Husky chainsaws

[4570Man]

It’s not beating up on the twig cutters that’s fun because that’s a ridiculous comparison. It’s beating up on brainwashed twig cutters owner that thinks it’ll outcut any orange saw that’s fun. I’ve never noticed my saw kicking backwards against the starter at the end. Better plastic rope handle, ok. And yea, a 441 and a 372 are pretty close saws.

 

[LD1]

Agreed.

No argument from me that sthil makes a fine saw.

But when Joe schmoe has a homeowner saw or farm boss....and raves on and on about how great sthil is.....well, it just gets tiresome hearing that from somebody that really has no clue. And think they can impress others because...they have a Stihl saw.

I'm not brand blind. I tease and joke about other saws, I clearly have my preference, as we all do. But at the end of the day, I can appreciate ANY good pro saw. Husky/j-red, sthil, dolmar, echo, etc etc.

 

[John_Mc]

I'm not brand blind. I tease and joke about other saws, I clearly have my preference, as we all do. But at the end of the day, I can appreciate ANY good pro saw. Husky/j-red, sthil, dolmar, echo, etc etc.

That pretty much says it all. All the brands you mentioned make some good saws, and they make some not so good ones. When comparing apples to apples (i.e. pro saw to pro saw in the same size range) the differences are minor: one brand or model may suit your personal preferences better, or one may be tuned more toward high speed limbing vs high torque hardwood cutting.

Unless you are an accomplished chainsaw mechanic, the deciding factor should probably be how good the servicing dealer in your area is (Dealer support is one of the reasons I refuse to buy my saws from the big box stores, or even most local hardware stores. Well, that and the fact that most of them only stock the entry-level and mid-range saws.)

 

[John_Mc]

I have a 353 thatç—´ probably 15 years old. Does it have a cat muffler?

If I recall correctly, the first two digits of the serial number are the year of manufacture. Unfortunately, I don;t recall when they first started using the Catalytic mufflers.

My Jonsered 2152 is a 2005 and had the Catalytic muffler. If I recall, it was advertised as the "e-tech" model (which meant it complied with the EPA regs - part of which meant a Cat muffler). It also had a green fuel cap, which I believe was also an indicator of the catalytic muffler. It's been a long time, but I believe the muffler may also have had "CAT" or "CATALYTIC" stamped on it somewhere.

One source of a non-catalytic muffler for these saws is Bailey's. They sell an OEM, Non-Cat muffler . It was originally intended for their older non-cat models, but fits the Husky 353 or Jonsered 2152 which came with catalytic mufflers. NOTE: I just found this on a search of th eBailey's site. I suggest verifying the fit with Baileys based on the serial number of your saw before ordering. Their customer service includes some pretty knowledgeable chainsaw folks (or at least it did back when I ordered mine).

There are cheaper, non-OEM mufflers out there (Baileys used to sell one. Maybe they still do.) There may also be cheaper sources for the OEM version. Some of the aftermarket stuff is good, some is pure junk (and no, I've not kept track of who makes "the good stuff") If you are shopping for a muffler from other sources, a muffler described as an "EPA muffler" is most likely catalytic.

If you are replacing the muffler, I'd also recommend having the muffler gasket on hand, particularly for an older saw. If I recall, there is also a muffler bracket on these saws. If so, take a look and make sure it's in usable condition. My saw was relatively new, so if it did have one, I did not replace a bracket.

Do remember to retune your carb after changing the muffler. The reduction in backpressure changes how the fuel-air mixture is pulled into the engine.

 

[LD1]

If I recall correctly, the first two digits of the serial number are the year of manufacture. Unfortunately, I don;t recall when they first started using the Catalytic mufflers.

My Jonsered 2152 is a 2005 and had the Catalytic muffler. If I recall, it was advertised as the "e-tech" model (which meant it complied with the EPA regs - part of which meant a Cat muffler). It also had a green fuel cap, which I believe was also an indicator of the catalytic muffler. It's been a long time, but I believe the muffler may also have had "CAT" or "CATALYTIC" stamped on it somewhere.

One source of a non-catalytic muffler for these saws is Bailey's. They sell an OEM, Non-Cat muffler . It was originally intended for their older non-cat models, but fits the Husky 353 or Jonsered 2152 which came with catalytic mufflers. NOTE: I just found this on a search of th eBailey's site. I suggest verifying the fit with Baileys based on the serial number of your saw before ordering. Their customer service includes some pretty knowledgeable chainsaw folks (or at least it did back when I ordered mine).

There are cheaper, non-OEM mufflers out there (Baileys used to sell one. Maybe they still do.) There may also be cheaper sources for the OEM version. Some of the aftermarket stuff is good, some is pure junk (and no, I've not kept track of who makes "the good stuff") If you are shopping for a muffler from other sources, a muffler described as an "EPA muffler" is most likely catalytic.

If you are replacing the muffler, I'd also recommend having the muffler gasket on hand, particularly for an older saw. If I recall, there is also a muffler bracket on these saws. If so, take a look and make sure it's in usable condition. My saw was relatively new, so if it did have one, I did not replace a bracket.

