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Stihl bar Issues

Dieselshawn

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Hello fellow members of the motorized tree slayers;

Has anyone here have issues with Stihl ES bars failing prematurely? Are the bars not made as well as they used to be?

Seems the ones my logging buddies are using aren't lasting long. About 2 weeks the bar is done. They won't cut straight.

I'm also told the ES Lite 28'' (their first one they bought so far) lasted the longest. But even that lite bar is heading for the scrap pile now. I think it lasted 6 weeks or something.

They have used Oregon bars as well but they're supposedly worse.

The one guy has ordered a 24'' Sugihara bar and is waiting for it to come so they can try it.

Can something else cause premature bar wear or not cutting straight even after having them deburred, dressed etc?
 

skidooguy

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That's a bum deal man. I don't have any input for you sorry. I've been running Oregon power match plus bars for years and they seem to hold up really well but I'm not a logger either so mine don't get used that hard.
 

skidooguy

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For sure. I had a 32" start that stuff a few years ago and I haven't replaced it yet due to the cost of it. That's a huge expense on your part. Did Stihl stand behind any of them?
 

Canadian farm boy

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How are the bars failing? If they arnt cutting straight the rails may be worn uneven. Having the LH and RH DG different heights can cause this. Dull chain will also cause a lot of wear to a bar as the saw is "worked" harder to keep cutting.
Bar maintenance is just as important as chain maintenance .;)
 

Dieselshawn

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I'm sure the guys have spoken to their dealers about the bar issues. Not sure if the dealer is doing anything about it.

It seems Stihl's quality is really dropping.
 

Homelite410

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How was your chains sharpened? Are the top plate angles even? Is each cutter the same height? Just forming a basis here. I know that I'd the chains are sharpened in evenly it will wear one side worse.

Please take no offense, I am a weekend firewood hack and just trying to help.
 

Dieselshawn

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Canadian Farm boy; These bars aren't that old. They're bought new from the dealer.

What I'm told is there is more than .050 gap in the groove new and the chain can't stay straight.
 

Dieselshawn

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Homelite410; These guys are pro loggers with over 25 years on the job. I've seen how their chains are maintained and it looks good to me. This is happening to all 4 guys at the same time in the same company.
 

Canadian farm boy

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Canadian Farm boy; These bars aren't that old. They're bought new from the dealer.

What I'm told is there is more than .050 gap in the groove new and the chain can't stay straight.
Have they tried a new chain on the new bar? Just thinking that maybe the drive links are worn out. The tie straps will also cause issues if they are extremely worn on the underside
 

Canadian farm boy

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I'm out of ideas:(. Maybe save a couple of the "worn out" bars. I'd love to have a look at them sometime. I might be able to save em, depending on how bad they are. I've got a couple tools specifically made for fixing up bar rails.
 

Homelite410

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They may have changed metallurgy or heat treat process... Very interesting. My es bar took a darn good drill bit to drill it if that helps.
 

Dieselshawn

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Canadian farm boy: I can ask them if they want to let a couple scrap bars go for you to see.

Homelite410: they're supposed to be hardened unless they changed something. I know they have a tool to measure .050 in the groove. If the bar groove is too wide, they refuse buying it.

But now they're out of Stihl bars for that reason.
 

RCBS

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Bar repair service? That doesn't excuse the bars wearing prematurely, but can maybe get the worn ones back in service. I don't personally know of a shop with the proper equipment, but have watched videos on utoob of Myrtle Creek Saw shop in Oregon refurb them. They even Tig welded and reshaped a large processor bar. Pretty impressive. No idea on cost. Just a thought.
 

Czed

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I've had much better luck with total bars lateley the stihls last fine but the tips clog easier with chips for some reason and I maintain my bars I don't know what's different about them.
 

Moparmyway

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Two thoughts here .........
1. If the bars are actually .050 ?
They could be getting .058 bars and an .050 chain will cut crooked after a little run time

2. Will an .058 chain run around the bars in question ?
Maybe the chain can be swapped, chains are cheaper than bars
 

Gunn

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The bars should be lasting longer than 6 weeks. There's gotta be way more to this story.
 
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