chain saws

[g0rd0]

Well,
for the past 7 years I have been babysitting a husky rancher 55.
right from the start it has been a thorn in my side, when it works IT WORKS. When it dos'nt it dos'nt. Right from the start it has chewed muffler gaskets! Husky's fix was to toss me a new muffler, still chewing gaskets. For the tune of 1 gasket =2 days work. I kid you not. Husky's reply was to toss me yet another muffler.
Well I kept it going, by keeping a supply of at least 3 gaskets on hand, (hey since I mentioned this any of you rancher owners out there need muffler gaskets I still have 3 left just send me your snail mail address and I will send them to you) and today the familiair roar that told me time for a gasket change. Ya I wish.
When I took off the muffler the cylinder head was split. Time for a new saw, never another husky. Not to say that their saws are no good BUT around here the husky support is all for naught.
You might say 7 years are not been reasonable?
My saw before that was a still 038 mag lasted 15 years. And remember that I mentioned that right from the start I was haveing that saw in at the dealer for "warentee work" :laughing:
Enough of my rant thanks for listening, time to go shopping

 

[Craig Clayton]

I am curios as how the saw went through so many muffler gaskets. As they kept tossing you another muffler how is that repair related to the muffler gasket.

I own a Husky saw from new but I am not sure of the model # without looking at the saw.

Craig Clayton

 

[kenmac]

Must have gotten a bad1. I'm sure every co. makes a bad probuct from time to time. I've had my 55 rancher for about 10 yrs & never had a problem

 

[toddbailey]

I agree you have gotten a bad one and some terrible customer from the dealer.

 

[firedog]

I have a Husqvarna 257 with a 20" bar. It's 20 years old and still kicks butt. So 7 or 8 years ago I bought a Husq. weed trimmer; it ran about 15 min and quit. I took it back and got another, and the same thing. Could be the product quality has gone down in the last several years. Hard to say if I'd buy another.

 

[Pete Judd]

Around here the Stihl seems to be the the standby, I have two, but the Husqvarna have been gaining. Sounds like the surface that the gasket on the head is not flat. Might be able to fix it with a file, and get rid of the "bump" that is not letting the gasket to fit tight.

 

[Jstpssng]

I have a Husqvarna 257 with a 20" bar. It's 20 years old and still kicks butt. So 7 or 8 years ago I bought a Husq. weed trimmer; it ran about 15 min and quit. I took it back and got another, and the same thing. Could be the product quality has gone down in the last several years. Hard to say if I'd buy another.

I tend to agree. I ran Huskies for years. My 254 was almost imortal, even survived being rolled out of and over by my tractor bucket. My last chainsaw and brush saw both lost the crankshafts prematurely but were too pricey to fix. $1200 worth of saws didn't last 3 years... I'm now buying Stihl.

 

[johnk]

I have a Husky 55 Rancher and it never skips a beat. Punished it for about 7 years now and never had a problem. Also have a Husky 385 XP and never a problem. I'd buy another in a heartbeat but can't break either of the 2 I have and use regularly..

 

[Tollster]

I have a 51 i got in 93 for 359.00, still ripping. Something was wrong with is from the get go, I would not be surprised if it was cracked for a long time,weeping at the gasket base, till it finally let go,perhaps a casting impurity during the solidification process. It sounds non typical for a husky of that era.

 

[dstig1]

Ford/Chevy Apple/Microsoft R1s/R4s....you get the idea. This is the same type of thing....

But...

Frankly it is hard to argue with Stihl. People can complain about certain models not having the best power to weight ratio out there (and we are talking splitting hairs in many cases) but the one thing I find with my Stihl vs my Ryobi/Redmax saw is that the Stihl never fails to run and run well and cut hard. And I have used it hard. Granted mine is a pro model 362 but it is reliable as all get out and my go-to saw. The Stihls always start, and within a couple pulls. I can't say that about the other saw I have (the Ryobi mini limbing saw).

Downsides? Mainly cost. You can find used ones, and if you know what to look for you can do well there. I would recommend the chainsaw forum at Arboristsite for learning about that. If you can handle the abuse... You can always just read and search and learn, too.

 

[jackel440]

Gordon
I have to say the 038 magnum is a helluva of a saw.i have one myself that does all my cutting.I have my eye out for another.
I am no fan of the husky myself.I have a few buddies that are not exactly pleased with them.but I admit they are the ones from rural king and not the professional saws.

 

[newbury]

There's a forum here specifically for chainsaws.

butt -
I've 5 chainsaws, with bars running from 10" to 42":
3 Stihls - an 021 I bought new about 10 or 15 years ago, runs like a champ. Two 660's I bought used about 2 yrs ago, modded and run like powerhouses, good for CSM.

2 Efco's - a 35cc I got marked down to $50 from $220 and a 62CC I won in a raffle. They are so-so.

Most saw mfg's make two lines - 1 for big box stores, one for pro's, the Husky 55 was in the pro-line I believe.

BUT around here the husky support is all for naught.

If you can't do your own work with mailorder parts don't buy a machine that might break without good local support.

/edit - and I've also got a Woodmizer LT10 to make the trees into long flat pieces after the 660's get them to lay down and the 021 or 60CC Efco makes them take off their branches.

