I have a 25" ES bar on my MS391. @Mtnbikerfred got me jealous when I saw his Light bar on his 391... I would love to have a lighter bar on mine but I'm kind of a tightwad / frugal kind of guy and over a bill is more than I want to spend. Not only is it heavy, but it's very nose heavy with this bar on it. I have a 20" bar as well but rarely use it cuz my other saw has an 18" bar. I usually use this saw for bucking and felling of larger trees. My lighter saw gets most of the work these days. My shoulders aren't what they used to be when I was a younger man of 50, soooo the question is... Has anyone ever just drilled a bunch of holes in their bar to lighten it up? Does anyone know the difference in weight between a 25" ES and a 25" ES Light? I'm thinking a bunch of 1" holes would lighten it up and if they're in a well thought out pattern, they wouldn't allow too much flex or weaken the bar too much. The big question, what is a good pattern? How far to stay away from the rails? How much meat to leave between the holes? How much weight will it shed? Will the holes present problems getting hung up on stuff out in the woods or during cutting? Am I overthinking this? Should I just go for it? What's the worst that can happen anyway? I might have to go buy a new Light bar!!! (that would break my frugal lifestyle image) I'm usually pretty adventurous in the DIY arena, but hate having to buy new stuff when I royally screw something up... And that has happened a few times. I'm just trying to think up ways for us low budget hoarders to go "high-tech". Just looking for others' thoughts and experiences while trying to think this through before jumping in and regretting it.
Drilling these bars requires expensive bits as the metal is hardened (not a metallurgist, not sure proper term here.) I've only ever widened the mounting groove to work on a Husqvarna and know that a regular bit will not work. I don't like the idea of a bunch of holes in the bar, I'd just pony up the
I know that in a large Husqvarna mount pattern a 28” sugihara weights the same as a regular factory 24” husky bar. Don’t know if that’s helpful to you or not. I’ve got almost all my saws wearing reduced weight bars. Partly because they look so cool, and also for the weight savings. Sugihara are pricey but I think they are going to outlast a standard bar, they are HARD
That WON'T work unless you fill the holes .... sawdust will pack in and drag. Look up replacement plugs for the existing fixturing hole. To find the explanation.
If you do try drilling holes into your current bar and it doesn't work then you'd be spending money on a new bar anyways. So yes, I think you're over thinking this. Just by the bar you want and have the original as a back up just incase something would happen to the new bar.
Honestly, I thought about "trashing" a bar to see how light I could make it. I've "skeletonized" things before... The problem is our bars are not just a slab of steel anymore. They're more like plywood and unless you fill in those voids, it would probably come apart. In a very bad way... Yes, the ES Light bar is spendy. I knew I was ditching the 28" anyway, so for me it was "how much" lighter/better did I want it? Sometimes, we have to delay our gratification. I waited, and squirreled money away, and asked my local saw shop for a deal, and got it. It should be no surprise that no one ever "downgrades" or says it wasn't worth it. The problem is most of us shop within our budget when we buy a new saw, and don't factor in things we really want, or need like full wrap handles, light bars, and safety equipment.
From taking a quick look at that bar, it appears to weigh less than 4 lbs; how much weight do you really expect to save by drilling? Hell I can save you more weight, 1/2 tank of gass and 1/2 tank of bar oil.... Just say'n.
That's a really good point. You can see how much material they remove from the light bars. Even replacing it with aluminium, it's a lot. On mine, the 28" was uncomfortable to use. feel Heavy AND unbalanced. I also that it's a bit much full comp chain for a stock 391 to pull. The STD 25" wasn't "bad". But the light is OMG! nice to move and cut with.
This has been done before. Might take me a while to find the thread but I'll post it when I do. How A Reduced-Weight Bar Affects The Performance Of A Pro Chain Saw
The Wood Wolverine that was very enlightening read... That sure does seem like a lot of work for the small pay off of maybe a pound or so. The ES bar stays as is and I'll go on a diet instead... LOL Maybe lugging my fat A$$ through the woods all day is what's wearing me out... LOL Thanks for all the info guys. Just a passing thought. You've saved me from myself again...
For pros the light ( and longer ) bar is worth the $$$$. For most of us and you non pros cutting home firewood, forget it. Use the money for things that matter....like toilet paper that the crazies are hoarding.( Or, a good single malt, or micro brew made in Maine ) Or extra ammo to take the rolls from them. Both are being hoarded. Mr. Dumf's prescription: save your back, your time, go to shorter bars. ( Now come the flames. "We need long bars. We need long bars. We need......" )
I've come back to my senses... No real need for light weight on that saw anyway. Most of my work gets done with the 18" bar on the 250. I only break out the 391 when felling larger trees over 16" and for bucking the larger stuff cuz it's way faster than the 250 in the cut. Since I mostly cut for my own firewood and a few saw logs for the mill, I'm pretty well set with the equipment I really need to get the job done. I'm just always looking for cheapo ways to improve the operation to save myself some time and effort. The grass is always greener on the other side as they say... Sometimes wants get confused with needs. We have plenty of TP and ammo... LOL Room for a large garden also... And some highly defensable areas... Yikes, brewski's are running low, I better get to the store and hoard some...
It's more than a number reduction. LW bars change the balance and handling of the saw. If one is using the saw a lot, it makes a pretty big defference. Occasional firewood use maybe not so much. I've bought a couple RW bars and what I noticed is, they are made of much better steel. I've used these for quiet a few cords and they haven't needed to be dressed. You might get a 20" for under a bill.
