Bar And Chain Info Needed

[Battenkiller]

I need to get a new bar and a couple, three chains to go with my new saw. 57cc saw with a 24" bar on it now. Bob at Bailey's said the saw should work OK with the 24" bar, but it's really unwieldy and I'm more likely to hit stuff on the other side of the log with the tip of the long bar. Looking to go down to 18-20" and need to know which combos are the safest (least kickback prone). There are a bewildering numbers of choices out there. To say I'm confused is an understatement.

Saw is a Husky 357 XP. I'll be getting them locally, so I only need to know what to get, not where (I'll be getting plenty of other stuff from Bailey's).

 

[smokinj]

I need to get a new bar and a couple, three chains to go with my new saw. 57cc saw with a 24" bar on it now. Bob at Bailey's said the saw should work OK with the 24" bar, but it's really unwieldy and I'm more likely to hit stuff on the other side of the log with the tip of the long bar. Looking to go down to 18-20" and need to know which combos are the safest (least kickback prone). There are a bewildering numbers of choices out there. To say I'm confused is an understatement.

Saw is a Husky 357 XP. I'll be getting them locally, so I only need to know what to get, not where (I'll be getting plenty of other stuff from Bailey's).

just starting out I would go 18in. and a semi chisel safety chain I am assuming its .050 3/8 ? (set up) If your pretty strong the kick back is just somthing you will get use to and fills like a little bump where the saw wants to jump the kerf. Once you fill it a couple time and can make it jump when you want then your ready for full chisel non safety.

 

[HittinSteel]

Jay is running safety chain on an XP allowed? hahaha

What brand does your local dealer stock?

 

[smokinj]

Jay is running safety chain on an XP allowed? hahaha

What brand does your local dealer stock?

He seems like he needs to take it slow, that will not last long with an xp......

 

[HittinSteel]

Yes, make sure to only buy 1 safety chain because soon you'll be ready for the real deal

 

[kenskip1]

Sir, with a 57 cc saw a 24 inch is really stretching it. I will assume that you are using a 3/8 pitch chain.I would be more comfortable with a 18-20 inch bar.I would rather use a smaller bar and let the engine loaf a bit than to make the engine strain that could cause problems, Ken

 

[feelingasi]

i really like the TOTAL pro bar on my jon. i ran a 257 a while back w/ an 18" bar. it performed very well..

 

[savageactor7]

BK with a 24" bar you're a lot safer from kickback than with a 18" bar. Now that's just my opinion that I'd bet my life on ...but I'm no expert.

Stay with the pro chain and make some production...just be mindful of your cuts. I got a 24" bar and it's just great for tip cutting limbs on the ground...what a back saver that 24" bar is. Unfortunately I can only run it for 25 minutes at a time but that's the way it is.

 

[Beetle-Kill]

Battenkiller, I'll try to be brief, but this may end up being a longer read. First- I am NOT an expert, or even good with saws. That being said, here's my view. First, how long a bar do you think you need? Your 357XP can pull 24", but do you really need it to? If you get to bucking a bunch of 14" trees on the ground, you'll prob. be wishing for that 16"-18" bar after you dig that chain onto the ground. Consider general usage when contemplating bar size, nothing wrong with having a couple of different bars/ chains for different circumstances. Safety chain/kick-back- Whooeee, I got my 346XP and couldn't wait. Fired it up, started cutting. Or tried to. Old "Husky safety chain" was so dull I quit after 10 sec. and broke out the 455. After 2 hr. of bending over, I decided to sharpen the chain on the 346XP. Did so, and ground down the rakers and the excess metal on the intermediate links. New RSC chains tomorrow, but meanwhile, I'm gonna cut stuff. And cut I did. BUT- while I can go 80% through a log with the 455, and slow it down and remove it for the next cut, the 346XP will want to jump out of the cut if I'm not carefull. To stop the jump back thing, I have to cut to depth, then pull the bar out at cutting RPM's. The jump out is not violent, just not expected when used to a forgiving 455. Your 357XP may do the same, so be prepared. That being said, I went with full chisel, non-safety cahin for the 455, and will do the same for the 346. Safety chain is for housewives with electric saws. :coolgrin:

 

[Battenkiller]

OK, I decided to go with an 18" Oregon PowerMatch bar and a full chisel chain. The guy at Labonville said to not even go there with any kind of safety chain. He said the number one thing that hurts people is operating while fatigued. Using a "starter" chain, it would take twice as long and I'd be a lot more tired. I bought all the safety gear, so I'll just be real careful in the beginning and get the hang of it like everyone else does.

I worked with a young kid today who used to work for a tree service. He wore no safety gear and broke every rule in the book. He was cutting brush on my property, just shoving the nose of the saw into a tangle of vines like he never heard of kickback. I never saw the saw jump even once. He just grinned when I told him what I was buying for safety gear. I felt kinda like a girlie man, but I'm still going to err on the side of extreme caution and hope I don't have to go to this guy's funeral someday.

 

[smokinj]

Kick back can be played like a fiddle if you know what your doing....I bet I could hand him a saw that he would be glad to gear-up on! lol

 

[Cowboy Billy]

I just ordered a light weight 20" Shughri bar for my 2156 (357). They cut out part of the bar and replace it with aluminum to make it lighter and is supposed to be the best quality bar you can get from what I have heard. I got it $49.99 with free shipping. 18" is the same price and a good match for that saw. I would have went with 18" bar but I am using a 20" on my 2171 and this way I can use the same chain on either saw. I also have a 24" bar for the 2171 but found out unless I need the reach it just gets in the dirt or hits other logs and branches I wasn't wanting to cut. In my experience a longer bar kicks back harder. My guess as the reason why is two fold. One the end of the bar is out farther giving it more leverage against you and the is more spinning mass in the longer chain.

