What length bar is this? Odd Chain???

[Jackal]

Hello everybody,
I bought a Husky 55 ( not a rancher, this has decomp valve) on E-bay. it is a great saw and it came from New York near the Canadian border.

A great saw ,but I can't find a chain here in Arkansas for it. I really don't want to have one made here locally. I just don't trust the kids in the hardware store to make one. Maybe they are ok?

The old chain is a .325 pitch , .058 gauge , with 72 drive links. All I can find are :

.325 pitch ,.050 gauge or

.375 pitch, .058 gauge.

Some people try to tell me this is a Stihl bar but it says Husky on it.
( somewhat faded and worn off )

One guy told me this is popular in Canada?? may be it is.


Can you tell me if I would be better off finding a new bar and chain that is available in this area , this does make sense!!!!!!!!!!!!

Or, are all of these dealers just not stocking all of the stuff that they should be .

Also is this an 18" or 20 " bar   one guy told me it is a 18" bar but it is just taller than normal. Well, it doesn't look any taller than  bars on other saws.

Thanks for the help,

Jackal

[Kevin]

.325 pitch , .058 gauge

Oregon makes it, 21LP, 21BP, or 34LG.

[fishingforester]

Jackal-
Here is a direct link at Bill's Saw Shop for your chain: <http://catalog.getsaws.com/viewProduct.cfm?item_id=686392>. I just bought a saw from them and they had great response/shipment turnaround time 

[StihlDoc]

It is an 18" guide bar and is not a STIHL.  The .325" pitch, .058" gauge chain should not be difficult to find. Look in the yellow pages under "Saws" and call the chain saw dealers in your local area. One of them should be able to supply the chain loop you need.

[tnlogger]

 give bailys a call or just click on their link at the left.
they have them and a sponsor too.

[Kirk_Allen]

You should be able to use the .050 chain on the .058 bar.  My 372 - 20" bar is .058 but the manual says either .050 or .058 chain can be used.  I am now using ALL .050 chain so I dont have to sort my 20" chains.  I have two saws with 20" bars and before the 372 chains were .058 and the 359 chains were .050. 

[davefrommd]

I order my chainsaw bars and chain loops from http://www.jackssmallengines.com  They are top quality bars made in Australia.  I use the "professional Pro-Top" bars. I'm very pleased with the quality of their products and very good customer service. They are located in Maryland as I have been to their store also.  dave

[caryr]

Hi Jackal,

My 55 originally came with .325 x 0.050. I switched it to .375 x 0.050  because of the chain I wanted to use. Just get a new sprocket to switch pitch. My guess is the old sprocket is shot anyway. It is amazing how many people do not realize this is also a consumable item. I can't comment too much on the 0.058 vs 0.050 gauge I have always used 0.050 on my smaller saws, but I would prefer to always use the right gauge to optimally support the chain.

Cary

[Jackal]

Thanks for the help guys!!!!!!

You guys are a lot of help and great advice

I know I can get the straight answers without a lot of hype and sales pitch.


Thanks again,
Jackal

[sawguy21]

Kirk, he is going to have a tough time getting a straight  cut with 050 chain on an 058 bar. The 058 seems to be a European standard for 3/8 chain as the American manufacturers mostly  used 050. With their demise, the Oregon 72 chain is getting extinct.The Oregon catalogue lists both 050 and 058 for a lot of saws so which bar does the customer have when he asks for a chain to fit his Husky 50? He says they are all the same

[Kirk_Allen]

Kirk, he is going to have a tough time getting a straight  cut with 050 chain on an 058 bar.   He says they are all the same

I havent had ANY problem getting straight cuts with mine. 

Who is "HE" when you say "He says they are all the same"?

I by no means meant to "imply" they are the same, as they are not. I just know that both the .050 and the .058 chains work on my .058 bar with NO problems in. 

[jokers]

My 372 - 20" bar is .058 but the manual says either .050 or .058 chain can be used. 

