445 X-torque

[displacedPA]

I still have my 445 it is an 09 model it has cut a lot of fire wood. however this year I upgraded to the 34xp. the diferance is night and day. the 445 is a good saw but the xp has less vibration and way more power. You will be very happy im sure.

 

[Bluegill2]

I still have my 445 it is an 09 model it has cut a lot of fire wood. however this year I upgraded to the 34xp. the diferance is night and day. the 445 is a good saw but the xp has less vibration and way more power. You will be very happy im sure.

Huge upgrade! And a great choice!

 

[arrow]

I just ordered a 550XP for $534.99 delivered(from eBay). It has a 20" bar; a little longer than I would have liked, but there is the old-guy bad back thing to think about! Should have it by the end of next week. And I put the 445 on Craigslist...someone's coming to pick it up tomorrow, with a "back-up" buyer waiting in the wings.

I only want one saw, so it has to be both (a) light, and (b) powerful. I did a lot of reading up on Husky saws, and thought that the 550's autotune feature has been around just long enough to prove itself. I am looking forward to using the new saw on a stand of trees I need gone. I will post up the results once I run a few tanks of fuel through the saw and get a feel for how it does.

If price was not an issue, then you ordered up a very good saw for that "one saw arsenal". The issue of bar length has more to do frictional losses. The 346 can do quite well with an 18" bar. The 550 having more power should run the 20 " pretty well. Most of the time you will not have the 20" buried and even if you do, it will only take longer. for the rest of the time of limbing, branch or secondary cutting should pose very little problem. The only time the longer bar could get in the way is if you are bucking a bunch of "stacked" stems but there is nothing stopping you from getting a 16" bar for a nice ,all around package. Congrats on the new saw.

 

[xyz123]

550xp generally run around $550-$580.

Just throwing this out there. I like to buy my saws PHO. You can get 550 for around $450 OTD PHO. I used to get my 346's $395 2009-$415 2010 before taxes so OTD is getting close.

 

[Bluegill2]

Just throwing this out there. I like to buy my saws PHO. You can get 550 for around $450 OTD PHO. I used to get my 346's $395 2009-$415 2010 before taxes so OTD is getting close.

I was quoting retail in the shops around here, w/bar&chain. I know of one dealer that will do much better, but there will be shipping.

 

[stormpetrel]

If price was not an issue, then you ordered up a very good saw for that "one saw arsenal". The issue of bar length has more to do frictional losses. The 346 can do quite well with an 18" bar. The 550 having more power should run the 20 " pretty well. Most of the time you will not have the 20" buried and even if you do, it will only take longer. for the rest of the time of limbing, branch or secondary cutting should pose very little problem. The only time the longer bar could get in the way is if you are bucking a bunch of "stacked" stems but there is nothing stopping you from getting a 16" bar for a nice ,all around package. Congrats on the new saw.

Thank you fellow Rhode Islander! (probably not too many of us on this site) Money is an issue, but in the long run the saw will pay for itself. My wife was outraged when I bought a tractor...she just didn't get it, though it was just a (REAL expensive) toy. Now that I have redone our whole property, and the tractor (Yanmar 2210D) has paid for itself three times over she likes it just fine. The philosophy is to bite the bullet now, and have something that's a lifetime tool.

Bars and chains aren't too pricey, it might be real smart to do as you suggest and run two different bars depending on the situation. Thanks for your help!!

 

[stormpetrel]

I was quoting retail in the shops around here, w/bar&chain. I know of one dealer that will do much better, but there will be shipping.

The $534.99 price includes bar, chain and shipping. But.....what the heck is "PHO"? And "OTD"?
?

 

[Bluegill2]

The $534.99 price includes bar, chain and shipping. But.....what the heck is "PHO"? And "OTD"?
?

Power Head Only.

Out The Door.