Billy

 

[smokinj]

I just ordered a light weight 20" Shughri bar for my 2156 (357). They cut out part of the bar and replace it with aluminum to make it lighter and is supposed to be the best quality bar you can get from what I have heard. I got it $49.99 with free shipping. 18" is the same price and a good match for that saw. I would have went with 18" bar but I am using a 20" on my 2171 and this way I can use the same chain on either saw. I also have a 24" bar for the 2171 but found out unless I need the reach it just gets in the dirt or hits other logs and branches I wasn't wanting to cut. In my experience a longer bar kicks back harder. My guess as the reason why is two fold. One the end of the bar is out farther giving it more leverage against you and the is more spinning mass in the longer chain.

Billy

ok cowboy why a light weight bar on a 20inch?

 

[LLigetfa]

BK with a 24" bar you're a lot safer from kickback than with a 18" bar. Now that's just my opinion that I'd bet my life on ...but I'm no expert...

Seems like you're convinced that is true and I wonder the reasoning. I'm with CB and believe a longer bar is worse for kickback. It's more likely to put the nose into something to grab and gives it more leverage.

Unless the saw is really underpowered, I don't buy that a couple more inches of chain will make that big a difference except if all of the bar is buried in wood.

As for safety chain, no chain is completely safe. Green "safety" chain reduces but does not eliminate kickback. Safe practices elimate kickback. Buy chain for the performance. I am very happy with full chisel Stihl RS "yellow" chain. It cuts fast and holds an edge very well.

 

[LLigetfa]

I just ordered a light weight 20" Shughri bar for my 2156 (357).

Does the light weight help with the balance?

 

[Cowboy Billy]

I don't know that it will help any on a 20" bar. The guys on arboristsite said they are a lot tuffer that other the other bars and wear better. I was getting a new 32" bar for my 2186 and decided I to get one for the 2156 too and all they had was weigh reduced bars. When I try it out I will let ya know how it works out for me. I mainly use my 2171 so the weight difference in the bar is no big deal to me. If I knew now then what I know now I would not have bought the 2156 as the 2145/2171 combo is perfect for me. But I got the heated handles on the 2156 so I use it when its 35 to 40 deg out and the snow is melting and getting my gloves wet. It sure is nice to warm up my hands while cutting.

Billy

 

[smokinj]

I don't know that it will help any on a 20" bar. The guys on arboristsite said they are a lot tuffer that other the other bars and wear better. I was getting a new 32" bar for my 2186 and decided I to get one for the 2156 too and all they had was weigh reduced bars. When I try it out I will let ya know how it works out for me. I mainly use my 2171 so the weight difference in the bar is no big deal to me. If I knew now then what I know now I would not have bought the 2156 as the 2145/2171 combo is perfect for me. But I got the heated handles on the 2156 so I use it when its 35 to 40 deg out and the snow is melting and getting my gloves wet. It sure is nice to warm up my hands while cutting.

Billy

I can bend an es bar pretty easy at 28inch. not sure but I would bet that I would bend a reduced weight one pretty easy....
Not sure but on abroist site seems they "like to make there saws pretty to sell better" I dont know this to be true but they sure like to show them off and throw gaint dawgs on them...I dont get it..lol

 

[savageactor7]

BK with a 24" bar you're a lot safer from kickback than with a 18" bar. Now that's just my opinion that I'd bet my life on ...but I'm no expert...

Seems like you're convinced that is true and I wonder the reasoning.

LL in my experience any saw will kick back but longer bars are farther away from your head that's why I think I'm a little safer with the longer bar.

As far as kick back goes that result is potentially always there with any saw and has to be continually managed by proper cutting technique...like keeping your left arm straight. You've cut enough wood to have experienced kick backs. So what? It just the nature of the beast and cutters have to be mindful of the consequences. Negligent people can hurt themselves with plastic cutlery...100 years ago these same folks would probably injure themselves cutting with a dull axe because they were pressed for time or whatever...it's human nature not the chain saw.

 

[Battenkiller]

Unless the saw is really underpowered, I don't buy that a couple more inches of chain will make that big a difference except if all of the bar is buried in wood.

That was my initial thought, but after talking to a few saw experts, a long bar robs horsepower all by itself. I'm not exactly sure why, but the 18" bar I'm getting will have 12" less chain to pull, and 12" less track to pull it through than on the 24" bar. I don't know how much of the stated 4.4 HP my saw has will be lost to friction, but the chain will certainly take longer to get up to cutting speed since the saw will be accelerating 30% more mass in chain. I think this is more important to a pro who does a lot of limbing. I don't think the extra few thousandths of a second waiting for the saw to rev between bucking cuts will be the slow step in my workflow. ;-)

I read something on ArboristSite about the longer chain not reaching full operating speed due to the increased mass, but that doesn't seem right, just that it will take a bit longer to get there. I know that a 10" table saw blade with a 1 HP motor will have the same rotational speed as a 10 HP saw if there have the same size pulleys on them. Maybe I'm missing something.

I still think it makes sense that the real power robber will be in the width of the cut itself. Since I have a 24" bar with a new full chisel chain and I am getting a new 18" bar and full chisel chain, I'm sure I'll get a better idea of this once I start cutting.

 

[smokinj]

Kick back is no big deal when you know what your doing............Its going to take one Bad @ss saw where I cant control it....The more trigger time you have the more you are ready for it and and cause it to kick back at will or not kick back at will. Yes there is times it will jump with out warning but I cant think of a chainsaw made thats strong enough to Smoke a experienced operator. If you dont have a lot of trigger time be ready for it and it becomes muscle memory and you may dont even be-aware that it even happening..Longer bar are easier to control kick back but you run more of a chance of hitting thing you dont want to hit...Me I like the shortest bar for the job is possiable.