Husqvarna 562XP Upgrades 2015.

[HolmenTree]

I just have to ask...is the .325 up to that kind of power.
We had trouble with it on 262 and 357 saws in cold weather.
Would rip the chain apart when limbing.
This is probably operator error but that 562 is pretty fast for limbing and here I would not even consider putting it on.
Most users cant file the chain very good anyway but that's another story.
Regards Chris

On a 60cc or smaller saw the .325 is a perfect chain in my opinion. On my 562 max bar length is 18" and I like the small radius pro bars like the Cannon Super Mini and Windsor Mini Pro which are lighter,  smoother in bore cutting and limbing.
I've run .325 in much colder winters and never had breakage. Breakage comes from running a chain on a worn out rim sprocket and lowering the depth gauges too much or too much hook in the cutters side plates.
I had the 562 cutting pretty good today with the 9 pin .325 rim. I hit a stone and filed the new chain down to about 2/3rd.  Was cutting some good sized birch and jack pine with good speed, limbing was like a light sabre when the rev boost cut in.
Eager to try the 8 pin.
Here's a pic of my favorite chain , the old discontinued Oregon 76LG chisel. Cutter size comparable to a .325 but the beefier chassis of a 3/8.


  

 

[49er]

HolmenTree, I have never rum a 60cc saw with .325 but I do run .325 on my 2253. How does 325 compare to 3/8 when bore cutting?

[HolmenTree]

HolmenTree, I have never rum a 60cc saw with .325 but I do run .325 on my 2253. How does 325 compare to 3/8 when bore cutting?

All depends what size of wood you're bore cutting and what bar you're running....all relative.

That small nose bar I showed bore cuts very smooth , you can push the tip straight into the tree and there's no chattering, kick back or wandering. Plus the narrow contour of the bar takes up a lot less space in the tree if your bore cutting the back cut away from the hinge wood for example.

[49er]

Yesterday I gave the 562 with a .325 9pin rim sprocket and 18" 20LPX chain setup a good workout.
I found the 9 pin rim was too much for my stock 562 with muffler mod even with the smaller chain on a 18" bar.
I might as well go back to the full size 3/8 and run the smaller 7 pin rim.
So I ordered a 2260/560 sprocket drum and oiler worm gear and then run either a 7 or 8 pin .325 rim sprocket. The 8 pin will get the gearing back to the original 7 pin 3/8 rim, but I have strong anticipation for the smaller 7 pin .325 rim also.
Lot's of torque  potential in bigger wood with the little 7 pin as the 562 has lots of top end rpm already.


 

I am looking for a clutch drum for my 2260 that will accept small spline rims. Do you have a part number and where did you order from.
Is the part number 575261003?
I see my 2253 has that part number for its' clutch drum.
Thanks Brian

[HolmenTree]

49er
Your 2260 should already be small 7 spline drum equipped .
I ordered the 575 26 10-01 drum and 505 20 08-01 oiler worm wheel for my standard 7 spline 562XP.

[49er]

49er
Your 2260 should already be small 7 spline drum equipped .
I ordered the 575 26 10-01 drum and 505 20 08-01 oiler worm wheel for my standard 7 spline 562XP.

Nope, it is standard spline. However, when I want to try .325 on my 2260 I'll just use the drum off my 2253. Thanks

[SawTroll]

Yesterday I gave the 562 with a .325 9pin rim sprocket and 18" 20LPX chain setup a good workout.
I found the 9 pin rim was too much for my stock 562 with muffler mod even with the smaller chain on a 18" bar.
I might as well go back to the full size 3/8 and run the smaller 7 pin rim.
So I ordered a 2260/560 sprocket drum and oiler worm gear and then run either a 7 or 8 pin .325 rim sprocket. The 8 pin will get the gearing back to the original 7 pin 3/8 rim, but I have strong anticipation for the smaller 7 pin .325 rim also.
Lot's of torque  potential in bigger wood with the little 7 pin as the 562 has lots of top end rpm already.


 

I am looking for a clutch drum for my 2260 that will accept small spline rims. Do you have a part number and where did you order from.
Is the part number 575261003?
I see my 2253 has that part number for its' clutch drum.
Thanks Brian

Se reply 23 - 25, but note what HolmenTree said - check what already is on your saw.....

[losttheplot]

HolmenTree, you made them sound so good I had to get one.

[HolmenTree]

Very nice.
All setup for the west coast, full skip chain included.

[HolmenTree]

My OEM small 7 spline clutch drum and oiler worm gear came in today so now I can convert my 562 from a 9 pin standard 7 spline .325 rim sprocket to a 8 pin or 7 pin small 7 spline rim.
Can't try it out until next week as these weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend.
I also picked up some loops of the latest Stihl 23 RS .325 chisel chain. Man that's  good looking chain!!!  The drive links look like their chromed and the cutters don't  have those annoying safety bumper links that the Oregon 20LPX has.

I was going to suggest to the last poster (losttheplot) try converting his new PNW 562XP to .325 with a loop of Stihl 23RS full skip on a 28" bar driving by a 7 or 8 pin .325 rim.......you may have a winner there in softwood production.

