Saw engine size in relation to bar length

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Okay, what is your strategy? Your formula? Your theory?
Time and time again I read in this interweb thingy about bar length suggestion that to me in my part of the World seem a bit excessive for the CC rating of the powerhead.
For me this usually occurs in say the 60-65cc and 25 inch bar- or the low 70cc saws with suggestions of 32" as a general purpose fitment.

Generally my own rules of thumb (not cast in stone) are 60 to mid 60cc are 18-20 inch bar saws (most often 20"), 70-mid70cc are the 24/25"domain and 80-90cc can use a 28-30-32" really well. After that I hit a bit of a grey area around Stihl saws and oil delivery and do not like going above 30" on 066 sized saws, but will happily run 36" bars on 95cc Swedish saws- over 36" I like to step up and somewhat backward in age to 100cc and the old CD saws like the 2100 Husqvarna (manual assist oil pump help here as well as slower chain speed and more torque).

So that's kind of how I do it, not a hard and fast rule- have a Husqvarna 61 happily wearing a 22" bar, have a D025 36" I will put on an 066 now and then- but the above is my general guideline and I have multiple saws in all the above CC ranges to choose from.

If you really want to have some fun, try fitting low to mid 60cc saws with .325 chain and 20 inch bars- the results can surprise run against similar 3/8 set ups.

 

[Norm]

For me my favorite class is the 70cc to about 88cc class.with 70cc to mid 70s being first place for me. And for us here in our area a 32inch bar is a good average do all. Myn572 is ported. Thanks to Stumpshot, even stock the 70s pull them well. The 046 460 and 461 have been a go too for years, all had a 32 inch bar I used. To cut real well.my theory is a do all saw and bar so that's my package. I do have a 390xp 394 and 2101. 3101 has a 50inch Cannon. The 394 going to have a 42 inch. And the 390 is going from 32 inch to a 36 inch light barnsoon.those saws 390, 394, 2101 use when I'm cutting stumps or real big bucking. They don't come out much anymore. The 572 and 500i I have can do it all really.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Yes, the 500i kind of breaks a lot of rules! I don't own one, but have run a couple and would recommend them to anyone buying new and wanting a main front line saw.
The other difference is- all my saws are stock, if I need more- I just grab a bigger one. .
Interesting to get other peoples take on it though, for me the 72-76cc range all seem to fall forward with anything much over a 28" bar. I can understand it for reach, but needs to be softwood if you are continually bucking bar deep for me over here.
My 460 wore a 30" for a short time- didn't like it so back to a 25" and all was well again- poor old 460 does not get used much now- gets pushed aside for the 2171 or 2186 and might be headed for the for sale side of the shelf.

2100-2101 are rated out to 60" and I guess the manual assist oiler helps here- 50" is a whole lot of bar out there, good for big stumps though and we have some big Macrocarpa that 50" bar would be handy for falling cuts.
Do you find the 394 can oil the 42" well enough? I've not tried a 42 on similar sized saws.

 

[Norm]

Yes, the 500i kind of breaks a lot of rules! I don't own one, but have run a couple and would recommend them to anyone buying new and wanting a main front line saw.
The other difference is- all my saws are stock, if I need more- I just grab a bigger one. .
Interesting to get other peoples take on it though, for me the 72-76cc range all seem to fall forward with anything much over a 28" bar. I can understand it for reach, but needs to be softwood if you are continually bucking bar deep for me over here.
My 460 wore a 30" for a short time- didn't like it so back to a 25" and all was well again- poor old 460 does not get used much now- gets pushed aside for the 2171 or 2186 and might be headed for the for sale side of the shelf.

2100-2101 are rated out to 60" and I guess the manual assist oiler helps here- 50" is a whole lot of bar out there, good for big stumps though and we have some big Macrocarpa that 50" bar would be handy for falling cuts.
Do you find the 394 can oil the 42" well enough? I've not tried a 42 on similar sized saws.

Yeah the 500 is special my cutting gave rage here sees alot of 3foot.wood give or take. And those lengths are common and maybe what we are familiar with here. I cut hard and softwood. I have not put a 42 on my 395 yet. But 1 work saw we have wears one
And one thing I always preferred husky wise, the oilers have always supplied bar and chain well. Do u have any pictures of big Maricopa never seen it before.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Yeah the 500 is special my cutting gave rage here sees alot of 3foot.wood give or take. And those lengths are common and maybe what we are familiar with here. I cut hard and softwood. I have not put a 42 on my 395 yet. But 1 work saw we have wears one
And one thing I always preferred husky wise, the oilers have always supplied bar and chain well. Do u have any pictures of big Maricopa never seen it before.

