# New Stihl MS362 20" or 25"



## thetooth (Nov 26, 2012)

I stopped at my local Stihl dealer today to buy some bar oil and walked out with a brand new ms362 !

I currently have a ms270 with a 16" bar and I bought the ms362 with a 20" bar . So I am wondering if I should have gone for the 25" bar ? it is only $10.00 difference . Is the 25" bar pushing it for the 362 ?

I mostly cut storm damaged trees from neighbors and friends , the largest tree being a hickory that fell from Sandy I think it was 34" at the base .

I also happened to buy a new FS70 weed wacker while I was in there . My 10 year old fs45 is getting tired .

Thanks for the tips on bar length


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## Jambx (Nov 26, 2012)

to funny but I posted a thread in the "Wood Shed" on a topic very similar;

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/backup-chainsaw-suggestions.95419/

If it was me (and from the looks of it I think it will be) I would go for the 25 inch (if you are going to keep the 270). I want a back up saw with more grunt and longer reach - the 361 (and your 362) fit that - go longer I dont think you will regret it.


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## Researcher1 (Nov 26, 2012)

The 25 inch bar is pushing it for me with a 60cc saw.  I would use the 20 inch and maybe the 25 inch if needed sparingly.  For me over 20 inches is 70cc saw territory.


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## lukem (Nov 26, 2012)

20 is just right for my 361.

You prob won't find yourself picking up that 270 much anymore....


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## thetooth (Nov 26, 2012)

Ha great minds think alike ! Is that a kubota in your avatar ? I have a b7500 . I like the Idea of the 25" bar but I don't want to over do it either , just wondering if I should just rent a 70cc with a large bar if I need it . Holding a ms441 in the dealer today with a 25" bar I felt like I needed a tripod 


Jambx said:


> to funny but I posted a thread in the "Wood Shed" on a topic very similar;
> 
> https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/backup-chainsaw-suggestions.95419/
> 
> If it was me (and from the looks of it I think it will be) I would go for the 25 inch (if you are going to keep the 270). I want a back up saw with more grunt and longer reach - the 361 (and your 362) fit that - go longer I dont think you will regret it.


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## thetooth (Nov 26, 2012)

lukem said:


> 20 is just right for my 361.
> 
> You prob won't find yourself picking up that 270 much anymore....


It crossed my mind to sell it , but only for a split second . 2 saws is better than 1 , right ?


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## Jambx (Nov 26, 2012)

Yep - its a B2920. I moved that 125 foot Red Oak in pieces all this weekend wich had to add up to ~20.000# worth - the B's are a great size tractor (power / weight / lift capacity / foot print etc).

I did push my 18 inch 270 a lot cutting through 30 ~ 40 inch cookies - thats why i think for the larger hard stuff a 361/362 would be a nice addition let alone is a nice fall back in case my 270 wants to take the day off on any given Sunday when my dealer is closed!


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## thetooth (Nov 26, 2012)

here is the evidence and the fs70 next to my old fs45 . Oh and I got the new calendar


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## Jambx (Nov 26, 2012)

note to self - get to my dealer and get the 2013 Stihl Calender


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## thetooth (Nov 26, 2012)

Jambx said:


> note to self - get to my dealer and get the 2013 Stihl Calender


 
Yeah it is a good one .


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## jeff_t (Nov 26, 2012)

You can always have both. Five minute job to swap.


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## JOHN BOY (Nov 26, 2012)

I'd get the 20. The 361 or 362 can handle the 25 but its pushing it in hard wood.  With a 20 you can cut 40 inch diameter trees.


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## thetooth (Nov 26, 2012)

Thanks for the tips I am sticking with the 20"


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## Boog (Nov 26, 2012)

I have a 20", 24", 25", 28" bars/chains that will fit my 031AV, 440, 460 saws. What I use most is the 20" on the 031 & 440, and the 24" on the 460. Used the 28" once to try and make some table tops from a big stump. Go for the 20", shorter is better regardless what she says.


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## MasterMech (Nov 27, 2012)

I'd unload the MS270, use the cash to buy a MS211 or similar and put what's leftover into some spare chains or PPE gear.  The MS270 is a great saw but it's too heavy to be a "small saw", pretty close to the 362 weight-wise actually, and has nothing approching the MS362's power.  Flipping it for the lighter, smaller, MS211 would actually be fun.


