MS461 bar/chain combos..

So long story short.. My wife got me a new 461 for Christmas.. I don't get it till Christmas Day but she told me today before I bought one..lol.. Pics to follow obviously..

I believe she bought it with a 25" bar which is what I intend to normally run on it but I'm not totally sure and neither was she..lol..

I'd like a 20, 25, and 30 plus for it. What do you guys recommend as far as aftermarket bars and chains for that saw? I might eventually mod the saw but I don't like messing with new stuff right away.. Just curious about bars and chains for now..

 

I'd get a 20 and a 32...skip the 25. My opinion.

 

Yea dont really need a 25" but keep in mind if you get big dogs on it you shorten your bar up a good bit on what you can use. My big dogs make the 25" bar about 20". I have a 32" bar and you can cut some monster wood with the thing! I use a 20" bar most of the time even with big dogs I can over buck wood up to about 22-24"s and only have to cut from one side. So a 20" bar is very capable. I can honestly cut wood bigger than I want to lift with a 20" bar. The 25" bar will cut wood bigger than you really want to even lift!!

 

I prefer 28-32" myself. Light weight bars from tsumura, oregon, or stihl.

 

25 is a good all around bar, especially with larger dawgs as said, it reduces the cut to about 21-22".. 28-32" is a good backup long bar. if the bar needs to be that big, then the rounds aren't no fun to move and more teeth to sharpen. I ran 20" bars as firewood bars on 440/372 sized saws for years, but now prefer the 25".

 

Tom..i have a 20" and a 28"...those 2 will tackle just about anything you want to mess with by yourself....i think i paid somewhere around $100 fer the 28"es and rs full comp chain..that saw will pull a 28" full comp very well...enjoy your new saw...it is a far cry from what your used too..

 

Congrats on the awesome wife and new chainsaw.
My 460 had a 25 on it for years and last year I put a 20 on it and think its great. Have fun with your new saw.

 

I can't wait to get the thing. The little 251 has done the job but something bigger would make my life a lot easier. I'll see what combo she got with it and go from there - she thought it was 25" but she wasn't sure.. She knows as much about saws as I know about makeup..lol.. Good point on the dawgs Clem..

 

Scroungers dont fell many trees so the big dawgs are fer looks..IMO...99% of the stuff we get is already down..i have the small ones on my 441 they work fine...but you will have to decide what combo works fer you

 

Big dogs are not for looks when bucking heavy barked trees. I buck some southern yellow pines that small dogs just rip out of and I dont get any leverage. The big dogs penetrate to the wood or tight bark. Saw does the same on an old flakeybarked white oak. There just not long enough to get to the wood on some trees without big dogs.

 

most "firewood" guys don't fell a lot of big trees., so they don't know the purpose of big dawns. Not being mean or rude, but most don't. not all, but most.

 

I wouldn't say that big dawgs are for looks. More leverage is more better

If it turns out to be a 25" bar, I'd grab a longer one for the real big stuff and let it wear the 25" normally

 

I love the 25" ES on my 461, kind of like it better than my Sugi light. I also have a 32" ES with full comp and full skip chisel. Stock, it will run the full comp in hard woods, but, it's easier to keep the revs up with the full skip. HOWEVER, it just came back from TN with some extra bananas. I've run it a little with the 25 so far, but looking forward to running the 32 soon.

 

clem, i don't get into much stuff over 26" or so but I end up splitting this sized stuff right on the spot if there are no knots and its straight grained, but anyways I know what you mean by getting to damm heavy to load up or I try to noodle it up sometimes if I absolutely have to. But to the OP, what a great saw and wife to have!! A 20" and then a 28-32 would be my vote.

 

U gotta buy her 1200$ worth of makeup for Christmas now!!