Lightweight Guide Bars
ROLLOMATIC® ES Light
Anyone on the hunt for an especially light guide bar need look no further than the ROLLOMATIC® ES Light.
This especially light bar is suited primarily for forestry work with felling and crosscutting and for use in agriculture and construction on high-performance chain saws with long cutting lengths. This guide bar is a lightweight version of the STIHL ROLLOMATIC® ES made of wear-resistant steel. Empty spaces are milled out and welded shut using a special laser technique. This creates a stable hollow frame with a flexible outer and substructure. The design is up to 30% lighter than a ROLLOMATIC® ES guide bar. The reduced amount of weight improves the saw's balance, making it possible for users to work longer at a single stretch, which is especially important when sawing with long guide bars.
Lightweight construction at STIHL
At STIHL, lightweight construction has always been at the heart of what we do. Andreas Stihl's original idea was the "portable tree-felling machine". The name of the first one-man BL petrol chain saw referred to its lightweight design. Even then, BL stood for "Benzin(säge) Leicht", or "petrol (saw) light".
1954 The first truly lightweight saw − the BLK petrol chain saw − weighs in at 11 kilogrammes. The initials BLK stand for Benzin (petrol), Leicht (light) and Klein (small). In 1966, STIHL manages to achieve a power-to-weight ratio of 2.0 kg/HP for the first time with the 040 chain saw.
1994 The ROLLOMATIC® Light guide bar was developed. The lightweight bar consists of two largely hollowed-out steel plates, and the empty spaces are filled with glass fibre-reinforced polyamide.
2010 The ROLLOMATIC® ES Light guide bar was developed. Empty spaces are milled out and welded shut using a special laser technique. This creates a stable hollow frame with a flexible outer and substructure.
STIHL will use this development to continue making noticeable reductions to the weight of chain saws in future, as less weight with the same great performance is a winning combination for professionals and private users alike.