Do you prefer a 7 or 8 pin sprocket, and why?

[Duane(Pa)]

.325 x 8 for 50 cc saws
.325 x 7 for saws less than 50cc
I tend to leave a 3/8 x 7 on saws with outboard clutches. I interchange 7’s and 8’s on saws with E clips.
Size matters, but you need a video camera and stopwatch to prove it. I don’t have time fo dat...

 

[av8or3]

I run 8 pin 3/8 on 066, 133Super and 500i,7900 so far. And it’s because those saws can really shovel the chips.
I once ran a 36” 3/8 bar on my 066 and I was using just about every inch of it cutting thru a maple three way stump. Kept throwing the chain. I’ve since thought a 7 pin might have been better in that situation.

 

[MustangMike]

I'm a 7 pin guy, because I mostly cut hardwood. Also, for working, 7 pin gives you more torque and will be less likely to pinch.

If your saw has lots of power, I would prefer to just drop the rakers a bit.

8 pin creates addl chain speed, which = add friction and parasitic loss. It may be nice at a GTG in softwood cants, but I don't like it for real life work.

When we did the ported 77 cc saw competition at the Upstate NY GTG a few years ago, we had a 16" hard White Oak cant.

I think a lot of the competitors regretted choosing 8 pin instead of 7 pin (with square file chain) in that hard cant.

 

[BlackCoffin]

I’d rather run 7t and aggressive rakers as well. Big chips look cooler anyway.

 

[kneedeepinsaws]

8 pins are great for full skip chains to keep cut speeds equal to that of full comp.
I personally found that 8 pin on full comp gets the chain too hot for my likes, but to each his her own

 

[2000ssm6]

8 pin on a ported 70cc, full skip chain though.

 

[davidwyby]

With the 7 and 8 pin preferences, how much bar are you guys talking? I generally run 28” ported 70cc, 395 28-42”. Other day I ran the ported 395 36” skip buried in green relatively soft wood and it pulled it like it wasn’t there…I suppose it’s true, could drop rakers or go 8. In green wood heat isn’t an issue but I wouldn’t run the 8 in dry hard euc….404 for that. Then again, that puts a larger sprocket back into play.

 

[MustangMike]

I always run full comp square file chain. I have 20 + 24" bars on my 3 70 cc saws (and 20" on my 60cc saw) and run 28" on my 3 77 cc saws.

Two of my 660s have 36", mostly for milling or stumping and a ported 660 (8.6 hp) has a 24" B+C that I often use for noodling large rounds so i can lift them into the splitter.

I also have a ported 661 with 32" 404.

I know I have more saws than I need, which is a good thing. It is always nice to have backups in case a chain gets rocked or dulls.

 

[tek9tim]

All of my normal sized saws are ported, the 44 hybrid, 460 and 7900 usually wear 25", 28", or 32" bars cutting in softwood. The 32" bar gets a 7 tooth on those saws, 25" & 28" get an 8 tooth. The 20" bar I have for the 7900 gets a 9 pin.

My 660 can pull the 36 with a 8 tooth no problem, but the 42" bar gets paired with a 7 tooth.

I run .375 square ground full chisel on all those saws. Sometimes a full comp chain makes an appearance on the 25" or 28".

For me, having a saw with plenty of power and a sharp chain with plenty of outside side plate angle with conservative (.025-.030) rakers feeds really nice with an 8 tooth and takes 1 finger's worth of lift on the rear handle to chew pretty darned quick with the bar buried. Never had any issues with heat or lack of lubrication, but I cut softwoods almost exclusively.

 

[jakethesnake]

Run a 7 pin. Sharpen accordingly. I’ve run 8 but I don’t like em much.

 

[jakethesnake]

I like a moderately aggressive chain better than a super fast moving one. The idea of throwing a chain at a higher speed doesn’t sound fun

so if I’m revving high in hardwood I’ll just drop the depth guages a lil. I feel like an 8 can rob power

 

[jakethesnake]

All of my normal sized saws are ported, the 44 hybrid, 460 and 7900 usually wear 25", 28", or 32" bars cutting in softwood. The 32" bar gets a 7 tooth on those saws, 25" & 28" get an 8 tooth. The 20" bar I have for the 7900 gets a 9 pin.

My 660 can pull the 36 with a 8 tooth no problem, but the 42" bar gets paired with a 7 tooth.

I run .375 square ground full chisel on all those saws. Sometimes a full comp chain makes an appearance on the 25" or 28".

For me, having a saw with plenty of power and a sharp chain with plenty of outside side plate angle with conservative (.025-.030) rakers feeds really nice with an 8 tooth and takes 1 finger's worth of lift on the rear handle to chew pretty darned quick with the bar buried. Never had any issues with heat or lack of lubrication, but I cut softwoods almost exclusively.

Makes perfect sense to me in softwoods. No doubt

 

[BlackCoffin]

Get you a saw to run a 36” bar with an 8 tooth sprocket, pull on the handle aggressively and the saw doesn’t even know it’s loaded. Those are the good ones, I like those.

 

[Woodwater]

I like a 8 pin more than a agressiv chain. especially when i have to stab in the bar when falling a tree.

 

[CR888]

Id like a six pin but they only come on small spur sprockets.

 

[LoneOak]

For me, I look at how I intend on using the saw.
I have two MS361's with 9 pin .325 rims that run 20" bars, these are my limbing saws.
I have one MS361 that I run a 7 pin 3/8 @ 28", this is my main felling, bucking saw for general day to day operations.
I also have two MS440's and a MS460 that run a 7 pin 3/8 rim @ 30" and 32", these are back up or used on large land clearing operations where I am contracted to cut root wads and canopies off trees that were pushed over with heavy equipment.
My 660 runs an 8 pin 3/8 @ 36", this saw mostly used for cutting stumps flush to the ground when a customer declines the charge for grinding, depending on the diameter of the stump I may use the 880, 7 pin, .404 rim @ 42".

 

[Woodwater]

a Question?

where to buy 3/8 9 pin for the big huskys and .325 9 pin for husky 560? Here i can't get them.

 

[Bjorn]

a Question?

where to buy 3/8 9 pin for the big huskys and .325 9 pin for husky 560? Here i can't get them.

https://www.ebay.com/str/chainsawconservationcomponents

 

[Woodwater]

Thanks

 

[Deets066]

The larger the sprocket, the easier it is to throw a chain. 8 pins are fine, but once you get into 9’s and above you really should look at modifying the tail to accommodate.