Chainsaws?
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Nothing wrong with .325 chain for lower horsepower saws. Its the low kickback "green box" safety chains that suck. I always replace them right away with a real chain. Poor quality chains will stretch very fast. Spend a few more bucks and get a good quality "yellow box" chain such as made by Stihl.
3/8 Low profile is not uncommon. Go down to Sears, Home Depot, Lowes and see whats on there saws. Even the arborist saws (Husky 334, 338 - Stihl 019, 020) use the low profile 3/8. It is more common than the .325 pitch!
The chisel chain just means that the tooth is squared off. Has nothing to do with the anti kickback link. They also have a semi-chisel chain that the tooth is rounded. The semi-chisel will not dull as quickley as the chisel chain. Works great for hard woods.
There are many reasons that your chain will stretch. Just because it has an anti kickback link does not mean it will stretch more than others. The quality of chain was probably not as good as the brand you replaced it with.
The guide in front of the tooth should be about 25 - 30 thousands lower than the cutting edge of the tooth. So that is all the wood you will be taking off. Doesnt matter if you have a Mac truck behind it, thats all it will take out. The anti kick back link is even lower than that from the guide.
You also have different guages of chain. The drive link on the chain can vary from saw to saw. Stihl has a cheap .043 guage chain. There is also .050, .058, .063 guage chains.
There are many different styles, but if you take the same chain and only take off the anti kickback links it will not stretch less. Other factors will apply to the chain stretching, not the link.
The chisel chain just means that the tooth is squared off. Has nothing to do with the anti kickback link. They also have a semi-chisel chain that the tooth is rounded. The semi-chisel will not dull as quickley as the chisel chain. Works great for hard woods.
There are many reasons that your chain will stretch. Just because it has an anti kickback link does not mean it will stretch more than others. The quality of chain was probably not as good as the brand you replaced it with.
The guide in front of the tooth should be about 25 - 30 thousands lower than the cutting edge of the tooth. So that is all the wood you will be taking off. Doesnt matter if you have a Mac truck behind it, thats all it will take out. The anti kick back link is even lower than that from the guide.
You also have different guages of chain. The drive link on the chain can vary from saw to saw. Stihl has a cheap .043 guage chain. There is also .050, .058, .063 guage chains.
There are many different styles, but if you take the same chain and only take off the anti kickback links it will not stretch less. Other factors will apply to the chain stretching, not the link.
AHHHHH, I am still learning. Maybe you guys could suggest the proper chain by brand and type for my uses. Is an Oregon chain the best brand? Are there others I should consider? Yellow box?
My Husky brand chain is so soft that the bench grinder (used to remove the anti kickback tabs) went through it like butter. Softest steel I have ever seen, and I know steel.
Chris
My Husky brand chain is so soft that the bench grinder (used to remove the anti kickback tabs) went through it like butter. Softest steel I have ever seen, and I know steel.
Chris
The Husky branded chain is made by Oregon.
Generally the anti kickback link wont be as hard as the tooth.
Stihl makes a good chain as well as some of Oregons and Windsor chain.
The yellow tab on the box is just basically a warning that the chain has no anti kickback link.
Depends on what you cut as to what chain would work the best.
What saw do you have and what chain are you useing?
Edit: Just saw that you bought the 345. That saw probably came with the 95vp chain. Semichisel chain with anti kickback links.
You could try the 33SL by oregon, it will have the anti kickback links though. But is a chisel chain. It will cut faster. You will have to check the Stihl chain. You need a .050 guage for that bar.
[ October 18, 2004, 06:32 PM: Message edited by: NThomas ]
Generally the anti kickback link wont be as hard as the tooth.
Stihl makes a good chain as well as some of Oregons and Windsor chain.
The yellow tab on the box is just basically a warning that the chain has no anti kickback link.
Depends on what you cut as to what chain would work the best.
What saw do you have and what chain are you useing?
Edit: Just saw that you bought the 345. That saw probably came with the 95vp chain. Semichisel chain with anti kickback links.
