Guys, look at your new bars!

[CCC4]

Some of you have probably experienced this, but I feel like I should tell you what I have found out. On Stihl "AND" Oregon bars there is a defect that seems to be fairly common. When purchasing a new bar, look throughly down the rails and see if you see anything that should not be there! If present, you will see two to three shiney rods, they are un-ground rivets! This is a factory defect and they will absolutely ruin every chain you put on.

What happens is as the rails wear down, the drive links hit the rivets and are ground off and mushroom into the bar rails. The drivers after hitting these rivets WILL NOT clear your rails! You might as well throw your chain away because it is absolutely RUINED!

If you order your bars through the mail and find this defect...send the bar back and you will get your money back or a replacement bar. If you buy from a local saw shop, thoroughly inspect the rails for this flaw! They are very shiney and easy to see. Point out the flaw and grab a different bar.

Like I said earlier...this is a flwa in BOTH brands....Stihl and Oregon. I feel this info may save someone some money down the road. Thanks and be safe out there!

[Offthebeatenpath]

Thanks for the info CCC4! Where'd you find that out?

[clww]

Thanks for the heads up!

[3rdgenlogger]

Thanks

[CCC4]

It happened to me the other day, and while at the saw shop this evening I asked what the heck were those shiney things in my bottom rail! The guy immediately pulled a used bar off the rack and asked if they looked like this...YEP! The example bar was a Stihl and my bar was an Oregon....my 30" Oregon bar has them also!

Those rivets will ruin a brand new chain in minutes leaving you not knowing why! Bad bad mistake on both manufacturers end. Bars and chains are already expensive enough...you would think the manufacturers would inspect their product a little bit better.

Thanks!

[clww]

If I had to guess, I would think it has to do with the machinery at the plant. I would hope a visual inspection is performed by a human eye prior to packaging. The Stihl plant is less than five minutes from me here at The Beach.

[CCC4]

Here's what they look like Men. Sorry about the poor quality filming. !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyNoSr__Gqs&list=UU_NjqCPS3PCA_PGz4NCZuLA

[DeepCreek]

What are the odds of this happening to two different brands at the same time - - - - - unless they are both made in the same plant and simply labeled differently?

Just saying ....

[CCC4]

What are the odds of this happening to two different brands at the same time - - - - - unless they are both made in the same plant and simply labeled differently?

Just saying ....

That is a VERY good question! They are the same exact flaw...weird!

[ehp]

I have been in the Blount factory here lots of times and they make both oregon and stihl bars so if made here in Canada that is how both types can have the same problem

[M_S_S]

That would one to believe that Oregon makes Stilh bars . Ed

[shelbycharger400]

Kinda running it off the subject, well putting it all together,   I now know how they sandwitch the bars.
So,  ya think Just the rails are hardened and the core is not,  a 3 piece bar basically, laminated...or rivited .  the pins are for locating, putting it together?

[treeslayer2003]

Some of you have probably experienced this, but I feel like I should tell you what I have found out. On Stihl "AND" Oregon bars there is a defect that seems to be fairly common. When purchasing a new bar, look throughly down the rails and see if you see anything that should not be there! If present, you will see two to three shiney rods, they are un-ground rivets! This is a factory defect and they will absolutely ruin every chain you put on.

What happens is as the rails wear down, the drive links hit the rivets and are ground off and mushroom into the bar rails. The drivers after hitting these rivets WILL NOT clear your rails! You might as well throw your chain away because it is absolutely RUINED!

If you order your bars through the mail and find this defect...send the bar back and you will get your money back or a replacement bar. If you buy from a local saw shop, thoroughly inspect the rails for this flaw! They are very shiney and easy to see. Point out the flaw and grab a different bar.

Like I said earlier...this is a flwa in BOTH brands....Stihl and Oregon. I feel this info may save someone some money down the road. Thanks and be safe out there!

Clint was that an ES or E stihl bar? I really think I am going to all sugi or total from now on. sic of buying crap.

[SwampDonkey]

What are the odds of this happening to two different brands at the same time - - - - - unless they are both made in the same plant and simply labeled differently?

Just saying ....

My bet is that they come from the same place. I cut brush with brush saws and all the blades we use (Chisel Tooth-Maxi blade) come from Sweden, all Stihl brand blades come from Japan. Last year the Stihl blades were recalled, the teeth would snap off in wood. I broke two different blades. I never seen that before.  :

[CCC4]

slayer Mike, The Stihl bar was a 25" ES and both my Oregon 25" and 30" are the "power match" bars and both of them have the same defect.

