Husqvarna 455 Rancher

[4sarge]

Took a quick look at the Stihl 310 Friday evening, got there right before the place closed. So now I'm interested in it also. But then I walked into a second ACE and they had the Rancher for like $349, best price I've seen by $15. I was very tempted, but I really want to look at that Stihl again, even though it would be like $60 more.

After all this, I found one of those super stores on the web that advertise the Rancher for like $330 with the 20 inch bar, and they through in shipping, a t-shirt, second chain, and couple gallons of mix. Now it really has my interest. It is coming in at like $80 under the Stihl.

But then I tried Ebay. Wow! A huge selection of Stihl saws can be found there. There is something like 200 on auction. The other makes have just a few.

You know what I'll be doing this coming week.

Check the net - You should be able to buy the 455 for about 330, delivered with 3 chains and some other freebies. No sales Tax and no shipping charges. If you can't find the links - I'll send them to you.

I have a Craftsman 16" saw (probably a Poulan) that I've been using this year to cut up firewood and top limbs. I've read a lot of bad about this saw but this one starts easy and just keeps on cutting. It might not last but for the 139 that it (gift to me) cost it has been a lifesaver for me. Keep in mind, light not constant use, limbing and emergency situations but it's a keeper for me until it wears out.

I'm buying either the Husky or a Stihl but leaning towards the Husky and thinking of an XL (357) model but may just go with the 455 or the new 460. My neighbor, a former FT logger, logs his own property and cut some large trees for me. He uses a 455 loves it but would have bought a Stihl except for the price.

 

[dfkrug]

I recently bought my 455 for $342 with the 24" Husky bar and 2 chains
from an internet dealer who uses Ebay a lot. That was the delivered
price. Nice saw.

I recently retired my old Echo 451VL in favor of the 455, plus a new
light saw, the Makita DCS34. The latter runs well but has too much
plastic, which I have already broken accidentally.

 

[SteelDust]

My 2 cents....

Stihl's are worth the slightly higher price, over the Husky. I've run comparable models of Stihls and Huskys, small and large, next to each other and the Stihl always seems to run smoother and faster. And, to me at least, Stihl seem to be built a little sturdier. Only advantage I've seen to the Husky's is less fuel consumption...but, I'll trade that for faster cuts any day.

Living in the middle of "logging country" I spend a lot of time in the summers cruising logging roads, scouting game. You hardly ever see a "chainsaw" these days. But, when you do...9 out of 10 are Stihl's.

 

[HRS]

4sage,
I think I've found the same link as you, the one that offers two extra chains. I really liked how they allow a comparison between the Stihl and the Husky. Best of all, they did not try to down the Stihl in any way. This impressed me. Another store similar to this one tried to make out like they had the better product. I hate sales pitches. Truth be told, the quality is so good between these two saws that it comes down to preference, and who can say what will sway a consumer there. For those who do not know, Stihl does not allow internet sales. They sale through local dealers only.

General:
After several days of research and visits, I narrowed my choice down between the Husqvarna 455 Rancher, the Husquarna 460 (upgraded Rancher), Husqvarna 359, and Stihl MS310.

Now, before you say that I'm being unfair pitting three against one, let me say that the reason for doing this was because I was trying to decide on the best match for the Stihl MS 310. The Rancher is a great saw and the most affordable. But for just a little more the Husky 460 seems to be more in line with the Stihl. This makes me think that this is exactly why the "Rancher" 460 was introduced. But then there is the Husky 359, surely a nice saw. It specs with the Stihl and costs close to the same. But I just had to go back and look at the Stihl again.

Today I had that opportunity after work. After having researched the MS310 and holding it for the second time, I knew that it was the one I wanted. I would have purchased it today, but I didn't have enough cash in my pocket and the bank, right around the corner, was observing Columbus Day, sure wish I could.

So I'll go pick her up tomorrow. With the saw, I'm picking up the carrying case, electric sharpener, mix, oil etc. The guys did not have the stones for the sharpener, so I'd have to return the next day anyway.

Last night I went to bed trying to decided whether to go with an internet order and same a few $ or support my local shop. Then I considered the fact that my local community supports me, so this fact helped me rule out the internet.

There you have it. My decision and my thoughts behind it. Now how long did that take? I think this is going on the third week.

 

[milkman]

I have used Huskys for years mainly because of the good service that they gave my brother in tree service for years also, however I was in Lowes last week looking at the homeowner versions and if all the Husky saws are moving in that direction, I will be looking at another brand when I go saw shopping for another saw. They have really been cheapened from my older homeowner version and the priming bulb and spring assist start on some of the ones I saw was a complete turn off. Has MTD started making the lower end saws for Husky, sure struck me that way when I looked at what has happened to them.

 

[4sarge]

I have used Huskys for years mainly because of the good service that they gave my brother in tree service for years also, however I was in Lowe's last week looking at the homeowner versions and if all the Husky saws are moving in that direction, I will be looking at another brand when I go saw shopping for another saw. They have really been cheapened from my older homeowner version and the priming bulb and spring assist start on some of the ones I saw was a complete turn off. Has MTD started making the lower end saws for Husky, sure struck me that way when I looked at what has happened to them.

My understanding is that the Big Box stores are carrying the lower end saws mixed with a few of the better saws. I spoke with a Dealer who carries Stihl, Echo and Husky and his version is that all of the saws have changed regardless of the brand. I will probably pick a higher end saw (Husky or Stihl) considered a pro saw so that it is lighter and added HP. My problem is that I keep spending my saw money for other things

 

[johnk]

I do a lot of cutting with the Rancher and have a 20" bar on it with a chipper chain. It cuts really good up to 16-18" dbh. If you put a 24" on it that would probably be the max in hardwoods. I was up cutting with mine this past weekend. The Rancher isn't in the pic though.

 

[HRS]

Swung by and picked up the Stihl MS310 this evening. However, I've got to make another trip, maybe tomorrow. The sharpening stones still had not been delivered. I'll report back on how well I like it once put to use.

 

[HRS]

OK, I cut a load of wood with the Stihl on Saturday. I found a forked tree on the property that had been struck by lightning. Half of one fork was already on the ground. The other was clearly dead. This happened since last fall, so it still presented a decent cut. I measured the trunk cuts. It looks that each one was about 10 inches in diameter.

Again, the saw is the Stihl MS310. I was impressed with its performance. It cut rather quickly. I did bog it a couple of times, but that might have just been the way I was handling it. (It has been awhile.) I use to cut plenty of firewood for my dad back when I was a teen. Back then we used a huge Husky equipped with a bow. This Stihl is not quite what I remembered the Husky to be, but then again, that thing weighed a ton. Nor do I even remeber how many CC that engine had. More than 60 I would guess.

So with that said, I can say that I've held a cainsaw for many hours. The Stihl 310 handled nicely. It cut both of these trees, which gave me a neatly stacked load as high as the truck's body from front to back, which is something like 6 1/2 feet if I remember correctly. While using it for this length of time, I did not feel it to be too tiring. Getting a saw that was too heavy was a concern of mine. So I think this saw is a good match for anyone who needs or wants to cut up a load of firewood every once in a while. Not too tiring for the time needed to be operated, yet strong enough to tackle most trees found in the woods.

However, for cutting firewood, I would not want anything smaller. I'd say that this is about where it starts.

Nice saw, looking forward to many years of service.

 

[johnk]

You can't go wrong buying a brand name saw. It is a brand name because it has been around a long time with a track record that makes it a brand name. Keep the chain sharp and away you go...............