hey,thinking about buying a stihlms310 i see they suggust a 16in bar. I would like to run a 20in will this saw run a 20 without bogging down
stihl ms310
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Yup, the 310 will be fine with a 20" bar. The manufacturer's recommended bar length is primarily a function of anti-kickback certification, and have precious little to do with the mechanical limits of the saw. A saw like the 310 should be quite happy with a 16-20" bar with standard chain, and a 24"/25" bar with skip chain.
On a personal note, I've run 290 and 310 with 18" and 20" bars and they handle them well, especially with .325" pitch chain. I suspect that that the 310 will be happy with 3/8" pitch chain owing to its larger displacement and HP when compared to the 290; 3/8" chain seemed to me to be asking more of the 290 than it wanted to give.
On a personal note, I've run 290 and 310 with 18" and 20" bars and they handle them well, especially with .325" pitch chain. I suspect that that the 310 will be happy with 3/8" pitch chain owing to its larger displacement and HP when compared to the 290; 3/8" chain seemed to me to be asking more of the 290 than it wanted to give.
I have a ms310 w/20" bar. I'm replacing it with Dolmar 5100 with a 18". If you get the 310 get a get the shorter bar. It's a heavy saw and for me the 20" bar is to long. I've had no problems with the Stihl and will use it as a back up saw. Just wanted a new saw that was lighter.
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