Chain Saw. Narrowed it down a little.

[Brokermike]

Beware of the TSC pre-boxed chains. They offer a full chisel chain but the rakers are bent over as some sort of anti kickback feature. Long story short they cut much slower and are much harder to sharpen as the raker gets in the way of the file, plus filing the raker is nearly impossible

 

[mark.r]

Beware of the TSC pre-boxed chains. They offer a full chisel chain but the rakers are bent over as some sort of anti kickback feature. Long story short they cut much slower and are much harder to sharpen as the raker gets in the way of the file, plus filing the raker is nearly impossible

I don't know much about saws so forgive me, but couldn't you just replace the chain with a more professional unit to correct this issue?

 

[RobertN]

I don't know much about saws so forgive me, but couldn't you just replace the chain with a more professional unit to correct this issue?

Probably not. The taller the rake, the less kickback, but slower cut too.

I asked at a place around here; they are only selling the real agressive chain to Pro's. Apparently it's become an OSHA safety kinda thing.

 

[mark.r]

Probably not. The taller the rake, the less kickback, but slower cut too.

I asked at a place around here; they are only selling the real agressive chain to Pro's. Apparently it's become an OSHA safety kinda thing.

Interesting. Well at any rate, I can see where this could be a concern for some you guys who are cutting multiple loads a year, definitely. But, I guess for a farm user like myself it makes very litte difference. Good info none the less.

 

[Marc L.]

Good day again,

the rake on the chain is there for a good reason: keeping your head in one piece!

beleive me Mark, you are better with the rake. Some people grind them off but I would suggest you to get use to your saw before thinking to do so. Your saw is powerful for its weight and kick backs happen quickly.

As far as sharpening, Oregon has a good kit and in particular the gauge for the rake. It makes sharpening your blade a breese. To also help preventing kick back, your Husqvarna dealer can sell you a tip cover for your blade (comes in handy when you are cutting a lot of branches).

The extra time you will spend cutting because of the rake sure beat the time spent in the ER getting the gash across your face stiched!

Marc

 

[mark.r]

Good day again,

the rake on the chain is there for a good reason: keeping your head in one piece!

beleive me Mark, you are better with the rake. Some people grind them off but I would suggest you to get use to your saw before thinking to do so. Your saw is powerful for its weight and kick backs happen quickly.

As far as sharpening, Oregon has a good kit and in particular the gauge for the rake. It makes sharpening your blade a breese. To also help preventing kick back, your Husqvarna dealer can sell you a tip cover for your blade (comes in handy when you are cutting a lot of branches).

The extra time you will spend cutting because of the rake sure beat the time spent in the ER getting the gash across your face stiched!

Marc

Once again information. Do you have a link for the Oregon sharpening kit you are refering too?

 

[Marc L.]

I just picked mine at HD.

you got a round and a flat files, an angle gauge for the round file and a rake gauge.

Your Husky dealer should have something similar. just choose the proper size for your blade.

 

[RobertN]

the rake on the chain is there for a good reason: keeping your head in one piece!

beleive me Mark, you are better with the rake. Some people grind them off but I would suggest you to get use to your saw before thinking to do so. Your saw is powerful for its weight and kick backs happen quickly.

As far as sharpening, Oregon has a good kit and in particular the gauge for the rake. It makes sharpening your blade a breese.

If he is buying a saw, he should be able to get everything for sharpening from the dealer(unles it is a box store). A good saw dealer will give you a quick tutorial on sharpening too.

The best thing you can do is not let the chain get dull. I keep three chains for each saw. I keep them sharp, and swap out right away if I notice it not cutting so well.

It is really easy to keep a good chain sharpened if you don't run it till dull, or overheat it.

Do a web search for the Oregon site, and search for chain sharpening. They had a good tutorial on-line. I think the website was posted here not too long ago.

 

[mark.r]

I'm at work but wanted to pick up an extra chain on my way home. I couldn't verify on line what I wanted and I am sure I am just not seeing it but doesn't the Husky Rancher have an 80 drive link count H22/H25/or H30 chain standard?

