Bar options for a Stihl MS-241CM?

[Sid Post]

I am looking to purchase a Stihl MS241CM and plan to run PS63 chain (no guard links). I need to keep weight down while still having a saw that can limb and cut reasonable firewood.
I am considering a 16" lightweight bar. Will that balance well and still cut firewood efficiently? Do I need more guide bar weight? Would a Stihl lightweight bar wear out too quickly or flex on me?

I have a 362CM for big jobs but, it is really too much for me for limbing at awkward angles and trimming fence rows. I can use it fine with downed trees but, limbing it wears me out and my back complains loudly.

So, the thought is, keeping the 362 just for felling big stuff and cutting big downed trees on the ground that have been limbed clean. I would like to use the 241 as my primary saw for clearing brush, limbing, and cutting all but the largest firewood. I can't see a 14" bar being big advantage so, I think I want to stay with a 16" bar but cut the bar weight so the center of gravity is closer to or between my hands. What do you think about my options? Specific bar and chain recommendations are appreciated!

TIA,
Sid

 

[SawTroll]

Be aware that Stihls own 16" bars for that saw (3005 mount) really are less than 15", and the 14" ones are 13" (18" ones are just over 16"). The same is the case with most aftermarket one.

The standard (Rollomatic E) bars are laminated, as well as the lightweight ones, and imo light enough that a 16" one will balanse the saw well. This is an assumption based on statistics and experience with other saws though, not based on personal use of that saw model.

 

[Time's Standing Stihl]

I like mine with a 14" lw bar. Majority of the time I have another saw with a bigger bar available if needed.

Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk

 

[bennne]

I just run a 16" standard Rollomatic in 3/8lp. I have a lightweight in the shed I bought awhile ago. Didn't even know they made them. They make .043" light weights too which makes then crazy light

 

[Keith Gandy]

Cannon 16" or 18" c1 in Supermini model. True 16 or 18" bars and nice for the extra reach and comes in PS

 

[Keith Gandy]

The 241 will balace about perfect with a 16 or 18 Cannon Supermini

 

[Sid Post]

The 241 will balace about perfect with a 16 or 18 Cannon Supermini

Thanks! I will have to look up that bar option.

 

[SawTroll]

Cannon 16" or 18" c1 in Supermini model. True 16 or 18" bars and nice for the extra reach and comes in PS

Those bars are the only fitting ones I know of, that is about as long as "called" (ref. my comment about it in post #2).

The Cannon C1 mount isn't a pure small Stihl mount though, but a combination mount that also fits Ko95 and Ko41. This means they are very likely to fit a couple of other 8.2mm mounts as well (K153 and K216, that are very close to K095).

 

[stihl saws]

Does anyone have the actual weights of the Stihl lights vs. the normal E bars? I've never seen a comparison on these small bars.

 

[Brian Simonseth]

Can't believe when someone always finds fault with anything Stihl makes; but he is saying now saying "not based on personal use" and it's a "assumption"

 

[SawTroll]

Can't believe when someone always finds fault with anything Stihl makes; but he is saying now saying "not based on personal use" and it's a "assumption"

The are no assumption involved regarding the true length of the bars - just look at the dl count for the bars, and compare to 3003 mount ones - and at will be obvious that something is up with the length.

Also, it just is another variation to be aware of, not really a "fault".

The involved assumption had nothing to do with the facts about the bars, but with how the saw will feel with different ones.

 

[Keith Gandy]

The are no assumption involved regarding the true length of the bars - just look at the dl count for the bars, and compare to 3003 mount ones - and at will be obvious that something is up with the length.

Also, it just is another variation to be aware of, not really a "fault".

The involved assumption had nothing to do with the facts about the bars, but with how the saw will feel with different ones.

I agree. Stihl dropped the ball on sizing those PS bars and a person comes up short on actual bar length. If u want 16" of bar with the Stihl u had better buy 18"

 

[bennne]

That goes all the way back to the 1120 series saws. The reduced the bar length slightly as they where starting to come standard with 7 tooth sprockets that way they would still be the same drive links long

 

[SawTroll]

That goes all the way back to the 1120 series saws. The reduced the bar length slightly as they where starting to come standard with 7 tooth sprockets that way they would still be the same drive links long

The differences in length are many times what a 7 vs. 6 pin sprocket will account for (maybe one dl).

Also, it isn't only Stihl that keep 3/8 lo-pro bars made for smaller saws shorter than called - but they take it a bit further than (most?) others, and is the only brand that do the same to .325 bars for the same mount.

What the saw brand does with the dl count of OEM bars mostly transfers to the ones that make aftermarket bars (with the same mount) as well.

 

[Sid Post]

The whole bar length thing is a bit deceptive IMHO. To me bar length should be what extends past the spikes out to the end of the bar. Sure, I don't expect to cut full bar length wood but, I want to know how much reach I have for that limb buried in other limbs and what a given bar does to the overall balance of the chainsaw.

 

[SawTroll]

The whole bar length thing is a bit deceptive IMHO. To me bar length should be what extends past the spikes out to the end of the bar. Sure, I don't expect to cut full bar length wood but, I want to know how much reach I have for that limb buried in other limbs and what a given bar does to the overall balance of the chainsaw.

When discussing actual bar length, it always is about the distance from the case to the top of a cutter at the bar tip. Spikes or not, and their size, is up to the user - and not part of that equation.

If spikes/dawgs wasn't excluded, the length of a specific bar always would be a "moving target", to a degree that there would be no real answers. To a degree it is a moving target anyway, because of differences between saw designs, but those variations are minor in comparison.

Of course it (spikes) is a factor for the individual when choosing a bar - but that's a different discussion/issue.

 

[Sid Post]

Thanks SawTroll! Your point about the user's bar selection is correct. Big or small dawgs are beyond the manufacturer's control if the user or dealer changes them and, I don't want marketing bean counters putting undersized dawgs on a saw to claim more bar length.

I guess I need to bring a tape measure with me next time to measure what sticks out past the dawgs so I get a meaningful length measurement in my world. I want to know my 'reach', where the balance is, and what the saw is capable of which is hard to do reading specs online. The problem I have is no one carries many, if any, small prosumer or professional small saws. Anyone around here spending $300 or more wants a "BIG" saw. So, I am left with the big box store weekend backyard limbing saws ($150~$200) that get used like a disposable lighter or ball point pen. I would rather spend $450~$600 and have a saw that will last 30 years like my friends Stihl 026, start when I want it too, and not rattle my teeth loose when I use it. I just want to make sure when I order, I get the "right" saw though, a bad bar selection is something that can be corrected with some extra money.

 

[Brian Simonseth]

"not based on personal use"

 

[sawmikaze]

Can't believe when someone always finds fault with anything Stihl makes; but he is saying now saying "not based on personal use" and it's a "assumption"

Sawtroll is absolutely correct with his posts.

 

[SawTroll]

"not based on personal use"

So what?

It is about contributing the info you have, in order to help the OP making an educated choice.

It isn't a pissing match about who has used what.

Do you have anything helpful or positive to contribute at all, or are your focus totally negative on this forum as well?