When I bought my XP I had a 3/8 chain put on so I didn't have multiple sized chains and files to deal with. I had bought a 16in bar and .325/50 chain and sprocket to try out and never got around to it. We had 5 trees down in the yard from high winds so I made the swap. I wish I had made the switch sooner than I did. Everyone else talks about how well balanced it is with a 16in bar. They are correct. It ran and cut so well it was almost comical to me. Great limbing saw, the 046 took care of the trunks. The truck could only fit the Locust, Elm and Cherry.
Nice - it is amazing how different set-ups change the way you feel about a saw. I have a Husq 61 that I normally run 3/8 20" bar, but I have 16" bars as well - always fun to swap to the 16" and run it for a while. The 20" is unbalanced on the 61, but it pulls it just fine. 18 is about perfect. Cheers!
16" is best on 50cc saws, but I like 18" better. I generally run 16"-3/8 or 18"-.325... I use them for more than just limbing...
I've switched to a 13" on my 550, was using 18". It's an absolute dream to use, kind of like cutting wood with a scalpel.