husqvarna 440-XTORQ (REVIEW BY- LOGGER)

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logger 12345

husqvarna pilot
Joined
Aug 5, 2011
Messages
695
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Location
ireland
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introduction;
i know this saw has been reviewed to death over the net,but i really feel i need to give my views on it,read on...


i decided to do my own personal review on this chainsaw primairly because i have worked with this saw since january this year,also because i always feel it's nice to get opinions direct from people who use chainsaws heavily and regularly,not only that either but the fact that we all cut differnt types of wood, we all work in differnt conditions and climates,anyway ahead i will try and give my views and personal thoughts on this sawi'm no expert but i know my saws and have been in the woods for many years,now to some 8 months of ownership may not seem like a long time to have the saw or build an opinion on it,but the ammount of use this saw has already seen i think it's a good time to do a review.
now,bear in mind this is no fast review where i will just give opinions on the chainsaw only after this period of time and use,this review i feel should be of intrest here because it will be an ongoing review maybe for years,who knows"? it's mainly to keep an eye on the long term durability of the saw,something i am always intrested in with a brand NEW chainsaw of high quality,so far i am nothing short of amazed with the saw and the amount of work it has done,i regularly keep my work updated on my main thread (land clearing with husqvarna chainsaws) so it can be seen clearly that this is indeed a heavily used saw.

ok,ahead i am going to first point out the things i like and dislike about the saw and for now an over all rating.


first of all a little introduction about the saws life so far.


toolless tensioner,a great advantage when working on those long productive days,it saved me a lot of hassle and walking to the tool box many times!


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ok so i first bought the saw back in january,to be honest around this time i had made an arrangment to clear out a lot of acres of land for a local farmer,the conditions are tough and he didn't want any large machinery in cause the place is generally wet been in ireland,my 365sp was much too heavy for some of the work and would have been too slow of course except for the big trees,i already had a light saw of 50cc displacment but i felt it just wasn't durable enough to withstand some of the punishment dished out from clearing this land required,so after some thought i decided to go with this saw,it was a keen price and it too carried the label of a 'high end' chainsaw,it wasn't just a homeowners grade saw it was a full on heavy duty long hours saw.
i went ahead in january and took a trip to the local husqvarna dealers in limerick and got a great deal of 450euros for this saw new,bear in mind the prices can vary a lot country to country.

since january this saw has cleared maybe two miles of bushes and heavy overgrowth in to an old unused farm,this entrance to the farm wasn't used since the 50's,it cleared all the bushes with ease and i found it to be very light and easy to manage,there were everything to light trees in this old roadway to thick hedging,thorny bushes,and various types of weeds and large plants in the way.





when we made it in i used the saw to cut 100's of trees,it felled them,limbed them & cut them in to firewood and never missed a beat.

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so ahead here i will list some things i like/dislike and spec.




spec:

make/model
-husqvarna 440 x torq
-engine displacment 40cc
-chainbar/ oregon chain with 15" chain,full sequence chizzel
-bought NEW 8 months old now
- tooless chain tensioner
- syntetic oil/husqvarna
- high grade eco friendly chainoil
- autotune


likes
- light weight
- very fuel efficent
- easy to manage and tension chain
- very powerfull and high revving
- consistant power even when used all day and in hot temps
- good cutting range when sharp can cut the full bar length
- durable and very tough
- low maintainence (i have had to do nothing since i got it only the normal small things)
- great air injection system,keeps filter spotless in any conditions and i cut a lot of hardwood
- auto tune is good and it is consistant
- lightening fast limbing


dislikes:

- hard to start
( the saw can be a tricky thing when you let it sit for 5 minutes after cutting,it was always this way,main reason is it cools down really fast after cutting,so you try to start it after 5mins but it won't fire,cause it needs choke,as i say after letting it sit for 5 minutes you never remember it cools down so fast,so you forget it needs choke,then you pull and pull and get.......tired.......and before you continue you are already tired,this really just is something you need to think about and remember,it really is operator error.

