opinions on chainsaw chains

[john26]

I would like to get some opinions on chains . I am currently running a Husky 55 rancher with 18" semi chisel 3/8 0.058 and 20" full chisel 3/8 .050. My 288xp runs with a 20" full chisel 3/8 0.50 and a 30" 3/8 0.58.
I will be adding 2 huskies to the heard a 246xp and 357xp. I would like to run 16" 0n the 246 and 20" on the 357 and add a 32"-36" bar for the 288.
I would like to run one type of chain for all saws I currently have all 3/8 pitch and mostly 0.050 thickness I prefer full chisel and would like to buy chain by the roll.
Any suggestions on chain pitch and thickness might work on all saws below is how I would like to have them set up.
288xp 88cc 20" - 36" bar lengths
55rancher 55cc 16" - 18"bar length
246xp 50cc 16" bar length
357xp 58cc 20" bar length

 

[salecker]

Change them all to 3/8 drive
the gauge will depend on your bars,which it sounds like you already have different ones.You could get your .050 regroved to .058 and go all .058.Or sell off the bars which have the wrong gauge and buy new ones with the right gauge.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

what he said ^

 

[john26]

If I sell them off would I be better off keeping 0.050 0r 0.058?

 

[Tar12]

If I sell them off would I be better off keeping 0.050 0r 0.058?

Keep the .050....on the smaller saws you will need to upgrade the sprocket and bars to .050...I run 1/2 doz. sthil saws from 026 Pros up to a 660 and they all run the same full chisel chain..

 

[ericm979]

I run .050 on all of my operating saws. The larger saws are all Stihls with the same mount so they can swap bars. I have bars from 18-36" for them. .050 is the most common gauge, making the chain and bar selection the best.

I use smaller chain (3/8 LP) on the small saws. They're too small to run regular 3/8, and in any case the narrower kerf cuts faster.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

.050 is the most common around here, so it's easy to get new chain just about anywhere.

 

[EbS-P]

Will the worn 050 bars run a new 058 chain? How about a worn 058 chain. It’s not ideal but. .008” wear between a warn bar and a worn chain could work.

050 on a 36” bar….. I guess. But it doesn’t seem too popular.
FORESTER 36" .050 3/8" Chainsaw Bar for Stihl D025… Amazon product ASIN B00OZV6OYQ

 

[Nealm66]

Worn .50 bars won’t run.58, you’ll want .58 for the longer bars. You’ll pull your hair out trying to run .50 on them for any length of time. You can call madsens in centralia Washington and I believe they can ship you any length bar in .58 as I remember guys running them in the logging shows in opstacle pole competitions. Pretty sure they were .58 as they were running super short bars on bigger motors. Hope that helps

 

[Ashful]

I'd also go all .050 x 3/8", full chisel on everything. Other than the few chains I've received on used saws, or the pico on my top handle, that's all I run.

Another thing I'll mention, with which I know not everyone agrees, is that I'd not buy any bar without a grease hole for the nose sprocket. I know Stihl got rid of these a few years back, but I think it's to their detriment, as pushing grease into that bearing is the best means I know of ejecting debris from a fouled sprocket bearing or seal. For this reason, my last few bars have been Tsumura Total or Windsor Speed Tip, and not Stihl Rollermatic.

Also, get yourself a cleaning tool (even a paperclip can work) and a good field-size grease gun to carry in your toolbox full of chains and screnches. Grease the sprocket bearing in your bar tip each time you swap chains or sharpen. I use one like this:

Amazon product ASIN B00004RA7R

 

[Isaac Carlson]

I have been running my stihl bar for 15 years with no grease hole, part of that time was every day commercial use. I clean the bar when it comes off. It still runs real nice.

My dad had one of those grease pushers. As far as I know, it's still full.

 

[salecker]

I don't grease the bar tips
Unless it is a bar i have found with a seized tip
Then after it is freed up and has a grease hole i will give it some special sauce.

 

[Ashful]

I have been running my stihl bar for 15 years with no grease hole, part of that time was every day commercial use. I clean the bar when it comes off. It still runs real nice.

My dad had one of those grease pushers. As far as I know, it's still full.

Like I said, not everyone will agree. I had to toss a bar that had a sprocket totally jammed and the bearing wrapped in wood fiber. I received it second hand, not sure how it happened, but I have seen first-hand how greasing that bearing hydraulically ejects all such debris.

It adds about 15 seconds to my chain swap routine, to grab that grease pusher and give the thing a shot.

 

[john26]

Oregon shows 0.050 up to 32" so I might do that 0.058 is hard to find in my area I would rather make chains from a roll but if I get in a pinch it would be nice to be able to buy one also worried about 0.058 on the smaller saws cutting slower.

 

[Ashful]

Oregon shows 0.050 up to 32" so I might do that 0.058 is hard to find in my area I would rather make chains from a roll but if I get in a pinch it would be nice to be able to buy one also worried about 0.058 on the smaller saws cutting slower.

If you find a real saw shop, they'll make any length you want, from their rolls of common stock.

 

[Nealm66]

Shouldn’t have much to do with cutting speeds. Just a thicker driver which helps a lot on longer bars to keep them from running. Really not a bad idea to check out madsens website. They ship all over the world so doesn’t really matter what you have locally. Might be a little cheaper too

 

[ericm979]

Bailey's is also a good source for chain. I use a lot of their house brand chain, which I'm told is made by Carlton. It does not stay sharp quite as long as Stihl chain but does better than Oregon and is inexpensive.

 

[john26]

We have a few shops around but sometimes I have to grab a chain in a hurry after hours. I will check out Baileys and Madsens. I do buy a lot of parts from HL Supply. I noticed Husquvarna use .325 and 0.50 on smaller saws I read yhat was recommended for under 50cc and for speed. Maybe I will look into 0.058.

 

[EbS-P]

We have a few shops around but sometimes I have to grab a chain in a hurry after hours. I will check out Baileys and Madsens. I do buy a lot of parts from HL Supply. I noticed Husquvarna use .325 and 0.50 on smaller saws I read yhat was recommended for under 50cc and for speed. Maybe I will look into 0.058.

.325 is the pitch. 3/8=.375 .325 has a more narrow cutter so it has less drag than 3/8” so it can cut faster. Speed comes at the cost of longevity. .325 isn’t recommended on long bars. My take is that’s it’s just not strong enough to be pulled through a big cut by a big saw.

Husky may have a chart like this. This was open in another tab.

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

 

[Nealm66]

.063, not .058. Thanks EbS-P. Seems like I was having issues purchasing a smaller husky that I could run 3/8’s on if memory serves me. Something to be mindful of. The heavier drivers help keep your chains from running, basically more bar life. They tried pushing .050 3/8’s on us when we were cutting steady old growth. It worked ok until the chains got a little wore then they would start running. That’s why they started making.063 3/8’s. It’s still not quite as good as 404 but a lot of guys run it in smaller timber up to about 32” bar for the extra speed the 3/8’s can give although that’s short lived in my opinion