ICS Diamond Chainsaw Guide Bars

ICS are the inventors of Diamond Chain Technology™ and the guidebar is as important as using quality chains. With almost 30 years of continuous improvement ICS diamond chainsaw guide bars are the best on the market.

We stock ICS guide bars suitable for All ICS diamond chainsaws, including the ICS 890F4 hydraulic saw along with ICS guide bars for other makes of diamond chainsaws including the Husqvarna K970 saw and the Stihl GS461 diamond chainsaw. These quality guide bars are available in a range of sizes to match your saw.

To ensure you get the correct guide bar to match your saw and chain please see below a fitment guide. The description shown in the drop down below includes the depth of cut and overall length of the guide bar and what model saw it fits.

In addition we stock ICS guide bars to suit the AGP ECS11 electric diamond chainsaw and ICS RZ60, Redzaw, 613, 680, 633, 695 petrol diamond chainsaws as well as the 814Pro and 890F4 hydraulic diamond chainsaws.

Diamond chainsaw guide bars are not all created equal. Insist on guide bars from ICS™, the people who invented the technology.

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Guide bars are often overlooked but they are an important component that provide the deep cuts and square corners that only diamond chainsaws can produce. It is best to think of the guide bar as the railroad track that the chain runs on. If the railroad track is excessively worn or uneven it will affect the saws cutting performance and ability to create straight cuts.

Six Simple guide bar practices

  1. Select the shortest possible bar

This seems obvious, but it seems like just the opposite occurs in most situations. A 12” bar will cut straighter, last longer, tension chain easier and extend chain life by significant amounts versus bars of greater than 15 inches. It is worth the time to use shorter bars and only switch to long bars when needed.

  1. Provide adequate water supply

Wet cutting with concrete chainsaws is always required because of the frictional interface between the bar and diamond chain. No water or insufficient water will generate excessive heat and quickly damage rail surfaces. This can happen in as little as 30 seconds operating time. Water pressure is also key to the life of the sprocket nose bearing assembly. Even with the special and unique design features of ICS guide bars, 20 psi (1.5bar) of water pressure is still required for acceptable use. Additionally, clean water is a must. Dirty water will clog the guide bar water passages.

  1. Keep rails square

There are 3 ways to do this.

  1. Grind them square with a bench-mounted sander. It does not matter if the bar appears wavy from the side so long as the two rails are parallel and square with each other.
  2. Flip the guide bar. This is the best remedy out on site and should be done at least every chain.
  3. Replace the guide bar. This is the best solution. Keeping your bar rails square is essential for cutting straight and maximising chain life.
  1. Maintain after each job

Spray the entire bar with light, penetrating lubricant such as WD40 after every use to disperse water from the nose sprocket bearings and to keep surfaces in good condition. This practice eliminates rust and is a sure money saver.

  1. Check your nose

A loose, rough or seized bar nose will render a guide bar out of service. Excessive chain tension will cause several concrete chainsaw problems, but will also accelerate bar nose bearing wear and failure. Plunge cutting with the bar nosed buried combined with a low water supply will also accelerate bar nose bearing wear and failure. The nose sprocket should spin freely with no side-to-side movement. Check your bar nose sprocket after every job and replace the bar as needed.

  1. Handle with care

Remember that a used bar may have razor-sharp edges along the rails so handle with caution and wear gloves when the chain is not mounted.

As a general rule of thumb, you should expect 2-3 chains per guide bar. Different applications and regular maintenance can double this estimate of lifetime. Remember that a guide bar is worn out and should be replaced when the diamond chain drive links begin to wear from touching at the bottom of the guide bar groove.

Guide bars are often the most overlooked element of concrete chainsaws. Simple practices as outlined above will allow you to cut straighter, more efficiently and will save you time and money.