Talk me out of .404

[huskyhank]

I like the boring sameness of running one size of chain. But, I do have small chain for small saws and big chain for big saws. Just don’t feel I need a third one.

 

[Al Smith]

I only run .404 on the saws over 100 cc and of course the old classics that came with it .I've got a loop of Stihl round chisel on a mac 44A which is 87 cc I've never touched with a file in 12-15 years

 

[Lnk]

There was a guy selling 3/4" chain, why not go big, .404 seems small compared to .75".

 

[ferris]

I need to get a 36" bar for my 395, been putting it off for a while. I usually grab a 462 or 500i for normal cutting but I dont see myself using the 395 a lot other than stumping and I dont do that often at all.

I have only ever used .325 and .375 but it is my understanding the .404 will hold up better in general but especially in dirty conditions.

Seems to me .404, 395 and stumping were made for each other but maybe I'm missing something.

What say you OPE? Put on my big boy pants and step up to .404 or stick with the 3/8s I run on all my other saws?

If it matters I have a 661 I keep a 32" bar and 3/8s chain on. I got the 395 just because they are soon to be NLA and I've never owned one.

I'm also just a weekend warrior who likes saws. Nothing even close the realm of professional use.

When i read this correct then u already have 3/8 bars for the 395. I would stay with 3/8. Because the 395 is in outboard clutch saw. Change the rim every time u change the bar makes no fun.

 

[davidwyby]

When i read this correct then u already have 3/8 bars for the 395. I would stay with 3/8. Because the 395 is in outboard clutch saw. Change the rim every time u change the bar makes no fun.

True. Unless you have an impact to blow the clutch off.

I run 404 for big dry hard nasty aussie euc.
If you don’t need it…meh, run 3/8”

 

[qurotro]

You guys made me want to try the .404
I have probably 100 links rustly but new Oregon.

 

[deye223]

This vid is my Ms 460 24 inch 404 this is what we call stringy bark it's still one of our hardwoods but one of the softest of our hard woods .

And this is a standard firewood cutting set up around here 20-in 404 Ms 460 has been for as long as I can remember and I ain't young .

 

[wap13]

When i read this correct then u already have 3/8 bars for the 395. I would stay with 3/8. Because the 395 is in outboard clutch saw. Change the rim every time u change the bar makes no fun.

Good point. The rest of my saws are all inboard, I forget the 395 is outboard. While I do have an impact, the above quote is probably the best reason for me to stick with 3/8s

 

[davidwyby]

Look up redbull661 on YT .404 kicks @$$ or something

 

[Basher]

This is for the guys just playing with chainsaws, remember boots are for slow guys who can't keep their feet out of the way of the chain! Haha.
The guys in this village probably built their entire lives around this one peice of equipment, I often am grateful to have the luxury of not being completely reliant on this model of society.
I never forget that I have it good in America.

That chain is running a bit too loose even for a hard nose bar yet it stays on , pulls up tight in every cut but it will hammer the bar rails .

 

[Flying_Dutchman]

The fact you won't use it much is all the justification you need not to buy it.

I run it on my 088 and that's only here and there, I seldom cut trees big enough to require it.

I've only cut 2 or 3 in the last few months worthy of it, the one in my avatar was just one of the few this year.

The only reason our 088 has.404 is cause that's what it came with, and I don't feel like switching to 3/8.

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

 

[jakethesnake]

I put 404 on my 288. As mentioned I don’t use it a lot. When I need it it’s great. Most people don’t work with saws. If you’re not specifically cutting nasty hard stuff it’s not the answer. If you are cutting nasty muddy petrified wood. Yeah it’s great.
I hate lugging a big saw around if I can cut with smaller ones. Just my experience.

but yeah 404 is tough. I’m running chipper chain on mine. Old Mac chain I still don’t understand why it holds an edge so well but it does

 

[Maintenance Chief]

That chain is running a bit too loose even for a hard nose bar yet it stays on , pulls up tight in every cut but it will hammer the bar rails .

I'll text him and let him know....lol
Yeah I thought the same thing.

 

[sawmikaze]

The only reason our 088 has.404 is cause that's what it came with, and I don't feel like switching to 3/8.

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

That too..if you aren't using it all the time what's the point...

 

[sawmikaze]

Kickback is a whole different ballgame with 404!

Sure is...

After seeing videos I've seen from guys on forums using chainsaws I can't believe someone hasn't been killed..or hurt bad..

 

[davidwyby]

I haven’t noticed…but I only run it on my 42” bar.

 

[Basher]

Sure is...

After seeing videos I've seen from guys on forums using chainsaws I can't believe someone hasn't been killed..or hurt bad..

The video`s are bad enough but I see it all around me just about anytime the homeowner wood heat crowd is cutting firewood. In many instances mind altering substances is a factor but even those not using are plenty dangerous. How to avoid chain pinch and no contact on the bar tip is a learned art that takes forethought and concentration to be done safely, if your mind is not clear with full concentration put on the task at hand accidents are sure to happen.

 

[sawmikaze]

The video`s are bad enough but I see it all around me just about anytime the homeowner wood heat crowd is cutting firewood. In many instances mind altering substances is a factor but even those not using are plenty dangerous. How to avoid chain pinch and no contact on the bar tip is a learned art that takes forethought and concentration to be done safely, if your mind is not clear with full concentration put on the task at hand accidents are sure to happen.

I know guys I'd trust to kill a tree after 12 beers compared to what I've seen on the forums a few times..

 

[Basher]

Until one day just last month I came across a guy that had felled a multi branched out Maple that of course hung up in some spruce trees ,it was laying over good. I came along just walking a path between my place and the nearby lake. The guy was under the tree reaching up as high as he could with his little green plastic Poulan Wood Shark gnawing away at the underside of one of the bigger branch outs. Tree was a good 8' above his head and would weigh 4 - 500 lbs, if that was to break the guy wouldn`t get away before it got him. He stopped when I approached him and his thought was the tree trunk would slowly bend and the tree would slide down slowly down to the ground.

 

[sawmikaze]

Until one day just last month I came across a guy that had felled a multi branched out Maple that of course hung up in some spruce trees ,it was laying over good. I came along just walking a path between my place and the nearby lake. The guy was under the tree reaching up as high as he could with his little green plastic Poulan Wood Shark gnawing away at the underside of one of the bigger branch outs. Tree was a good 8' above his head and would weigh 4 - 500 lbs, if that was to break the guy wouldn`t get away before it got him. He stopped when I approached him and his thought was the tree trunk would slowly bend and the tree would slide down slowly down to the ground.

YouTube has made people more brave than they should be...what a world.