Bar and Chain replacement

[tk tom]

I would notice a difference personally on my saws, but if you don't use a saw that much you are not likely to notice.

 

[newbury]

Agreed. 20" is really pushing a 50cc saw. Be kind to your saw and it will last longer.

Oregon is good stuff. You won't go wrong there.

I have been committing heresy myself, the last few years. I run Stihl chain on my saws, including the orange ones. Holds the edge better than lesser chains.

I'm not a fan boy who thinks Stihl is the ONLY good brand. I just took the advice of a lot of pros, including die-hard Husky men, and I'm finding it's working out well for me.

If you keep your saw tuned and your chain sharp and well lubed a 50cc saw should be able to run 20".

I don't have a 50cc but I run a 16" lo-pro non-safety on my Stihl 021 and a 20" 3/8 semi-chisel to 28" 3/8 on my JD 62 (62 CC with an opened up muffler).
With the 28" 3/8 milling/ripping chain I CSM'd about half a 20" DBH tree, but I was going slow and sharpening about every 8 feet.

94Bullitt shows

the difference in speed between full and semi.

Interesting, never thought about going smaller.

Are full chisel chains the ones with the big warnings about kickback? Should I be concerned about that?

What's the gain in going to 3/8"?

Kickback is like life. You have to be careful where you stick your nose. If you have not experienced it you should carefully (with full PPE and someone standing by to mop up the blood) stick your bar nose into a tree and experience some kickback. You should always be concerned about kickback. Example here

Thanks for all the great responses. I never thought is learn so much about bars.

Would going from 18 to 16 make any noticeable change in weight or balance?

As far as bars go I prefer small bars with good music and a good selection of dark beers.

The 16" might make a difference in balance to you. With me my CS62 is well balanced with a 20" bar and falls on it's nose with the 28". But my 660's do well with 28" and fall on their noses with 36" and up.

 

[xyz123]

12" for micro saws 40cc under, 16" for small saws 50cc , 20" med saws 70cc etc for firewood cutting etc.

 

[gladehound]

I think multiple bars to cover all your needs and whatever heads are required to drive them is the best solution. I have 4 bars (16", 20", 28" and 37") and two heads (35cc & 80cc) to drive them. Obviously, the 3 larger bars are for the 80cc. Using a bar that is too long for the job can make you tired faster and decrease your control. However, when cutting stuff that is on the ground, I find the 28" saw to be perfect even if it's only little 4" - 10" stuff. With the 28" bar, I don't need to bend over. Much less tiring.

If you have a 50cc head. Might be nice to get shortest bar you can get for it (14" to 16") as well as the longest that is reasonable (18"-20"?). That will give you a nice light quick handling package with the smaller bar and something for those larger trees with the bigger bar.

But if I had a 50 cc saw. I'd put a 16" on it and leave it on permanently. Anything bigger than 16" and I want something in the 70-80cc range. Not because it's needed, just because it decreases your cutting time dramatically and there's always something else to do.