 

[MotorSeven]

Nothing worse than a saw that won't work when you need it. You have the right idea, pony up and buy a new saw. If you like that 038, then try the new MS362's...awesome saw. I might be a little prejudiced...I own 7 Stihls and won't buy any other brand.

 

[LD1]

I agree, time for saw shopping. And their are MANY good choices, but they are going to cost $$$.

The 455 rancher is NOT a 55 or 51. The 55 and 51 were built like a pro saw with pro saw features. The 455 is built like every other cheap department store saw. The quality just isnt there. That dont mean husky is bad, it just means their saws that get sold @ lowes et al are just a small step above the poulans, craftsmans, and homelites.

For a new saw, if you were happy with the size of the 455 (when it ran), take a look at the dolmar/makita 6400/6401.

The only downfall to dolmars is they dont have as many dealers as others. But rest assured, they are an excellent and reliable pro-grade saw.

But just going out on a limb, since you had a 455 rancher, I am guessing that dealer support wasnt too important. Since it seems you were working on the saw yourself.

 

[g0rd0]

A note to let you know that yesterday evening I went to my local sthil dealer.
He was out of stock on all of his 50 to 60 cc range sthil saws. Then showed me a echo 500p. It is as I was told a 50 cc professional quality saw with a 5 year warrentee. He also told me that he has been dealing the echo brand for over 5 years now and has not one been brought back in for warrentee work.
I hope that this will be a saw that I can depend on for years to come:thumbsup:

 

[LD1]

A note to let you know that yesterday evening I went to my local sthil dealer.
He was out of stock on all of his 50 to 60 cc range sthil saws. Then showed me a echo 500p. It is as I was told a 50 cc professional quality saw with a 5 year warrentee. He also told me that he has been dealing the echo brand for over 5 years now and has not one been brought back in for warrentee work.
I hope that this will be a saw that I can depend on for years to come:thumbsup:

I guess wether or not to get the 50cc saw depends on your needs.

If just an occasional user, then it would fit the bill nicely.

But if you cut any amount of firewood at all, I would want something a little bigger for a 1 saw plan.

 

[D7E]

I had a couple of 55's/61's/357/359/362 from new and they were ok never started as well or as nice to use as the stihl's (026/ms260/036) but no real problems . I still have a 55 riding on the dozer now good backup saw.

 

[Pilot]

I have an old Homelite, bought it used in '75. Ran for decades with no problems until the check valve in the fuel cap disappeared and it started leaking gas whenever it wasn't upright. Not a good idea to have a saw leaking gas in the woods. By then, Homelite no longer made the part, so it sits on the shelf.

Replaced that with a Stihl 029. Same displacement as the Homelite, but cuts wood almost twice as fast. But a bear to start; finally figured out the system, full choke, pull 12 times, go to half choke and it fires up. 2 dealers worked on it, no change. 3rd dealer didn't even work on it before he said that was a problem with that model.

Best saw is my little Shindaiwa 357, an arborist's model, about the handle is on top, bar is about 10", weighs about 8 pounds and it runs like a champ. Starts on 2nd or 3rd pull, light weight, can reach out and hold it one handed if I have to. Because it's small and light I can use it all day. I fall trees up to about 10" diameter with it, then take off all the limbs. Shindaiwas are spendy, but worth it.

 

[D7E]

Replaced that with a Stihl 029. Same displacement as the Homelite, but cuts wood almost twice as fast. But a bear to start; finally figured out the system, full choke, pull 12 times, go to half choke and it fires up. 2 dealers worked on it, no change. 3rd dealer didn't even work on it before he said that was a problem with that model.

028/029 were horrible saws not pro though so cant compare to 026 036 etc

 

[LD1]

I have an old Homelite, bought it used in '75. Ran for decades with no problems until the check valve in the fuel cap disappeared and it started leaking gas whenever it wasn't upright. Not a good idea to have a saw leaking gas in the woods. By then, Homelite no longer made the part, so it sits on the shelf.

Replaced that with a Stihl 029. Same displacement as the Homelite, but cuts wood almost twice as fast. But a bear to start; finally figured out the system, full choke, pull 12 times, go to half choke and it fires up. 2 dealers worked on it, no change. 3rd dealer didn't even work on it before he said that was a problem with that model.

Best saw is my little Shindaiwa 357, an arborist's model, about the handle is on top, bar is about 10", weighs about 8 pounds and it runs like a champ. Starts on 2nd or 3rd pull, light weight, can reach out and hold it one handed if I have to. Because it's small and light I can use it all day. I fall trees up to about 10" diameter with it, then take off all the limbs. Shindaiwas are spendy, but worth it.

I dont like the tophandles unless you are climbing or working from a bucket.
They are more dangerous than a standard saw IMO (and most others opinion).

But to each his own. And the 029/290 is not really a good stihl. One one of the lower end 50cc+ saws they make.

But I have heard good about shindaiwa. There are quite a few other smaller brands (mostly japanese I think) that are starting to make a good name in these small 2-strokes. Shindaiwa, Tanaka, and Efco are the few that come to mind.