Stihl Bar Studs

What's up with Stihl bar studs?!! All of my Stihl saws (024/026/034/036) have bar studs with beveled shoulders. Also, the part of the stud upon which the bar rests is only about half the depth of the thickness of the bar itself. This often causes the bar to fall off (when installing the chain), unless the saw is perfectly level/stable, which then causes me to get a wee bit angry. Am I the only one with this issue? Do other manufacturers have bar studs like this? Are there any Stihl engineers on here that can explain the purpose of these bevels and shallow bar rests (I may have just made that term up)?

 

You use both hands right?

All the brands of saws are a bit fussy when putting bars on.

 

Sometimes the shoulders on the studs can round off a little. You can replace them with full shoulder studs that are as wide as the bar

 

I like to lay the saw on its side and put the bar and chain on. I always put a little tension on the chain before I put the clutch cover on.

 

I've not heard of these full shoulder studs. Have you seen them for Stihl saws?

 

Here is what you have




Here are the studs with extended shoulders. They require the clutch cover holes to be countersunk on the inside about 1/8" deep. Either are available at your dealer or ebay

 

My Stihls all have "clips" that the bar slot snaps into so changing bars and changes is literally a "snap". But these are higher end professional chainsaws too. Its actually something I miss on my 562 Husky. I do not need it on that because it is an outboard clutch, but its more of a pain to thread the chain on, and then install the bar, then slip the chain over the bar. All kind of goofy compared to the Stihl's in my opinion (but again, mine has clips that the bar slides into).

 

No rush, but when you get a chance, could you post a pic of that "clip" system? I've never seen that before.

Yeah, I'm not at all a fan of outboard clutches...

 

Hey, I finally got that photo for you. The clips are kind of hard to see because they are offset and blend into the other steel, but I drew arrows so you can see them better. They are made of spring steel so they slip, then clip over the bar slot, and hold it in place.

 

What are you cutting roots with your chainsaw?

I just noticed by looking at the photo that you have worn your chain really flat on the bottom, yet you have a whole lot of tooth left. With the bluing of the bar, that tells me you are running some incredible tension, probably to keep the chain from getting loose. That only happens when the chain is hot and "stretches" due to expansion. It is hard to tell from the photo, but looks like the raker is factory and has never been filed, but with that much tooth left, it does not look like it would cause that much heat as it is not that far out of proportion.

I am not giving you grief on this, just explaining that, heat is going to the worst possible spot on that saw, down low where it can blow your connecting rod. Husky's are more prone to this then Stihl, but it is not good for the saw regardless. A guy told me this years ago, and I have had saws last 22 years of more. Some might be still running granted, but I have a thing about driving over them with skidders, bulldozers and excavators.

 

Wow, I love it/them! I was just now about to respond with wishing I could get side plates like that for my 036/034/026/024. Before speaking, I opened up a few of my IPLs, and discovered that I, in fact, can (part #1122 664 1001; if anyone else is interested)! I'm gonna have to try to find some of these (other than the Stihl shop, if possible). Thanks a lot!

What saw is in the picture; 044/MS440, 046/MS460, or ?

 

I am not sure. It is either my O46 or MS 461...one was mangled by an excavator, and the other by a skidder. The lack of felling dogs makes me inclined to think it is the 046 Stihl.

 

The saw pictured is my 034, which I bought used (and I suspect, abused) a couple years ago. The saw had a heavily-scored P/C, along with that nasty-ish-looking bar and chain; hence my assumption of possible "abuse". I very rarely use the saw; I almost only run it when I'm about to cut into something that I suspect has sand/gravel/grit in it (sometimes, when scrounging, I have to cut trees that the owner has skidded/dragged with a tractor or truck).

That being said, I actually appreciate you pointing that out, and providing the explanation. I hadn't really paid much attention to the bluing in that location on the bar, nor tied that issue into the concept of premature failing of the connecting rod. I'll have to take a look at my other saws... Thanks!

 

If the shoulders are too long the clutch cover won't hold the bar tight enough.
With inboard clutch saws. I set the saw on its side with the clutch cover and bar nuts handy. Put the chain on the bar and set the drivers in the sprocket then set the bar on the bar studs. Hold the bar in place with 1 hand . Put the clutch cover on with my other hand and spin the rear bar nut on finger tight . Then the front. Give the bar a good wiggle and push down hard on the clutch cover. And snug the bar nuts by hand , then tension the chain and tighten the bar nuts. Its alot trickier with a long bar. But practice makes perfect.