Chains and bars

[Lucky Phil]

My last saw was a Poulan with a 16" bar, and I just plain wore it out. After I got divorced in '95, I figured I wouldn't be cutting wood for heat, so I bought another Poulan Wildthing (I know....save me the barbs). Now, I'm cutting wood again for the basement stove, and I've worn out my two chains, one to the nubs, while having to cut up railroad ties for my landscaping project. I had saved the three chains from my first saw, thinking I could use them in a pinch (of course, now I can't find the 16" bar).

If I do find the bar, am I correct in assuming that it will interchange with the 18"? The papers that came with the Oregon chain that I"m using now shows both chains to have the same pitch; 3/8". The 18" chain is S 91VG; the 16" is D 72V.

Thanks in advance.
Phil

 

[smokinj]

My last saw was a Poulan with a 16" bar, and I just plain wore it out. After I got divorced in '95, I figured I wouldn't be cutting wood for heat, so I bought another Poulan Wildthing (I know....save me the barbs). Now, I'm cutting wood again for the basement stove, and I've worn out my two chains, one to the nubs, while having to cut up railroad ties for my landscaping project. I had saved the three chains from my first saw, thinking I could use them in a pinch (of course, now I can't find the 16" bar).

If I do find the bar, am I correct in assuming that it will interchange with the 18"? The papers that came with the Oregon chain that I"m using now shows both chains to have the same pitch; 3/8". The 18" chain is S 91VG; the 16" is D 72V.

Thanks in advance.
Phil

it should work

 

[Lucky Phil]

Thanks for the reply, sj. BTW, I found my 16" bar this afternoon. Maybe I'll get a chance to put it on this weekend and give it a shot.

 

[John_M]

Phil, You say all the chains have the same 3/8" or .375" pitch-that's good. Also make certain the chains and bar are the same gauge (.050, 053, 058, 063, 404, etc.) so the bars and chains will work together. John_M

 

[FLINT]

wait, wait,

you aren't saying that a 16" chain will fit on an 18" bar are you????????

I must be confused

oh wait,

are you asking if the bars and chains from one saw will fit on the other? if they were both poulon and both the same pitch then probably.

 

[Lucky Phil]

Yeah, I had a Poulan before (16"), and the newer one is an 18" Poulan. I finally found the 16" bar, and both chains have the same pitch and gauge. I'll use the shorter chains for cutting up the railroad ties just to use them up.

 

[kevin j]

side note: since you already have them, free is good. but if you have to buy something, drop to a 14 bar.
I bought a WildThing on garage sale for 25 I think to use on some roots.
So after that job was done, it became an engineering challenge to make a silk purse form a sow's ear. Dropped to 14 inch, opened up the muffler by drilling two ports on the side and adding a homemade deflector. REmoved the carb screws using a bit of aluminum tubing, then slotted the heads to use a regular screwdriver for adjusting.

Other than the lack of antivibe, and sometimes being a PITA to start, it totally changed the nature of the saw. Spools up much quicker, revs higher, and cuts well. Won't replace the better saws, but it is fun for a few minutes.

k

 

[Bubbavh]

If I do find the bar, am I correct in assuming that it will interchange with the 18"? The papers that came with the Oregon chain that I"m using now shows both chains to have the same pitch; 3/8". The 18" chain is S 91VG; the 16" is D 72V.

Thanks in advance.
Phil

Those are 2 different chains. I the bar does mount you will need to use the 91VG (3/8" low profile) chain on it.

The 72V chain is not a low profile chain.

 

[Lucky Phil]

Bubba....I have two bars; a 16" and an 18", and have chains for both. I guess what I was asking was, if the 16" mounts on the saw, will the 16" chain work with the clutch on the saw? The 16's will be used on the 16 bar, and the 18 chains will be used on the 18. Normally, I wouldn't have worried about it, but I had three 16" chains left over from my previous saw, and wanted to use them instead of pitching them.

Thanks for all the replies.

Phil

 

[kenny chaos]

Bailey's has a chain stretcher that will allow you to use the 16" chain on the 18" bar.
It would've been easier to buy a new chain than go through this.

 

[smokinj]

Bubba....I have two bars; a 16" and an 18", and have chains for both. I guess what I was asking was, if the 16" mounts on the saw, will the 16" chain work with the clutch on the saw? The 16's will be used on the 16 bar, and the 18 chains will be used on the 18. Normally, I wouldn't have worried about it, but I had three 16" chains left over from my previous saw, and wanted to use them instead of pitching them.

Thanks for all the replies.

Phil

seems simple to me.

 

[Bubbavh]

Bubba....I have two bars; a 16" and an 18", and have chains for both. I guess what I was asking was, if the 16" mounts on the saw, will the 16" chain work with the clutch on the saw? The 16's will be used on the 16 bar, and the 18 chains will be used on the 18. Normally, I wouldn't have worried about it, but I had three 16" chains left over from my previous saw, and wanted to use them instead of pitching them.

Thanks for all the replies.

Phil

What I was saying is the 72V chain is taller than the 91VG. So that 16" chain may get hung up inside your saw!

 

[Lucky Phil]

I'll check it before I use it...thanks Bubba.

 

[Lucky Phil]

Cured the problem. I tried Kevin J's fix about doing the slotted cuts in the adjusting screws, but didn't know how big the holes should be in the muffler. It did seem to run a bit better after being able to adjust the carb...and the 16" bar/chain worked okay also. Still starts hard when it's hot.

Local JD dealer had Stihl's on sale, so I bought an ms280, two files, two cans of oil, a case/with extra chain, and an oil filter for the lawn tractor (ouch) OTD for $433. Geez...what a difference! I'm still using the Poulan for cutting up the rest of the railroad ties. Damn...those ties are hard on chains...

 

[smokinj]

Cured the problem. I tried Kevin J's fix about doing the slotted cuts in the adjusting screws, but didn't know how big the holes should be in the muffler. It did seem to run a bit better after being able to adjust the carb...and the 16" bar/chain worked okay also. Still starts hard when it's hot.

Local JD dealer had Stihl's on sale, so I bought an ms280, two files, two cans of oil, a case/with extra chain, and an oil filter for the lawn tractor (ouch) OTD for $433. Geez...what a difference! I'm still using the Poulan for cutting up the rest of the railroad ties. Damn...those ties are hard on chains...

yes they are there is do way around it unless you use carbide inject-a-chain