I bought a new (for me) saw that has 3/8" chain and rather than have two different size chains around here I decided to get rid of all of my small chains and guidebars.
I switched my 026-Pro from a 7 pin .060 guage drive to an .050 and was ready to go. The sprocket cost $6 and of course there was a new guidebar and several chains. I got a 16" bar for it; in the past I usually had an 18" on it.
I used it for the first time yesterday for just enough time to dull it, touched it up this morning and cut for a couple of more hours with it today. So I have a first impression and it is favorable. I dropped 4 trees, two White Oak, one Cherry, and one Maple, each of them just a bit larger in diameter than the bar was long at the felling-cut, about 18~20" in diameter. I then limbed them and cut them up (18" length), everything bigger than my wrist was saved. Once its all been spit and stacked it might come out to a full cord, maybe a little bit more.
The saw cut sweet! If felt like using an 18" .325 chain but more managable with the 2" shorter bar. At first it felt sort of like a toy but it only took a few minutes to come to appreciate the shorter bar. The felling cuts were easy from first tree to last with the saw delivering plenty of power for continous cuts without anything getting stuck of the chain stopping like they sometimes do. I limbed the tree and only pinched the bar 3 or 4 times so badly I had to shut the saw off to free it. The limbs took the instant keen edge off the chain and then it got down to the job of everday cutting and I have to tell you, the wider chain smokes wood! It just cut and cut and cut. I went through 4 tanks of gas and not so much as a hint of need for a touch up. Finally, on the last log, I hit a chunk of gray sandstone that was hiding in the leaves; I saw the sparks and cursed. A nice quarter inch slice right into the stone. I rolled the log over and there it was, about a dozen rounds with just 5 or 6 inches of cut left to complete to free them. So I fired the saw back up and to my suprise it finished the cutting with little evidence of the misuse I had just subject it to. That done I shut it down and took it back to the shed for sharpening.
So overall I am really happy with the switch. The sprocket was cheap and I was in the market for a new bar and chain(s) anyway so cost wasn't a problem. My impression is the larger chain holds its edge much longer than the smaller chain used to. There was clearly more drag with the larger chain but I compensated for that by moving down from the old 18" to the new 16" bar. I found the shorter bar much more comfortable to use, but that was just an extra benefit. This chain cut fast and all it took was the weight of the saw to self feed all afternoon. It was really pleasant.
Overall I'd recommend the switch to anyone with an 026 and the small chain if they were already going to buy a new bar.
I switched my 026-Pro from a 7 pin .060 guage drive to an .050 and was ready to go. The sprocket cost $6 and of course there was a new guidebar and several chains. I got a 16" bar for it; in the past I usually had an 18" on it.
I used it for the first time yesterday for just enough time to dull it, touched it up this morning and cut for a couple of more hours with it today. So I have a first impression and it is favorable. I dropped 4 trees, two White Oak, one Cherry, and one Maple, each of them just a bit larger in diameter than the bar was long at the felling-cut, about 18~20" in diameter. I then limbed them and cut them up (18" length), everything bigger than my wrist was saved. Once its all been spit and stacked it might come out to a full cord, maybe a little bit more.
The saw cut sweet! If felt like using an 18" .325 chain but more managable with the 2" shorter bar. At first it felt sort of like a toy but it only took a few minutes to come to appreciate the shorter bar. The felling cuts were easy from first tree to last with the saw delivering plenty of power for continous cuts without anything getting stuck of the chain stopping like they sometimes do. I limbed the tree and only pinched the bar 3 or 4 times so badly I had to shut the saw off to free it. The limbs took the instant keen edge off the chain and then it got down to the job of everday cutting and I have to tell you, the wider chain smokes wood! It just cut and cut and cut. I went through 4 tanks of gas and not so much as a hint of need for a touch up. Finally, on the last log, I hit a chunk of gray sandstone that was hiding in the leaves; I saw the sparks and cursed. A nice quarter inch slice right into the stone. I rolled the log over and there it was, about a dozen rounds with just 5 or 6 inches of cut left to complete to free them. So I fired the saw back up and to my suprise it finished the cutting with little evidence of the misuse I had just subject it to. That done I shut it down and took it back to the shed for sharpening.
So overall I am really happy with the switch. The sprocket was cheap and I was in the market for a new bar and chain(s) anyway so cost wasn't a problem. My impression is the larger chain holds its edge much longer than the smaller chain used to. There was clearly more drag with the larger chain but I compensated for that by moving down from the old 18" to the new 16" bar. I found the shorter bar much more comfortable to use, but that was just an extra benefit. This chain cut fast and all it took was the weight of the saw to self feed all afternoon. It was really pleasant.
Overall I'd recommend the switch to anyone with an 026 and the small chain if they were already going to buy a new bar.