You could try the 33SL by oregon, it will have the anti kickback links though. But is a chisel chain. It will cut faster. You will have to check the Stihl chain. You need a .050 guage for that bar.
[ October 18, 2004, 06:32 PM: Message edited by: NThomas ]
Like the Stihl chain myself. They make many types for different situations. But for your 345 I would take a good look at the Stihl Rapid Micro (RM) chain, Not the (RM2. It available in a .325 and does carry a yellow warning on the box, that means increased risk of kickback.
Just take your old chain in so they can match it up to one that will work. Many dealers will try sell you a dang safety chain instead, sometimes you have to press the issue. I know its that way when I ask for Stihl RS chain in some dealers. But RS is not a good chain for everyone because of its wicked kickback.
Not all anti kickback chains use anti kickback links. Anti kickback type of chains also use different cutter geometry as part or all of the method to reduce kickback.
Here is a link to Stihl chains. Chains
I would use .325 Stihl RS chain, Not RM. Rm has a rounde corner profile which stays sharper longer in dirty wood, but cuts much slower and lugs a low HP saw like a 345 down to much. Oregon chain is ok, but a little soft. Windsor and Carlton also make good .325 chains.
NThomas, look in a Baileys catalog and tell whcih has a wider selction. 325 or 38lp.
NThomas, look in a Baileys catalog and tell whcih has a wider selction. 325 or 38lp.
Blano, I work with chainsaws everyday. I sell 10x more low profile 3/8 than I do .325 pitch chain. This is one subject that you do not want to argue with me on. Just because they have different tooth styles for the .325 pitch does not mean it is more common.
I bought a John Deere (made by Echo) in 1981 and it runs pretty good, but I just tried to get some parts for the oiler and can't find it. While it has been a good saw I could never match the cutting of Stihls that my buddies were using, and they didn't have to gas up as often as I did...
Thanks guys.
I went down to the local Stihl saw dealer with the intent of getting a chain. Well, those jerks would not even talk to me once I told them what the chain was for. They suggested Homeless Depot or Loweys down the road. Gee thanks, I could not have thought of that myself.
I guess I will mail order a chain. So which one is best??? Which one should I order?
Chris
I went down to the local Stihl saw dealer with the intent of getting a chain. Well, those jerks would not even talk to me once I told them what the chain was for. They suggested Homeless Depot or Loweys down the road. Gee thanks, I could not have thought of that myself.
I guess I will mail order a chain. So which one is best??? Which one should I order?
Chris
My .02, Stihl and Husky are great saws, but Stihl is expensive and Husky is a heavy saw and hard to start. Get an Echo they are priced right in the middle and the engine life is rated at 1200 hrs.
Interesting point about the Echo engines, as the engine is typically rated at "A" 300 hours by the EPA. That is the top rating for a small engine, so 1200 hours is not out of the question.
My Husky saw (345) is rated at the "B" level if I remember correctly. Maybe it is "C" rated, sorry but memory is not what it used to be,,,,. In any case it is not as good a rating as the Echo. I have plenty of hours on my saw, as I used it to clear my property for the house. It still runs well and has high compression. The plastic is not holding up all that well though. Another prob I had with the Husky is that full throttle was not available until I adjusted the linkage. The dealer told me that this is by design as a reserve power system. The harder you push on the saw, the more the throttle opens. I say BS. Full throttle is necessary when ever you want it.
Chris
My Husky saw (345) is rated at the "B" level if I remember correctly. Maybe it is "C" rated, sorry but memory is not what it used to be,,,,. In any case it is not as good a rating as the Echo. I have plenty of hours on my saw, as I used it to clear my property for the house. It still runs well and has high compression. The plastic is not holding up all that well though. Another prob I had with the Husky is that full throttle was not available until I adjusted the linkage. The dealer told me that this is by design as a reserve power system. The harder you push on the saw, the more the throttle opens. I say BS. Full throttle is necessary when ever you want it.
