How long bar has anyone ran on a 038 Stihl?

[LeakyBoot]

Need to cut some bigger oak and would be nice if the bar would reach all the way through.    I don't want to spend on somethig that it won't power.    I see ads in the old Farm Journals advertising Homelite Super XL's and say up to a 36 inch bar can be used.   Does an 038 have as much or more power ?   Thanks for comments.   LB

[AdkStihl]

While it might pull a 36" bar, it wont do it with authority. That 066 territory IMO.
28"-32" would be the longest I would use on an 038.
An 038 & 044 are fairly similar in terms of power output.

[Ianab]

It might run a 36" bar, but you wont be very impressed by how it cuts. Like it will probably be faster to actually saw from both sides.

[MEloggah]

how big is the oak and how long of a bar do you have now?? i cut big red oak all winter, some 40-44" with a 20" bar with no issues.

[Al_Smith]

I have an 038 Mag that I put some soup to .As a plain statement of fact it pulls a 32 " with authority .I have no doubt it could handle a 36" .I don't have a 36" in that style mount to find out though .

Now if you're talking an 038 AV ,stock which is 60 cc instead of the 72cc of a mag it's unlikey it would handle much over 24" without undue pain and strain .

[AdkStihl]

I have an 038 Mag that I put some soup to .As a plain statement of fact it pulls a 32 " with authority .I have no doubt it could handle a 36" .I don't have a 36" in that style mount to find out though .

Now if you're talking an 038 AV ,stock which is 60 cc instead of the 72cc of a mag it's unlikey it would handle much over 24" without undue pain and strain .

I forgot about the regular 038AV being only 60cc. And I'm sure if you put a little mayo on it, the Mag will pull a 32" No problem.

[Al_Smith]

Well for that matter I also have an 038 Av with some tricks .It does okay with a 24" but I seldom go there .Usually a 20" .

Now this I saw with my own eyes and ran the thing myself .Dan Henry aka Dozer Dan did an 044 that would pull a 36" and it's 70 cc's .

FWIW in stock form an 038 Mag has a little more grunt than an 044 but lacks a tad in RPMs' .Both are darned good saws .

[bill m]

That's all I ran for years were 038 mag saws until the 044 came out .Yes, they will handle a 36" bar as long as your not trying to push it. How often do you need a 36" bar? Daily, weekly, monthly? If only once a month or less I would use the 038 but more often then that maybe something in the ms660 size.

[gunn]

My magII is equipped with a 28" bar and skip chain. It has no issues cutting through oak all day long. I can't comment about the smaller 038s.

[Al_Smith]

The 038 AV's,60 cc will handle a 24" but prefer a 20" in most cases .I can't say much about the 038 Super because I've only seen three in my life time .

[hrhunter]

I have used a 038 Super with a 24" with full comp chain and it seems to work fine.

[louie]

My 038 magnam runs a 20inch and 24 inch bar no problem what so ever and a if I need the larger 36 inch bar I use one of my 075 or my 076 mussel saws the 038 magnum I bort bran new what a great saw it has been the old girl still bites me on the fingers on a cold morning from the amount of  compression it has. ;D

[Al_Smith]

Trot on down to the Stihl dealer and buy an 046 rescue saw D-handle .About 6 bucks and it takes the bite out of those starts .

[ND rancher]

Since this thread is talking about 038's I need to ask about a starting problem in my 038AV.It will not start cold unless you put gas in,on carb.,then it fires and runs great.When warm starts fine,cool you pull a lot to fire up! Any ideas?

[ladylake]

ND
  Try a new air filter as it has the choke inside it.  It might not be closing all the way.   Steve

[Al_Smith]

Rebuild the carb on that 038 and quit playing patty cake with it .It's a simple matter the soft members are not pumping as well at cranking speeds because they have stiffened up .Once you get a fuel chamber full of fuel it will do okay for the rest of the day .