Oregon Rim Sprocket Kits vs. Stihl - Quality Issues?

Mac-HD

Hello, great forum here- have enjoyed reading for the last 2 weeks, havent found what I was looking for- so here goes my first post.

I am looking for a new Rim Sprocket for my Dad's 029, and have found the oregon kits- are they as good as the OEM Stihl?

Thanks, M.

Cut4fun

Your 029 uses replaceable rim sprockets instead of the spur that came stock on the one I had in the shop awhile back?
Yes just get the Oregon ones IMHO and save you some money while your at it. Just make sure of the size where they slide on the drum and match them up.
What are you running 325 7T?

Mac-HD

Hi cut4fun,
no, my 026 has replaceable rim sprockets, the 029 has the stock one piece deal ( drum and sprocket are one unit ). I want to simplify the switching of chains and bars ( as mentioned. )

At the moment we have .325 chains, but for the next season I will be switching to 3/8" B & C.

Another question; is .375 the same as 3/8" ? I cant find a 3/8" oregon rim sprocket, but I can find the .375 7T..

thanks, M.

Cut4fun

375 = 3/8. 3/8 375 7T will be like running a 325 8T, so you might notice a lose of torque if your saw cant pull it in hardwoods.

365 = 3/8 low profile like on the smaller saws.

Mac-HD

Hi, another question. Do the oregon rim and drum sets use different size sprockets then the stihl rim and drum combos? I am talking about the spline size inside the rim drive sprocket.

Cut4fun

I dont know what you have or are using, so I cant really answer that. Are you using stihl mini, small 7 spine , standard or I call large 7 spine or what.

http://www.oregonchain.com/pdf/sproc...proxFB0601.pdf


Here is the picks Oregon does for the 029 in 3/8 from their site on the bottom of page.

34162X POWER MATE® Rim Sprocket System 3/8" 7
18720 Rim 3/8" 7
38145X PRO SPUR® Sprocket 3/8" 7

http://www.oregonchain.com/pro/looku...USA&LangId=ENG

Mac-HD

Hi, I was just looking at those two .pdf on the oregon homepage as I wrote my last answer. Is it possible that oregon sprockets have a smaller inside diameter than the orig. stihl sprockets? At the moment my 026 is stock with the .325 7T rim sprocket, and the 029 has a .325 sprocket that is welded onto the drum.

I wanted to just get a new drum with rim sprockets for the 029, and then use the rim sprockets back and forth between both saws. It looks like the oregon uses a different inside ( sline ) diameter than stihl does, is that possible? M.-

Cut4fun

What are you running now on your 026? Stihl mini?

If you have stihl mini on 026 you cant run the same rims from Oregon small or standard.

Mac-HD

I am running stock rims and sprockets on the 026, and that is what I am trying to find out, what size that is... are there differences between oregon and stihl splines?

Cut4fun

measure the inside diameter of your rim . Oregon is .756 and .880. I would bet on you have a stihl mini which will be even smaller.

A 7 spline small or large Oregon is the same as the stihl 7 spine in .756 and .880 rim. But if you have MINI rim sprocket they are different size then the 2 Oregon I listed. I cant make it any clearer. measure your rim.

Mac-HD

thanks. will do, sounds like I have the mini spline.

Cut4fun

You might want to talk to Windy. He likes the 290-310 and 026 stuff. i bet he could spill the beans on a hook up. I'm not good at trying to explain things. Just short and sweet post for me.

There is a 3/8 Stihl picco in 7T and 8T you can use in Mini.

Bruce Hopf

I agree with cut4fun. windthrown, would be the best guy to talk to, about sprocket sizes.
Depending, on what your cutting, for wood, either hard, or soft, I'd stick with the .325 pitch chains, especially, if your cutting a hard wood. You may not be happy, switching over to the 3/8" pitch, as they can take more power to drive. Bruce.

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windthrown

I just found this thread this evening cruising the site. I think I know what you are looking for here.

I have put rim drives on several 029/290/310 (1127) saws. I use the drum and rim from the Stihl 036/360. They have the same size clutches and drums. The 360 rims are the standard large format rims that interchange with the large Stihl saws, like the 361, 440, 660, etc. I have used both Oregon and Stihl drums, and I cannot tell any difference (they could be made in the same factory for all I know). I have used Stihl, Oregon and Bailey's off-brand rims, and they are all fine. Note that the 360 drum does not interchangable with the newer (larger clutch) 361.