Hi Kirk,

I`m afraid that you have misunderstood what the Husky manuals say regarding chain gauge.

Since these saws are sold in so many different English speaking markets with differing regional preferences, one manual which lists both chain gauge options is published and included with all saws in those markets. For example, for many years all new Huskies in my area came with .058 gauge bars, only in the last few years have new Huskies with .050 gauge bars been available and only from a few dealers because everyone is accustomed to .058 bars and chain.

The manual does not mean to imply that both gauges can be used on the same bar although you can to some extent when the bar and chains are new and all mating surfaces are as square as they should be. When you start to get wear on the inside of the bar groove or the outside of the drive tangs you will start to cut circles.

A more extreme illustration of the universal English manual listing two available chain and bar gauges is found in the Stihl manuals. Both .050 and .063 are listed as appropriate choices depending of course on what bar your saw is wearing, you wouldn`t expect to be able to run .050 on a .063 bar right?

Ironically, almost all new Stihls running .325 chain are outfitted with .063 bars and chains while the larger saws equiped with 3/8 bars and chain run .050 here in the Northeast US from what I`ve seen. In Eastern Canada it seems that a person is hard pressed to find anything .325x.063 but 3/8x.063 is common.

Russ

[Kirk_Allen]

I`m afraid that you have misunderstood what the Husky manuals say regarding chain gauge.

Russ, I would have agreed with you a year ago but after reading the manual and seeing this I called Husky and spoke whith a technician who assured me I could run either chain with no problem.

To date, I have not had a problem.  My 20" and 28" bars have felled several hundred trees and bucked many more logs than I care to count. 

As far as applying the same analagy to the Stihl I can say that I think the Stihl would cut circles long before the husky since there is more of a difference in the chains mentioned. 

Is it possible Husky is wrong in what they told me?  Could be but since I have not had any problems so far I so no reason to change.

[jokers]

Is it possible Husky is wrong in what they told me? 

Yup! but if what you are doing is working for you I suppose it is going to be very hard to change your mind .

Russ

[sawguy21]

The customer who is buying the chain for his occasional use saw does not understand the differences and tells me" Just give me a chain for a 16" bar.They are all the same"
I have to agree with Russ.  I believe it is very important to match the chain and bar for performance and safety. By using .050 instead of the correct chain, you are duplicating the effect of a badly worn bar.
We don't see .325x .063 chain here on Stihl and I wonder why it would be used. Most consumer saws regardless of brand have .050 but when we get into the 3/8 it is almost always .058. In the seventies, I spliced a lot of .404x.063 for the big Stihls but we see little call for it now on today's high speed saws.

[StihlDoc]

The different chain gauges came about due to marketing by the chain and bar manufacturers in the 60's and 70's. Each coming up with different gauges to try and "persuade" the market to use only their brand of bar and chain. The 3 gauges of .050", .058" and .063" (1.3 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.6 mm) has become the accepted standard for all chain saws, with .043" (1.1 mm) gauge now available for the smallest saws.

You should not use a .050" gauge chain in a .058" gauge bar. You are basically starting out with a bar that in effect is already worn .008" from the normal specification. While you may not have any initial troubles, you will find that as the bar wears you will run into chain binding in the cut and the saw wanting to cut crooked sooner than if you were using the correct .050" gauge bar. This is even more pronounced if you are not accurate with your chain maintenance and sharpening habits.

[wiam]

Kirk,  I would say if it aint broke.......

Will

[SawTroll]

You should be able to use the .050 chain on the .058 bar.  My 372 - 20" bar is .058 but the manual says either .050 or .058 chain can be used..... 

Are you sure that the manual doesn't say " ...... for the corresponding bar". At least the manual that I just looked up says that.
For me it is just obvious that a too sloppy fit will accellerate wear, and it may cause extra vibration too. I even think that it makes filing the chain properly when on the saw more difficult.
Jokers and Stihldoc is no doubt right........