 

[D7E]

..455 is a **** good choice ..My reason for disliking the huskys was years ago the 359's and 362's would quit faster in -30 conditions and were harder starters ,Huskys would have one pull with full choke /5 or 6 pulls with no choke and hold choke half open for a couple of mins before would run properly.
Stihls would have one pull on full choke/one pull no choke and run like a watch instantly..?
I recently was looking for a new saw (1 every year) and gave husky another chance ..."55" ..$410 (went with price).....
Good saw when warm but same as what i remember ....Hard to start...Will not run upside-down for long ,Just not as user friendly as equivalent stihl.....Mechanically fine and the big thing.....Husky dealers tend to be "Lawn care/homeowner dealers".......Stihl dealers are open 7 days aweek and are "logger" suppliers...?
Warranty with husky....(maybe our dealers) I don't think they know what it means.
Stupidly one of our boys ran over the 18 month old ms 260 with a skidder and local dealer put a whole new back handle on it under warranty..?
The 359xp broke the pull cord on the 3rd day and my dealer changed in it and told me my boys were incompetent and said it was not a warranty issue and charged me $20...?
As far as i'm concerned F#$k husky...I run 6 saws all the time and 1 new one every year ....No more husky's....The saws are ok but they have to pick their dealers better...?
...Jonsered....When they updated models they were doing a "blowout" on 2050's up to 70cc catagory so i bought 2 2050's and 1 60cc (very cheap) All hard starting ,Would not idle,When cutting brash on power line clearance would throw chains off (Stopped this by changing all to deeper profile oregon bars)....But generally junk...?
Saws of all ages and sizes in the truck and 12 saws to choose from ....The boys take a 026 or ms260 for light to medium work or 066 for heavy work ......New boys get the huskys...And the boss gets the "55"......I bought it so i have to use it..?

 

[Egon]

In the Woods out here Husky's seem to prevail. There are lots of small dealers around.

 

[D7E]

In the Woods out here Husky's seem to prevail. There are lots of small dealers around.

..Problem is egon,"small" seems to be the word ...Husky get parts in 24hrs ,Stihl have them on the shelf...???

 

[Egon]

The dealers here seem to have what is needed on the shelf.

There are quite a few dealers too.

 

[WayneB]

Well around here the Husky boys have the parts on the shelf and the Stihl guys have to order the parts...............

 

[sunspot]

As far as Husqvarna, I can't say much about their saws, but was picking up a new lawn tractor for my MIL the other day, and had a salesman at Lowes warned me that the Husqvarna lawn tractors went to the toilet in the last couple years. He strongly advised me against getting one

O-Boy, I bought one last year. It replaced a Craftsman 11hp that was 18 years old. I have to admit that if it wasn't for the HST, I would have returned it. The belt broke at 3 hrs and either the battery or the alternator is weak. The deck loads up with clippings in a heartbeat. Maybe I should have bought the JD.

To keep on topic, I bought the smallest Stihl available at the time, a few years ago. It needs 3-4 pulls to start and a few minutes to warm up. It binds very easy and kicks back some. My very old Homelite weights in on the very heavy side but it never had a kickback. I would be willing to try a bigger Stihl when the Homelite quits.

 

[D7E]

Well around here the Husky boys have the parts on the shelf and the Stihl guys have to order the parts...............

Funny how it differs in different areas...?

 

[Ductape]

MDM, i have a 455 as well as two pro-grade Huskys and a small homeowner grade Stihl. I've had my 455 several years and it has cut many cord of wood with me. It has performed flawlesly ! I run it with both 18" and 20" bars. I'd say its better suited to 18, but it'll handle 20 as long as you are not burying the whole bar all the time. I know the 455 does not have a great reputation on the saw forums........ but mostly because it weighs a pound more than it should. Nothing you really need to be concerned about as a homeowner. Whether you buy it locally (which i recommend if the price difference is not too great) or mail order, i have one serious recommendation !!! Ditch the stock low-kickback chain for a pro level chain. My 455 worked waaaaay too hard with the low-kickback chain...... i'm getting through the wood in nearly half the time with a good chain.

 

[Podunkadunk]

I was watching the series called "Axe Men" on Discovery or one of those type channels, just the other night.

These guys are professional...and I mean professional, loggers. The show is produced/filmed in the Pacific NW, Oregon and Washington. I took notice of the saws they were ALL using...

STIHL!

I think that says a lot...even though I own a Husky 455.

Podunk

 

[Highbeam]

Really though in the NW it is pretty much 50/50 husky/stihl. There are lots of of old loggers that only use the huskys. I lean towards the stihl. It is a fiord chevy type debate with each brand making some good saws.

If resale matters to you, it is easier to sell a stihl than a husky.

 

[Knotbored]

I have a husky 350 and couldn't be happier with it. Its the first saw I had with a compression release and starts with even old gas on two pulls choke on-next pull choke off. It has a great vibration dampening system, and my arms are less fatigued then with my old Mac-which gave up the ghost.
I am confused about the discussion about parts availability- I only had my old saw to a dealer for repairs once in its lifetime, and expect the same with the Husky. I have 20 acres and mostly use the saw for cleanup and pruning-and about 3 cords of wood a year.