yeah a bigger power head would be nice. but an 18" with a good sharp chain, can cut a 36" diameter tree. does your bar have the nose sprocket, they can help a lot on underpowered saws? you can try a skip tooth chain (fewer teeth) - a little more aggressive but clears the chips better on deep cuts. they are used mostly on long bars. there are 2 versions of those, full skip is one.


a longer bar/chain will cause more drag and eat more of your hp just moving the chain. if you want a 20 incher, look for a 3 cu in or more.

 

Up to 36"? I don't have anything that big to cut. Maybe I better learn how to run the saw I have rather than buying a bigger one.

 

Up to 36"? 18" x 2 both sides I don't have anything that big to cut. Maybe I better learn how to run the saw I have rather than buying a bigger one.

I know that it takes awhile to learn how to sharpen a chain well. that is where the saw shows it's abilities. you want nice big chips coming off when you cut. when you see fuzz or dust, it needs sharpened. good luck - that is a decent saw.

 

At the risk of sounding like I'm patting myself on the back, I'm actually pretty good at sharpening them. And to this point, I've been attacking the bigger stuff from both sides, but I guess I figured "bigger bar = right tool for the job". Sounds like there really isn't anything wrong with having to go at the big stuff from more than one angle?