[SawTroll]

My OEM small 7 spline clutch drum and oiler worm gear came in today so now I can convert my 562 from a 9 pin standard 7 spline .325 rim sprocket to a 8 pin or 7 pin small 7 spline rim.
Can't try it out until next week as these weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend.
I also picked up some loops of the latest Stihl 23 RS .325 chisel chain. Man that's  good looking chain!!!  The drive links look like their chromed and the cutters don't  have those annoying safety bumper links that the Oregon 20LPX has.

I was going to suggest to the last poster (losttheplot) try converting his new PNW 562XP to .325 with a loop of Stihl 23RS full skip on a 28" bar driving by a 7 or 8 pin .325 rim.......you may have a winner there in softwood production.

LPX still is faster and smoother than RS in .325 though, but the margin is small. It may be a factor that the upper part of the driver is .063 on the RS, and .058 on the LPX, so the RS cuts a wider kerf.
I am not buying any more RS chain in .325 after testing against LPX, but will happily use them in a pinch. Both are excellent chain!

[49er]

HolmenTree, I am looking forward to a report on .325 with an 8 pin. My 2260 is ported by tlandrum and I may try this setup.
At breakfast this morning my logger buddy gave me his 562 that has seen three years of hard use. His cutter loves that saw. He said it was turning the chain at idle. I will have to check it out.

[SawTroll]

This is what the manual says about chain turning at idle:

WARNING! If the saw chain rotates while
idling, contact your servicing dealer. Do
not use the chain saw until it has been
properly adjusted or repaired.

Anyway, .325x8 will no doubt work fine, but not necessarily better than 3/8x7. The same applies to .325x9 vs. 3/8x8, with short bars (I haven't been able to try yet).

[49er]

This is what the manual says about chain turning at idle:

WARNING! If the saw chain rotates while
idling, contact your servicing dealer. Do
not use the chain saw until it has been
properly adjusted or repaired.

Yep, that's why he gave it to me.

[HolmenTree]

My OEM small 7 spline clutch drum and oiler worm gear came in today so now I can convert my 562 from a 9 pin standard 7 spline .325 rim sprocket to a 8 pin or 7 pin small 7 spline rim.
Can't try it out until next week as these weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend.
I also picked up some loops of the latest Stihl 23 RS .325 chisel chain. Man that's  good looking chain!!!  The drive links look like their chromed and the cutters don't  have those annoying safety bumper links that the Oregon 20LPX has.

I was going to suggest to the last poster (losttheplot) try converting his new PNW 562XP to .325 with a loop of Stihl 23RS full skip on a 28" bar driving by a 7 or 8 pin .325 rim.......you may have a winner there in softwood production.

LPX still is faster and smoother than RS in .325 though, but the margin is small. It may be a factor that the upper part of the driver is .063 on the RS, and .058 on the LPX, so the RS cuts a wider kerf.
I am not buying any more RS chain in .325 after testing against LPX, but will happily use them in a pinch. Both are excellent chain!

The Oregon LPX is not faster or smoother then the Stihl RS.
Maybe the LPX is smoother delimbing limbey spruce at half throttle but a tree is only properly delimbed at WOT. That design is outdated since introduced in the early 1970s, at a time when saws had much lower chain speeds and chain vibration was more noticeable.
The LPX drive link safety ramp is only an optical illusion just as the RS chain was 25 years ago with the ramp on top of the side link. These links add weight to the chain and reduce chip clearance in the kerf......reducing cutting speed.
Sure the Stihl chain has a .005" wider kerf but that very small difference isn't even noticeable, the RS still has the LPX beat in higher chain speed with the lighter chain and larger chip clearance
But the extra .005 thickness difference  in strength is "huge", especially for a .325 chain.


  

 

[HolmenTree]

HolmenTree, I am looking forward to a report on .325 with an 8 pin. My 2260 is ported by tlandrum and I may try this setup.
At breakfast this morning my logger buddy gave me his 562 that has seen three years of hard use. His cutter loves that saw. He said it was turning the chain at idle. I will have to check it out.

Thanks, I'm looking forward to it too. But I may have one other test for the  562XP also.
A machinest friend of mine says he can enlarge the mini 7 spline bore of a 7 pin Picco rim sprocket to fit the Husqvarna small 7 spline clutch drum, then we'll see how the 63PS chisel chain works out.............


 

[SawTroll]

The Oregon LPX is not faster or smoother then the Stihl RS.
Maybe the LPX is smoother delimbing limbey spruce at half throttle but a tree is only properly delimbed at WOT. That design is outdated since introduced in the early 1970s, at a time when saws had much lower chain speeds and chain vibration was more noticeable.
The LPX drive link safety ramp is only an optical illusion just as the RS chain was 25 years ago with the ramp on top of the side link. These links add weight to the chain and reduce chip clearance in the kerf......reducing cutting speed.
Sure the Stihl chain has a .005" wider kerf but that very small difference isn't even noticeable, the RS still has the LPX beat in higher chain speed with the lighter chain and larger chip clearance
But the extra .005 thickness difference  in strength is "huge", especially for a .325 chain.


