Stihl Chainsaw

Help. I am trying to replace my chain on a Stihl MS361. Can you tell me the correct length? The shop is closed. I though it was 24inches but that is too long

Thanks in advance.

What is the bar length?

Go here and enter your saw info

https://www.oregonproducts.com/en/part-finder

Should say right on the side of the bar.

More to it than chain length.

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gregory wrote:

Should say right on the side of the bar.

That saw can take a few different length bars. What’s important is matching width, pitch and links on the chain to the bar. Here is a photo of a 25 inch bar. 3/8 pitch, .050 width and 84 links is the match to this bar.

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Steve has the right answer. There is much more to it than just the length of the bar.

To select the correct chain you need to know the following.

First is the pitch. That is the distance between the pins on the drive links. Common ones are 325 and 3/8, but there are others.

Next you need to know the gauge. This is the width of the groove in your bar that the links ride in. Again common ones are .050 and .058.

Next is the number of drive links. This of course varies from saw to saw according to the pitch and the length of the bar.

Most bars have this information stamped into the steel of the bar. You may have to do some cleaning to find it. It’s generally up by the base of the bar where the bar connects to the machine. Sometimes you even have to remove the bar to find it.

I believe Stihl brand chains used to use a coded number stamped on the chain itself that showed both the gage and the drive links. I’m not sure if they still do this but it was possible to read the information directly off the chain. The problem was you needed a little conversion table to convert these numbers into an actual pitch and gauge measurement.

Hopefully all this information is stamped on the bar and you can be back in business quickly.

Grouse

Thanks Guys, I really appreciate the fast response with the information. I am registered on this site now. My profile picture is one I had on my screen saver, not of hunting/fishing.