Oregon bar on a Stihl saw

[Diabel]

Will a Oregon 20” bar be a good fit on a MS 360?
Are they really that much cheaper?

 

[Jazzberry]

Will a Oregon 20” bar be a good fit on a MS 360?
Are they really that much cheaper?

Perfect match.

 

[Diabel]

I remember few years ago I picked up an 18” Oregon bar from a big box store on (on sale for like 15.00). It did not fit the saw. The holes for the bat did not line up.

Is there something specific I should be paying attention in terms of specs?

Thanks

 

[TreePointer]

I remember few years ago I picked up an 18” Oregon bar from a big box store on (on sale for like 15.00). It did not fit the saw. The holes for the bat did not line up.

Is there something specific I should be paying attention in terms of specs?

Thanks

You have to match the bar mount pattern. In general, modern saw mounting patterns pretty much divide into two compatibility families: 1) Stihl and 2) Husqvarna plus everything else (Poulan, Makita/Dolmar, Jonsered/Redmax, Echo, etc.). BB stores, in general, only sell Husqvarna family compatible bars.

Within each family (Stihl or Husqvarna), bar mount patterns further divide into sizes. For example, a Stihl 250 has a different bar mount than an Stihl 441.

Oregon does indeed make Stihl compatible bars. Use Oregon's bar & chain search tool to find compatible bars:

https://www.oregonproducts.com/en/?site=oregon

Here's the Stihl compatibility search page:

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

 

[TreePointer]

In general, to find a compatible bar, you must match all these items:

PITCH
GAUGE
NO. OF DRIVE LINKS (DL)
BAR MOUNT PATTERN
KERF SIZE (NK) - sometimes relevant

Unbolt your bar from your saw's powerhead and look at the stamp near the bar mount hole. It will tell you PITCH, GAUGE and DL you need to look for in a new bar.

BAR MOUNT PATTERNS have numbers/codes, but it's easiest to look at a compatibility chart or look on the new bar's packaging to see if your particular saw is listed as being compatible.

KERF SIZE is important for some saws, usually 50cc or smaller saws in .325 pitch. If you have a narrow kerf chain, then you MUST run it on a narrow kerf bar. You can run standard kerf chain on either a standard kerf bar or a narrow kerf bar.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Get a Sugihara bar.....best bar money can buy

https://www.sugiharabarsuk.co.uk/about-sugihara/

(broken link removed)

 

[Diabel]

Good information.

I believe with info I can get my 20” Oregon bar and chain.

I am sick and tired of switching between the 16” and the 25”. The 20” will do the job for most of the trees on my property.

Thank you.

 

[Jazzberry]

Good information.

I believe with info I can get my 20” Oregon bar and chain.

I am sick and tired of switching between the 16” and the 25”. The 20” will do the job for most of the trees on my property.

Thank you.

I had a ms 360 Pro for several years until just recently. I ran a 20" and a 24" full skip in pine and it was marginal with the 24". Felt like it was turbocharged when I was running the 20" compared to the 24".

 

[Diabel]

I had a ms 360 Pro for several years until just recently. I ran a 20" and a 24" full skip in pine and it was marginal with the 24". Felt like it was turbocharged when I was running the 20" compared to the 24".

Same here. I hear you.

 

[Diabel]

Get a Sugihara bar.....best bar money can buy

https://www.sugiharabarsuk.co.uk/about-sugihara/

(broken link removed)

Is it really? Convince me and others.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Is it really? Convince me and others.

nah, I'll pass. Do your own research if you want to know more. Tsumura (Total Super) and Cannon are also good bars.

 

[Jazzberry]

I bought one for my Dolmar. I like it but I also like my Stihl bars just as well. Bars are bars. When I got the Dolmar in a trade it had some cheap non sprocket tip bar on it and I found a deal on Ebay. I think I definitely look cooler with the Sugi on it though lol.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Most of us probably don't use our saws enough to see the difference of a good bar, myself included. Sugi's are known to outlast saws. They have very hard rails which resist wear and are lightweight. They are also known to spring back to being linear after being bent once the load is removed. I just don't like to buy junk, so I do my own research on pretty much everything I buy. Today it seems retail stores only offer cheap crap, because this is what the majority of consumers want now-a-days..........cheap.

Stihl ES bars are decent.

 

[Diabel]

Finally got around and grabbed one from a local shop. I think the 20” is a prefect match for this saw.

 

[DodgyNomad]

That's the perfect bar for that saw. Saw looks to be in outstanding condition also.

 

[TreePointer]

Nah, bar looks terrible. Too clean.

 

[Diabel]

That's the perfect bar for that saw. Saw looks to be in outstanding condition also.

Thanks. This combo feels so balanced together. Hopefully, this bar will get some use next weekend.