  

 

I totally disagree, look at how large the ramped rakers of the RS (and LGX) are, compared to the LP(X).
The ramps of the LP(X) doesn't interfere much with the cutting at all, except maybe with really long bars, where chip transport is an issue. I don't have any use for bars that long here (24" max, mainly 16 to 20").

I only limb at full throttle, and it is when limbing the difference in smoothness is most notisable. My wood usually are birch mixed with some other "hardwoods", so I can't really comment on conifers.

[346xp]

LPX is the best chain I have used hands down 8)

[snowshoveler]

and how many times have I had a customer come in with a saw that has a 50 guage chain in a 58 guage bar...grrrr.
I don't know why they can't just make 1 width. The cut on everything is the same except for the new 95vp.
Chris

[HolmenTree]

The Oregon LPX is not faster or smoother then the Stihl RS.
Maybe the LPX is smoother delimbing limbey spruce at half throttle but a tree is only properly delimbed at WOT. That design is outdated since introduced in the early 1970s, at a time when saws had much lower chain speeds and chain vibration was more noticeable.
The LPX drive link safety ramp is only an optical illusion just as the RS chain was 25 years ago with the ramp on top of the side link. These links add weight to the chain and reduce chip clearance in the kerf......reducing cutting speed.
Sure the Stihl chain has a .005" wider kerf but that very small difference isn't even noticeable, the RS still has the LPX beat in higher chain speed with the lighter chain and larger chip clearance
But the extra .005 thickness difference  in strength is "huge", especially for a .325 chain.


  

 

I totally disagree, look at how large the ramped rakers of the RS (and LGX) are, compared to the LP(X).
The ramps of the LP(X) doesn't interfere much with the cutting at all, except maybe with really long bars, where chip transport is an issue. I don't have any use for bars that long here (24" max, mainly 16 to 20").

Just an optical illusion SawTroll. The part of the chain that determines how smooth it cuts is not the ramp alongside the depth gauge in the center line of the chain between the left hand and right hand cutters.
It's the design of the depth gauge that makes  contact in the kerf of the cut as the cutter bit does its cutting action.

Go back and look at how smooth and sloped the RS depth gauge is and how blunt and verticle standing the LPX depth gauge is. The drive link ramp in the center of the chain is not protecting the sides of that blunt depth gauge in the saw cut kerf in the log or on a tree branch.
The cutter's depth gauges naturally spread outwards while under torque in the wood causing resistance on the sides of the kerf wall .
Also for kickback potential when a new unfiled LPX depth gauge is in the kickback zone of the bar nose upper quadrant  the ramp is no longer protecting the upper portion of the verticle depth gauge.
In that same position  the RS and LGX ramped depth gauge is always offering a large smooth low kickback contour.
Smoother depth gauge contour equals less vibration and kickback energy ;)

[HolmenTree]

LPX is the best chain I have used hands down 8)

Good advice from a guy who thinks a chain should make chips in the diagonal cut of a open face cut :D

[346xp]

Whatever!! 8) you are the Chainsaw god

[HolmenTree]

Just an update  I have here for my 562XP upgrade.
El Nino has other plans and we're getting lots of unseasonably warm weather  with rain.  So it's stay at home and getting stuff done around home and the shop.

I thought I'd share a few pics of a cottonwood removal I did last week for a customer.
I felled 2 stems here into my customers back yard, after felling the first I thought this would be a great photo shoot for the members on Forestry Forum  showing what my 562 and 395XP are up against.
Heavy side lean and back lean over the house on both trees with lots of one sided limb weight,  so this job called for a taunt 90° to lay guyline on both trees .
Along with a pull line.
BTW that 28" b/c on my 395XP is 23 years old kept in shape with regular maintenance 


  

  

 

[HolmenTree]

I'm not sure what happened to the middle pic ??? But here's a better view of it.


 

[SawTroll]

Just an optical illusion SawTroll. The part of the chain that determines how smooth it cuts is not the ramp alongside the depth gauge in the center line of the chain between the left hand and right hand cutters.
It's the design of the depth gauge that makes  contact in the kerf of the cut as the cutter bit does its cutting action.

Go back and look at how smooth and sloped the RS depth gauge is and how blunt and verticle standing the LPX depth gauge is. The drive link ramp in the center of the chain is not protecting the sides of that blunt depth gauge in the saw cut kerf in the log or on a tree branch.
The cutter's depth gauges naturally spread outwards while under torque in the wood causing resistance on the sides of the kerf wall .
Also for kickback potential when a new unfiled LPX depth gauge is in the kickback zone of the bar nose upper quadrant  the ramp is no longer protecting the upper portion of the verticle depth gauge.
In that same position  the RS and LGX ramped depth gauge is always offering a large smooth low kickback contour.
Smoother depth gauge contour equals less vibration and kickback energy ;)

Regardless, it is a fact that the LP/LPX is the smoothest and ime fastest option. The differences are more notisable in .325 than in 3/8" (no LGX in .325).
Anyway, the differences are too small to be of any practical consequence, so I happily use LP/LPX, LGX and RSC/RS.