall for those rare occations that you actually need to cut something over 36" across, but the 18" will get you through some big stuff. I run an 18" bar on my 036 and love it. It keeps the saw pretty light. I also swapped the sprocket and drive bearing out for one that fits an 041 so that I can use standard spline rims. That allows me to run a 9 pin rim with .325 chain, and to me that flat out cuts! If I bury the bar in something and lean on it really hard, I can start to bog the saw down.

For what it's worth, my dad runs the same bar and chain that I do on his 028, and last summer he had a large maple tree (about 4 or 5 feet at the base) taken down. He bucked it all up with his 028. Took him a while, but he got it done. He would cut around a piece, and then noodle the chunks away so that he could get the bar in far enough to finish the cut. I would be more prone to put a new jug and cyl on your 028 and keep running the snot out of it. Just depends on your needs and and wants I guess.

 

[Muffler Bearing]

Get the 362 with the 24". And take the 16" off the current 029.If it's 3/8 your good to go.
Sell the 029 PHO on fleabay.

 

[ZeroJunk]

haha, yeah, i keep going back and forth on how much time/money I want to put into keeping this saw alive. I'm replacing the oil cover and gear r

You are right. It really depends on what kind of shape the saw is in. If you have to get in to replacing seals and bearings etc. it probably isn't practical unless it is just something one likes to do.

 

[FLINT]

Hmmm,

I would say that most wood I cut is between 12 - 24" through, although every year I end up cutting at least one big oak that is more. This year, there were a couple of those.

and yeah, so far, I've made the 028 with the 16" bar work for all of it - sometimes it just takes longer, to switch sides, flip logs over, etc.

 

[webie]

I vote you get the saw now before your 028 dies and leave the 16" bar on the 028 and I have a 361 with a 20 inch bar and I think that is the perfect length for that saw . I too cut mostly in the 18 to 24 inch range and some bigger and it does a fine job with this set up . I do have a longer bar a 25" and have used it with a skip chain and it works well ,but its kinda a pain changeing back and forth , plus I think the saw looses some of its agility.

 

[TreePointer]

I vote for a 20" bar on the 361/362. You can bury it in hardwoods and you get the extra reach to save the back.

 

[Streblerm]

I really like an 18" bar on my 034. It handles most all of my cutting needs.

 

[porsche965]

My 361 is balanced best with a 18". Makes it faster moving around also. Power galore. However the 20" is more practical.

Get your new saw now, the 028 will serve as a back-up if you get your new saw stuck.

Since your shorter bar on the 028 has worked so far don't get the 24/25" bar/chain until you find wood you need it for. RSC full chisel is the chain too.

 

[spudulike]

Rough rule of thumb is to divide the size of the engine by 3 to get the bar length - 60cc = 20" etc - works for all the saws I have and all are well matched.

Spud

 

[Showme]

Kind of like mine with the 18" with 8 pin rim. It came with a 20" but the 18" suits me better.

 

[sgrizz]

I have a 362 with a 20" bar and it works great. But the 25 and 28 bar is for the 460 if i need to cut bigger wood . For your 2 saw plan i would get the 20 for the 362 and cut from both sides on the bigger stuff. Or buy a 25" down the road if you need to. I am with everyone else on having 25 " bar and chain as a back up hanging on the wall.

 

[smokinj]

60cc saw I would use a 20 inch.

 

[supersammy]

I have the 361 that I use for firewood, that replaced my old 029. If you buy new from the dealer get the 24" with extra skip chain. It is cheaper to have the dealer upgrade to 24" bar and chain combo, mine was a free upgrade because I bought some other stuff. I purchased a 20" and 2 chains from one of the board sponsors cheaper than the price of the 24" bar from the dealer. My local dealer chargers $74 for the 24" no chain.

I have used the 24" a few times when needed and is handy to have, but the 361 gets paired up with the 20" every weekend for firewood duty. The 361 is very well balanced and oils good with a 20" bar. The 361 with a 16" is a in not a good combo to run, cuts super fast but the weight and short bar make it limited IMHO.

 

[FLINT]

I have the 361 that I use for firewood, that replaced my old 029. If you buy new from the dealer get the 24" with extra skip chain. It is cheaper to have the dealer upgrade to 24" bar and chain combo, mine was a free upgrade because I bought some other stuff. I purchased a 20" and 2 chains from one of the board sponsors cheaper than the price of the 24" bar from the dealer. My local dealer chargers $74 for the 24" no chain.

I have used the 24" a few times when needed and is handy to have, but the 361 gets paired up with the 20" every weekend for firewood duty. The 361 is very well balanced and oils good with a 20" bar. The 361 with a 16" is a in not a good combo to run, cuts super fast but the weight and short bar make it limited IMHO.

Hey man, thanks a lot - that makes sense and is probably what I will do.