Chainsaw - optimal bar length (cleaner, room, steel, price)

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by lifelongMOgal

Buy quality = buy once

In no particular order:
STIHL
Husky
Jonsered (older not newer)
Dolmar (my choice)
Olympyk

Being a girl I find it difficult to handle much more than a 16". If I could I would go for a longer bar length as it will significantly cut down your "hang-ups" and speed up your work.

"Hang up's" are generally caused by two things:

A "pinch," where you're cutting on the wrong side of a limb and gravity pulls the limb into your saw...or,

Failing to keep the rpm's up. Too many people want to "idle" into a cut, then rev it up once they get in there. Don't do that! Give it full throttle before touching the tree.

And for God's sake...don't make "sawing" motions with a chainsaw! Lay it in there and let the chain do it's work.

[South Range Family]

I have an 039 Stihl with a 20" bar that I have run almost every day for the past 10 years. I know that it will be running on the 3rd pull guaranteed. Once it has been running, it only takes half of a pull. I used to put it in the basement for the winter, but determined that it is a cold weather saw. It stays out in the cold garage now.

I put a 24" bar with a ripping chain on it this week. It really changed the balance. It went nose heavy like a Husqavarna. That's why I don't really care for a Husky. I borrowed one from a buddy once, and cut my pant leg because of the balance.
I don't like anything that has a tip guard on the bar to prevent plunge cuts. I was cutting some really big oak trees with the root ball holding the base in the air. The only good way to cut them was to make a plunge cut in the middle, work down to about 2 inches from the bottom, and then up to almost the top. That left two small straps to hit from the outside, and the log would drop straight down without pinching.

You can always put a smaller bar on a saw, but you can never go bigger than what it was designed to handle. I wouldn't waste my time with toys.

[akck]

Go with a saw that best fits the wood you'll be cutting. If you're dealing mostly with 30+" diameter trees get a saw that can handle a 24" bar. If it's mostly all under 30", a 16-20" bar is fine. Also, as bars get longer, the saw gets heavier and fatigue will be a factor in it's use.

I also recommend chain saw chaps for safety as most professionals use them. I'm guessing most injuries occur on your legs (versus saw kickbacks), as the chain is still moving and you either stumble or rest the motor on your thigh. I even have an old scar I can show you to prove it. Oh, and don't forget hearing protection and hardhat.

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by akck

Go with a saw that best fits the wood you'll be cutting. If you're dealing mostly with 30+" diameter trees get a saw that can handle a 24" bar. If it's mostly all under 30", a 16-20" bar is fine. Also, as bars get longer, the saw gets heavier and fatigue will be a factor in it's use.

I also recommend chain saw chaps for safety as most professionals use them. I'm guessing most injuries occur on your legs (versus saw kickbacks), as the chain is still moving and you either stumble or rest the motor on your thigh. I even have an old scar I can show you to prove it. Oh, and don't forget hearing protection and hardhat.

I've got one of those scars too, right across the right knee cap. I was cutting small brush and swung the saw away while grabbing for the brush with my left hand. I didn't have my finger on the trigger (good thing!), but the chain was still moving when it touched my knee. It only takes a milli-second for a moving chain to cut through denim jeans and into flesh. Kevlar chaps are MUST! I've seen people hit their legs while wearing them and they stopped the chain instantly. Of course, it took 30 minutes to pick the strings out of the sprocket, but that's a small price to pay for keeping a leg.

Chainsaw fatigue can be ameliorated by resting your forearm on your knee or thigh while sawing whenever possible. Holding the saw out there at the end of your arms will wear your azz OUT!

[Cornerguy1]

Size your tool for the job you plan on doing.

You wouldn't routinely cut a 5 acre hayfield with a 21-inch push mower, and conversely you wouldn't cut a small back yard with a 6-foot tractor-mounter mower.

I've spent the last few days bucking 16 cords of firewood logs ranging from 8 inches to 24 inches. Our venerable Stihl 026 with 16-inch bar was perfect -- fast enough to do the job while not being too heavy or awkward for the smaller pieces. We also have a Stihl 036 with a 24-inch bar sitting in the shop. It's great for felling/bucking large trunks, but too heavy for my tastes to use for limbing.

A 16-inch bar will handle a 30-inch log -- that's a large piece of timber.

If you plan on cutting/bucking logs larger than that, then you'll need a larger bar. The trade-off will be a heavier,more expensive, more fatiguing saw to use when you're dealing with all those smaller trunks/pieces.

None of us want to spend more $$$ than we have to, but chainsaws are like anything else; you tend to get what you pay for.

I'd rather pay $500 for a Stihl that I know will start third pull for the next 10 years instead of saving $100 and spending hours changing filters, plugs, etc, trying to get the "bargain" to start.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Check what it will cost you to replace the chain at a local store. I love my 24 but no local store carries the chains and I get to pay top dollar to replace them. At 25-35 bucks a pop it sucks.

[Mac_Muz]

Bars you can run on a saw depend on the power head. You don't just buy a small power head and slap on any bar you want.

On the other hand you can buy a 70cc power head and run bars from 16 inch to 36 inch.

A good non-commercial saw with about 60 cc's is the Husky 539, and it generally is sold with a 18" bar and can run a 24 inch bar.

The 18" will do a base cut tree at 36" cutting from both sides, the 24 inch bar will do a 48 inch tree.

Jonsered is basicly a Husky same company.

I might be wrong, but I don't think STIHL makes a home owner saw.

Dolmar, is certainly a good saw to, but for these trees you want no less than 60 cc's. Oak is a rugged wood to cut, and you need torque and power.

These 4 brands are the only brands I would consider, as all the rest are basicly toys, rather crude, and not always designed to last.

That husky will set you back around 500 bucks, but it would be very worth it.

A better saw for more money, but in the pro class for this sort of work might be found on this link. I have nothing to gain giving you this link so it isn't spam.
Products - Chainsaws & Clearing Equipment for Professionals

In the xp class seek 346 no letters. The 'G' is for heated grips, and in Fla you won't want them much less need them. Avoid the E tech.

Last, I hope you are not felling these trees yourself if you are not experienced.

[lifelongMOgal]

Originally Posted by EricBoyd

I completely agree with you. That's what led me to the Husky's.

I spoke to enough loggers that were turning their Stihls in for Dolmars .... Most of my trees are hardwoods: oak, hickory black walnut

Whatever your choice, I think you'll find the 16" bar less than optimal for larger diameter cuts.

[South Range Family]

I just remembered the main reason to buy a quality saw.....parts availability.

My first saw was a Homelite that I bought new in 1999. After 8 months of clearing my property on weekends, I was ready for a new drive gear. It was obsolete, and unavailable. None of the numbers would cross to anything new. That's when I bought my Stihl. I'm on my 3rd drive gear, and I know that I will be able to get them for a long time to come.

The Homelite is still under my workbench waiting for a new gear that will never come.

[EricBoyd]

Thanks for everyone's help, so far. I appreciate you!