Chain saw

Beer Slayer

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I don't do very much chain sawing....but, I still have some "old stuff for what ever reason" Don't use this one, hard to start.
This one is a 1976 John Deere. My brother has my dad's 1968 McCulloch 16" that still works good.
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neilsleder

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My dad bought a husky saw a few years ago. It was junk. Couldn’t cut down a tree, would stall as soon as it was tilled over. It would take 20-30 pulls to get started. He took it apart to adjust the carb and under the plastic it all said pulan. I think the bigger saw are good but the smaller ones are pulan saws. Stihl is a good saw still.
 

ZIG

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Thanks for all the posts. I decided to go with the husky 445 from a dealer. I bought the extra fuel and got the 4 year warranty.
 

Cdnfireman

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Thanks for all the posts. I decided to go with the husky 445 from a dealer. I bought the extra fuel and got the 4 year warranty.

Good choice. I have the same saw, excellent piece of equipment. Good compromise between power and weight. The extra warranty for a few bucks of fuel is a no brainer.
 

09 arctic cat m8

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We had a husky saw my dad kicked it about 30ft after pulling on it 20 times, I own two Poulans pulled them both from the landfill they start and run in any condition even after sitting in a snow drift for a month, got a newer husky and its been a great saw so far,
 

lgallant

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I have worked with husky saws for about 30 years either hand falling or hazardous tree removal. I have literally used every husky saw except the 3120 XP. I have also used a few stihls. I always found the husky a little lighter with less vibration in the same cc than the stihl and working side by side with others they have always seemed more reliable but maybe this isn’t always the case. Maybe that’s why they cost a little more for the same cc. Not saying stihl is a bad saw I just prefer the husky for these reasons. The husky XP is one of the professional versions. The XP
Is suppose to stand for extra performance and usually revs higher than the other versions. The ones with the silver mufflers don’t rev as high and don’t get as hot as some of the others do so they get the cheaper muffler and other parts. The 555 as an example is still considered a professional saw it just isn’t an XP.
The ones with the silver muffler are what I call the farm version and the first number on the saws are
usually 1,2 or 4 or says rancher which is a dead give away. All the professional saws have a 3 or 5 at the beginning. These numbers Change
And only apply for
Certain years to now. An example is the older 266 which was an XP and a great saw.
Some XPs have the primer bulb and some do not. The farm versions work fine and it has just been my experience that farmers , father-in-law etc do not maintain them as well as someone using them everyday and for me
If I’m using the saw for a living I’m going to buy the better one or at least what I think is the better one. It’s just seems that the farmers and father-in-laws buy the cheaper version which makes sense for the amount some
Of them use them. Just don’t expect them to perform the same as a professional series. The saw sitting too long with old gas seems to be the biggest culprit for not starting not unlike a sled or any other toy. One of my saws are a 1999 372 XPG ( the g stands for heated handle grips ) which has fell and bucked well over 5000 trees and still starts second pull every time. Original top end. There is a reason the XP’s cost $300-400 more than the same cc in the farm version. Don’t get me wrong, the farm versions will last a long time if properly maintained. You can buy premixed gas now from husky that can sit in a saw for a couple of years which is what I recommend if the saw is only
Used once in a while and then just sits until the next season. I think the three best saws are husqvarna , jonsered and stihl just like skidoo , cat and Polaris are the best (2 stroke )sleds. ( Don’t want to offend any Yamaha guys ) Lol. Good luck with your choice.



Just my two cents and personal preference.
 

lgallant

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Ronaha

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I gotta older stihl ms 440 artic for bigger jobs and a tiny ms 170 for on the quad or sled or smaller trees......I think any saw is good if you keep it sharp and well maintained and don't let it sit all winter.
 