Chris
I agree with the others, spend a little more and get a good saw. I have a Sears (polan) 3.5ci 18in bar. in. The saw always starts and runs fine and I probibly have 40hrs or more on it. But I hate using it, my hands go numb after cutting a tree up, even with gloves on. It doesn't have the anti-vibe, some of the polan pros have the anti-vibe. I also can't cut a large tree without two gas and one bar oil refills. The better brand saws will have bigger tanks allowing you to work longer. In hardwoods it seems underpowered, you really have to let it run high rpms, it has no lugging power like some of the Stil's, McColuch's, or Huskies I've used. On my .325 chain I've ground down the limiting teeth some (raker?) so it cuts much better than it did out of the box. I also have one chain I sharpened every second or third tooth flat, instead of angled. It cuts through pine trees in no time, instead of all small chips you get large amount of 1-2" shavings comming off the saw. This type of tooth style as I understand it is better for ripping but it works well in cross cutting pine, but will bogg down the saw in a larger hard woods.
Echo saws are gutless and heavy. The pro model stihl and husky's have very simular weight and power numbers. in reality Husk'y are always heavier than advertised and are more powerfull than the comparable stihl. This applys to pro saws only ie the 346/260. 357/360, 371/440. 385/460. The only saw that stihl has that is clearly better than Huky's is the ms200T arborist saw. Other than that Husky comes out ahead. With that said Stihl and Husky are better than every other pro saw out there with the exception of the Dolmar 7900.
Sorry to contradict you again Blano, but Husky has the 334T and 338XPT that compete with the 200T, or the 020 that I always call it. The carb on the 020 is in the handle and the intake boot often rips, which will result in over revving and you seize the machine. I personally like the husky arborist saws better. Granted it is personal preference so you have to go with what feels better.
When Stihl first brought out this saw it was selling for $675, and it was the fastest cutting small saw on the market! I sold a ton of them! Husky came out with theirs in 1997 and took it from Stihl, but was selling for $379. To this day this is the most popular saw that I sell. Even the 020T, at the time, was a huge seller.
Bottom line is, buy what feels the best to you, buy from someone that will take care of you later and you will be happy with your decision for years to come.
There has been just about everything that you could concider brought up in this thread and if you read it all you will come up with whats best for you!!
But, Blano, I do agree with you on your other points!!!
When Stihl first brought out this saw it was selling for $675, and it was the fastest cutting small saw on the market! I sold a ton of them! Husky came out with theirs in 1997 and took it from Stihl, but was selling for $379. To this day this is the most popular saw that I sell. Even the 020T, at the time, was a huge seller.
Bottom line is, buy what feels the best to you, buy from someone that will take care of you later and you will be happy with your decision for years to come.
There has been just about everything that you could concider brought up in this thread and if you read it all you will come up with whats best for you!!
But, Blano, I do agree with you on your other points!!!
No doubt that the 200t is expensive and isnt the most serviceable, but it is the top handle saw of choice from what I have seen. The husky TH saws have a reputation of being junk. For the life of me I cant figure out why they can not get this market segment right when there other products are arguably superior.
BTW are you a husky dealer? whats your thoughts on the new 575? A step in the wrong direction in regards to weight as far as I am concerned.
BTW are you a husky dealer? whats your thoughts on the new 575? A step in the wrong direction in regards to weight as far as I am concerned.
Like i said - Diff. areas diff. saws! I post on arboristsite and there is a couple guys that post crap about the small Huskys. But by no means does everyone there do it. Those saws are very popular and use the lp 3/8. He may be in an area where guys are buying more of the 2.5 to 3.0 cu. in. machines (346, 026) Other than that, 95% of the saws sold at box stores use lp 3/8. I sell more 334 and 338 saws than anything else which use the same chain.
372 is a great saw, Im glad you like it. that is prolly my #2 seller.
372 is a great saw, Im glad you like it. that is prolly my #2 seller.
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