Chain saw bar length.

[ernemats]

If you have an 18 inch bar on your chain saw and change to a 16 inch bar how will that affect your saw or its performance? I realize it will effect the balance some but other than that what difference could I expect. Most of my cutting with it 16 inches is more than enough length and I have larger saws for bigger trees.

 

[Roadworthy]

There should be no noticeable effect on performance other than the balance. Some chainsaws come in two or three different bar lengths - same saw, choose your bar length. Reducing bar length is certainly better for saw longevity than increasing it.

 

[old and tired]

In theory, cutting performance will increase going from 18" to 16"... How much and if you'll notice it, is another story, please let us know!!!

 

[ericm979]

The only difference in cutting performance will be from the small decrease in losses from friction with the smaller bar. Taking a couple inches out of the middle of the bar where friction is lowest isn't going to change much. The saw will rev a little quicker since there's a little less chain to be accellerated but that won't affect performance one the saw is revved up and in the cut. Overall, if you measure the actual cutting time the difference will be so small that it will be within normal variation due to technique and thus not a measureable improvement.

I think a lot of guys mistake faster revving for a power increase. When I bought an 18" bar for my MS362 the shop owner warned me that with such a small bar the saw could rev up "too fast" and blow up.

 

[radios1]

longer bars have more teeth, so they will last longer before needing resharpening. each added tooth adds another cutting surface which will share the wear..

 

[dfkrug]

When I bought an 18" bar for my MS362 the shop owner warned me that with such a small bar the saw could rev up "too fast" and blow up.

Well that's a new one!

Note that the "proper" method to set the HI mixture is to fully open the throttle for a few seconds, with only the bar/chain as load. I don't like maxing out the revs on a hi-reving saw, so I usually don't do it for more than a couple of seconds.

 

[xyz123]

The only difference in cutting performance will be from the small decrease in losses from friction with the smaller bar. Taking a couple inches out of the middle of the bar where friction is lowest isn't going to change much. The saw will rev a little quicker since there's a little less chain to be accellerated but that won't affect performance one the saw is revved up and in the cut. Overall, if you measure the actual cutting time the difference will be so small that it will be within normal variation due to technique and thus not a measureable improvement.

I think a lot of guys mistake faster revving for a power increase. When I bought an 18" bar for my MS362 the shop owner warned me that with such a small bar the saw could rev up "too fast" and blow up.

SMH Gee I wonder what that shop would have said if I showed them a 16" on my 066 or a 16"-20" on a 084. They are full of crap.

 

[ericm979]

Yes, that sales person was full of it on that.

I like the shop but they mostly cater to the professional gardener trade. They're not all that experienced with larger saws.

I also feel funny free revving saws- when I was working on two stroke motorcycles that was something to be avoided because it would kill the motor. Saws are tuned richer than bikes.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Guys differ, but I get the longest bar you can get for a given saw.

Less bending down and moving toward your work.

Also, you quite often need the length when cutting a stump close to the ground.

Plus, if you have your chains sharpened, they never go by length, so you get a better deal.

 

[Motorboatin]

IMO the max recommended bar length for a saw is to much in most cases. The balance is all screwed up and pulling the chain through hard wood is laborious. If the manufacturer says max bar is 20” then go with a 16”

 

[yomax4]

A common saw that I have is an MS 361 with a Muff mod. I can't imagine a bar longer than 20" helping in any way. The other side of the coin I have a muff mod 026 pro with a 20" bar just for limbing 6" limbs and less. It seems ok.

 

[Industrial Toys]

You can control how much a chain bites. I don't see the issue with a longer bar. Heck, with a somewhat underpowered chainsaw, like my new echo, you could stall it with a short bar.

 

[John_Mc]

IMO the max recommended bar length for a saw is to much in most cases. The balance is all screwed up and pulling the chain through hard wood is laborious. If the manufacturer says max bar is 20 then go with a

Exactly. The so many manufacturers sell their saws with bar lengths beyond what is an ideal match for a saw. I suspect they are playing in to the "if it's bigger, it must be better" mentality. Putting an 18" bar on a 35cc saw is just ridiculous, as is putting a 24" bar on a 60 cc saw. Yes, they will run with that bar, but balance and cutting performance suffers if you are actually trying to cut wood that justifies bars of that length. (For reference, I'm cutting mostly hardwoods, which are a bit more demanding on a saw than softwoods.)