Do remember to retune your carb after changing the muffler. The reduction in backpressure changes how the fuel-air mixture is pulled into the engine.

I know alot of guys say re-tuning the carb is a must when doing minor mods (even major mods)....but I havent found that to be true. But ALWAYS check to make sure you are good with a tach.

Most times I do a mod, I do the mod THEN check....and if adjustment is required, it is always VERY minor. But I dont check before a mod, so it may have needed a minor adjustment before.

Remember a carb....it adjusts air fuel ratio.

Do something to help it breath, its gonna flow more air through the carb. By flowing more air through the carb, it is automatically drawing more fuel.

If the carb is set to optimum ratio...(somewhere around 14:1 or 15:1).....dont matter how choked or how free flowing it is....ratio shouldnt change.

 

[John_Mc]

I've been buying Husqvarna (and their twin-sister Jonsered) chainsaws for years. I typically buy their pro-level saws, or their "semi-pro" (pro-type construction but not the last few tweaks and without the pro price - the Jonsered 2152 is one of those). This was mostly influenced by a few great Husky/Jonsered dealers in my area. Sadly, the real chainsaw gurus near me are all retiring and closing their shops. We have one Husky servicing dealer in my area who is OK on service (not great, but OK), and another who might as well be a Home Depot when it comes to knowledge about servicing chainsaws. As it turns out, the guys I bought my tractor from are Stihl dealers, and seem to have it on the ball when it comes to service (when I see pro loggers bringing their saw in, that's usually a good sign).

If someone is in the market for a 70+ cc pro saw, you might want to wait for the Stihl 462 to hit the USA (it's been out in Europe for a while and was recently released in Canada). THe specs on it look darn good: 72cc, 6 HP, 13.2#. That's the weight of a lot of 60cc saws, but the power of a 70+cc.

I'll be watching the 462 closely. I had been thinking of getting a Husky 562XP, or maybe a Stihl 362 C-M, when my Husky 357XP dies. But with as light a weight as the Stihl 462 is, I may go with that, if I can stomach the likely $1100+ price.

 

[John_Mc]

I know alot of guys say re-tuning the carb is a must when doing minor mods (even major mods)....but I havent found that to be true. But ALWAYS check to make sure you are good with a tach.

Most times I do a mod, I do the mod THEN check....and if adjustment is required, it is always VERY minor. But I dont check before a mod, so it may have needed a minor adjustment before.

Remember a carb....it adjusts air fuel ratio.

Do something to help it breath, its gonna flow more air through the carb. By flowing more air through the carb, it is automatically drawing more fuel.

If the carb is set to optimum ratio...(somewhere around 14:1 or 15:1).....dont matter how choked or how free flowing it is....ratio shouldnt change.

I agree to a point. However, Chainsaw carbs are a bit of a different beast. They are designed to deliver the proper mixture at two points: idle, and wide-open throttle. Since a muffler mod affects the power delivered at WOT, it may require an adjustment. Yes, the effect is minor, but when several guys who port or otherwise modify saws tell me it needs to be checked, I believe them. It might not be as much of an issue, since as you noted, the effect is minor for a muffler mod, except most saws are shipped in the USA set as far to lean side as reasonably possible to meet EPA restrictions. It's simply not worth the risk that this change could push it over into an area dangerous to the saw.

There are also two points at which a saw will run at the specified RPM (assuming you don't have a rev-limited ignition): Rich of peak RPM and lean of peak RPM. You want to make sure you are on the rich side (tuning by ear avoids that problem).

 

[LD1]

Yes, the effect is minor, but when several guys who port or otherwise modify saws tell me it needs to be checked, I believe them.

I have modded a good many saws. Never did I say not to check it. That is ALWAYS a must.

Im just saying that it usually doesnt need ADJUSTED. And if it does, it probably wasn't adjusted right before the mod either.

 

[TractorNH]

I have always been very satisfied with my Husky 345 and 51. Always been great saws so when I was looking to get something a bit bigger than the 51 I went looking at the Rancher 460 and 465. I can't justify the cost of an XP series saw. The 460 and 465 with a 24" bar were $520 and $560 respectively. I started asking around in forums including the Husky forum on facebook and got MANY responses to go check out the Echo CS-590 before I buy either of those Husky's. I'm glad I did. The Echo has a full magnesium case pro style engine (they don't use different engines on their pro saws vs their "homeowner" saws) along with other pro style features. The weight was comparable to both Husky saws too...BUT the Echo 590 put out more HP than the 460 Rancher (both are 60cc saws). The Echo CS-590 had a regular price of $399.99...over $100 less than the 460 Rancher!

I continued my research and ultimately bought the Echo CS-620P which also has a 60cc engine and further pro features like a bigger carburator, two ring piston, different timing, and an unlimited coil among other features. I paid $500 for the Echo CS-620P with a 24" bar and got a saw that puts out more HP and torque and is better built than the 465 Rancher for about $60 less.

Anyone who doesn't NEED a pro series saw or can't justify the price like me needs to check out the Echo CS-590 and CS-620P before buying in the Husky Rancher line.