Now, there are issues with spline sizes, as others have mentioned above in this thread. The 260 has a smaller rim spline (inner drive diameter), and does not interchange with the other Stihl saws like the 360. So you cannot swap the rims out. Also there are various small and mini spline sizes on Oregon and Stihl drums. The IPL for the 1127 saws show different drum and rim numbers than the 360. I think that the splines are different in size. If I recall correctly, there are also differnt spline sizes for the Oregon vs. the Stihl drums. It is confusing on several saws like the 290, 260 and the 250 that have different options for running different size B&C. However, the 260 has a large format bar mount, and you can swap out the bars and chains with the other large format saws (361, 440, etc.).

As for running .325 vs 3/8 (also called .375) chain on the 029/290 and the 026/260, there has been much debate on these. I have run both chain types on both saws, and I cannot say that one is any better than the other. There is no narrow kerf (NK) available in .325 for Stihl saws like other brands of saws, so the width of the cuts are about the same between the two types of chain. What that means is that the amount of wood removed is the same, so the power required to make the cuts is the same. Some swear by .325, and I have never figured out why. My only guess is that they were comparing full chisel chain (full chisel is far more common on .325 chains) to 3/8 standard semi chisel chains. I have run them back to back on the same saws with the same bar lengths and chain type, and they cut about the same for me. At any rate, the profile is lower on the .325 chain and there are more teeth per inch than 3/8 standard. There are only slight differences in the outer diameters of the rim drives I compared; an 8 pin .325 vs 7 pin 3/8. Comparing these two rims, there is only a hair of a difference in outer diameter. I have sold off all my .325 rims, sprockets, rims, bars and chains, and with one exception I run all 3/8 standard chain on all my Stihl saws now (026s, 310, 361s, 044, and 066). I can swap the same bars and chains between all my saws. Life is simpler.

Now... for the exception: there is another option on the 260 that is a remnant of the 024, the one time little brother to the 026. That is that you can run a picco (low profile 3/8) chain on the 026/260. The rims are hard to find, but they are out there (and I have one made by Stihl, marked with a "3/8 P"). The bars are even harder to find, and I found one on the internet a year or so ago. It was made for the 024. Some run picco on 3/8 standard bars, but the nose sprockets are too fat for the picco chain to fit correctly into. You can also run it on hard nosed 3/8 bars. Logosol does sell large format Stihl picco bars with nose sprockets in various lengths. However, large picco rims are not available from anyone that I am aware of. Most people that I know that run picco on larger Stihl saws run spur sprockets. Picco is popular for chainsaw mills, becasue the narrow kerf requires less energy to cut. However, the chain is small and light, and a large saw like a 440 van easilly blow them out. For this reason Stihl stopped making picco available for larger saws (they figured out that the chainsaw millers were using the picco on larger Stihl saws). The only reason that the picco rims and bars are around at all is because they were an option on the 024, and they happen to be an exact fit for the 026/260.

Clear as mud?

Mac-HD

Hi Windthrown-

yes, it seems to be as clear as mud....

I thank you all for your help on this issue- there seems to be a lot to learn for me,

I have decided to get an oregon rim for the 029, with a .325 rim sprocket & 3/8" (.375 ) as well. Seems to be the cheapest way of going for that machine. I will have the small spines then on that machine, that are not interchangeable with the mini splines on my 026.

On the 026, I am considering installing an adjustable oil pump conversion kit. If I do that I already have a new drum and sprocket, which would have 'mini' splines. Then when that drum should break or wear, I can still buy a new one from oregon ( they are almost half of what stihl charges! )

At the moment I have .325 chains on both machines. But, because of many discussions here on the forum, I am going to try going to 3/8". I will try a 3/8" 20" B & C for dropping, and then can switch over to my 16" B & C for cutting all the branches etc. My dad loves the 026, he has had the 029 for almost 12 years, and the 026 is just so much lighter. I am curious to see how the 20" B & C combo work out.

Who knows, maybe I will be looking for a 361 next year!

Thanks to you all. M.

Cut4fun

Guys run the picco 3/8 sprocket rims on the souped up 026-260 with 8T to get that 8T option, so you know you can use them with standard 3/8 bar and chains. If you wanted too.

