Stihl Light 04 guide bar

[Dave Boys]

Has anyone got any experience of using this new bar from Stihl?

Is lighter weight noticeable?

Any issues with thinner chain?


Thanks

 

[Stere]

Should cut faster  on the smaller saws same as  the oregon or husky  low pro bars

[Stubby]

5 hours ago, Stere said:

Should cut faster  on the smaller saws same as  the oregon or husky  low pro bars

I think there is a " trade off " or cutoff point ( if you will pardon the pun ) with these low pro / narrow kirf chains . There are so many variables its tricky to quantify . Low pro will carry less chip away than say full chiz .325 .  The kirf is narrower on low pro so less resistance  but its not carrying out as much wood .  ( from top of cutter to gullet I mean ) Once you get  up to and over 50cc  I recon .325 full chiz could well be quicker . Also its stronger so will last long .  It prompts a massive experiment ! ☺️

Edited September 9, 2020 by Stubby

[Stere]

Test of Light 04 and PRO chains from Stihl | Forestry.com

WWW.FORESTRY.COM

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This is a test of the Light 04 and PRO chains from Stihl that was made during spring 2020. It´s a new system with a...

 

low pro full chiz one is fastest they reckon

 

But might be different on the longer bars .....

 

560xp would be intersting to try with it  18" ?

 

[HUSKY3] 180TXLBK095 Oregon Speed Cut Bar 18"[45cm] .325 .050 72 drive links

WWW.CHAINSAWBARS.CO.UK

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[HUSKY3] 180TXLBK095 Oregon Speed Cut Bar 18"[45cm] .325 .050 72 drive links

 

 

[Dan Maynard]

I think there is a " trade off " or cutoff point ( if you will pardon the pun ) with these low pro / narrow kirf chains . There are so many variables its tricky to quantify . Low pro will carry less chip away than say full chiz .325 .  The kirf is narrower on low pro so less resistance  but its not carrying out as much wood .  ( from top of cutter to gullet I mean ) Once you get  up to and over 50cc  I recon .325 full chiz could well be quicker . Also its stronger so will last long .  It prompts a massive experiment ! [emoji5]

Going to depend on bar length as well, makes sense that the longer the bar the more important getting the chip out of the cut becomes. This is what confuses me about RobD and his 20" Panther bar at 1/4 pitch, can't see how the chips get out.

Even more testing needed.

I guess Stihl have already done some tests though to claim it's 20% faster cutting, not like them to make up spurious marketing claims.

[Stere]

Maybe  a low pro skip chain would be good  for clearing chips....

[Stubby]

9 hours ago, Stere said:

Maybe  a low pro skip chain would be good  for clearing chips....

Yes it would . I bought , years ago , a " West Coast " 385xp from Canada . It had a 28" bar with a semi chis narrow kirf full skip chain with the rakers practically filled right off . I was told by the guy it was a soft wood only felling saw .

[doobin]

Very interesting. I've always leant towards the MS241 rather than the MS261 primarily because you can run 3/8 picco on it- it makes a big difference vs .325.

 

This could be a game changer, however as it's currently only available from Stihl sticking to 3/8 picco will be much more cost effective for me.

Edited September 10, 2020 by doobin

[Dave Boys]

Thanks for the posts folks and to @Stere for the link to the test video

 

I’ve ordered an 18” light 04 bar and chain which I’ll be running on a Stihl MS261

 

I'll let you know how it goes

[Dan Maynard]

Very interesting. I've always leant towards the MS241 rather than the MS261 primarily because you can run 3/8 picco on it- it makes a big difference vs .325.
 
This could be a game changer, however as it's currently only available from Stihl sticking to 3/8 picco will be much more cost effective for me.

I think it showed equivalent chain .325 narrow gauge from Husqvarna and Oregon in the video? I think you can also get Sugi narrow gauge bars, which are apparently better than the Oregon speedcut.