- can bog a little
( unless you have the chain really sharp don't try and cut hardwoods the bar length cause it won't happen,it will anoy you bogging down,keep it sharp then it will power through,i can forget sometimes it's 40cc and treat it like the larger displacment 365cc for example, it needs some TLC


- tempremental at times

the saw can be tempremental sometimes in differnt conditions,for example in foggy weather it can be slow revving,but i use normal pump petrol and husqvarna so all this can make a differnce too,the conditions can effect it sometimes and you notice it but it never effects it that much and you continue,then after a while it adjusts,i presume it's the autotune,but i'm not 100percent sure if this saw has autotune to be honest,the carb is preset from factory and never needs adjusting cause in any conditions it always rights it self and runs it's best to suit the conditions.

- slow to warm
this is my main pet hate with this saw it is really slow to warm in the mornings,it would anoy you this way and catch you out when you are busy and in a hurry,obviously you would have left it warm for a while but it's not enough,my god you think it's ready but it really is still spluttering and bogging,it needs to be left on the high idle to warm for maybe a good 2minutes then you are ready to roll,this is what i do now.




conclusion:

ok to be honest this is a great chainsaw,it is tremendously powerful and you forget it's 40cc,it is very light in fuel,i use a 9ft x 5ft tralier and it fills it with cut firewood logs everytime with only one tank of fuel,amazing...i love the xtorq engine and already can say it's a much nicer engine to use than the older ones,the saw tackles any job,the ammount of trees this thing has cut so far is amazing 100's of trees and it had met nothing to stop it so far,it powered through the old entrance of the farm we are clearing out maybe 2 miles of a roadway not used since the 50's , cut through thorny bushes,large trees on the roadway in,big and small plants overgrown around the roadway with thick hedging,nothing got in it's way,it's a very strong saw in my opinion,i'm very impressed with it.it has cut nothing really but the hardest of woods from ASH,to silver birtch to whitethorn,the saw is a very easy to manage and light weight which makes working around the woods easy and productive,it is a good match for a mid to large size chainsaw like i use the 365sp,both work together well and nothing much can stop them both,it is a great limbing saw and you really feel productivity here with it in this area.


well that's my review,but the intresting part is yet to come,the part i myself like,to test the longterm durability and reliability of it before any spanners and parts are needed,so far the main drive sprocket isn't even showing any signs of wear,it has needed nothing only replacment chains and general normal maintainience such as greese bar tip and clutch bearing,sharpen chains,clean with compressed air and the small usual things like that. i am impressed but am more intrested to see how long it can last,i will update here please god in time with some more news,this saw has a lot of work to do in the coming weeks/months/years so it will be intesting to back track and calculate the hours. if you are further intrested check out my other thread updated more often (land clearing with husqvarna chainsaws) this thread is a more regularly updated one here and it is my main working thread.


so i will update here when there is news to update,so far nothing to report only i can't seem to get to the end of it :msp_wink:



8/10 rating i will give it, minus two for the dislikes i mentioned.


-logger
 
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Except for the chain tensioner, the only difference 435 => 440 is that the 440 has a high compression piston, so more power.

toolless tensioner,a great advantage when working on those long productive days,it saved me a lot of hassle and walking to the tool box many times!


ASHTREESLATESTWORK037.jpg
How do you remove the B&C with the toolless tensioner?


likes
- light weight
- very fuel efficent
- easy to manage and tension chain
- very powerfull and high revving
- consistant power even when used all day and in hot temps
- good cutting range when sharp can cut the full bar length
- durable and very tough
- low maintainence (i have had to do nothing since i got it only the normal small things)
- great air injection system,keeps filter spotless in any conditions and i cut a lot of hardwood
- auto tune is good and it is consistant
- lightening fast limbing
I was surprised by the fuel efficiency, normally a refill is a rest stop, damm thing won't quit. Light on oil too.


dislikes:

- hard to start
( the saw can be a tricky thing when you let it sit for 5 minutes after cutting,it was always this way,main reason is it cools down really fast after cutting,so you try to start it after 5mins but it won't fire,cause it needs choke,as i say after letting it sit for 5 minutes you never remember it cools down so fast,so you forget it needs choke,then you pull and pull and get.......tired.......and before you continue you are already tired,this really just is something you need to think about and remember,it really is operator error.
Can't you just set the high idle?


