whats your favorite small saw chain?

Joshua Rugg

what is your favorite 325 or 3/8 pitch chain for bars 14"-18"?

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Stihl
MS192T 14"
MS200T 16"
MS261 16"
MS440 25"

Husqvarna 359 20"
394XP 32"

Poulan P3314 14" ( new hire/groundy saw)

Apocalypsse

What kind of saw is it running on?

Drouin Tree Service

ADI Hydraulic saw.

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Drouin Tree Services | Excavator Hire - Drouin and SE Gippsland | Landclearing Melbourne

Joshua Rugg

its for my new stihl MS 260 pro.

__________________
Stihl
MS192T 14"
MS200T 16"
MS261 16"
MS440 25"

Husqvarna 359 20"
394XP 32"

Poulan P3314 14" ( new hire/groundy saw)

Apocalypsse

I think it comes with 325 as standard, wouldn't you have to change bar/sprocket to run the 3/8 or I am dreaming up some bad info there?

Lightsaber > ADI Hydraulic saw

Rob Chace

260 is a great urban everyday chainsaw. Its probably much more than the homeowner would ever need and gutsy enough for a arborist/professional to do 95% of a tree, obviously a top handle would be easier for the first 50% of the job.

Joshua Rugg

thanks rob

haha ALopa

and yes my saw runs 3/8s pitch. our dealer gives you a choice of either 3/8 or .325. i chose the 3/8 since the rest of my saws run it. i figured even more interchangeability between my saws but it seems like the 260 would run better with .325. will it really increase its cutting speed noticeably? i hear it runs faster with 325 and cuts smoother.

__________________
Stihl
MS192T 14"
MS200T 16"
MS261 16"
MS440 25"

Husqvarna 359 20"
394XP 32"

Poulan P3314 14" ( new hire/groundy saw)

Bruce Hopf

I've heard of guys running their 260's. with 3/8" pitch chain, right from new, at the dealer, thinking of just buying one spool of chain, to cover their whole fleet of chain saws, and found it harder on their chain saw to pull.
They then took the chain saw back, and had it converted over to .325" pitch chain, and bar, and found it a whole lot easier, for the chain saw to pull.
When I first picked up my 024, a couple of years ago, used, and in non working order, that was the first thing that I was going to do, was to have everything on 3/8" pitch chains, ran it by a friend of mine first, and he told me that he tried running 3/8 pitch chains, on his 026 (thinking the same thing, one spool of chain, for everything), and he found it too hard for the little chain saw to pull, to pull, so he went back to the .325 pitch, that came with his chain saw.
I run all .325" pitch chains, on my 024, and my 024 Super, and 3/8" pitch chains, on the rest of my chain saws. Bruce.

__________________
McCulloch chain saws
1- Pro Mac 60, 1- Pro Mac 700, 2- Mac 10-10 Automatic's, 2- Mini Mac 30's, 2- Mac 110's,
2- Mini Mac 35's, 1- Mac 140 with Automatic Chain Sharpener,
1- Pro Mac 10-10, 1- Mac Cat, 2- Eager Beaver
2.0's, 1- Mac 1-10
Stihl chain saws
2- 044's, 2- 034's, 2- 024's, 1- 064, 1- 084,
Strunk chain saws
1- Busy Beaver, 1- SpeeDemon Special
Stand Back, I Have A Very Extreme Case of CAD (Chain Saw Addiction Disorder).

KevinE

I've run both on my 260. .325 has more teeth & 3/8 has a wider kerf. My preference is a 3/8 F/C chain on the 260. Seems to run more aggressively, but that's probably just in my head. I've never bothered to time either chain in the cut. If you're going to cut hardwood, 16" is the max I'd put on a 260 though! It bogs with a 16" bar in hardwood, I can't imagine using an 18" bar on it to cut something hard!

Bruce Hopf

I cut hardwood here, with my 024. I have a 16" bar, running .325 pitch chain, seems to handle it fine, doesn't bog down too bad, even with the rakers set at 0.035", to 0.040". Bruce.

__________________
McCulloch chain saws
1- Pro Mac 60, 1- Pro Mac 700, 2- Mac 10-10 Automatic's, 2- Mini Mac 30's, 2- Mac 110's,
2- Mini Mac 35's, 1- Mac 140 with Automatic Chain Sharpener,
1- Pro Mac 10-10, 1- Mac Cat, 2- Eager Beaver
2.0's, 1- Mac 1-10
Stihl chain saws
2- 044's, 2- 034's, 2- 024's, 1- 064, 1- 084,
Strunk chain saws
1- Busy Beaver, 1- SpeeDemon Special
Stand Back, I Have A Very Extreme Case of CAD (Chain Saw Addiction Disorder).

Ontario Tree Toad

I am with Bruce. I cut 95% hardwood and I run .325 on my 028 and 260. For the 440 and higher I use 3/8. Not sure what kind of wood you get in Hawaii but for our hardwood power is needed to get through so the smaller chain allows the saw work less.

Bruce Hopf

What part of Ontario, are you from? I'm North of Stratford, by about miles. Bruce.

__________________
McCulloch chain saws
1- Pro Mac 60, 1- Pro Mac 700, 2- Mac 10-10 Automatic's, 2- Mini Mac 30's, 2- Mac 110's,
2- Mini Mac 35's, 1- Mac 140 with Automatic Chain Sharpener,
1- Pro Mac 10-10, 1- Mac Cat, 2- Eager Beaver
2.0's, 1- Mac 1-10
Stihl chain saws
2- 044's, 2- 034's, 2- 024's, 1- 064, 1- 084,
Strunk chain saws
1- Busy Beaver, 1- SpeeDemon Special
Stand Back, I Have A Very Extreme Case of CAD (Chain Saw Addiction Disorder).

KevinE

Hi Bruce, I cut up a mature platypus euc with the 260 that had been blown over by the wind last winter. The 260 didn't cope with it well at all, prompting my first post here asking which bigger saw I should be looking at. I received some fantastic advice from members of the forum & bought myself a great saw (7901). The 260 had a new 3/8 S/C chain on it at the time, on a 16" 063 bar.

Had it been my tree & I was just cutting it up to remove the hazard, or for fire wood, I probably would have just put up with the 260 & thought I'd done well to remove it myself without having to pay someone to do it. But it wasn't & I was earning a living from removing it. As they say, time = $$$