Question about a Stihl 026?

[Gundog]

I have a Stihl 026 that I bought used a few years ago I use it around my place clearing and cutting firewood. How do you know when your bar is in need of replacement? The saw starts right up and idles good but it seems to lack power when making a near full cut with the bar. I found the tip sprocket very hard to turn so I cleaned it the best I could then oiled it really good to get it turning easy it turns fairly easy but not as good as I think it should. I am thinking it is ready for a new bar. The bar the saw came with is a cheaper farm boss bar not the original it is a 20". I have the tools and skills to rebuild this saw but I am not sure it is necessary. I use fresh gas and good Stihl mix. I have ran chainsaws all my life between cutting firewood and working as a power lineman but I never been a chainsaw repairman.

On a second note I have an old Stihl 020 AV limbers saw. I love this little saw but it is very temperamental and has gotten to the point of not starting. Mine is old enough that it still has points. The saw was given to me about 25 years ago when a family member who cut wood for a living passed so I would like to keep it running sentimental reasons. I took this saw to a local saw shop and asked if they could rebuild it and the guy said it was not worth rebuilding. I am thinking of rebuilding it myself if I can find the parts. I tore it down when I first got it and cleaned the carburetor and got it running but I always had problems with it idling it either idled too fast or would die. I haven't ran it in years so it needs some TLC.

Thanks for any advice on either saw.

Mike

Saws I own Stihl 026, 020, Husky 371XP and a Stihl Combi with pole saw attachment.
Vermeer BC 625A & Versalift 47' retired like me power company truck.

[sawguy21]

Welcome to the forum. It sounds like the 026 bar is about done. They wear out, the chain is probably sloppy in the groove making straight cuts a bit of a challenge. A buried 20" bar is going to tax an 026 at the best of times and yours is likely getting a little tired.
After 25 years of infrequent use and 0 maintenance the 020 is definitely in need of a fuel system overhaul. I always found them a bit fussy and hard to service. Be sure to replace the fuel and impulse lines as well as the in tank filter.

[pine]

Sounds like the tip sprocket is gone from your description.  If it does not spin freely by hand it is done.  If you can not get it to spin freely with compressed air it is gone. 
Very few 20" bars have a replaceable sprocket tip.  The bar can be dressed up to a point but if the sprocket is not replaceable the bar must be.

My 20+ year old 026 pulls a chain on a 20" bar very nicely.  A lot of folks bad mouth the 20" on that saw but I have no issue with it.

[Gundog]

Thanks for the advice I am going to start with a nice new bar. The bar that is on it doesn't even have a lube port. What is a good brand of bar for it I was looking on ebay at a Forester, Oregon, Laser Etc. I want a good bar and I am not sure which are good and which are not so good?

Thanks Mike

[DelawhereJoe]

Are you running full or semi chisel chain on your 026, my old 026 I keep a 16" or 18" bar on it for small tree's or removing limbs, anything larger then 2/3 or 3/4 of the bar I move to a larger saw.

[Gundog]

Are you running full or semi chisel chain on your 026, my old 026 I keep a 16" or 18" bar on it for small tree's or removing limbs, anything larger then 2/3 or 3/4 of the bar I move to a larger saw.

I hate to show my ignorance but I will have to look on the package to see what kind of chain I have. I have just bought the Stihl chains in the past that fit the saw. I don't know anything about the different type chains I have always just ran what was on the saw.

Mike

[HolmenTree]

Stick with Stihl 23RS .325 chain if that's what your 026 already has on it.

[skipster]

i love my 026, 16 inch with full chisel,use it for limbing and clambering around on sloping,awkward sites.
cuts like a light sabre on the smaller stuff.

[DelawhereJoe]

You can look at the cutter too, square outer edge is full chisel "yellow chain", semi chisel has a curved outer edge "green chain". Both cut well, full cuts better but dulls faster, semi chisel can have a smother cut, but in .325 some will never know the difference between the 2.

[opticsguy]

Been using my 026 for 20+? years.  Bought it new with a 24 inch bar and never knew until recently that a 24" bar is too big and the 026 cant handle it.  So I guess all that firewood and trees for my sawmill never happened.  I will admit that the 026 is a bit slow cutting down a 24" tree and after recently purchasing a 391, will explore buying a shorter bar for the 026. 

[Gundog]

I took a couple pictures of the chain I have and a couple of the boxes the chains came in. I bought a new bar but I am not sure it is the one I wanted. I do business with a hardware company that supplies me screws and bolts for my small manufacturing business and they are a Stihl dealer as well. I was making a bolt order so I had the guy bring me out a new bar but it wasn't one with a tip that can be lubed. Should I send this one back and get a different model? I could have them order any Stihl bar I use this saw a bunch and I want a really good bar for it. Maybe from the pictures of the chain and the chain boxes you can tell what type chain I have. I see a paint mark on one of the chains but I can't tell if it is green or yellow it looks greenish yellow to me so it could go either way.

I have 5 chains for this saw as I usually send them out to be sharpened I have 2 each of the boxes I pictured and the chain it came with which is getting pretty worn the teeth are getting short.

Mike



  

  

  

  

 

[HolmenTree]

Yep Gundog  you have a yellow chain and a green bar there.

[Gundog]

Do you have to have a specific bar for each type chain? I also have one chain that has green on it actually the chain that is on the saw now with the old bar. A couple of the chains I can't see any paint on. I will look close at each chain cutting tooth to see if I can see a difference in them. Thanks for your help.

Mike

[HolmenTree]

Green and yellow bars and chains swap out with each other no problem.
That green Stihl E bar with the small 9 tooth sprocket nose for kickback reduction actually "helps" make your yellow 33RS3 chain green.

[DelawhereJoe]

If you move to a .325 from the 3/8 you can get a smaller sprocket, it should give you more torque to pull the chain.