Man as many bars as I go through...one every 2 months...my boss would crap himself if I bought Sugi bars! LMAO! Maybe for my own personal saws I might try the Sugi.

Hey Mike, have you ever seen those things in your rails? I think I am gonna take a dremel and cut the pins out...but the darn rails are already sloppy. If I trash the bar I am gonna pop the rivet and get my new tip off of it first. ! I threw a brand spankin' new 20" on the 372...my chaser better get some good sleep and eat his "Wheaties" for 2moro! !

[CCC4]

What are the odds of this happening to two different brands at the same time - - - - - unless they are both made in the same plant and simply labeled differently?

Just saying ....

My bet is that they come from the same place. I cut brush with brush saws and all the blades we use (Chisel Tooth-Maxi blade) come from Sweden, all Stihl brand blades come from Japan. Last year the Stihl blades were recalled, the teeth would snap off in wood. I broke two different blades. I never seen that before.  :

What is this?? You mean our junk cars headed over seas are producing poor products??? LMAO! Surely not...maybe our ground up bumpers sent to Mexico would make good bars and brush blades! !

[treeslayer2003]

slayer Mike, The Stihl bar was a 25" ES and both my Oregon 25" and 30" are the "power match" bars and both of them have the same defect.

Man as many bars as I go through...one every 2 months...my boss would crap himself if I bought Sugi bars! LMAO! Maybe for my own personal saws I might try the Sugi.

Hey Mike, have you ever seen those things in your rails? I think I am gonna take a dremel and cut the pins out...but the darn rails are already sloppy. If I trash the bar I am gonna pop the rivet and get my new tip off of it first. ! I threw a brand spankin' new 20" on the 372...my chaser better get some good sleep and eat his "Wheaties" for 2moro! !

my thinking is this; the sugi doesn't cost twice as much as a stihl but if it lasts twice as long then I saved money. no

no I havn't seen this yet but I have had trouble with stihl bars chipping at the rails. I just don't buy Oregon any more or any one rivet bar.

[CCC4]

Yeh, I hear ya. I would like to give a Sugi a run, run the pith out of it and try and count my days on it. I bet they are a superior product..lots of guys seem to really like them.

Yeh Mike, I ran the Oregons on my Stihl saws for several bars, the tips fly apart early in my opinion. But just as I say that, I had a 20" Stihl ES bar lock the tip up a couple days ago...locked so hard I thought I broke my sprocket!..must lost a bearing to lock up that bad. I was limbing a heavy limbed oak and kicked back violently into another big limb, and that's all she wrote for that tip! !

Until I get an adapter or whatever on the 372 XP and run Stihl bars, I'm going to buy Oregon bars. Can't see paying for the Husky name on the same bar. !

Stay Safe Mike! Hey holler at me 2moro man! 

[GDinMaine]

I had the same thing happen to a 20" Stihl bar.  It was brand new and the tip froze in the matter of 10-15 minutes of use.  In fact it got so hot the paint was discolored near the bearings and no amount of force would turn the sprocket. The shop just took it back and gave me another one.  I have had no problems with that.

[ehp]

Blount/oregon makes about 99% of the bars , yes I know its hard to believe but the one factory here in Ontario Canada makes most of them , 8% of the bars and chains that is made here stays in North America , the rest is shipped all over the world with Africa being the number one place they ship to , they have 5 laser machines cutting 48 inch bars out 24 hours a day 7 days a week just for Africa

[ehp]

and yes they makes the 20 inch stihl bar , from what I was told about the only bar they did not make was the 25 inch , not to sure on any of the super long bars

[GDinMaine]

They sure fooled me with this Made in Germany stuff.



  

 

[DeepCreek]

A guy got a whole pot load of money by suing the US owners of the Lowenbrau beer trademark. The bottle/can said made in Germany. The court said no way is that (Admin edit) stuff made in Germany (they were right), and pay the man 'cause you lost.

First to file, gets the big bucks.   

[John Mc]

Does anyone have an idea of how widespread the problem is? Is it just a few bars or on just a few sizes, or is it a high percentage of bars?

[CCC4]

Couldn't even begin to guess on any percentages of flawed bars. The (3) bars I have seen this on were a Stihl ES 25" and my Oregon Power Match 25" and my Oregon Power Match 30"