Chainsaw...best GP bar length?

Tim

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I need to pick up a saw. At the moment, I have a sizable pine down in the yard and it’s time to stop borrowing the father in law’s.

what’s the best bar length for a general purpose saw? I’m not a lumberjack, and don’t heat with wood. This is for around the the house, deer stand and campground use.
 
Windini said:
18" - 20"
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This.

I run a Sthil 271 with a 20" bar. I love it for my general use.

That particular saw is most likely better for "homeowner" style with an 18"er but i like not bending over to trim lol. Plus I'm a touch fanatical about keeping the chain sharp.

Although i have a little 179 (i think) Stihl i use at work alot that is super danged handy with a 14" bar. It is easy to handle for hours and takes care of light business easily. It will do bigger work. Just takes time.
 
Dad picked up a 20" Remington for peanuts and it did what we needed.

20200419_154024.jpg
 
Not dropping a bunch of trees ... 18” is a good all around one. I love my bigger 20” Husqvarna but I actually use a 20 year old smaller lighter and more nibble 14” Stihl that was my Dad’s more (pruning, bucking, topping fence posts, etc) but when it comes to dropping a tree ... the Hus comes out for both power and bar length. That Stihl does get more mileage but it’s smaller jobs.
 
20” on a ms291 is a good saw size. Or the husqvarna rancher with a 18-20” bar.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
How tall are you? The taller you are and the shorter the bar,the more you stoop over and wear your back out. I run 24-36" bars on my larger saws. I have a small Husqvarna that I run a 16" on because it doesn't hang off the 4wheeler rack with that length bar. I run what balances the saw unless I need longer. Just remember you get what you pay for.

Just my .02
 
I got a STUPID deal on a bunch of 18” Poulan Pro saws, most of my friends have one now, we used them to help clear my friend’s range and for the casual user we’re all very pleased with them. Ironically, they performed better than my friend’s Stihl 18” haha.

I’ve used 16, 18, 20, and 24” saws, since I’m no pro, I don’t belong trying to down huge trees, so I think 18” is the perfect all-around size.
 
At 50cc you are at the transition of 18 to 20. All around everyday ise I'd go 18


I have a stihl ms880 with a 42" bar and an old 017 with a 16.

I generally reach for the ms290 with an 18 for general use
 
Twenty inches is, IMO, the smallest size for an all purpose saw.

If you are getting a saw for one use then a cheaper 18” saw will most likely do. A 14-16” saw is decent for limbing.

Most 20” saws have a pretty big jump in power over 18” saws. And the chain and teeth are usually bigger making for faster cuts etc.
 
Slacker said:
I vote 18" on a 50cc saw.
My recommendation is a Stihl MS261 CM.
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This. It will run 16", 18", or 20".

I have multiple saws, but if I had to choose one saw, it would be my MS261 with a 16" bar for small trees & limbs, with a spare 20" bar & chain for the bigger stuff.
The 18" is used the most since it fills the gap between my smaller and larger saws.
 
Tim said:
Here’s the current situation:

View attachment 207575
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Tim, I cut down and cut up a gum about that size a couple weekends ago with my DeWalt and one battery. Took me about 40 mins to cut it down, limb it and cut it into firepit sized chunks.
 
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Junkyard dog said:
How tall are you? The taller you are and the shorter the bar,the more you stoop over and wear your back out.
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This is a really good point! I'm not particularly tall or short, so a 24" is a bit oversized for me and, though I have a 10", I only use it for climbing work 9when it runs).
 
I have a 20", works pretty good for general usage. Jonsered 2255, it's a Husqvarna in red plastic, literally.

Wouldn't mind a smaller one for when I climb up stuff.

I probably don't have much business dropping trees too big for the 20.
 
