Do Chainsaw Bars Wear Out?

[Iplayfarmer]

I have an old McCulloch ProMac 605 that I am in the process of re-building. The sprocket and chain are both in need of replacement, but I was wondering about the bar. Do bars go bad? How would I know? The Chain wouldn't stay tight, but I think that's more due to the tensioning mechanisms than due to the bar.


I'm not much of a chainsaw guy. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Travelover]

The slot gets too wide and allows the chain to slop back and forth.

 

[WantedWolf]

The above is sometimes true, if the bar rails still look good and the rest of the bar is in decent shape you can often gain a few more miles by fliping the bar upside down. At least that is the case with my 026

 

[/pine]

The pros flip their bars over whenever they put a sharp chain on...this helps keep the bar from wearing so fast...

[edited] sorry I missed the same advice in the previous post...

 

[boatyard]

Working for a tree service, we flipped the bar over with every filing/sharpening. We used a putty knife to clean the slot at the turning or more often if needed, to keep oil flowing. We also regularly filed the edges of the bar to remove any burr that built up and to square the edge if it had worn unevenly. At some point this will no longer work and you will need to replace the bar. A burned edge, which is usually caused by a blocked oiler and/or a dull blade, is damage to the temper of the bar and and will cause it to wear much quicker. Keep your oil flowing and your blade sharp. And the slot will wear until it is too wide, and can not be fixed.
Christopher

 

[Scooby074]

Christopher is right.

Bars wear. Rotate your bar when sharpening.

A worn bar will affect the tracking of your chain and make it hard to keep it properly tensioned.

You can extend the life of a bar by going to the next thicker chain, assuming the bar is straight and true and hasnt had the temper taken out of it.BUT realistically, id just replace it. A new bar and chain isnt that expensive.

 

[Cat_Driver]

Everything wears out, including me , I'm beat.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Sounds like the bars on both my chainsaws are worn. Neither stays tracked very well, and they don't stay tensioned.

 

[Scooby074]

Sounds like the bars on both my chainsaws are worn. Neither stays tracked very well, and they don't stay tensioned.

A new bar and chain will be money well spent. I couldnt keep my chain tight or tracking on my husky 51. Changed bar to a new Oregon Pro Match and chain to a Stihl. Saw works better than new. IMHO the Stihl chain is 10x better than the Oregon, but YMMV.

A tip then tensioning chain id to pull up on the tip of the bar as you tighten. Also the proper tension is when you can no longer pull the lower chain's drive links out of the bar and the chain "snaps" back. Alot of people run their chains too loose.

 

[LBrown59]

I have an old McCulloch ProMac 605 that I am in the process of re-building. The sprocket and chain are both in need of replacement, but I was wondering about the bar. Do bars go bad? How would I know? The Chain wouldn't stay tight, but I think that's more due to the tensioning mechanisms than due to the bar.


I'm not much of a chainsaw guy. Any help is appreciated.

Yes they do.
A dual chain and or dirt and grit will cause excessive or uneven wear on the bar.