Tsumura bars

I wonder what it would take to be a field tester for Tsumura? Might be worth writing to complain, and offer your services testing out a redesign. Score some free bars, and make things a little better. "Tsumura, Now with the redesigned StigTip® Holds up to the toughest environments!"
 
I only use a standard (not the lightweight) Tsumura on my climbing saw; bore-cuts aloft are rare, and it has held up well.
I still have a crap-load of the old Windsor speed-tip bars for most of my Huskys; they lose chunks of the edge of the bar when they get close to so worn out that they are at the point of useless. A bit soft, but keep dressing them and they last a good while.
 
@stig just remember who are the metal masters of the world for a very long time.Japanese dont do bad blades.After having Stihl 261 with 50cm long Sugi, for like 3 days, swaped all my bars for Sugi and Tsumura 1 with 90cm very long for Portugal, and only problem was not doing it before, lol
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #79
More bad news.
Saturday I put the last 20" Tsumura bar on the 500i.
Used it to take an apple tree apart, maybe 10 minutes of work.
Then today, I started logging at 7.30 AM when it was light enough to see and 2.15 PM the bar tip sprocked exploded!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As for complaining, there are no dealer in Denmark, I bought the bars from Sweden via internet, so probably not much to do.

It may just be a bad run, I had the samne thing happen with GB years ago.
Since I had bought 20 bars at once, again from overseas, I ended up buying a case of replacement tips and simply putting a new one on when the originals went south.
Might try the same here.
 
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I'd write directly to Tsumura. Those are supposed to be pro quality bars, but you aren't getting anywhere near pro performance. Hell, even I'd blow a tip out in a year or two. They should at least know about it, instead of rolling along assuming everything's cool.
 
I wonder if there is a better tip that fits?

Yea, tell them about it, send pictures.

Someone should make hard nose replacements to swap with a sprocket.
 
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I’ve always used STIHL ES bars and never had any trouble ... keep the rails dressed properly and cleaned-out between cutting sessions and use a sharp chain / good rim sprocket and flip bar over to distribute wear in an even fashion - The bar should last indefinitely . Never had an ES Bar with a replaceable sprocket tip fail although I’ve had a few failures with the tips seizing on the non-replaceable versions used on homeowner / farm ranch models early on ... As far as the tip exploding on the t-Mura bar it sounds like a manufacturing defect for it to go that quickly although the awesome torque / power of the 500i may have proved too much for it !
 
stig said:
More bad news.
Saturday I put the last 20" Tsumura bar on the 500i.
Used it to take an apple tree apart, maybe 10 minutes of work.
Then today, I started logging at 7.30 AM when it was light enough to see and 2.15 PM the bar tip sprocked exploded!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As for complaining, there are no dealer in Denmark, I bought the bars from Sweden via internet, so probably not much to do.

It may just be a bad run, I had the samne thing happen with GB years ago.
Since I had bought 20 bars at once, again from overseas, I ended up buying a case of replacement tips and simply putting a new one on when the originals went south.
Might try the same here.
Click to expand...

Stig, did/do you oil the noses of the bars?

I had a Sugihara bar on one of my toppers that did the same, albeit after about 18 months. The guy who sold it said that you need to oil it via the pin hole. I had done it a bit and then not, assuming the chain oil would lubricate enough.

I started to oil the bar tips frequently and never had more bother.

Some guys have said that you either have too oil / grease religiously or not at all.
 
I was taught to grease the bar tip back in 1978, and still do as part of the daily saw maintenance.
Very few bar tip sprocket failures in all these years
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #87
So, if me not greasing is the cause, please explain to me why none of the thousands of other bares we've worn out over the years in my company have blown the tips after so short a time.
I mean.........................7½ hours and the thing gives up the ghoist!
 
I gotta confess I never even HEARD of greasing a bar. In the 70's when I took a basic chainsaw maintenance class they told us to soak new chains in oil before putting them on....but I don't remember anything about greasing the bar. I have never greased a bar. 'Course, I don't use saws near as much as some of you.
 
I don't grease them. Stihl doesn't even have a hole. I think Oregon provides one.
 
Its a good way for someone to sell grease.
I have greased and not greased. Nose will blow out either way in pretty much as much time either way. As will the need for dressing the bar. Metal on metal. The hrease prettymuch just fligs off with the oil.
Seriously, not enough gains to warrant.
 
I've always thought it would be neat to have a channel inside the bar that directs oil straight to the bearing, so dirt can't easily get sucked in there. Too many people think the oil on the chain will oil the bearing, but it is impossible since the oil gets flung off by rotation.
 
Grease a bar and grease go inside out in bearing, preventing oil to get in. No grease oil get to bearing outside in.
I noticed quite a change in blown bearings after I started rek. no grease, bar oil at max!
Much cheaper to fill bar oil than replace tip or bars...
 
O
stig said:
So, if me not greasing is the cause, please explain to me why none of the thousands of other bares we've worn out over the years in my company have blown the tips after so short a time.
I mean.........................7½ hours and the thing gives up the ghoist!
Click to expand...

No idea. But Oregon and Husky bars have a pin hole for the grease and Stihl bars do not.

I used Stihl bars for years and then switched to Sugi. Then the noses started going.
 
Greasing the tip isn’t necessary imho ... In fact it attracts dirt,chips and debris so it may even be detrimental! I simply maintain bar and just thoroughly clean the bar rails after each cutting session and run max on Oiler. I have bars with over 100face cord on them and STIHL look / perform like new
 
I wonder if graphite would be any good in a new sprocket? Like pump a mix of grease and graphite in, then patch the hole shut.
 
Frankie said:
Greasing the tip isn’t necessary imho ... In fact it attracts dirt,chips and debris so it may even be detrimental! I simply maintain bar and just thoroughly clean the bar rails after each cutting session and run max on Oiler. I have bars with over 100face cord on them and STIHL look / perform like new
Click to expand...

As I mentioned and Magnus also stated. If they have been greased then it stops the oil getting to the bearing in the nose tip. I have a couple of Stihl bars that have so much use they have zero white paint left on them... but as I mentioned earlier, Stihl bars do not have a whole for grease and the chain oil is sufficient to lubricate the tip.

The other brands are generally the ones that blow the tip. Wash the grease out and they are good to go, continually grease them and they are good to go.

It seems having a half arsed attempt at either greasing or not greasing is what makes them blow out.
 
That's what I always heard. Do or don't, but be consistent. So Oregons come pregreased? Or perhaps as a general statement, if they come with a grease hole, one should assume they've been greased? Is there a way to tell?
 
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