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In the past, i have bought same model saw and they have come with different gages. Whether this was a shop error or not doesn't matter. Always double check the bar figures on its base.
Got a new XP346 today
- Thread starter Tollster
- Start date
In the past, i have bought same model saw and they have come with different gages. Whether this was a shop error or not doesn't matter. Always double check the bar figures on its base.
OP
Tollster
Veteran Member
Will do, I check them both when i swap in the 346...weather permitting!
OP
Tollster
Veteran Member
Still waiting for the 550,its been just over a week, and he still did not get it in, so maybe this week.
Bluegill2
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Around here the Husky dealers set them up with .058 gauge, but can go with .050 also. I run .058 on all but one saw, the 357xp, it has .050. But yes, one needs to know what gauge he as.
OP
Tollster
Veteran Member
I compare the info on the bars when I trade in (up?)
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Looking forward to your observations Tolly.
OP
Tollster
Veteran Member
It came in today, the chain swapped out, bar for bar (LOL), so I came home and put a stihl RSL on, its a full chisel. Did not have a chance to cut with it and perform the 5 minute computer baseline run in. Hopefully soon.
I am liking what I see and feel, its considerably lighter than my 51,and lighter than the 346 by one pound, it also feels more nimble as the overall mass is also smaller and narrower with some nice features (Bar nuts ya can't loose, adjustable oiler, side adjust chain tension, tree felling line, better gas economy, and a few others, it was 589.00 locally). I read up on the starting proceedure as most have trouble there, it is different once its warm compared to my 51, where ya place to "ON" and pull. This one you move to choke,then push down to shut off the choke and use the "tickler", this activates (The switch,not the tickler) a high idle from what the tech said.
I'll figure it out. If this performs like anything I have read,its gonna be a nice meaty saw in a small package. I had rotator cuff surgery in the spring and now have arthitis in my hands (Seems to have come on all of the sudden since March),so this may be a good rehab for the shoulder, and easy on my hands....
I will keep ya posted...I wanna do a side by side with the 51 and fresh chains.
I am liking what I see and feel, its considerably lighter than my 51,and lighter than the 346 by one pound, it also feels more nimble as the overall mass is also smaller and narrower with some nice features (Bar nuts ya can't loose, adjustable oiler, side adjust chain tension, tree felling line, better gas economy, and a few others, it was 589.00 locally). I read up on the starting proceedure as most have trouble there, it is different once its warm compared to my 51, where ya place to "ON" and pull. This one you move to choke,then push down to shut off the choke and use the "tickler", this activates (The switch,not the tickler) a high idle from what the tech said.
I'll figure it out. If this performs like anything I have read,its gonna be a nice meaty saw in a small package. I had rotator cuff surgery in the spring and now have arthitis in my hands (Seems to have come on all of the sudden since March),so this may be a good rehab for the shoulder, and easy on my hands....
I will keep ya posted...I wanna do a side by side with the 51 and fresh chains.
OP
Tollster
Veteran Member
Did the run in today, I had an 18-24" oak blowdown on a side hill,so I was able to work waist high, I ran the saw wide open for 1 tank of fuel to let the digtal fuel system self calibrate. I then check the restart on the machine while it was hot, turned on the choke, push down to disengage choke and set high idle,tickle it a few times and off she went.
I stopped by a buddies of mine who is timbering nearby to let him have a run at it (had to show it off,and share the technology as he lives by the timber), by then the machine had cooled off as I spent some time with the 51 working some old log cluttering up the ground where I was working. The 550 fired up well, but seemed to have some lag at times when he used it, it stalled twice (Was outa gas), Refueled it, then once he warmed it up and stopped reving it up, it seemed to improve. He was fast on the throttle and the machine seemed to lag until it stalled. We talked about it and he said the first week or so on a new saw is working out the kinks, so with the self adjusting digital, we seemed to think it will improve over time,based on the short improvments we saw while he was running it.
Compared to the 51 it like a butter knife versus a steak knife when it comes to cutting, my 51 has a 3/8" chain and 16" bar, versus a .325 18" bar on the XP. The XP is also more ergonomically friendly, very narrow and much more nimble to wield around while cutting off branches. My 51 felt like a brick compared to the 550, big and lacking feedback you could say.
I am excited, but have to say, it ate through the first tank of fuel in no time, maybe I lost tract of time with my new saw,I recon I made about 18 cuts on that blowdown, only wacking off 4" sections as I wanted it to calibrate and keep it on the pipe with little idle time.
I think I made the right choice and will give it more action tomorrow of this weekend.
Typically when I adjusted the 51, I would lean it out, then back it off the high side so it would not run maximum RPM at full throttle,then set the idle. It would bog under load on a buried 18" oak,and you would have to either let up on the saw even though it was feeding its way through the cut, or change the angle of the bar so the face was not in full contact (Walk it through). The 550 has more RPM to offer and I could not detect much change in the RPM when buried ( If I walked it, it screamed,maybe another 2k RPM),it pulled all the way through, after each cut, I lifted the throttle for an instant, then went right back in under full load. It also seem much quicker off the bottom for limbing than my 51.
I stopped by a buddies of mine who is timbering nearby to let him have a run at it (had to show it off,and share the technology as he lives by the timber), by then the machine had cooled off as I spent some time with the 51 working some old log cluttering up the ground where I was working. The 550 fired up well, but seemed to have some lag at times when he used it, it stalled twice (Was outa gas), Refueled it, then once he warmed it up and stopped reving it up, it seemed to improve. He was fast on the throttle and the machine seemed to lag until it stalled. We talked about it and he said the first week or so on a new saw is working out the kinks, so with the self adjusting digital, we seemed to think it will improve over time,based on the short improvments we saw while he was running it.
Compared to the 51 it like a butter knife versus a steak knife when it comes to cutting, my 51 has a 3/8" chain and 16" bar, versus a .325 18" bar on the XP. The XP is also more ergonomically friendly, very narrow and much more nimble to wield around while cutting off branches. My 51 felt like a brick compared to the 550, big and lacking feedback you could say.
I am excited, but have to say, it ate through the first tank of fuel in no time, maybe I lost tract of time with my new saw,I recon I made about 18 cuts on that blowdown, only wacking off 4" sections as I wanted it to calibrate and keep it on the pipe with little idle time.
I think I made the right choice and will give it more action tomorrow of this weekend.
Typically when I adjusted the 51, I would lean it out, then back it off the high side so it would not run maximum RPM at full throttle,then set the idle. It would bog under load on a buried 18" oak,and you would have to either let up on the saw even though it was feeding its way through the cut, or change the angle of the bar so the face was not in full contact (Walk it through). The 550 has more RPM to offer and I could not detect much change in the RPM when buried ( If I walked it, it screamed,maybe another 2k RPM),it pulled all the way through, after each cut, I lifted the throttle for an instant, then went right back in under full load. It also seem much quicker off the bottom for limbing than my 51.
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Bluegill2
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There really is no comparison! The 550 will just get better with each tank. These newer saws really need to break-in and it takes longer than it did with the older saws.
OP
Tollster
Veteran Member
Thats good to hear, I ran it all day today, and it had a stumble off idle, but no issues under full load. I found myself keeping it in the mid-range more often than I would have liked to have delimbing and walking along the trunk with a saw at 5k requires attention to detail. It was very noticable delimbing the trunks. I love the "No Loss" side cover nuts,and the side chain tension is quick and non cumbersom, it also runs cleaner than the 51, very little saw dust and debris around the sprocket and inside the cover compared to the 51.