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Stihl MS 250 18" chain "sizing problems"

Started by woodguy65, September 28, 2018, 11:59:24 AM

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woodguy65

Ok guys new to the forum, need your expert opinion.  Several months ago I got together with a buddy to cut firewood for his father (over 3 hours away for me).  I have 3 Stihl MS 250 18" chainsaws, my buddy also has 1 of the exact same Stihl saws - except his was purchased within the last year.   Upon leaving, somehow my buddies ended up in back of my truck and we did not figure out until I was almost home.  It was hard to tell which was "his" saw so picked the newest looking one, arranged to get it back to him that week.

Several months have passed and get a call from him stating I dropped off the wrong saw.  I'm puzzled how he is just now realizing - he said that when he went to change the saw blade, his new chainsaw blade that he purchased with the saw,  would not fit "this" saw.  He said while it was the same length - it would not fit in the grooves of the bar.  He said, the old chains will fit the new saws, but the new chains will not fit the old saws.  By "old" mine are only 3-5 years old.  I told him that does not sound right and can't believe Stihl would do that. 

I even stopped at Big R today who sells them and went and spoke with a service department mechanic who works on them and posed the question.  He said that is not the case - an 18" stihl chain should fit any 18" regardless.  

So can any body add anything else to this:  Did Stihl "change" anything with their new bars/chains so that they are no longer interchangeable?  


farmfromkansas

My old MS250 takes a shorter chain than my MS 290, even in 16", even with the 325 chain.  My MS250 takes a 62 link chain, and the MS290 takes 67 links.  Maybe something has changed to make the new ones take the same chains as the other models.
Most everything I enjoy doing turns out to be work

dougand3

Quote from: woodguy65 on September 28, 2018, 11:59:24 AMit would not fit in the grooves of the bar


That describes gauge. 1.3, 1.5, 1.6 mm  AKA .050, .058, .063 in. 
Yeah, an .063 chain won't fit in .050 bar. All this data is on the on bar - also pitch and DL. Check bar out.
Husky: 372xt, 272xp, 61, 55 (x3)...Poulan: 315, 4218 (x3), 2375, 2150, 2055, 2000 (x3)...Stihl 011AVT...Homelite XL...Saws come in broken, get fixed or parted, find new homes

DelawhereJoe

Here is some more food for thought, my 024 with a 16" .325 runs 67 dl .063 & 16" 3/8p bar runs 60 dl .050 my 180 with a 16" 3/8p bar runs 55dl and a .043 chain if I had a 16" 3/8 for my 362 it would also run 60 dl. An old wildthing I was given, runs 3/8 low pro with an 18" bar 62dr .050.
WD-40, DUCT TAPE, 024, 026, 362c-m, 041, homelite xl, JD 2510

Magicman

I would think that the selling Stihl dealer(s) would have the serial numbers on file.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

realzed

OR for the same model of saw in close to subsequent years - the actual ascending serial number would I imagine should tell you which is the most recent version by logically greater sequence number.. 
Barring that, Willard (Hollmantree) showed us how the month, year, and somewhat version number of most Stihl saws could be identified by looking under the plastic shrouds at the injection molding date codes, in an earlier posting on his Stihl 261 thread I believe it was..
  


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