bar length

F

fireaxe

Location
DC
I see many people running long bars on saws. I guess growing up, I was always taught that I needed a bar that was slightly more than half the width of the tree I was working with.

Aside from weight, have you noticed any other drawbacks on a longer bar? A shorter bar?

I hate sharpening and longer chains take longer to sharpen.

I have noticed that when a long bar goes on a saw, the chain will inevitably strike ground before the work is completed. I try to teach level saw operation to reduce this but...

Even super sharp, the long bar seems like it only wants to allow the saw to run at full chain speed if you are cutting roughly 18" of material. Am I missing something with technique?

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Just get a bigger saw if you want to have a longer bar on it. that's my opinion, but lots of climbers use long bars on small saws. For me I like the power efficiency with the right bar mounted, longer bars make the saw less practical.

for big trees I use the big saw (MS880) and for smal trees I use the small saw (200T) In between I use a 560XP and a MS640)

Works great and each saw had it's own size bar and that makes them perfect for every situation possible.

But if you are worried about hitting the sand cause of long bar lenght you should learn how to use it proper first ;-)

climb safe and work light

wouter
 
IMO...bigger isn't always better. I always seem to feel more control and balance with a standard bar. And for some reason, they seem more durable.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Just get a bigger saw if you want to have a longer bar on it. that's my opinion, but lots of climbers use long bars on small saws. For me I like the power efficiency with the right bar mounted, longer bars make the saw less practical.

for big trees I use the big saw (MS880) and for smal trees I use the small saw (200T) In between I use a 560XP and a MS640)

Works great and each saw had it's own size bar and that makes them perfect for every situation possible.

[/ QUOTE ]

You need more saws! One each for a 16", 18" ... 32" bar. Safety is another issue. In my opinion, longer bars are more of a hazard when limbing trees or working in awkward places.
 
Longer bars are more better described as the 'correct ' bar when felling anything of decent DBH.
I have always heard the "1/2 the size of the tree " story... never understood how that is safe.
When making a back cut, I prefer the bar to be longer than needed.
Keeps me from screwing up the big event.

Go with a reduced weight bar... 28" seems to be my favorite. MS440!
 
Oh yeah! My new baby is a 440/460 hybrid. Full woods port.

Translate : a Stihl 440 with the piston and cylinder of a 460 stuffed inside. Then the fuel intake, exhaust ports are widened. Muffler is gutted to let flow exit faster... timing is advanced and rpm's are turned up until maximum cutting speed is met.

Awesome machine.
 
I also prefer the shorter bar. I learned with them, to adjust my cutting style for the smaller bar and move around the tree with it. The last 2 saws I purchased I told the dealer to down size the bar by 1 size before I took it. The advantages for me is more control over the saw, less chain to sharpen, less expencive, more power and better cutting. Even for crane work I prefer a 16" bar (cutting up to about 30"). I actually think its fun cutting a spar slightly more than 2x the bar length, makes you use all the tecniques I learned in tech school and college. A brain exercize. My favorite saw is my 346xp with a 16" bar.
 
My wife says its not about the length of the bar or the size of the powerhead, it's what your sticking it into that will determine how long the job takes.
 
Longer bars paired with bigger saws makes sense, and the sharpening time can be seriously offset when you use full-skip chain. In fact, most of the biggest saws I run take fewer sharpening strokes than the medium saws, like a 346 with an 18" bar, due to the number of teeth.

Long bars on weak saws is no good. The right pairing is crucial to productivity, as well as picking the right saw for the job.

One of my 372s has a 32" bar on it - too long? Not if you're cutting white pine from a crane. That saw sucks for cutting through 32" oak - so I pick another saw.
 
Love that comment! Didn't repeat it to the wife, didn't want to hear anything about my bar or powerhead.

Do you have some eastern blood in you Bigwood? You have that sense of humor.
 
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On all my saws, except for my top handles, I use the maximum allowed bar.
I think most of the time it's plain stupid to have a small bar on a saw and have to fiddle around the tree to get it cut up.

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Well I think its plain stupid to have a long Bar on the saw all the time. Fortunately Im not 2 years old and Im only kidding. The short bar for me provided enough advantage that it makes the "fiddling around the tree" worth it to me. There are a thousand ways to do our job. This is the way I learned, and the way that works for me, and I dont see the advantage of the long bar in most cases. If that makes me "stupid", well Im guilty as charged.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
On all my saws, except for my top handles, I use the maximum allowed bar.
I think most of the time it's plain stupid to have a small bar on a saw and have to fiddle around the tree to get it cut up.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I think its plain stupid to have a long Bar on the saw all the time. Fortunately Im not 2 years old and Im only kidding. The short bar for me provided enough advantage that it makes the "fiddling around the tree" worth it to me. There are a thousand ways to do our job. This is the way I learned, and the way that works for me, and I dont see the advantage of the long bar in most cases. If that makes me "stupid", well Im guilty as charged.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for posting some common sense mate.

As long as it's razor sharp and pulling well, I'll circle gladly, all the way down with my teeny tiny MS200's 14 inch bar!

Another proud wuss!

jomoco
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The only saw that I have with the proper bar is my 338 14 inch bar. All the others are the mid size bars not the longest max for the saw. That and it also depends on the tree and what you are doing. For some storm clean up I have used a 394 with a 42 inch to trip a snag so not to be so in the danger zone.

To me it is all what you feel comfy with, sometimes longer is better and other times shorter is better. I carry extra bars and chains for that hmmmmm moment.
 
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