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## StihlHead (Nov 27, 2012)

I have had a 360 and many 361s, similar in size and power to the 362, and I can run a 25 inch bar all day long on my 361s and never think twice about it. Falling and bucking with that size bar (and full comp chain) works just fine. Of course, I am a PNW looooong bar kind of guy. 25 is the sweet spot for a 360/1/2, though I would like to try a 22 inch bar on my 361s. They are out there. A lot of them are sold in the PNW with a 28 inch bar... but they do not have the oil capacity to keep the chain lubed on that size bar. One of my current 361s came with a 28 inch bar, and there were obvious burn marks on the bar from not being oiled enough. You can run that length bar on a 360/1/2 (with full skip chain) if you upgrade the oiler with some 460 oil pump parts.

I also use a 20 inch bar on my 361s, but that is rare. Even rarer, if I use an 18 inch bar on a 361 in some tough smaller diameter wood I switch to an 8 slot rim as to not waste the torque and gain chain speed. The great advantage to an inboard clutch; changing rims takes a few minutes with just a scrench.

And yes, it may take a tad longer to cut with a 361 than say, a 440. I have a modified 044 and I run a 28 inch on that most of the time, but I also have a 32 inch bar for it. It cuts faster than th 361, but I get a lot more tired using it (more vibration, more weight, more torque to contend with). I do not get very tired running my 361s.

Bottom line? I would shop for a 25 inch bar for that there 362. It has a tad more power than a 361, and you will like running a 25 inch bar.


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## Jags (Nov 27, 2012)

If you want the perfect combo for that saw (360/1/2) get an 18" bar for everyday AND the 25" when you need it for the big stuff.  An 18" on that saw is the closest thing to a light saber you are gonna buy.


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## Bigg_Redd (Nov 27, 2012)

thetooth said:


> I stopped at my local Stihl dealer today to buy some bar oil and walked out with a brand new ms362 !
> 
> I currently have a ms270 with a 16" bar and I bought the ms362 with a 20" bar . *So I am wondering if I should have gone for the 25" bar ?* it is only $10.00 difference .* Is the 25" bar pushing it for the 362* ?
> 
> ...


 
Yes you should have

and

No, it's not, at least not according to Stihl.


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## TreePointer (Nov 27, 2012)

Don't listen to those PNW'ers with thier long bar "issues."  

You're in Deleware, so keep the 20 incher on that 362.


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## thetooth (Nov 27, 2012)

Yeah I am sticking with the 20" bar later down the line if the big one comes down I will buy the 25" bar . Thanks for everyones help and comments


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## bogydave (Nov 27, 2012)

Won't find much the 20" won't handle.
Like you, I'd let the 25" bar & skip chain hang on the Stihl dealers wall & if ever needed, know it's there


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## Jags (Nov 27, 2012)

bogydave said:


> Won't find much the 20" won't handle.
> Like you, I'd let the 25" bar & skip chain hang on the Stihl dealers wall & if ever needed, know it's there


 
My 25" bar probably gets mounted to the saw about 15% of the time.  Much could be done with the 18", but I don't like double cutting if I don't have to.


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## StihlHead (Nov 27, 2012)

TreePointer said:


> Don't listen to those PNW'ers with thier long bar "issues."
> 
> You're in Deleware, so keep the 20 incher on that 362.


 
Issues? I do not have any long bar issues. I use proper length bars as recommneded by the engineers that designed these saws. 

Its actually the other way around, see? Do not listen to anyone with _Shrimpy Bar Disease_. For anyone with SBD running anything longer than an 18 inch bar  on a 70cc saw is a waste. Break free of the east coast paradigm! Step out of the cave of ignorance and into the enlightenment of longer bars.

PNW, the land of the long bars... as they should be:


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## osagebow (Nov 27, 2012)

That's one old scene where Newman did NOT have a "Failure to communicate!"


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## MasterMech (Nov 27, 2012)

StihlHead said:


> Break free of the east coast paradigm! Step out of the cave of ignorance and into the enlightenment of longer bars.


 
C'mon out east and play StihlHead.  I got some trunks your long-bar'd 361's are gonna love. (snicker snicker)


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## Boog (Nov 27, 2012)

Paul makes my 28" 460 and I feel like a wimp!


