Husky 359 w/ 24" bar

Being able to cut all the way through in one pass is nice, just be careful with a longer bar. I've got a 20" on my 357xp, and I'm usually fine with it, but I was cutting a smaller than usual piece with it yesterday, and didn't realize that I was pointing the bar a bit nose down until it touched my asphalt driveway. It's amazing how quickly a few sparks can take the sharp out of a chain

-Dan

Jay H said:

Aha, another person with no other place to put logs other than the driveway My log pile is above my concrete driveway because I have a fence around the yard and three trees behind the driveway. Plus, I can't have the crane truck rip up my lawn by driving over it anyway.

I think I should be good with the 20" bar with the huge logs I have, but I'm always looking at "plan B" and it's better to research this beforehand than last minute.

Being fairly new to chainsaws, who makes a good bar, checking out Bailey's selection and everything from $56 bars models to $115+ 24" bars.... Does your basic Oregon make decent bars? What's the difference in nose types? Some of the more expensive ones seem to be made of titanium and/or lighter in weight. I'm not too concerned about 1/2lb since I'm not a professional woodsman and only buck trees to burn in the spring and not every day.

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For an "occasional" bar for those cases where your usual bar won't do the job, I'd be inclined to go with a lower priced bar - Oregon seems to be pretty decent, or just hit the sales on E-bay, most dealers will either list what saws the bar fits, or can answer it in "ask the seller" (I'd steer clear of individual sellers) You might get more specific reccomendations on Arboristsite as to the best value. I'd be inclined to spend more money on my "production" bar, just because I'll use it more.

Note that the standard rule is 3cc of engine to 1" of bar, so in theory a 60cc saw shouldn't be swinging more than a 20" bar - however you could probably get away with a bit more given that it's a pro-grade saw, especially if you open up the muffler, etc. Might also help to look at skip or semi-skip chain, this is a chain that uses fewer cutters, so it loads the saw down less for a given bar length - again ask on AS or the folks at Bailey's for advice. Also note that you will probably need a little more oiling - check the adjustment on the oil pump.

http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=SVST+24+HM50&catID=63

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Bailey's is a good "go-to" shop from all I've heard about them - definitely will have the answers if you call their tech support folks.

Does Windsor make a nice bar? I presume the replacable nose is a plus? How do you know whether it works with the 359 or not. The 359 is not listed in the details however, my current 20" bar is a husky brand itself, and is .375 with a .05 guide... Now wouldn't that assume my drive sprocket would be sized for a bar that is the same pitch and guide? Or would the bar have some kind of interference with the way the 359 oils the chain?
Jay

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The drive sprocket should be the same if you are using the same size / pitch chain, regardless of bar length (some of the "hot-saw" types use a larger tooth count sprocket to get higher chain speeds, but that is a different item) it does seem like the pro-bars that I've seen do have replaceable tips, not sure just how useful that is in reality, suppose it depends on how much you abuse the bar - normal wear would mostly occur on the tip, and the tip sprocket, so possibly one or two tip replacements might increase the life of the bar overall, but I'm not sure how much.

Gooserider