Why don't more people run PS3 chain instead of 325 on 50CC saws?

[Willard]

Running .325 and Picco on a 50cc saw is two different animals.
On my 346, 550 and 261's I've tried them all.
The little 63PS Picco chisel will win a cookie cutting race in a 8x8 and make you money cutting pulp on piecework or bushelling in softwood.
But for the average Joe Picco chain is a waste of money, time, filing and chain life.
Same with the NK .325 semi chisel, holds a good edge, is fast producing less chips for cleanup if you're an arborist. But same problem as the Picco and those NK bars are crap.
I find the Stihl 23RS or Oregon 20LP .325 work very well on the smaller saws plus you can get .325 sprocket noses for the superior solid body bars like in my picture.
Now you can easily maintain your bar rail kerf and file your cutters right down to when they start breaking off.

 

[Willard]

A chain is a chain, it's only as good as you are maintaining it on and off the job.
On my 50cc saws I also like to run standard 3/8 chisel chain filed back halfways from old rocked out chains that I never bothered to resharpen after they've been hanging on a nail for 20 years.
I had alot of them,Lol.

Running a tree service in urban wood is time and money when it comes to doing jobs and spending time with the family.

 

[friendlywithbears]

I'm curious what length bar my 261 will pull well with moving from .325 on a 20" up to 3/8.

 

[Willard]

I'm curious what length bar my 261 will pull well with moving from .325 on a 20" up to 3/8.

Every operator has different expectations from the other.
It's just what you get used to when you maintain and work with your saw.
With a 20" Stihl ES light bar on my muffler modded MS261CM mounted with a brand new 33RSC chain with a light touch up of the file I'm not happy, I get impatient.
I'd put the chain on a bigger saw, reason why I like half used up 3/8 chain on the 261.
If I run out of half used up chain then the 261 is swapped out with a new loop of 23RS , .325 rim and 16"-18"bar.
The 562XP will run the 20" b/c..

 

[Willard]

I never feel impatient with that same b/c on my 14.5 lb. 066 Mag driven by a 8 pin sprocket.
I just hang on tight

 

[Willard]

I never feel impatient with that same b/c on my 14.5 lb. 066 Mag driven by a 8 pin sprocket.
I just hang on tight
View attachment 187671 View attachment 187672

Last pic starting on the left my •1997 066 -28". The last year of the strong pre- EPA 066 Canadian Mags from the factory with a dual outlet muffler.
1998 066 went round top and EPA detuned cylinder.
•My 2012 562XP -24" with half used up 72LGX. Well over 1000 hrs on her and only thing done to it was a muffler mod and replaced 2 spring mounts.
•My 14.5 lb. 1992 066 Mag red light with 20" light bar and 72LGX.
•Little MS261CM-16" and Husqvarna T536 LiXP hiding in the back.

 

[friendlywithbears]

Every operator has different expectations from the other.
It's just what you get used to when you maintain and work with your saw.
With a 20" Stihl ES light bar on my muffler modded MS261CM mounted with a brand new 33RSC chain with a light touch up of the file I'm not happy, I get impatient.
I'd put the chain on a bigger saw, reason why I like half used up 3/8 chain on the 261.
If I run out of half used up chain then the 261 is swapped out with a new loop of 23RS , .325 rim and 16"-18"bar.
The 562XP will run the 20" b/c..
View attachment 187668

I never feel impatient with that same b/c on my 14.5 lb. 066 Mag driven by a 8 pin sprocket.
I just hang on tight
View attachment 187671 View attachment 187672

I love the 33rs on my 462, was curious if I could get a similar feel on the 261. I like your idea of half life chains for more speed, maybe I'll stick with the .325 for now. Or get myself an 066

 

[Ryan Browne]

I love the 33rs on my 462, was curious if I could get a similar feel on the 261. I like your idea of half life chains for more speed, maybe I'll stick with the .325 for now. Or get myself an 066

My 261 was pretty good with 3/8 on a 16" bar when it was stock. Not amazing, but for firewood 8-18" it was a nice setup. Now that it's ported it's much more impressive.

I think a stock 261 in WA softwood would be fine with a 20" 3/8 bar as long as you're not impatient, but if you've already got a 462, I'd probably just throw that 20" on there.

 

[Lsf]

Hi, I've been using for several years, not weekly / monthly but another 13" 3003 picco is use. 026 and ms261, and a longer 3/8p 18" bar for larger trees when i sometimes need it.

As you know, the 3/8p tooth ( 63PM, 63PS is the same size as 325nk ) ms 250, 251, 241 standard chain here is 3/8p.

 

[Farmchuck]

I always liked 34lg. It cut good & was easy to file. Oregon made it but then 21lp replaced it. I miss the old 34lg.

 

[Farmchuck]

Took an odd size file. 4.5 mm or 11/64”

 

[chipper1]

To answer the OP, because I have a crapload of 325 .
I don't think for firewood duty any of the three would make a big difference on a 50cc saw, run what you got.
3/8 would be easier to buy and it would also be nice to only have one file size.
325 is a great middle ground chain to get a little more power out of a smaller saw.
3/8 picco is great for squeezing out as much speed/power as you can on a smaller saw and the small chips are nice on certain jobs as far as cleanup goes.
Smaller teeth will be smoother when limbing smaller wood, I don't like filing with a small picco file, I like to break them.
Larger teeth will last longer, for me that doesn't make a difference as I have plenty of chains and new chains are cheap in the grand scheme of things.

 

[dustinwilt68]

When me and another member ran picco vs .325 on a couple 026 MOFOs the .325 w an 8 pin was faster and smoother. I run .325 on 54cc and down, above that 3/8 .050. More cost effective to only stock 2 sizes.

 

[Dub11]

When me and another member ran picco vs .325 on a couple 026 MOFOs the .325 w an 8 pin was faster and smoother. I run .325 on 54cc and down, above that 3/8 .050. More cost effective to only stock 2 sizes.

Pfft cost! if that was the case we'd all have 1 saw

 

[chipper1]

Pfft cost! if that was the case we'd all have 1 saw

And one file(or grinder).

 

[Dub11]

And one file(or grinder).

I only got a HF grinder

 

[chipper1]

I only got a HF grinder

You work in a shop like yours and you have an hf .

 

[dustinwilt68]

Grinders??? You know they make these things called files right?

 

[radio]

Oregon has also announced (but not released) a low profile .325 chain:
Philbert

Oregon already has/had a .325 low profile chain. I have some discontinued yellow label 34LG low profile chisel. They still sell the 33/34/35SL low profile chisel safety chain.

 

[Dub11]

You work in a shop like yours and you have an hf .

What shop?