My 50cc wears a 16" bar all the time. It's a good match for that saw as far as balance goes, and a decent match for power. (There are some low-end 50cc saws that struggle with a 16" bar.) My 60 cc pro saw wears a 16" bar probably 95% of the time. I do own a 20" bar for it, that I use when needed, but most of the time it hangs on a nail on the wall.

 

[Egon]

With a longer bar you can get more teeth cutting into the wood. If the diameter of the log is less than the length of the short bar you壇 never be able to tell the difference.

The longer bar will have greater inertia making it a little more difficult to control when free of cutting wood.

 

[John_Mc]

With a longer bar you can get more teeth cutting into the wood. If the diameter of the log is less than the length of the short bar you'd never be able to tell the difference.

Where you notice it is at the end of the day when you've been carrying around a poorly balanced chainsaw all day. Not a big deal if you just got the chainsaw out to cut up a random limb that fell across your driveway, but noticeable if you are spending all day felling, limbing, and blocking up firewood (especially if it's not something you are doing on a regular basis: I sometimes suffer from "weekend warrior syndrome" myself)

I can't stand having a long bar on for limbing. It just gets in the way: it's not easily maneuverable and is more mass to swing around. I know some folks like a long bar for limbing because they don't have to bend down as much. Personally, I find that a false benefit: working at the wrong end of a long lever puts more strain on your arms and back (I'm sensitive to that due to a college wrestling injury of my neck and upper back that gets aggravated from time-to-time). If I bend with my legs and get down there to cut further toward the base of the bar, I find the chances are much less that I'll need to bug my wife to "fix me" (shes a physical therapist), or make a chiropractor appointment the next day.

The one place I can see a long bar being good for cutting smaller limbs: limbing large trees in the Pacific NW where you limb by walking on top of the trunk and need to reach down to the limbs. I have no experience in that, but from the description by one member on here (Skeans?), it would seem to make sense in that situation.

The longer bar will have greater inertia making it a little more difficult to control when free of cutting wood.

That greater inertia is also a factor if you experience a kickback, which is also more likely if you are regularly working out at the tip of your bar.

 

[ericm979]

I agree about the balance problem with a long bar. I bought my MS362 with a 24" bar. While Stihl says it'll run it, and it does, it's slow when fully buried in wood, does not get enough oil even with the oiler turned all the way up, and the balance point is too far out. It is more tiring that way.

I got a used MS460 for the larger wood and use the 24" bar on that. Even though the powerhead is heavier than the 362, it's a balanced package with the 24" bar, making it easier to handle. I also got a 32" bar (and modified the oil pump to make it a HO pump) for really big trees. The 32" on that saw also is too long and the balance is too far forwards. Fortunately I don't have to deal with trees that large very often.

 

[newbury]

<snip>

The one place I can see a long bar being good for cutting smaller limbs: limbing large trees in the Pacific NW where you limb by walking on top of the trunk and need to reach down to the limbs. I have no experience in that, but from the description by one member on here (Skeans?), it would seem to make sense in that situation.
<snip>

Also for CSM (chain saw milling). I've run a 28" bar on a 62CC muff modded saw.

 

[John_Mc]

Also for CSM (chain saw milling). I've run a 28" bar on a 62CC muff modded saw.

Agreed, that is another good use for a longer bar. However, in that case, you aren't carrying it around all day, so weight and balance, and poor ergonomics aren't a factor.

I've not done much chainsaw milling, but 60cc is smaller than I would want for milling logs of any size, even with a muffler mod. I've used my 357XP, but that was just for making a couple 8"x8" hemlock beams. It's not something I would do on a regular basis.

 

[4570Man]

Guys differ, but I get the longest bar you can get for a given saw.

Less bending down and moving toward your work.

Also, you quite often need the length when cutting a stump close to the ground.

Plus, if you have your chains sharpened, they never go by length, so you get a better deal.

If you’re only dealing with 20” bars I guess that’s fine but once you get past that the weight goes up fast. I’ve got a 28” for my 372xp and I hate it. I only put it on when my 20” can’t do the job. Aside from being heavy unintentional cutting with the tip that’s sticking out a foot or more is a real problem.

 

[deezler]

I was given an x-mas gift of a 16" bar and chain for my Stihl MS310, instead of the 18" bar I'd always been running. With a sharp chain, both bars cut well. The tooth spacing is the same, so really, the only difference is that the 16" bar brings the chain around faster for same saw speed, thus cutting a little better in the right conditions. But I do find myself out of bar length when felling trees or cutting big rounds with the 16" bar, and bending over 2" further to cut things on the ground or limbing felled trees. 18" is where its at.