3/8" .063" loops?

[windthrown]

Anyone know where to get 3/8 .063 loops out there? Bailey's does not seem to carry it in anything other than 100 ft rolls. I have 18" & 24/25" .063 ES bars for my MS361.

[Cut4fun]

I been buying Stihl 3/8 063 in various lengths 16"-32".
Try your dealers.

[windthrown]

I have several Stihl dealers near here that I have been getting loops from. Just looking for a cheaper source online, like Bailey's. I can find lots of 050 out there for my other bars, but not much 063.

[Cut4fun]

here is some pre-made loops and then a place to have them made to length. just trying to help.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Oregon-3-8-0-063-Full-Chisel-Saw-Chain-66-link-18-inch_W0QQitemZ150113140203QQihZ005QQcategoryZ85915QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Oregon-3-8-0-063-Full-Chisel-Saw-Chain-84-link-24-inch_W0QQitemZ150113140256QQihZ005QQcategoryZ85915QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Oregon-3-8-0-063-Full-Chisel-Saw-Chain-60-link-16-inch_W0QQitemZ150114352421QQihZ005QQcategoryZ85915QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/OREGON-SKIP-TOOTH-FULL-CHISEL-CHAIN-3-8-063-GAUGE_W0QQitemZ220030084001QQihZ012QQcategoryZ85915QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

[windthrown]

Thanks much! Should save $ over dealer costs.

[Kcwoodbutcher]

Baileys should be able to make it in any length you want, priced by the link.

[jokers]

Madsen`s will also make you what you want and they have good prices on loops if Bailey`s won`t do it for you...........or eBay those dinosaur bars and get a few 3/8 x .050 bars and enjoy the wealth of chain choices available.

[windthrown]

Madsen`s will also make you what you want and they have good prices on loops if Bailey`s won`t do it for you...........or eBay those dinosaur bars and get a few 3/8 x .050 bars and enjoy the wealth of chain choices available.

Dinosaur bars? Geez... most of the pro loggers around here use them. They also buy 100 ft rolls of chain and make their own loops.

[Al_Smith]

Baileys should be able to make it in any length you want, priced by the link.

22 cents a link plus a buck or so to spin it up and 4 or 5 to ship it.Order several ,about 1/2 what most dealers charge and get them in a few days.Works for me.Every so often,Baileys has sales on popular sized loops ,often 72 driver 3/8" [20"]which saves another couple of dollars.

[jokers]

Madsen`s will also make you what you want and they have good prices on loops if Bailey`s won`t do it for you...........or eBay those dinosaur bars and get a few 3/8 x .050 bars and enjoy the wealth of chain choices available.

Dinosaur bars? Geez... most of the pro loggers around here use them. They also buy 100 ft rolls of chain and make their own loops.

.063 bars under 32"? You`d be hard pressed to find one here, everyone has been using .050 gauge for years.

If so many loggers near you are using .063 chain why don`t you hook up with one of them for your loops?

[windthrown]

Madsen`s will also make you what you want and they have good prices on loops if Bailey`s won`t do it for you...........or eBay those dinosaur bars and get a few 3/8 x .050 bars and enjoy the wealth of chain choices available.

Dinosaur bars? Geez... most of the pro loggers around here use them. They also buy 100 ft rolls of chain and make their own loops.

.063 bars under 32"? You`d be hard pressed to find one here, everyone has been using .050 gauge for years.

If so many loggers near you are using .063 chain why don`t you hook up with one of them for your loops?

I see bars of all lengths here. Hard and softwood cutting required, and there are a lot of smaller bars for large scale thinning operations around here (8-12 inch DBH). As for loops from pros, that is exactly what one of the local Stihl dealers advised me; get their old loops that they toss out. He says most of them use 0.063 gauge (south Willamette Valley) from the saws that he sees and fixes.

[jokers]

......As for loops from pros, that is exactly what one of the local Stihl dealers advised me; get their old loops that they toss out. He says most of them use 0.063 gauge (south Willamette Valley) from the saws that he sees and fixes.

No....that`s not what I meant. Maybe you can get a logger to sell you some new loops.

[oldsaw]

Madsen`s will also make you what you want and they have good prices on loops if Bailey`s won`t do it for you...........or eBay those dinosaur bars and get a few 3/8 x .050 bars and enjoy the wealth of chain choices available.

Dinosaur bars? Geez... most of the pro loggers around here use them. They also buy 100 ft rolls of chain and make their own loops.

.063 bars under 32"? You`d be hard pressed to find one here, everyone has been using .050 gauge for years.

If so many loggers near you are using .063 chain why don`t you hook up with one of them for your loops?

Yeah, a couple of years ago my ex-Stihl dealer had virtually no .063 chain, all .050.  Last week, I wanted .050 and all they had was .063.  They looked at me just as strangely as when I wanted .063 a couple of years ago.  Morons.

Mark

[beenthere]

Dat why he's an 'ex' Stihl dealer..... : ???

[SawTroll]

....
.063 bars under 32"? You`d be hard pressed to find one here, everyone has been using .050 gauge for years.
.....

Funny world, here all we can get from Stihl here in regular 3/8" is .063 - they act like nothing else exist...... : >:

Even the Oregon importer refuse to import D025 bars in anything but .063. :

[oldsaw]

Dat why he's an 'ex' Stihl dealer..... : ???

No, they mark up parts 50-100% over retail, then want to charge me freight even though I have to wait for their normal shipment, then wait for another two days for them to get them out of the shipping containers into my hands.  That's why they're my "ex" dealer.  Just got a brand new one in town even.  I'm going over to order $75 in parts from them on Friday. 

Mark

[windthrown]

....
.063 bars under 32"? You`d be hard pressed to find one here, everyone has been using .050 gauge for years.
.....

