Jonsered 455 Breaking Down Tops. Clean Up After Felling In A Wood Lot Prepping Tops For Skidding 

Walt you're right, humility is sorely lacking these days. Don't let the saw-influencers get you down. Lots seem like phonies with ego problems. If a creator offers ADVICE (such as bar-length) without knowing what kind of wood their viewers are cutting or the kind of work they may be doing, take that as a warning sign that that particular creator might not have your best interests in mind. I appreciate that you show what's worked for YOU over a career of cutting the species of trees YOU cut. Thanks for the informative videos and for being just the way you are. Stay safe.

Thanks for sharing your wisdom Walt! Truly could listen to you talk all day!

I have a McCulloch Pro 10-10 Automatic that I bought from eBay. My first ever purchase on eBay. It was already setup for .325" .050" gauge chain when I got it with a 16" hardnose bar that I sold the bar and switched to a replaceable sprocket tip bar. I also got a 28" Oregon Powercut bar and had the tip switched out to .325" on it so that I don't have to bend over to reach the ground. I use Husqvarna X-Cut SP33G safety chain on it. It's really smooth because of the safety chain rakers because the little twigs don't get caught in the chain because of those rakers. If I have to reach up I can use a top handle saw or the funky looking McCulloch Power Mac 340 rear handle version of the top handle saw. If you saw one before then you know what I mean by what they look like.

Amen to that Walt any time recently that I mention this I get a tongue lashing about how I'm wrong from people that cut one tree in a clean back yard, I've been cutting more than 30+ year's of my life certain time's at the pro level I'd like to think maybe I've learnt a thing or three in that time. What I have learnt is pretty much the same as you just demonstrated, long bar's love to throw chain's in brush or doing small deliming and just like you said long bar's just plain play you out. I recently put a longer bar on 365 that I was using to drop a bunch of poplar with in heavy brush, good lord was I sore after just a short stint and yes I tried "hipping" the saw so as not to be lugging that extra weight around NO! I don't care how many different adaptions or way's you have to learn to do work around's to make a long bar work for what your trying to accomplish, it just becomes total stupidity at a certain point. Hey what do we know right just many year's out cutting with short bar's in less than ideal condition's that's all, take care and keep preaching the saw gospel.

Well said. Thanks for the video.

In my opinion the size of saw and bar you should use is definitely dependent on you. I primarily use my saws for firewood to heat my home. I basically have 2 size groups that I use. 53 cc and 71cc. Bar size is dependent on the task. If I'm limbing before I fell it, I use my 53 (55 Rancher) with a 20 inch bar which due to my elevation and fuel mix allows for a leaner setting and spins a lot faster than the recommended rpm with a perfect color on the plug. I use my 2171 and my 2166 to buck with. Now that I am getting older, I use to a 32" so I can stand up straight due to a bad back, but I used to use 20" most of time. I'm a believer of power to weight ratio and depending on how long the saw will be used outside of the neutral zone is the factor of what saw and barI'm going to reach for. I love the topics you bring up in your videos.

Anything bigger than 2” is firewood. They remind me of a beech that I cut up for the American Legion hall last summer with my 024. It blew right through it. I cut it with an 18” .325 bar. You have to hit small stuff running to keep them from throwing a chain.

Big difference in the trees...

well i don´t use a bar bigger than the 24inch for bigger wood and normally i use a 18inch on a 372xp for small stuff. i am 35 years old but i don't whant to carry extra weight to do small stuff! It's my opinion and i don't blame the others to use a bigger bar. Everyone is free to do who considers the best for the job!

Looks like the purfect size saw for the job.

For what I call topping the tree basically what your doing I use little G2500 with a 10" bar yes a 10" bar to cut most everything up to like 8", It's super light, easy to handle with one hand and very fuel efficient. I typically use 3 different saws for cutting the G2500 10" bar, then one of several saws with an 18" to 20" bar and if needed a saw with a 28" to 32" bar. I know this isn't how everyone does it but this is the way I typically do it. 😊

The guys using the 70+cc saw and long bar for everything are cutting conifers 99.9% of the time. Where they can either walk down or walk along the side of the tree. Try holding a 70+cc saw above your head to get to limbs. You won’t be doing it long. 50 cc saw with 18-20 inch bar easy peasy. I break out the MS 461 when the wood gets about 10”.

Agreed. Big saw big bar small saw small bar. Cutting contest big saw small bar no rakers/depth guages.

I use 18" bar on 550mk2 for popping tops and I find way faster and less fatigue then a long bar 372 especially when swinging saw up in the air for high limbs

I cut alot in the same conditions and even for just firewood ill always grab my smaller lighter saws with 18”-20” bars first and use them most of the time .I always have one bigger saw with me with a 28”-32” bar but it only comes off the truck just long enough to cut up the big portion if needed, then back to the smaller and lighter saws.Trying to wade through brush and limb with a bigger saw - long bar sucks.

imo , there are times and activities for the big saws and times for a mid sized saw.

Just think Walt if you had a 95cc saw and a 42in. bar you would have had the same amount of work done but you would have been on your second tank of gas.😅

I think there are some benefits to running a large saw with a big bar, there are also benefits to running a light saw with a short bar. Within the scope of what I personally do, I've never understood the benefit of running a big saw with a short bar, but that's just me. I also think there are a whole lot of "Experts" parroting borrowed opinions right now.

That’s the way my 021 and 024 work. You don’t need a BMF to cut little wood and they are a lot easier than with an axe. What did you do, grab your wife’s 343?