Well, new to me at least. Guy bought a Stihl MS391 to cut up some big trees that had blown down on his land. He bought it in mid January and I just bought it from him at a little over half price. It has a 25" bar and I'm wondering if that is too big of a bar for the saw in some large cured hard wood. Anyone have any experience with this saw or opinions?
New chainsaw
- Thread starter Lazy M
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SBMF 2015
Well-known member
Hmmm, not a MS391, but I had a MS 390 the previous model. I ran a 20" bar and Stihl diamond / chisel chain. I cut lots of hedge posts with it. Got along really well, but you could get ahead of it if you weren't paying attention.
Run a less aggressive chain or a shorter bar and you should be good.
Run a less aggressive chain or a shorter bar and you should be good.
Thanks. I'm a little worried if the saw will oil well enough with that long of a bar whenever I work it hard. I'll find out this weekend when I tackle a huge hickory that has been down for a couple years in the pasture. Should be enough firewood to last me the rest of the winter if my saw and my back hold up.SBMF 2015 said:
SBMF 2015
Well-known member
Check your Stihl book, there should be an adjustment screw by the oiler. You can turn it up so it oils your chain more. Stihl also recommends turning the bar over every time you replace the chain. It's supposed to extend the life of the bar.Lazy M said:
Good Luck with your back.
jltrent is the expert on all things chainsaws on here. You should reach out to him. I am sure he will know.
Dave
Well-known member
How often will you have the entire bar buried in the wood? Keep a sharp chain and how much pressure you put on it will have more effect than the extra few inches of the bar.
ON the MS391 it is a 64 cc clamshell EPA saw and on the 25" bar a full skip, full chisel chain it will pull pretty decent as it will help with chain speed and clean out. IT will be a little nose heavy with that setup and as mentioned a 20" bar would be better for most occasions. I have owned a couple and sold both as one I had to put new bearings in.
I have several stacks of cord wood like this laying around as in this one there is 14 MS660s as I had 23 at one time.
Here is the one I put new bearings in, when running it sound like an airplane taking off.......
Finished saw with new OEM bearings and wearing a 20" ES PRO bar with a full skip chain..............
I have several stacks of cord wood like this laying around as in this one there is 14 MS660s as I had 23 at one time.
Here is the one I put new bearings in, when running it sound like an airplane taking off.......
Finished saw with new OEM bearings and wearing a 20" ES PRO bar with a full skip chain..............
That's impressive jltrent! I have a ms310 with a 20" bar that I've used for the last 13+ yrs. That saw is still running strong but this seemed like a good deal to jump on. I have no idea how many cords of wood I burn in a year, but I have an outdoor woodstove that I use to heat the house and go through a truck load of wood every week from late October through early April. Our farm has several old growth forests so if the saw can handle it, I'll have the bar buried quite often.
Dave
Well-known member
Is a 42 inch bar too big for a Stihl 056? Can you fall a Douglas fir that is 8' 10" inside the bark with a 42 inch bar?
Used an 090 with a 72 inch bar some but I don't have any pictures of that.
Used an 090 with a 72 inch bar some but I don't have any pictures of that.
Wow!Dave said:Is a 42 inch bar too big for a Stihl 056? Can you fall a Douglas fir that is 8' 10" inside the bark with a 42 inch bar?
Used an 090 with a 72 inch bar some but I don't have any pictures of that.
Lazy M said:
What brand/size of stove do you have? We heat our home with the mid-sized Hardy and the only times it will use a pickup load per week is if the temps are 0ish at night and below freezing during the day. Most of the winter, a pickup load will last me 2 to 3 weeks - around month in the shoulder seasons.
JW IN VA
Well-known member
A lot depends on the wood you are burning.Well seasoned hardwood will produce more BTUs than fresh cut live trees.Type and size of house are factors,too.
I got a triaxle load of green oak and hickory in Early December and have been through it.If I could have waited until next year,I would have had some left.
Back to the original post.I think a 20" bar would be better,as well. Until then,just don't bury the bar into the wood.If you are cutting 16" diameter wood,it won't make that much difference.My MS 250 wears an 18" bar.It will cut the full 18" but not extremely well.I wouldn't do it every day.For that size,I get out the MS 362 with the 20" saw bar.
I got a triaxle load of green oak and hickory in Early December and have been through it.If I could have waited until next year,I would have had some left.
Back to the original post.I think a 20" bar would be better,as well. Until then,just don't bury the bar into the wood.If you are cutting 16" diameter wood,it won't make that much difference.My MS 250 wears an 18" bar.It will cut the full 18" but not extremely well.I wouldn't do it every day.For that size,I get out the MS 362 with the 20" saw bar.
Nesikep
Well-known member
Atimm693 said:
fixed it.. a 24" bar on a 65cc is about nice in softwoods, I have a 28 on my 044
Nesikep
Well-known member
Good plan, if it works, it works!
I haven't found bar size makes too big a difference as long as the saw is comfortably balanced... a longer bar is a little less leaning over while limbing.
A sharp chain is the #1 thing!
For oiling, it should be OK, just don't dog it in and reef on it...
A chain cuts properly when the cutter contacts the wood, it then rocks backward, bites, lifts off bar until it fills up with chips, then comes back down.. it shouldn't have too much pressure on the bar if it's doing its job right
I haven't found bar size makes too big a difference as long as the saw is comfortably balanced... a longer bar is a little less leaning over while limbing.
A sharp chain is the #1 thing!
For oiling, it should be OK, just don't dog it in and reef on it...
A chain cuts properly when the cutter contacts the wood, it then rocks backward, bites, lifts off bar until it fills up with chips, then comes back down.. it shouldn't have too much pressure on the bar if it's doing its job right