Cut4fun

Glad you finally figured it out. So what was the inside measurement of the mini?

windthrown

Be advised that the clutch/brake drums on the adjustable oil pump 026 are different than the ones on the fixed oiler models. The fixed oiler models do not have the slot for driving the adjustable "PRO" model oil pump. I have only had fixed oil pump 026s, (maybe 8 in all) and they are fine for oiling an 18 inch bar in all cutting conditions. I do not know of any saw forum discussions where the fixed oilers on the non-PRO 026s do not oil enough. Also you need to have the frame in your 026 that has the slot in the belly for adjusting the oiler. Several of my non-PRO 026s have had the slot (but no adjustable oiler in them) and several have not. Many 026s out there are mix and match from different models, pro and non-pro, and many features vary depending on the year they were made. The PRO models also have a decomp valve, but on a saw that small they are not really needed (though I have advised some lightly built women and 'weekend executive sawyers' to get the PRO model for easier starting).

One of the better features of the 1127 line is that they all have adjustable oil pumps in them. One issue with the 029s that I have had is that I could never get more power out of them like I can with the 290. The 029 is a smaller P&C, and does not have the potential oomph that the 290 has. Many think they are the same saws, and having run an 029 they think that the 290 is also a boat anchor. The 029 comes with the pre-modified muffler, and there is little that you can do to beef them up. I was disappointed with an 029 that I got a while back, so I flipped it. I only paid $75 for it though, so no loss on my part. Nothing like the 310s I beef up, or even my old 290 that my ex has. The other issue with the 029/290 is the lower top rev limit. I am tweeking my latest 310 with some different muffler mods and getting some good results. Not too noisey, and it rips up the wood. Drives a 20 inch 3/8 bar with authority. Neck and neck with a stock 361 (I kept a stock 361 muffler for doing muffler mod comparisons). The 290 and 310 could have used decomp valves on them, and the new 311 has one. The 310 is a 60cc saw...

Cut4fun

029 is smaller bore, but 029 super is the same as MS290 .

Mac-HD

Hi windthrown.
Yes, I am aware that the 026 must have the cut-out in the bottom of the case for the adjustable oil pump. ( I read your writeup about the 026 - helped me diecide on which saw to get - and mine is mid-production )
If the stock oil pump is adequate enough for a 20" bar, then I might just leave it in. I am gonna get a 20" this week- 16" is just not enough.
As I said, we have an 029 and 026- my dad bought the 029 new many years ago, and I just picked up the 026 this summer, because we needed a second saw when dropping trees at the house. The 026 is lighter, and has already become my dads favorite of the two.
Have a great day guys, M.

windthrown

Yah, the 029 Super is fine. Same as the 290. But the poor 029... I have to agree with SawTroll on that one.

windthrown

Good, as long as you know. The other difference is that the non-adjustable 026 is crank driven from a worm drive so it always oils the bar when the engine is running. It can be messy if you let your saw idle a lot (people also tend to think that there is a bar oil leak). The adjustable oiler is clutch driven, so it only oils when the chain is moving. Cleaner saw. Less oil buildup under the sprocket cover. More expensive though, and more moving parts.

SawTroll

True, but the " 3/8" " chain all actually are .367 - 3/8" is sort of a "rounded" off number - and it gets confusing when it is "translated" back to .375 and .365......

Cut4fun

Better watch it Niko , next heavy pig 290 I get in I will secretly put your name on it a ship it to you . I bet that would cost a arm and a leg to ship weight wise.

I traded a 029 super to a guy needing a piston for a T-post puller once. I dont value them saws highly on my list either.

Cut4fun

I didnt have any mini on hand, so I had to get help from NS. Art measured the mini rim and came up with .666 for inner diameter of mini. So there you go Mac-HD.

sharkey

Maybe this link with some pics will help, shown are pics and measurements;
http://www.oregonchain.com/pdf/sproc...proxFB0601.pdf

Cut4fun

I didnt see any measurements listed in that link, but we already posted them anyways. Plus Oregon dont have the stihl MINI rims.

SawTroll

Well, it was around 100USD to get the 5100S here in 2007, from close to the east coast - that heavy POS you mention probably would be more.......

SawTroll

No, but they probably make them for Stihl....

Cut4fun

Niko I could put your name on this 262XP .

Still looking for a Jobu 949 949S carcass .

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