Needing a new motorsaw

First question: Looking at the Husqvarna 445...worth spending the extra for the 455 Rancher?

Second: if not the Husky, what else (similar to either of the aforementioned), and why?

kkthx

2/6/2012 5:35:51 PM

Husky or Stihl

Is this going to be for mostly home use with occasional cutting or something you'll use several times a month? also how big of a tree do you need to cut?

2/6/2012 6:20:07 PM

the usual debate is Husky 455 Rancher vs. the Stihl 290 Farm Boss. either one will be a good saw if you take care of it.

i got the 290 w/ a 20" bar. cut a season's worth of firewood with it so far and did some clean-up after the hurricane. it has been reliable.

[Edited on February 6, 2012 at 7:45 PM. Reason : ads]

2/6/2012 7:45:36 PM

will only be once a month or so, but those times will be heavy usage, land clearing, etc.

tree diameter up to 20-24"

when i plan on using it, it will be all day, for two or three days straight

2/7/2012 7:56:08 AM

I own a 445 and overall I am happy with it's performance. I'd really love to get a monster like a 390XP or something else equally ridiculous, the 445 performs fine for me on 18-20 inch oak for firewood and is light enough to not wear you out while cutting the small stuff, and at a pretty good price.

The only complaint i have with it is that it sometimes leaks bar oil while not running, so i have to be adamant to check the oil even if i know it was full when parked.

2/7/2012 8:31:25 AM

2/7/2012 9:32:34 AM

Quote :

"will only be once a month or so, but those times will be heavy usage, land clearing, etc. tree diameter up to 20-24" when i plan on using it, it will be all day, for two or three days straight"

if that's the case go with the 455 or Stihl 290. FWIW...my grandpa has a Stihl that's almost 30 years old and it runs better and with less vibration then my dad's brand new Husky.

2/7/2012 10:31:38 AM

If that's the case go with the cheapest one you can find at a pawn shop.

2/7/2012 2:28:39 PM

Quote :

"FWIW...my grandpa has a Stihl that's almost 30 years old and it runs better and with less vibration then my daduncles's brand new Huskystihl."

2/7/2012 2:31:08 PM

i would be very careful purchasing a pawn shop chainsaw. it's probably had ethanol sitting up in it and will need a carburetor soon. whenever i know i'm not gonna run my saw again for a week or two, i pour out what fuel is left, crank it up and run it wide open until it quits. same thing with weedeaters and other small engines. or you can just keep the E10 out of it.

2/7/2012 3:52:35 PM

The husqvarna is a damn good chainsaw, can't say much for the stihl as i haven't used that particular one. Right now husky has a strong handheld division if you stay away from the 4 stroke (still figuring out the bugs because of the new product), take all that with a grain of salt because i work for husky designing tractors, but i wouldn't talk up the product if it wasn't good

2/8/2012 11:15:25 PM

NeuseRvrRat do you shop at pawn shops?

2/9/2012 10:24:44 AM

i thought this said chainsaw divorce at first

and i was imagining a crazy woman standing on a car roof cutting it in half.

2/9/2012 10:25:38 AM

That sounds like a woman... Using a chainsaw to cut metal.....

2/9/2012 2:39:48 PM

^^^i occassionally peruse the gun selections, but i really hate supporting businesses whose entire business model is based on dealing in stolen goods.

2/9/2012 9:45:21 PM

I have a Husqvarna 350 and 357XP.

I've run quite a few saws in personal life and with the forest service including a 257XP, 455, 359, and 372 as well as a Stihl 250, 270, 039, 361, 044, and 046.

IMO the 455 is a POS. It's slow and it's heavy for its power. A well maintained 350 (which is like the old version of the 445 but with slightly larger motor) will cut circles around a 455. I don't think the 455 makes enough power to effectively pull 3/8 chain on a 20 inch bar.
I think you'd be better off with the 445 or 450. Weight savings means a lot in a chainsaw. The only reason you should go with a 455 is if you really intend on cutting a lot of big wood. As underpowered as it is for its weight it still makes more power than the smaller ones.

I'm an advocate of buying pro quality saws because they are better investments. Running one hard once a month IMO is enough justification for getting a pro saw. The Husqvarna pro saws are the XP series (with the addition of the non XP 353 and 359). Stihl pro saws have even numbers for the second digit (MS260 or MS 361 are pro, MS270 not pro, etc).

For the size you're looking you could go with a Husqvarna 346XP, 353, 357XP, or 359. The 353 and 359 are sort of oddball Husq models. They're built like a pro saw with magnesium crank cases but they aren't ported the same as their XP saws. The 359 is probably the best in the Husqvarna lineup if you factor in the cost and ability to handle a 20" bar.

Good Stihl models would be the 280 or 361 (which was replaced by a crappier 362).

A good often overlooked saw is the Dolmar 5100. It's as light as a 445 but makes the power of a 359.
If you have Home Depots with tool rentals then go to the tool rental section and see if they have any used chainsaws. Sometimes you'll find a used Makita (same as Dolmar) 6400 for really cheap. All the stuff I've found online say those saws have low hours and are only $200.