Funny world, here all we can get from Stihl here in regular 3/8" is .063 - they act like nothing else exist...... : >:

Even the Oregon importer refuse to import D025 bars in anything but .063. :

Interesting. I like the 063 bar and chains. Dunno exactly why yet, but in time I may figure it out. It may just be that I like running the 361 that they are on?  ;D Or the fact that they are ES bars and not E type bars, which my 050 gauge bars are. I cannot run the 063 bars on my 290 but I can run my 050 bars on my 361. Maybe I will do some bar comparison swap cutting.

Seems that there are more 050 bars and chains available out there. But it seems that the 063 vs 050 availability is more of a regional thing. Puzzeling. I can get 063 bars for less than 050 bars. The 063 dinosaurs do not seem to be extinct just yet either.

[jokers]

Why can`t you run the .063 bars on your 029?

My .050 Stihl bars are ES bars, I won`t take a laminated 3/8 Stihl bar.

.063 vs .050 is definitely a regional thing just like any small Stihl running .325 will be outfitted with .063 chain in this area. Does that make any sense?  smiley_dizzy. BTW, even the .050 3/8 Stihl chain is built using .063 components, just mic some if you don`t believe me. This detail negates any potential benefit of .050 gauge vs .063 or vice versa, it`s strictly what Stihl has decided to market in any given area.

[windthrown]

Why can`t you run the .063 bars on your 029?

My .050 Stihl bars are ES bars, I won`t take a laminated 3/8 Stihl bar.

.063 vs .050 is definitely a regional thing just like any small Stihl running .325 will be outfitted with .063 chain in this area. Does that make any sense?  smiley_dizzy. BTW, even the .050 3/8 Stihl chain is built using .063 components, just mic some if you don`t believe me. This detail negates any potential benefit of .050 gauge vs .063 or vice versa, it`s strictly what Stihl has decided to market in any given area.

The 029/290 take a different type of 063 chain/bar/sprocket with a .325 pitch. Not the 3/8 pitch 063 that the larger model Stihl 361/310/390/440/460 etc. take. The 230/250/260/270/290 all take the 063 with the 0.325 pitch chains. At least that is what they call for in the Stihl "Saw Chain Selection and ID" chart. But you have a good point and question, as to why I cannot just run the 3/8 063 bar and chain on the 290. The 310 and 390 are in the 290 family, and they both take the larger 3/8 063 size. For an 18" like I have for the 361, that should be OK. Even for the 24 inch for that matter. They sell 361s with 28 inch bars around here (its a west coast thing). The 063 and 050 bar is the exact same width. Just the channel is wider. Seems that the 3/8 sprocket should run the wider drivers. That is the only real difference; the gauge of the drive links in the bar channel. The pitch and the rest of the chain is exactly the same, as you say. I have a new 3/8 sprocket for the 290 that I could use with the 3/8 063 that would not have the narrower 050 chain drive wear already pressed into it.

Anyone tried that? A 3/8 pitch 063 bar/chain on a Stihl 029/290? Maybe I will try it out and see if it explodes on me or not. Heh heh heh. I just put a new chain catcher on the 290. I would like to run an 18 inch bar on the 290. It has a 20 inch 3/8 050 bar that came on it, stamped "Farm Boss". 

[jokers]

Anyone tried that? A 3/8 pitch 063 bar/chain on a Stihl 029/290? Maybe I will try it out and see if it explodes on me or not. Heh heh heh. I just put a new chain catcher on the 290. I would like to run an 18 inch bar on the 290. It has a 20 inch 3/8 050 bar that came on it, stamped "Farm Boss". 

I can`t imagine why gauge would have any significant influence on your 029 and alot of people do run 3/8s on the 029 already.

[Dale Hatfield]

A 28 inch bar on a 361 sounds like a Elephant riding a skateboard.  For the life of me i cant figger out how that could be a match in the power band. Seams to me that they must be cutting very small stems or limbing small limbs.  WHY??????????????????????????????????????

[sawguy21]

I get customers wanting long bars on smaller saws to save weight and keep the cost down. I tell them it is like hooking a big fifth wheel travel trailer to a 6 cylinder half ton, it can be done but don't ask it to go far  ;D.

[windthrown]

A 28 inch bar on a 361 sounds like a Elephant riding a skateboard.  For the life of me i cant figger out how that could be a match in the power band. Seams to me that they must be cutting very small stems or limbing small limbs.  WHY??????????????????????????????????????

I'ts a west coast thing. I see 28" bars on 361's in the shops here all the time. Matter of fact I saw 2 on the shelf last time I was in the local Stihl dealer getting some parts for my Stihl collection. Saw a guy with a 32" in a 310 the other day too. The 24" on my 361 is about as long as I wanna go with it. The real reason is the softer woods here; fir is soft stuff and a longer bar is nice for cutting the common 2+ ft DBH trees with from one side. The 18" bar on the 361 is complete overkill in fir. No bog at all. The 18"-20" is about right for madrone, maple and oak, 24" is good for fir, pine and cedar. The 290 here has a 20" bar on it most of the time.

BTW: its the other way around. Long bars for felling and bucking larger diameter trees with. Smaller bars for limbing and thinning. Higher revs and tooth speed on the smaller bar/chain and less weight to lug around. Also a lot of people here use skip chain on longer bars. Keeps the revs up while cutting larger diameter stuff from one side. I have some of those loops too, but they tend to get dull faster. Can't say that they are any better for me than standard chain.

[SawTroll]

Also a lot of people here use skip chain on longer bars. Keeps the revs up while cutting larger diameter stuff from one side. I have some of those loops too, but they tend to get dull faster. Can't say that they are any better for me than standard chain.

Of course they do, as 2/3s of the amount of cutters have to do the same work...... ;D