Turns out the new Dolmar uses 3/8.050 chains and the chains I have from my old saw are 3/8.058. If your drive sprocket or rim has deep wear then you might want to renew it before you change the gauge otherwise it doesn’t care, the bar groove however needs to match the chain. Seems like 050 is pretty well won the gauge war and I am glad for it, not because I had a favorite but because there is more or less ONE to deal with unless your running a mini saw or a 100 CC plus. 050 and.058 when running shorter bars(under 25″) the issue in the past was that the.050 didn’t have the strength needed to hold up because of the way the manufactures could make and harden metal that is history today the.058 simply have more metal that you need to twist before the chain breaks. Makes no sense to me to have such a heavy drive link and correspondingly thicker bar with a light chain. 050 on all but the MS880 and the smallest saws, Dolmar on I believe all. “Stihl Australia fits all their saws larger than those that run Picco with 063. I thought I knew better years ago when I purchased some 050 bars & rolls of chain out of the States. While 050 worked it the bar rails would often get jammed up with chips/noodles and the drive tangs would wear out much faster than 063. I now only run 063 in all my saws other than top handles & pole saws. It really makes a difference in really hard wood, bars don’t heat up near as much, rails stay clean and sprocket/drive tang wear is a lot less. The 063 seems to deliver oil better to on 24″+ bars.
Heres something else no one mentioned……trying to run, 050 chain, in a 058,,is stupid for another reason.
If I dull a chain, I take it right off and install another. If the Husky had an.050″ or.063″ bar, my chains would fit. Came with two 72 link – 20″.050″ chains.
I found a good deal on the saw with 24 inch bar and.050 gauge chain.
.058 vs .050 chainsaw chain Related Question:
Can I use a .050 chain on .058 bar?
058 bar? You will not be able to make a straight cut to save your life. The chain will rock in the bar and accelerate the wear.
Will a 058 chain fit in 050 bar?
050 and . 058 chains are identical except the drive tangs are reduced to .
Does chain gauge matter on a chainsaw?
The gauge measurement of a saw chain tells a pro user about the strength of a chain’s drive links. Thicker drive links are usually stronger, but they are heavier. Weight affects performance, and to maximize cutting speed, weight should be kept to a minimum.
Can I use a different gauge chain?
Drive sprockets can drive any gauge chain, only the pitch matters.