Hi,
I've got a Stihl MS270 with a 16" bar, and I finally started wondering about the chains that I buy for it.

Oregon makes an H67 and an L67, both of which list the MS270 as one of the saws that they support. One of the chains has a lot longer list of saws , making me think that it has more compromises.

The only thing that I can see that's different -- and this is from the package -- is something that shows as 0.5" on one and a slightly different number on the other. The little picture shows something with a little slot of that dimension, but has no other information. (it's the second little image from the left on the bottom row in the picture below).

I've googled, and many places are glad to sell me either, but nobody seems to have any opinion on why I should pick one or the other.

I checked my existing chains, and by the little numbers stamped on them ( 20 on one and 22 on the other), I've apparently used both types. I've never really noticed any difference, but I don't cut trees for a living.

I'd appreciate it if anybody could tell me what the difference is.

Thanks,

hj

 

The difference you're seeing is the bar gauge, its how wide the groove is in the bar, and how thick the drive link of the chain is. You should run the correct gauge chain for the bar that you have on the saw. It should be stamped on the bar with the other specs, though that may have worn off (or be covered in oil/sap/sawdust).

See this link for more info on picking a correctly sized chain:
https://www.chainsawsdirect.com/stor...placement.html

 

Thanks, espespecially for the link. I found out what it was on another forum, but
I couldn't find a lot about why it mattered -- or the monetary gauge method .

I have some older Oregon packaging and it does not show anything about this parameter.

Thnks again,

hj