- can bog a little
( unless you have the chain really sharp don't try and cut hardwoods the bar length cause it won't happen,it will anoy you bogging down,keep it sharp then it will power through,i can forget sometimes it's 40cc and treat it like the larger displacment 365cc for example, it needs some TLC
Bog or the NK chain binds in green wood? It has been my experience is that the OEM NK chain will not clear the noodles and the result is clutch slippage.

Thanks for the post.
 
i dont think the 440 is autotune, only the newer models with the first number being 5 (540xp/550xp/562xp etc) are autotune. and im surprised to hear someone likes the tooless chain tensioning, i hate mine. have to tighten it every 10 minutes, gets old, thats why im selling my 235...
 
thanks lads for the feedback. to be honest i love the tooless chaintensioner i think the saw can get away with it been a smaller lighter saw,to be very honest i never hardly need to adjust it much,it must be the fact i use the best chainoil i can get here,it honestly never hardly needs adjusting.only time it does is when i put a new chain on and then it saved me bother.

as for the autotune yes i was fairly sure it hadn't this feature but to be honest i think it runs perfect without it,ok apart from the slight climate changes and the way i mentioned the way it effects it sometimes but this is only very slight and you would hardly notice,the carb is preset from the factory and never needs tuning at all.i don't think autotune is a required option in any chainsaw nor even needed but yes of course it would be nice to have it and yes i guess it would make it run better at times but again IMO not essential.

the idle is already set good from the factory so again don't need changing.

i think the saw is great and the only glitches are the ones i have mentioned which too are easy to get used of.


i use oregon chains and they seem to be quite good even in hardwood,as i say for the bigger stuff the chain needs to be good and sharp.
 
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more likely well sharpened chain.

thanks lads for the feedback. to be honest i love the tooless chaintensioner i think the saw can get away with it been a smaller lighter saw,to be very honest i never hardly need to adjust it much,it must be the fact i use the best chainoil i can get here,it honestly never hardly needs adjusting.only time it does is when i put a new chain on and then it saved me bother.
i use oregon chains and they seem to be quite good even in hardwood,as i say for the bigger stuff the chain needs to be good and sharp.
In my experience,well sharpened chain produces very like heat/friction.Self feeding/sharp chain will not stretch as much as dull chains being forced through the wood.Good b&c oil isn't as important as a sharp chain,imho.
 
sorry,i think the first poster up there asked how to remove the B/C with the tooless tensioner,all you do is unscrew the side tensioner and then take off cover bobs your uncle!! simple as....


yes,i good chain makes all the differnce,it's simple to keep chains sharp,i always file sharpen my chains with oregon files and raker gauge,i never ever take them to shops,grinding chains IMHO IS A waste of good chain!! even if i hit something hard and really damage the teeth i will file them all down evenly again and good to go.


these new strato engines in this type saw are extremly fuel efficent,i find it noticeably lighter then the 365sp,i know they are two differnt animals but pound for pound these engines are far more fuel efficent than the old school stuff.
 
Except for the chain tensioner, the only difference 435 => 440 is that the 440 has a high compression piston, so more power.

The website also shows the 440 having 'Smart Start' and the 435 doesn't. Anyone know what the Smart Start feature is?

It also shows the 440 to be about 1/2 lb heavier than the 435.
 
smart start is a good feature,the older husky saws had the on/off switch but it was easy to get confused sometimes,they had an arrow and set up like this written on the previous switches like this ( STOP---->) so when you look at that you could still get confused and push the on/off switch to the side that has the word stop rather than where the arrow was poining.thus then trying to start the saw in the 'off' position and flooding it.

so in turn they came up with smart start which means the saw is always on the 'on' position with a spring mounted switch,it is a great job and all you need do now is hit it up to switch the saw off but it will return to 'on' all the time it self.


thanks for mentioning this i forgot it ;)
 
i have the 340,, i haven't run it enough to give a full review on it but i like it,, the only thing i don't like about it is it has a 325 pitch b/c,, personally i think it needs 3/8lp
 
The website also shows the 440 having 'Smart Start' and the 435 doesn't. Anyone know what the Smart Start feature is?
I don't have a clue what 'Smart Start' is, but it is not the 3-position On-Off-Choke switch. The 435 properly tuned is an easy starter. I fiddled with my 435 L and idle T screws for an hour to make it happy. Will usually start on one pull warm from 8000 - 11,000 feet elevation, no small feat.