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## valley ranch (Nov 27, 2012)

Greetings, A 24" bar doesn't add any weight to a saw. If the country you live in, the trees are that small in Dia. yes stay with 18" or 20" bars. But if you are around some real trees and your saw will pull an aggressive chain, it's nice to just set the bar on the tree and let it cut without putting any pressure on the saw, you know how it just melts its way through and all you have to do is watch so the bar doesn't drop in the dirt when the round falls off.


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## StihlHead (Nov 28, 2012)

MasterMech said:


> C'mon out east and play StihlHead. I got some trunks your long-bar'd 361's are gonna love. (snicker snicker)


 
Yah, right. Do you even have any forests left back east? Here in Oregon, Washington and Northern California we have the worlds tallest and largest trees. Come out west and fall some large DBH trees and see how great those shrimpy bars are. (snicker snicker)


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## MasterMech (Nov 28, 2012)

StihlHead said:


> Yah, right. Do you even have any forests left back east? Here in Oregon, Washington and Northern California we have the worlds tallest and largest trees. Come out west and fall some large DBH trees and see how great those shrimpy bars are. (snicker snicker)


 
Got some giant yardbird Oaks that'll take the spunk right outta a 361 wearing a 24" bar.  I would love to saddle up and shred some giant softwoods.  And learn some real felling technique.


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## StihlHead (Nov 28, 2012)

Oaks? My ex has some 300 year old old growth oaks on her property (Oregon White and California Black) that are upward of 5 feet DBH and 120 feet tall. I used a 361 with a 25" bar to drop several from 2-3 feet across... madrone is a lot harder... only grows out here in the west, and California live oaks are about as hard as they get. Then there are the eucs I cut in central California... also using a 361/25 combination. Then there were the soft tall redwoods I dropped for my friends in Mendocino, really tall trees though, from 2-3 feet DBH. Over the years I have developed a liking to use the lightest saw possible to do the job, and longer bars are easier to use on the trees we have here.

Its a PNW thing... long bars and skip-tooth chains... most Stihl dealers here sold 361s with 28 inch bars, yah know, eh? The stock 361 oilers do not work on that long a bar, but it did not stop them from doing that. I put a 460 oil pump in one of my 361s, and I have run it with a 28 inch bar and skip and it does a good job in Doug fir. Doug fir is the money tree here. I do not recommend that everyone run a 28 inch bar on a 361, but a stock 361 will drive a 25 inch bar with no problem in my experience (full comp or skip chain). I also have a 3/4 wrap, large side cover and a roller/big dawg kit on that saw. Its my go to saw.


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## valley ranch (Nov 28, 2012)

Hi, I didn't  mean to sound condescending, the other day, my big saw became more than I wanted to handle on the mountain, so I used my limbing saw [MS200 T] to buck up the smaller trees I had downed.

My daughter wants to learn the use of a chainsaw.  I'll start her on the Echo we have at the Nevada ranch, it has a smaller bar maybe 14-18". I try not to take out more saw than I need.
We have one we downed next to the mountain house that is 4' across. It was taken down with a 42" but I bucked some of it up with an Husqvarna: 24" bar, cutting from both sides, I prefer a single cut but the bigger saws do get heavy as the day goes on. 
I was going to take a picture, with my girl on the downed logs holding the MS200, as if she had dropped the tree with the limbing saw.
Buy the saw you need, It is very nice to have a choice, if you know you'll be cutting a lot of wood.


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## valley ranch (Nov 28, 2012)

Just testing!


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## TreePointer (Nov 28, 2012)

valley ranch said:


> Just testing!


 
Just testing can still give you a bad trip, man. No shrooms before sawing.


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## Lumberjack (Nov 28, 2012)

i have a stihl 362.  its probably just getting broken in now.  I run it with a 16" and 20" bar with 3/8 chisel chain.  Best thing you can do for your saw is research doing a muffler mod to it and then readjust the carb (richen the H jet).  It really woke my saw up.  Lots more power now.  Get some good ear protection though, def louder!

The 362 will pull full chisel chain on a 20" bar buried in oak.  I agree with previous posts that yes it will pull a 25" but it will be slow going. 

Pick up an 8 pin rim sprocket for use with your shorter bars. 

Rule of thumb for bar length verses engine displacement in hardwood:

50cc - 16"
60cc - 20"
70cc - 24"
80cc - 28"
ect


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