Saw-- What Am I Looking For?

I'd say run the saw with an 18"-20" bar and see how you like it. Then decide if you want to be an east or left coast chainsaw guy.
My 361 feels over matched with a 20" bar in hardwood. 24" bars are why they made the 372xp

 

Mike, like I said I am not wanting to run that bar all the time, just if necessary I want to have it on hand. I plan on running the 20" bar that is coming with it 99% of the time.

 

Jack,
If you are a tall guy (I thought you stated that in another post) you may end up wanting the extra bar as it allows a bit of relief on your back, you don't need to bend so much in order to do the same task repeatedly.

 

Maybe, I do end up on my knees if that wood is big enough.

 

WP this is the very reason I have been kooking for a decent used 25" bar forever. I don't need it to cut 99% of my wood but limbing many branches would easily happen with it without bending. As it is I have to bend just barely over t the waist to trim most branches with a 20"bar. I'm 6'2" for what its worth.

 

Better than on your back!

 

I hear 'ya, I'm 6'3" and the 25 is just long enough to be comfortable, when I was running the husky 365 I had a 24" and everyone thought I was nutz 'till they watched me strip a felled log as I walked beside it! .... Poo on them I say!

 

A 25 is not that long, IMO. I read about all the flap against running them on a 361 and I bought one anyway. I was amazed/amused that it ran really well. I have three or four 25 inch bars now, some are Stihl and some GB. Many 361s were sold here with a 28 on them. If you wanna go west coast, a 28 on an 034 Super would be the right size, but you would have to upgrade the oiler. A 25 should be in spec for the 034S/036/360 saws, like it is on the 361.

BTW: Husky 365 x-torq now is actually a 70cc saw. Same saw as a 372xp x-torq, w/o the porting (but they can be modified the same). I would run a 28 on that, and a 32 on occasion. But I have west coast long bar disease...

 

So what is your preference? Skip? Safety? Chisel?

 

Um.... YES?

It is totally dependent on the cutting conditions, the saw and the chain type. Some chain types are not available in some sizes. A 25 inch bar on a 361 with full skip full chisel is a mean setup. But that requires clean wood cutting conditions or it will dull fast. It also dulls faster with fewer cutters, but sharpens faster. Semi-chisel is good for cutting in crud and stays sharp a lot longer, but does not cut as fast. Its a trade-off. In general, I prefer to use full comp full chisel loops the most on my saws, except the 211 which I only have Carlton semi chisel non safety low profile chain for. Supposedly there is some new full chisel non-safety Picco from Stihl out now, but I have never found any. If conditions are suited, I flip to skip, or semi-chisel. I ran semi-chisel non-safety for years and got by just fine.

Safety: generally not preferred, but I keep them in case I may cut through nails (lots of tree forts in yard trees with nails in them!). I never throw away old or safety chains, in case I have to cut some mystery wood, or in places that they are apt to be rocked. Many 60cc and under saws come with safety loops on them (in some places by law).

Skip: good for longer bars/bigger wood to keep your chain speed up, also good for noodling (cutting rounds). Most pro fallers here use it (in both full and semi chisel).

Full chisel (round filed square chisel): Good in clean wood, cuts faster than semi-chisel, dulls faster, and really dulls fast in any type of crud.

Semi chisel: Good for cutting in cruddy conditions, flush stump cutting, cutting trees that have gritty bark (like willow), chain stays sharp longer, but it does not cut as fast as full chisel.

 

I am thinking my typical conditions would best be suited by a semi chisel non safety full skip chain... What is The difference between picco and rapid, I tried to find an answer earlier but it doesn't seem to be on the Internet.

 

Hey man, you're the expert I will listen to you. I know a lot of what I get in is dirty from being dumped. So, 33RM? Also, is there a number/letter in the Stihl code that denotes safety?

 

So a lack of that final 3 means not safety, or is there another number in its place? Also-- full comp, is that the opposite of skip?

 

I'm thinking a 2 is full chisel? MM will know. There is full comp chain that has a cutter every link. Semi skip is like every other and full ship is 2 links then cutter. Could be wrong and correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I think full chisel is S instead of M. S= Super aka Chisel, M= Micro, aka Semi Chisel

 

Micro is not semi chisel micro is a totally different chain. Its a low profile chain for small saws

 

From Stihl's site:

Cutter Shape
S = Super (Full Chisel)M = Micro™ (Semi Chisel)
D = Duro (Carbide Tip)
R = Rescue (RDR chain, especially designed
for MS 460 R STIHL Magnum® Rescue
carbide segment)

I think you are thinking of picco.

 

Look in any Stihl catalog and you will get an idea of the types of chain they have. Or look here (but there is less information): http://www.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/saw-chains/

I never figured out the numbers and letters. Its German converted to English, and usually does not make any sense. In 3/8 std. 0.050 round filed Stihl chain the following are available (where RM means Rapid Micro which is semi-chisel, RS means Rapid Super which is full-chisel):

RM is non-safety (was RMC).
RMF is full skip non-safety.
RM2 had huge safety rakers (now discontinued).
RM3 is safety confort (replaced RM2, also was RMC3).

RS is non-safety confort (was RSC).
RSF is skip non-safety.
RS3 is safety comfort (was RCS3).
RSK is full non-safety special chain for long bars for falling/bucking big trees.