Bar Length Recommendations

[studor]

+1 on sticking with the 18" -- I would also try for spare chains before a spare bar if the dealer is in a generous mood. All my saws now have 18" bars with the same chains -- when I sharpen chains I just move them from one hook to another and never have to worry about matching chain to saw.:thumbsup:

 

[westbrooklawn]

The 18" is perfect for that saw... instead of an extra bar, I'd see if he would throw in about 3 extra chains... you will go through those much quicker than you will a bar.

 

[Famah]

Maybe 18" wouldn't be so big...It's just 2" more than what I am used to, with a significantly more powerful saw. I would probably get used to it pretty quickly. What would be the advantage of the 18" bar over the 16"?

Nick

 

[Egon]

Maybe a 13 in bar. Ridiculously short but very handy for a lot of things.:thumbsup:

 

[Oliver1655]

I have used a 16" hard nosed bar with 404 chain on my Stihl S10 for years with no complaints. I recently purchased a 25" bar to aid in dropping a 52" Maple tree. While it did the job, and I like the increased reach = less bending over, I did notice a slight drop in rpm without a load. It also cut better on the top of the bar than on the bottom side. In another post at this site, one wise person mentioned you need to be sure your oiler has a large enough volume to handle the longer bars. I can't help but wonder if this might be the case with my saw. Just another thing to consider. :confused2: I only use the 25" bar when necessary.

 

[studor]

What would be the advantage of the 18" bar over the 16"?

A little more reach, a little more cutting depth, a few more teeth to sharpen, (sometimes) a touch more expensive, better "balance" on some saws (not on others) -- in other words pretty much a personal preference kinda thing!

 

[om21braz]

Famah, You've got some good advice here - but beware the first poster directing you to arboristsite.com. Next thing you know you'll have a garage full of chainsaws LOL!

 

[milkman]

I ordered a 346XP and when it came in, it had a 20" bar, it was tip heavy so I asked them to switch it for an 18" which they did and knocked off $10. I later ordered a 20" .325 Narrow Kerf from Baileys along with an extra sprocket rim. The saw is well balanced with the NK, but it seems to me the bar would be easy to bend since it's narrower than the regular .325, just have to be aware of that when I use that bar.

 

[arrow]

18" for that saw is a good all-around length. One of the places a shorter bar is convenient is when bucking stacked stems especially if your wood is on the smaller side. I like to pull each stem from the stack and carry it over to the splitter and cut it up there while it is on the front end loader. If you were going to get a larger saw like the 357, then I'd recommend 2 bars. A 20 incher and a sixteen. I echo the others who say 18" is all you need for that saw.

 

[NIXON]

Famah, You've got some good advice here - but beware the first poster directing you to arboristsite.com. Next thing you know you'll have a garage full of chainsaws LOL!

There is a lot of truth in that statement !!!
BTW My 346 wears a 16" bar . It's the older model ,and it's seems happy with it .