I really think you should spend the extra $50-150 for a pro saw, but if you really want to save money then get a Stihl. From what I've seen the larger non-pro Stihls hold up better than the equivalent Husqvarnas (Stihl 290 vs Husq 455) although some of the newer non pro Husqvarnas look promising such as the 460, 570, and especially the 555 (but for the price of a 555 you can get a 359).

Oh yeah, here are the best pieces of advice.
1 - Whatever chainsaw you get you should use Stihl chain. It stretches the least and lasts the longest. It's well worth the extra cost (it's actually cheaper than Husqvarna if I buy from a local dealer). I'm a big fan of Stihl RSC but if you're scared about kickback then RSC3 would work too.
2 - Buy an Oregon depth gauge tool and knock down your depth gauges every other sharpening. You'd be amazed how many people sharpen their saws til the teeth are razor sharp and they wonder why the saw won't cut. If you don't file the depth gauges to the correct height then the teeth simply can't bit into the wood.

I've got a lot of hours on my little 350. When other people use it they think I've done some fancy porting and polishing or swapped out the cylinders. The reality is I know how to maintain a saw. If you keep it sharp, keep the depth gauges correct, and keep the carb tuned then the saw will make as much power as it's capable of, the saw will work without as much stress, your cuts will be faster, and you won't be as fatigued.

[Edited on February 15, 2012 at 10:20 AM. Reason : ]

2/15/2012 10:11:25 AM

^ nice write-up!!

2/15/2012 11:19:37 AM

So did OP get a saw?

2/17/2012 12:01:57 PM

So did OP get a saw?
Don't hold back from this saw nut.

3/27/2012 2:59:31 PM

Yes, ended up getting a Stihl MS 250C.

Was not my first choice, but then again free is free

Saw had less than 3hrs of use on it.

Put an Oregon logging chain on it,(making sure to check the depth gauges ), had the bar oiling problem resolved with a $15 tune up from the local saw shop, puppy purrs like a kitten

Aside from all that, I have already noticed that it may be a little less saw than I was originally looking for. It runs and works great, but in practice I find that I am going for larger diameter trees, and usage is slightly heavier than originally anticipated.

Plan now is to use the dog shit out of this one for the next year or so, then drop the $ on the larger, pro model saw that I had previously envisioned.

3/27/2012 4:39:03 PM

adam8778 went and bought a husky 372xp.....

he also tried to buy an old school Mucculloch with a 36" bar, 100+cc engine... didnt have the balls tho.

3/27/2012 4:40:08 PM

Check the firewood laboratory. 372 is bad-ass, but honestly the "lowes special" 445 is still a damn good firewood saw and got a workout this past weekend.

3/27/2012 4:47:04 PM

Saw people: I need to pick your brains.

Scored a Stihl 029 Super for $50 a few weeks back.
Runs like a champ, but bar oiler is dead.

I've pulled the clutch and verified the wire is engaging, and the plastic gear is intact.

Cleaned the pickup.

Is there anything else to try before buying a new pump?

3/27/2012 6:28:56 PM

maybe you could spray some compressed air around in there

how much is a new pump?

3/27/2012 6:50:34 PM

Haven't priced one yet...

I'll take it all apart this weekend and clean it with some solvent and compressed air, hopefully I can get it going without a new pump.

In other news, I did put a new "Super L Half Skip Klassic" chain on my 036 last week... Holy hell that thing will cut now!

3/27/2012 10:20:50 PM

homelite chain on homelite saw = fail


stihl chain on homelite saw =

[Edited on March 28, 2012 at 1:26 AM. Reason : outcuts the 029!]

3/28/2012 1:25:43 AM

^ You're a bloody genius.

I've been contemplating purchase of a smaller stihl for pruning and such.
With this thought in mind I shall attempt to revive my old homelite XL.

3/28/2012 7:44:41 AM

Quote :

"Was not my first choice, but then again free is free"

Free?! Free is great
The 250 isn't anything to brag about but it's a solid little reliable saw.
Now you have money to buy a bigger saw to go with it.

Quote :

"Check the firewood laboratory. 372 is bad-ass, but honestly the "lowes special" 445 is still a damn good firewood saw and got a workout this past weekend. "

That's a good combination.
I really really wanted a 372xp but I decided on the 357xp because I might take it out on some fires. A 50cc saw plus the 372 is ideal for anything woods work but I thought the 357 would be a better one saw solution. To fill the big saw role, one day I'll find a used makita 6400 and put a big bore kit on it

Quote :

"Is there anything else to try before buying a new pump?"

You did check the oil hole and groove in the bar, right?
Is the oil flow adjustable on that model? If so, is it opened up?
If the wire, gear, and pickup are ok then I'd guess it was a bar problem.

Quote :

"n other news, I did put a new "Super L Half Skip Klassic" chain on my 036 last week... Holy hell that thing will cut now!"

It's [almost] all about the chain. I'd like to try some super L. With my knife/tool sharpening experience Im pretty sure I can handle the maintenance on square ground chisel chain.
Do you have the files for square ground or do you use a grinder?

Quote :

"stihl chain on homelite saw = "

It's [almost] all about the chain
If the saw will pull then the chain is almost always the limiting factor in effectiveness.
I try to drill that into the chainsaw school students. The forest service is notorious for having some high end but poorly maintained saws, except for the ones in the mountains where those guys use their saws a lot.

3/29/2012 1:04:43 PM