leo612•18d ago

My brand new chainsaw bar snapped in half on a Tuesday morning

I was out on a job in Phoenix last week, trimming a big mesquite tree. About 20 minutes in, my bar just cracked right down the middle while I was making a clean cut on a 6 inch branch. I stood there staring at it for a good minute before I realized I had to call the client and explain I'd be back tomorrow with a spare. Has anyone else had a bar fail like that out of nowhere, or did I just get a lemon?

3 comments

3 Comments

vera_murphy18d ago

My buddy Dave snapped a bar on a Stihl last fall cutting oak. He was three cuts into a firewood pile and heard this loud crack, thought he hit a rock or something. Nope, bar just split right through the middle near the sprocket tip. He was so mad he threw it across the yard and dented his truck tailgate. Ended up being a bad heat treat from the factory, the shop replaced it for free but said they'd never seen that before.

mary77618d ago

Vera, wasn't that a bad heat treat or just a hairline crack from the factory that spread?

bennett.patricia9d ago

Oh man, I totally thought factory defects like that were super rare. I used to swear by my Stihl gear, figured everything they made was perfect. But hearing about Dave's bar snapping like that, especially on oak which isn't even that hard compared to some woods, really changed my mind. That's wild the shop replaced it for free though. Still makes me wonder how many other bars have tiny hairline cracks that just don't show up until you put some serious torque on them.