Function of chain pitch?

  • Thread starter Thread starter High Scale
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies Replies 26
  • Views Views 5K
Several reasons .For example a large chain will have a larger cutter,deeper gullet and pull a larger chip . Another is that for example the power produced by something as large as an 084 would be a tad too much to run a 3/8 low profile chain as giving an extreme . Conversely a 200T wouldn't do real well with a heavy bodied .404 /.063 .

If it weren't for small chain ,originally 1/4" pitch now replaced by 3/8" lo then small saws wouldn't be .

It's argumenative if small saws do better with 3/8 " lo as opposed to .325 .Whatever floats your boat on that I suppose .
 
I'm not a big fan of .325 chain, but my old 028AV seems right at home with it. Not sure if that applies to all saws in that cc range?
 
.325 is great for saws in the 45 to 60cc range (approximately). They are strong enough to pull a chain bigger than the lo-pro but not quite big enough to pull full size 3/8". I would love to eliminate using .325 on my little Husky 346's but they work so darn well with it.
 
The 028 ,034 will go either way,.325 or 3/8" .They both list small plus normal sized clutch hubs .With the small though the only sized rims that fit are OEM Stihl .The standard will take anyones rims .

I'm like you in that I think .325 is a bastard size but again that's just an opinion .
 
Skwerl said:
.325 is great for saws in the 45 to 60cc range (approximately). They are strong enough to pull a chain bigger than the lo-pro but not quite big enough to pull full size 3/8". I would love to eliminate using .325 on my little Husky 346's but they work so darn well with it.
Click to expand...

What he said :thumbup:
 
I never pay attention to those numbers, I'm a simple man. I take what my saw guy hands me. My only concern is that it AIN'T that safety crap, and semi skip for my 28" bar.

This thread will educate me.
 
Another thing if you think about it .Saws like the 346 or 026 for that matter are high reving little rascals .They need those r's to make any power which they might not do real well pulling a standard 3/8" .Little Jack Russels of sawdom .
 
I'm glad you asked this cuz I've wondered about that too. Makes sense about matching the chain to the horsies.

So what I'm wondering is, will my 026 perform better with .325 than with .375? I run 3/8 on everything because I'm trying to stay fairly light and modular, no .325 or chain or bars or rings to sort out... but I'd change if it would liven the 026 up noticeably.
 
026s came standard with .325. I think it's your best bet for that saw. On a 42cc Husky, I switched over to .375 because I have a lot of it, but the saw cut faster with the .325.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11
MasterBlaster said:
I never pay attention to those numbers, I'm a simple man. I take what my saw guy hands me. My only concern is that it AIN'T that safety crap, and semi skip for my 28" bar.

This thread will educate me.
Click to expand...

That's why I thought I'd ask here, some very knowledgeble folks at the Treehouse, my knowledge is lacking in this area.
 
It's hard to say, Chip. Some people simply cannot tell the difference. I'm considering going the other way and putting 3/8" on my smaller saws but I still have a quarter roll of .325 chain and 2-3 brand new bars. IMO if you're going to change then it makes the most sense to do it when the bar is worn out and needs replacement anyway.
 
I think that with the larger cutters on .375 vs .325., in that power range, you can figure that you get reduced chain speed with the .375. It seems that way anyhow, and the 42cc saw is modded for extra power as well.
 
Well no matter what the saw is you have to run in it's torque curve to get max performance .My old 100 plus cc reed valvers only run at 10,000 rpms but they have enough ass to pull a .404 with an 8 pin even pulling a 48 bar ,else they'd be slow as a snail .Something like a 70 cc might do better with a 7 instead of an 8 pin .375 in order to keep those r's in the range .

A .325 doesn't take as big of a bite ,just more little bites .
 
Exactly, Jay. It depends on the saw. The .325 is a lighter chassis so it takes less power to get it up to speed and keep it at speed. The 3/8 has the heavier chassis to handle more torque, and takes a bigger bite to utilize that additional torque.

I think if you are more of a finesse style sawyer then you may appreciate the lighter, quicker action of the .325 on certain saws.
 
Pertaining to Chip's saw, if you consider that the 026 gets a bad rap for being under powered, assuming that's a fair claim, then it seems that the smaller .325 sized chain should get the nod....? That was my reasoning.
 
I've read of people elaborating about doing milling with an 084 sized saws with a special made rim to fit .325 or 3/8 low .My thoughts on that is they better keep a surgeon on retainer and wear a suit of body armor because that chain size was never made to take the power of such a large saw ,damned dangerious .:\:
 
In that sense, chain chassis size is a big factor, not just the cutters. I've noticed that some of the chain makers are messing around with chassis size a bit, heavier or lighter, offering options looking for a more perfect balance.
 
That combination doesn't make much sense to me, unless someone had a bunch of old hard nose .063 gauge bars that they wanted to use on a smaller saw. Maybe with full skip it adds some needed strength? Do they make .325 in skip?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

lxskllr
New Saw Chain - Sugihara
Replies
2
Views
216
Ed L
Ed L
Robert P
Constantly have to tighten chain - chain itself the likely culprit?
Replies
23
Views
472
davidwyby
davidwyby
Robert P
How often do you tighten the chain while up a tree?
2
Replies
46
Views
929
Robert P
Robert P
panorain
Stihl 026 PRO bar and chain replacement options:
Replies
10
Views
289
Maximalist
Maximalist
Eric H-L
I can’t put a new chain on my saw!
Replies
8
Views
617
CurSedVoyce
CurSedVoyce
Back
Top