Was just going to say for very occasional home owner use the battery ones make a good choice if you already have battery tools that use the same batteries so you do not have a motor to maintain. 16-18” bar is plenty for most home owners use especially if trees are not huge or many of them. If going gas and money was not a issue a ms261 stihl pro level saw makes a heck of saw for just around the house but if cost is a concern back up to something in the homeowner lineup.
 
rantingredneck said:
Tim, I cut down and cut up a gum about that size a couple weekends ago with my DeWalt and one battery. Took me about 40 mins to cut it down, limb it and cut it into firepit sized chunks.
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really? I paced that at ~65 feet
 
Tim said:
really? I paced that at ~65 feet
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Really....

Mine was probably a little shorter than that. Didn't measure it. Triple trunked with one main trunk and two smaller trunks coming out of the base. Really more like cutting three separate trees down. One battery and done.

That little saw has some serious torque for it's size. Cuts bigger than it ought to.
 
rantingredneck said:
Really....

Mine was probably a little shorter than that. Didn't measure it. Triple trunked with one main trunk and two smaller trunks coming out of the base. Really more like cutting three separate trees down. One battery and done.

That little saw has some serious torque for it's size. Cuts bigger than it ought to.
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Huh. I dig the idea of not maintaining an engine for just occasional use.
 
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Tim said:
Huh. I dig the idea of not maintaining an engine for just occasional use.
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There is a 60v version as well. Honestly I'll probably end up with one of those eventually but for my purposes, which are exactly what you stated in the OP, the 20v is doing just fine so far.

By the time I could gas up and start the 18" Husky, I'm halfway done with what I needed to do with this one.
 
Tim said:
Huh. I dig the idea of not maintaining an engine for just occasional use.
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Videos of the Milwaukee, dewalt and some others all are pretty impressive it is worth looking into for once or twice a year use. Some landscaping companies are going to them again for one less engine to maintain and it being quiet.
 
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Stihl even makes a battery saw now too I think.
 
Chdamn said:
Twenty inches is, IMO, the smallest size for an all purpose saw.

If you are getting a saw for one use then a cheaper 18” saw will most likely do. A 14-16” saw is decent for limbing.

Most 20” saws have a pretty big jump in power over 18” saws. And the chain and teeth are usually bigger making for faster cuts etc.
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I don’t have any experience running a chainsaw.... but this sounds like good advice
 
LeeMajors said:
I have a stihl ms880 with a 42" bar and an old 017 with a 16.
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A 42” bar? :eek:

Almost long enough to cut up stuff without getting outta bed. ;)
 
Jp8819 said:
Was just going to say for very occasional home owner use the battery ones make a good choice if you already have battery tools that use the same batteries so you do not have a motor to maintain. 16-18” bar is plenty for most home owners use especially if trees are not huge or many of them. If going gas and money was not a issue a ms261 stihl pro level saw makes a heck of saw for just around the house but if cost is a concern back up to something in the homeowner lineup.
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I am pretty deep in DeWalt 20v tools and batteries here so any time I need a new tool that's where I look first. The battery commonality issue is a big selling point for me.
 
Well, Butte, Montana just a-passin' through, one thing I just had to do.

Had to get a haircut and I was worried for my hair
I had a feeling of impending doom the minute I stepped into that room And laid my eyes upon that barber chair...oh yeah

It was a macho barber shop. Hair dryers were mounted on a rifle rack.

Wasn't no mirrors. The barber chair was a Peterbilt. Barber walked in; He was huge, seven feet tall, three hundred pounds of spring steel and Rawhide. Wearin' a hard hat, chewin' a cigar, had a t-shirt on -- said "I hate musicians."

Threw me in the chair, sneered and said, "What'll it
Be pal?"

Now a lot of people would be intimidated in a situation like This...I was not. I am what I am, play my piano, sing my little Songs. I looked him right in the eye and I said,

“I'm a logger...just up in Coos Bay, Oregon. Been toppin' trees -- quite possibly the toughest Man in the entire world. He said, "All right!" He gave me a haircut and I walked out of there, my hair was gone! Made Kojak look like Bill Golden. Yeah, had a tremendous craving to operate heavy equipment
 
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