Question on bar length (East coast!)

[ericm979]

Too long a bar makes the saw nose heavy. The poor balance will fatigue the operator earlier. At least it does for me. Longer bars make the saw harder to handle in close quarters like when limbing a tree.

I find that cutting without the dogs touching the wood takes more effort. It's mostly noticeable on larger wood. It takes core strength to keep the saw from getting pulled into the wood.

For me, with a good back but not a lot of upper body strength, the long bar is a drawback not an advantage. But it's a highly personal thing- people's strengths and weaknesses are different and so is the stuff they're cutting.

A long bar may need the oil pump turned up or modified. It will take some power from the saw to turn the longer chain but its not a huge difference.

 

[4570Man]

It takes a lot to hold a good cutting saw off the dogs. You won’t catch me bucking off the tip of a long bar. I hate long bars anyway. I have longer ones if I absolutely need them but I keep 20”s on my bigger saws and 14-16” on the small ones.

 

[stevem5215]

My experience with saws over the years has shown that a longer bar slows the chain down considerably. Especially if low CC's are present. Or a worn out engine too. Same thing. Or just an old saw that didn't have the hp to begin with. Back then you didn't have all the fancy chains of today. And that makes a difference today as well since they can load the motor much more too while cutting the "chips" out. Bigger chips require more hp too.

 

[CalG]

Actually Philosophy — Sawmill Bar & Table

I've been there!

Go past four days a week all winter! ;-)

 

[CalG]

I will say. there are times when cutting off the pile that a long bar would just make a problem with unproductive cuts on adjacent wood.

Bucking against the dogs is sure the easy way!

 

[xyz123]

Older friend of mine went to bow saws to cut standing up.

I sold him both saws without bows on them.

I almost got me a bow for a stihl the other day from a mod on my website. But another guy got it before me. I was going to give it a try myself.

 

[ericm979]

When i was on thinning crews in the USFS in Arizona we used bow bars like the smaller one at the top of your pic with the two saws. But with guards on top and bottom, so only the end of the saw would cut. It was great for cutting a lot of small trees under 6-8". Once in the cut, with the dog at the end of the bar up against the tree, you could take one hand off the saw and use it to shove the tree in the right direction if it needed help.

 

[kozal01]

I run a 28" lightweight bar on my Husky 562xp (60cc pro saw) for this exact reason. Its much easier on my back than a shorter bar. For a 50cc saw with a 24" bar though Id consider a full skip chain.

 

[JimR]

So I'm getting on in years and haven't the strength my mind tells me I have.

But....

I've got a fresh load of logs in the front yard, and a bunch of standing hemlock that need to lay down. A couple of them are good sized. Bigger around than my 18 inch bars will pass through.

Also I'm sick and tired of bending down so low to buck on the ground.

I'm thinking to get a longer bar! 'never had anything but 18" except on top handles.

I'm tending to 24"bar on the Husky 346xp . only a 50cc saw. But, I am in no hurry.

What I'm wondering, is if the longer bar becomes unyieldy to the point where not bending so much is not appreciated? Standing 6 inches back from the pile sound attractive until I want the dogs to bite. ;-)

Comments?

A 24" bar is too long for that saw. I believe a 20" is max for that saw. Try propping up the logs to cut them up.

 

[John_Mc]

As others have mentioned, I like my saws to balance well. A 346XP with a 24" bar just doesn't.

I'm also just not really a fan of longer bars. I'm sure I would feel differently if I were in the Pacific NW cutting wood where there is a real need for long bars on a daily basis. For the hardwoods I'm cutting in my part of Vermont, there just is not that much of a need.

As for reducing strain on my back when limbing or bucking - I find a longer bar is worse: You are working at the wrong end of a long lever. I have neck and upper back issues from an old college wrestling injury. These are aggravated by reaching out with a saw to cut, so I try to keep things in close whenever possible. My wife is a Physical Therapist and confirms that reaching out with a long bar is just poor body mechanics. She also suggested when using a shorter bar, don't bend over with my back to reach low cuts, as that puts strain on the low back. It's much better to bend with the hips and legs. When I actually remember to pay attention to her recommendations, my back does much better.