MS180C - Bar and Chain Questions

[Nelson]

Hey All-

I was poking around my Stihl MS180C manual and noticed that it specs a 3/8P (pitch), .043 gauge bar. However, my local Stihl shop gave me a 3/8P, .050 gauge bar when I went in to get a replacement (I assumed they gave me the correct part for my model saw but obviously should have looked more closely in hindsight). I'm running a 3/8P, .050 chain on it and it seems to be performing just fine. I've run at least 5 tanks of gas in this configuration and haven't noticed any issues. However, now i'm second guessing if I should be running this bar/chain combo on this saw. I assume since my bar and chain match, and I'm still using 3/8P, that it should be ok but not entirely sure. Wondering if anyone out there can confirm.

Thanks!
Andy

 

[Isaac Carlson]

As long as the bar and chain match AND the sprocket match, you should be fine. The only thing I could see being wrong is if it had 3/8 picco and now its 3/8.

 

[EbS-P]

As long as the chain gauge matches the bar gauge you are ok there. Keep using pico 3/8 and not regular.

 

[Nelson]

As long as the bar and chain match AND the sprocket match, you should be fine. The only thing I could see being wrong is if it had 3/8 picco and now its 3/8.

Cool, thanks! Any bar I've used has been 3/8P along with the chains so I'm thinking I'm ok on the sprocket side of things.

 

[Nelson]

As long as the chain gauge matches the bar gauge you are ok there. Keep using pico 3/8 and not regular.

Excellent - thanks for the reply!

 

[ericm979]

Everyone but Stihl calls it 3/8 low profile. .043 3/8LP is "narrow kerf" chain. Not only are the drivers narrower than .050 but the chain and bar is also narrower, as is the kerf that the chain cuts. This means it will cut a little faster since it's removing less material. It won't be a huge difference in my experience. Maybe you'd see it if you did side by side timed cuts.

 

[Eman85]

Your Stihl dealer is smarter than the average, they did you a favor. My MS 170 runs a .050 chain and bar so you're good to go. Get a 5/32 file and use good oil.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

Get the Stihl 2in1 for your chain size ..good investment ...👍

 

[Nelson]

Thanks again for the replies everyone!

 

[PaulOinMA]

Stihl has recommendation guides on their site.

https://www.stihlusa.com/WebContent/CMSFileLibrary/downloads/STIHL-Saw-Chain-Selection-Identification.pdf

https://www.stihlusa.com/WebContent/CMSFileLibrary/SawChainSelection-6.pdf

https://www.stihlusa.com/products/product-selector/guide-bar-and-chain-selector/

 

[PaulOinMA]

I currently have a 16"55 DL 0.050 bar and 3/8 050 55 DL (63 PS3 55) chain on my MS 180 C-BE. That's what my local dealer recommended as replacement. She first grabbed a yellow dot chain for me. Wanted to keep it green dot chain. I'm just a typical homeowner doing routine one-acre stuff.

 

[ericm979]

The PS3 chain is really good. It cuts well and stays sharp a long time for full chisel chain. I run it on my MS241 which I mostly use for limbing.

Modern low kickback chain cuts just as well as the equivalent regular chain for everything except bore cuts. It will do them but it's slow. As you file back the teeth over successive sharpenings you may need to file down more of the raker to keep a consistent cutting depth.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

The PS3 chain is really good. It cuts well and stays sharp a long time for full chisel chain. I run it on my MS241 which I mostly use for limbing.

Modern low kickback chain cuts just as well as the equivalent regular chain for everything except bore cuts. It will do them but it's slow. As you file back the teeth over successive sharpenings you may need to file down more of the raker to keep a consistent cutting depth.

Hence the 2in1 suggestion ...

 

[Jeff S]

I own 2 MS180 saws. One since 2009 and bought another a couple years later and absolutely love them and harvested several hundred face cords with them. Of course brand new they came with .043p chain and bar. Later I moved to using .050p chain and bar. This year I broke all the rules and started using full size 3/8 .050 chain on an Archer MiniMax .050 lp bar and believe it or not this combination works. The chain is not bottoming out in the bar groove and the nose of the bar has a large enough radius that there is no issues with binding. I've cut approximately 50 face cord with this combination with no notable loss of power. 3 of the trees I cut were in the 24"+ range.

 

[PaulOinMA]

Mine is 2009, too. Great saw for my typical 1-acre semiwooded homeowner needs. Several folks on here have one.

Always pick up larger saws and think it would be nice to have. But, the 32-cc, 2-h.p. MS 180 has done everything I've asked it to do.

 

[Jeff S]

Paul , I originally bought the MS290 in 2008 since it was a favorite of many and I thought that it would be just the ticket. Later I bought the 180 to have a lighter limb saw. Well it turns out that I started using it for everything and rarely use the 290 anymore. Since I'm mostly cutting wood for myself I just don't feel need to be using anything other than the 180 .

 

[PaulOinMA]

I have saw envy when I see the Stihl display and play with larger saws .

I'm 64. Nice to have a little saw.