I’m sure this has been hashed out before but I don’t recall seeing it. What are the pro and cons of various chain gauges. I’m contemplating getting a 36” bar for my 181 for a potential job coming up. The one that I have my eye on is a .058. All my other chains and bars are.050. Except the 32” sugihara is .063. It seems 119 link chain in .058 has limited choices unless I buy a spool and roll my own, which I don’t have the tools for but I think another guy in town does. So which is better and why.
My long bars are and always have been 63. 58 to 63 ain't much but guys say it carries oil better. Thicker is stronger and heavier. The saw that runs that chain is big powa so stronger makes sense.
Wider gauge means more surface area for power transmission which means less wear. It also gives a wider channel for oil to travel down the bar to feed the nose and bottom side. I run .050 on everything currently, but no big saws either. Biggest I have is a ported 65cc and the 28" bar carries plenty of oil. I keep my bar grooves clean and that seems to help a lot. A full bar groove has no room for oil.
