Abstract: An apparatus for limiting sliding wear and kick-back wear in straight sidebar chains as well as offset sidebar chains includes a wear bar which is attached to the outer surface of the chain's sidebar. The wear bar includes a main body portion having a forward wear bar end in opposed relation to a rearward wear bar end. An inner wear bar surface is positioned adjacent the outer surface of the chain's sidebar and is separated from an outer wear bar surface by a distance at least as great as the distance by which the chain's pin heads extend beyond the sidebars. In one embodiment, the upper edge of the wear bar includes a pair of semi-circular openings which fit closely adjacent the protruding pin heads. In another embodiment, the openings in the wear bar fully encircle the pin heads. A recess formed in the lower wear bar edge is used to weld the wear bar to the chain's sidebar. The lower edge of the wear bar may also be hardened to limit wear to the wear bar itself.