It also shows the 440 to be about 1/2 lb heavier than the 435.
Perhaps we could get Logger to dig out his scale and post a pic in the weight thread: http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/179406.htm I posted the 435 weight some months ago.

If you want either a 435 or 440, check VMInnovations for a refurb, half price makes a great saw a great deal.
 
logger 12345 said:
...treat it like the larger displacment 365cc for example...


-logger


Would you post some photos of your 365cc chainsaw? I'm sorry, I couldn't stop myself from making that comment :D.

Seriously, thank you for the detailed review (rep being sent)! I'm surprised at your positive comments re the tooless tensioning system.
 
no problem lads,it's good to get others opinions too on this saw,thanks for the input.
i will weigh the saw tonight ohh and yes i will do a review also on the 365sp and write my opinions on what i think of it,might do it later when i can get the time.been wanting to do a review on both of these chainsaws anyway as they have seen some incredible heavy use now.
 
I don't have a clue what 'Smart Start' is, but it is not the 3-position On-Off-Perhaps we could get Logger to dig out his scale and post a pic in the weight thread: http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/179406.htm I posted the 435 weight some months ago.

If you want either a 435 or 440, check VMInnovations for a refurb, half price makes a great saw a great deal.

Given the few differences between the saws, maybe the tool-less tensioner parts weight 1/2 lb more?? Or does Husky weigh the 435 or 440 with different bar lengths??

VMI's site shows a refurb 435, but no 440 today.
 
I don't have a clue what 'Smart Start' is, but it is not the 3-position On-Off-Choke switch. The 435 properly tuned is an easy starter. I fiddled with my 435 L and idle T screws for an hour to make it happy. Will usually start on one pull warm from 8000 - 11,000 feet elevation, no small feat.


Perhaps we could get Logger to dig out his scale and post a pic in the weight thread: http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/179406.htm I posted the 435 weight some months ago.

If you want either a 435 or 440, check VMInnovations for a refurb, half price makes a great saw a great deal.

you really don't have anything better to do, do you, #1 i don't see any friends listed in your profile, #2 you won't just let someone pm you, if you have issues with others doings or thoughts, i think it's best you keep yours to yourself, yeah the 435 is a great saw, i bought mine just to see if i could ruin it with my makeshift carrier, i'm glad you chimed in on my thread, i'm looking forward to talking to you
 
hi lads,

take it easy,no point in argeing here,we all have opinions and sometimes they may not be what we want to hear,look we are all on here to relax,enjoy the site and discuss chainsaws.

i will leave it at that.

-logger
 
I don't have a clue what 'Smart Start' is, but it is not the 3-position On-Off-Choke switch. The 435 properly tuned is an easy starter. I fiddled with my 435 L and idle T screws for an hour to make it happy. Will usually start on one pull warm from 8000 - 11,000 feet elevation, no small feat.


Perhaps we could get Logger to dig out his scale and post a pic in the weight thread: http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/179406.htm I posted the 435 weight some months ago.

If you want either a 435 or 440, check VMInnovations for a refurb, half price makes a great saw a great deal.

you really don't have anything better to do, do you, #1 i don't see any friends listed in your profile, #2 you won't just let someone pm you, if you have issues with others doings or thoughts, i think it's best you keep yours to yourself, yeah the 435 is a great saw, i bought mine just to see if i could ruin it with my makeshift carrier, i'm glad you chimed in on my thread, i'm looking forward to talking to you

I don't see an issue with MtnHermit's post. Maybe some drama carried over from another thread?
 
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