The Forestry Forum

On my 372xp, I have 2 bars for it. Both are 3/8 x 63. What are your opinions on comp vs skip, on what length. I am currently using full comp on 20 and skip on 28. All seems good with the world, as far as my choice goes, but that does not mean that I could not have chosen better. Longer bar length is not out of the running, because a friend of mine since childhood has recently moved into a home with a very large and dangerous tree about twelve feet from his house with a VERY large limb overhanging his house. The limb is the only thing that I am worried about, but the rest of my question remains. Bar lengths? Skip or comp? Opinions please! BTW, tree is roughly 48" DBH.

I run 20" bars on my 372s, full comp on them. I have a 28" bar for big trees, run oregon skip on it, you are setup just like i am except mine is 50 guage, works good for me. That 28" bar is plenty long enough to cut a 48" dbh tree, i fell a black oak last fall that was 6 foot across at the stump with the 28" bar.

28" is about as long as you will want on a 372, i leave it on my 288 xp but i have run it on my 372s.

Skip will work well on the 28" it helps keep the kerf clear of chips. Some guys like to run it on shorter bars thinking fewer cutters to sharpen but filing is more frequent so that is a wash. It will also chatter and grab while limbing.
The 28" is the practical limit for your 372. You can run a longer bar but keep the chain sharp and be patient.