Mike270412

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Had to go check. Mine's a 345.
I have worked with husky saws for about 30 years either hand falling or hazardous tree removal. I have literally used every husky saw except the 3120 XP. I have also used a few stihls. I always found the husky a little lighter with less vibration in the same cc than the stihl and working side by side with others they have always seemed more reliable but maybe this isn’t always the case. Maybe that’s why they cost a little more for the same cc. Not saying stihl is a bad saw I just prefer the husky for these reasons. The husky XP is one of the professional versions. The XP
Is suppose to stand for extra performance and usually revs higher than the other versions. The ones with the silver mufflers don’t rev as high and don’t get as hot as some of the others do so they get the cheaper muffler and other parts. The 555 as an example is still considered a professional saw it just isn’t an XP.
The ones with the silver muffler are what I call the farm version and the first number on the saws are
usually 1,2 or 4 or says rancher which is a dead give away. All the professional saws have a 3 or 5 at the beginning. These numbers Change
And only apply for
Certain years to now. An example is the older 266 which was an XP and a great saw.
Some XPs have the primer bulb and some do not. The farm versions work fine and it has just been my experience that farmers , father-in-law etc do not maintain them as well as someone using them everyday and for me
If I’m using the saw for a living I’m going to buy the better one or at least what I think is the better one. It’s just seems that the farmers and father-in-laws buy the cheaper version which makes sense for the amount some
Of them use them. Just don’t expect them to perform the same as a professional series. The saw sitting too long with old gas seems to be the biggest culprit for not starting not unlike a sled or any other toy. One of my saws are a 1999 372 XPG ( the g stands for heated handle grips ) which has fell and bucked well over 5000 trees and still starts second pull every time. Original top end. There is a reason the XP’s cost $300-400 more than the same cc in the farm version. Don’t get me wrong, the farm versions will last a long time if properly maintained. You can buy premixed gas now from husky that can sit in a saw for a couple of years which is what I recommend if the saw is only
Used once in a while and then just sits until the next season. I think the three best saws are husqvarna , jonsered and stihl just like skidoo , cat and Polaris are the best (2 stroke )sleds. ( Don’t want to offend any Yamaha guys ) Lol. Good luck with your choice.



Just my two cents and personal preference.
 

174mcx

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I bought a stihl 462 this summer and I'm very impressed with it. I used to build log homes and always had huskys, my dealer was not the best this time and I tried a stihl. The power to weight ratio on the 462 is unreal, 6hp to 13lbs, compare that to the husky 181 at 5.45hp and 17lbs.

So far I really like it
 

X-it

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Could not find any specs on the 2100xp. I know it would cut quite a bit faster than the 288xp though.
 

ABMax24

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Just to throw out some deals I found today at the dealer, anyone buying a 400 series saw at a dealer gets a free case, liter of bar oil, small bottle of mix oil and a husqvarna hat.

A 500 series gets a case (12 liters) of bar oil.

On top of that 3 liters of premixed husky fuel bought on the same transaction with a saw will add 2 years of warranty.


I picked up a 550xp and 20" bar today with a saw case, 4 liters of bar oil, 3 liters of fuel (4 year warranty total) for $850 out the door (my dealer let me credit the value of the case of oil toward a saw case instead).
 

Tchetek

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Interesting video for anyone considering an electric saw.

https://youtu.be/mZiRFXSg7So

I have that dewalt 60 volt saw. Works good, nice a quick for little jobs. Great to have in the side by side if you need to cut something out of the way. But still have a gas saw for big jobs.

Negatives about it for me:

-Bar and chain is real skinny and light duty.

-mine got rained on the first time I used it. Fawked the battery. Had to get a warranty exchange. So now will be careful not to use it in wet weather.
 

moyiesledhead

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My Canadian Tire Husky has been an excellent saw. They're a consumer saw, and I don't cut 20 cords of wood a year with it. Just carry it on the quad and use around camp but going on 5 years now, I think, and never misses a beat. If you hit that primer bulb as many times as they tell you to you're done though. Twice max or it's flooded. Other than that I can't complain. As far as Poulan goes, I bought a reconditioned one for a hundred bucks from Princess Auto years ago and it was the best saw I ever owned. Only quite using it because I parked the truck on top of it. Still runs, but the chain brake took a beating.
 

X-it

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I bought the 80volt greenworks chainsaw from canadiantire because it had the 18 inch bar, it cuts not bad would equal to about a 45-50cc saw in gas.
 
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