Legally I am not meant to be driving at the moment- but have some biguns down on the farm I can snap a picture of. still standing.
I was/am never a big photograph taker of trees coming down or being processed- to me it is/was just work or a job, nothing too exciting.
They are just a semi hardwood Cypress variety of evergreen, native to California? And I think you know them as Monterey Cypress- not Monterey Pine.
Hesperocyparis macrocarpa

 

[Norm]

Legally I am not meant to be driving at the moment- but have some biguns down on the farm I can snap a picture of. still standing.
I was/am never a big photograph taker of trees coming down or being processed- to me it is/was just work or a job, nothing too exciting.
They are just a semi hardwood Cypress variety of evergreen, native to California? And I think you know them as Monterey Cypress- not Monterey Pine.
Hesperocyparis macrocarpa

Ah 10-4 never heard them called that. Good to know I'm a total picture guy as u have seen

 

[Stump Shot]

@Bob Hedgecutter and @Norm you two have to have about the polar opposite in wood types that can be had, hard vs soft. Which probably enters somewhat into the equation. With having both hard and soft here I tend to follow Bob's original statement for this area.
I do however like a 20 inch .325" bar on my 50cc saw and some would say it's the limit and some would say it's a tad too much. I find if I let the saw work with a sharp chain it will chew through even our hardest wood available quite nicely.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Oh we have hard woods- likely to rival most others in the common World- just legally we aint allowed to cut them down and slice them up no more!
Agreed- if you are top notch on the chain sharpness you can get away with a lot of things if you don't dog in and lean real hard.

 

[Stump Shot]

Oh we have hard woods- likely to rival most others in the common World- just legally we aint allowed to cut them down and slice them up no more!
Agreed- if you are top notch on the chain sharpness you can get away with a lot of things if you don't dog in and lean real hard.

That or as in this example where I ported a regular(open port, non-XP type) 268 Husqvarna and wanted t see what kind of pull it had. So I put a 32" B&C on it and went to noodling so it could get buried. I could not stuff that saw dogging in(it did get clogged up and that stopped it), just to show what a internet hated open port saw could do. That however was a one time example, otherwise normalcy picking a bar usually prevails, well, for the most part. Lol

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Yeah the 500 is special my cutting gave rage here sees alot of 3foot.wood give or take. And those lengths are common and maybe what we are familiar with here. I cut hard and softwood. I have not put a 42 on my 395 yet. But 1 work saw we have wears one
And one thing I always preferred husky wise, the oilers have always supplied bar and chain well. Do u have any pictures of big Maricopa never seen it before.

Here is an interesting Macrocarpa- some parts of the coast on our wee Island Nation we have issues with onshore winds.

 

[Norm]

Here is an interesting Macrocarpa- some parts of the coast on our wee Island Nation we have issues with onshore winds.

View attachment 1529

Wow cool tree. Great picture

 

[Norm]

And bar wise definitely a preference what works for ya thing. I can't put down anyone who prefers shorter bars. Many guys here run 20s and 24. Super common really.

 

[Norm]

@Bob Hedgecutter and @Norm you two have to have about the polar opposite in wood types that can be had, hard vs soft. Which probably enters somewhat into the equation. With having both hard and soft here I tend to follow Bob's original statement for this area.
I do however like a 20 inch .325" bar on my 50cc saw and some would say it's the limit and some would say it's a tad too much. I find if I let the saw work with a sharp chain it will chew through even our hardest wood available quite nicely.

Awesome. Do u use a 20 or 24 most often?

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Wow cool tree. Great picture

Not my picture- I "borrowed" it, but if falling that one, you would nave to pick your days to tip it towards the Ocean.

 

[Chainmale]

Oh we have hard woods- likely to rival most others in the common World- just legally we aint allowed to cut them down and slice them up no more!
Agreed- if you are top notch on the chain sharpness you can get away with a lot of things if you don't dog in and lean real hard.

Kanuka and Ake Ake would definitely be up there in hardness.

 

[Stump Shot]

Awesome. Do u use a 20 or 24 most often?

50-60cc 20"
70cc + 24" +
Just depends on what the wood size as to what I grab.