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Stihl 260

Max Taylor

In Memoriam
Joined
Dec 26, 2005
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Location
Fort Worth, TX
I am considering a Stihl 260 with a 20 in. bar. Is that too much bar for that motor?


How can I tell when I am out of invisible ink?
 
I have just that stihl with 20" bar and cuts everything,the secret is not how large the bar is, it is how sharp you´r chainsaw is that is the real dilema
 
Dustpan said:
I am considering a Stihl 260 with a 20 in. bar. Is that too much bar for that motor?


How can I tell when I am out of invisible ink?

The MS-260 Pro will pull a 24" bar, although the ones that I have used have had better balance with a 20" bar. The 24 made them nose-heavy in the cut.

Very good saw.

m

ps. when you can see the words 😉
 
Thanks, guys,
Stihl 260 with 20 in. bar it is. Max



Dang,I just lost 10,000 dollars. Gold went up 10.00 an ounce and I didnt have 62 pounds of the stuff to cash in.
 
026

I own a 026 Pro and have both a 20" bar and a 16" bar. I have found it to run so much smoother with the 16" bar that I no longer use the 20" on it. If you feel you need a 20" bar I would recommend a larger saw. I picked up a 041 for the 20" bar.
 
Sounds like you made your decision already, but if you want a little more peace of mind, I have been running a 20" bar on my Stihl 026 Pro, which is the same saw, since May of 1999. Occasionally I will put a 16" bar on it for firewood or lighter trimming. The saw is designed to balance in your hand with an 18" bar, so the 20" makes it a bit nose heavy (not a problem) and the 16" makes it a little easier to move around in tight quarters (my opinion).

Now if you want a big Stihl, I can tell you about my 046 Magnum with the 28" bar too. 😀

Bill
 
The 20" may be a bit big for the 026 but would work. You need to make sure you have good sharp chains to minimize slowing down the cut.

If you want to use a 20" bar as the normal bar, you may want to look to a bigger saw with more power and torque. (IMHO)
 
Smaller bars are a lot easier to handle because of the weight and leverage. Longer bars can cut thru longer/wider pieces without having to cut from both sides.

I would get the 20" bar. You can always get a 16" bar to accompany it if you end up doing a lot of shorter cuts. A lot of folks end up with 2 chainsaws. And that is where I'll eventually be - one chainsaw for getting the larger main cuts, and one for trimming out the bowl/vase blanks.

One of my brothers in the Seattle area used his 24" saw to cut down some 80' trees on his property. He used a smaller 16" saw to trim the branches. Frankly he should have bought a 30" bar to do the main cuts. But he got it done with the tools at hand.
 
I use a Stihl MS 390 with a 24" bar and a very sharp ripping chain. Very sweet saw - cuts like a dream. I have an old 16" Husquavarna that I use for most of my cross cutting. If I need a longer cross cut, I just switch the chains on the 24".
 
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