Husky 455 Rancher eating chains and gas

[FlyingDutchman]

A couple years back, my dad got a Husquavarna 455 Rancher for Christmas from the local farm store. It has a 24" bar, compression release and looked like what we needed to cut bigger stuff... (WAY better than the Sears saws he had) He ended up never really caring for it because it is a rather heavy, clumsy saw so he let me adopt it.

I have bought 4 Husky brand chains for it because only after about two to three loads of wood, the chain is totally spent and must be sharpened. I even bought a chain sharpener because I was tired of having someone sharpen all four chains at least twice every season. I am pretty careful with it too not to hit dirt etc, but it seems the wrong type of wood and its on the fritz again.

It also sucks gas like crazy (almost as bad as a 50's Homelite Zip) and doesn't seem to have that much power for what it is.... Runs good and everything though.

In comparison, a Stihl MS290 Farm Boss. It is a superior saw, much more fuel efficient, cuts great, the chains last a long time even if they are Oregon ones...

Do I just have a rotten egg or is this the nature of the beast for this type/brand of saw?

 

[leatherman92]

put oregon chain on it an sharpen every other fill up an gas use is not good on the ranchers but they are all together good saws.

Sent from my Dell Streak using Tapatalk

 

[jus2fat]

FD...You're running waaay tooo much bar on that saw..!!

It's only 3.5 hp and just can't pull it..unless maybe using full-skip chain..!!

You should be down to 18" bar (20" MAX..for soft wood)..

Maybe it's eating sooo much gas because it's cutting sooo slow..??

455's are rugged as all get-out...but they are what they are...3.5 hp.

Drop down to an 18" bar and good chain and give the saw a decent chance..!!

J2F

 

[Kenskip1]

24" bar Shoot, that's half of your problem.Way to much drag on the engine.Is the bar and chain getting enough oil? Hoss you need a bigger saw or a smaller bar and chain. Go down to an 18 inch and give the engine a chance,Ken

 

[fearofpavement]

I agree with the above posters that the bar is too long for other than the occasional cut. I usually sharpen a chain every few tankfuls of gas. A chain getting dull is not related to the type of saw turning it. What dulls the chain is what the chain is eating. The 455 is a good saw. Not a great saw, but a good saw and will cut mountains of wood with proper care and feeding.

 

[w8ye]

If you are cutting old blow downs and logging tops, you are going to need to sharpen more often than cutting green wood.

 

[indiansprings]

+1 an 18" bar is all the saw needs, it's just not enough saw to pull a 24" on regular basis. Also they may be selling you some of the pos safety chain. Get it set up with a couple loops of Stihl RMC semi-chisel
chain and give it a chance, I personally don't think the 455 will cut with a 290 with everything being equal, the 290 has a higher hp rating. The 455 is a decent saw, just not a saw that will work a 24" bar, to to that with authority you need a 70cc saw.

 

[stihlrookie]

To much bar

You heard it. Get an 18", 20" max. I think you can expect to sharpen your chain at least every cord of wood you cut but that really depends on what you are cutting. Are you skidding logs onto a road? Is the wood down already? Embedded dirt/sand is your enemy. Even standing timber in a wind prone area will have a certain amount of dirt embedded in the bark. The Farmboss is a better/more powerful saw than the Rancher IMO but I wouldn't run anything beyond 20" on the Stihl either. Just found a farmboss on CL with a 24".:msp_thumbdn:

 

[nmurph]

I agree with what has been said above-

18" bar w/.325 Stihl RMC chain

You may need to touch up the chains every tank of fuel; most certainly every other one.

A 290 is probably a slightly better saw, but the difference isn't huge.

A better idea is to sell the 455 and find a used 346, 361, 359, 357, 5100/5105, or a new 555.

 

[Cliff R]

"I even bought a chain sharpener because I was tired of having someone sharpen all four chains at least twice every season."

+1 on touching them up every tank, and keep them tight on the bar.

After every other outing or so clean out the bar groove and excess chips and build up inside the chain cover. Your saw will love you for it.

I also noticed a few years ago that Husqvarna chains started showing up with the "folder over dorsal fin" rakers. Those are pure JUNK, they're only good for one or two sharpenings anyhow. I'd go to Oregon 3/8" semi-chisel for that saw if you stick with a 24" bar, which, as mentioned, is too much bar for that saw right to start with......Cliff

 

[nmurph]

As far as cutting, the Vanguard chain isn't bad if you grind the rakers down some.

 

[Cliff R]

Tried that, still "bounces" and cuts poorly, at least in comparison to standard type chains without any safety features. Probably OK for casual use, but seriously lacking in potential if you want to get best cutting performance and chain life, etc.....IMHO.....Cliff

 

[sunfish]

Well, the saw does not eat chains, the user does. LOL

Like said, drop to a 18" bar. Get a good semi chisel chain, and learn to sharpen it with a file.

 

[CTYank]

"I even bought a chain sharpener because I was tired of having someone sharpen all four chains at least twice every season."

+1 on touching them up every tank, and keep them tight on the bar.

After every other outing or soclean out the bar groove and excess chips and build up inside the chain cover. Your saw will love you for it.

I also noticed a few years ago that Husqvarna chains started showing up with the "folder over dorsal fin" rakers. Those are pure JUNK, they're only good for one or two sharpenings anyhow. I'd go to Oregon 3/8" semi-chisel for that saw if you stick with a 24" bar, which, as mentioned, is too much bar for that saw right to start with......Cliff

Just curious why you call those chains JUNK. My refurb 455 arrived with one of those chains, 20".
Works fine for me buried in oak blowdown or noodling full-length in maple. Two strokes of file per tooth every 2nd tank, and it keeps spitting chips. Didn't think I was that easily pleased. :msp_unsure:

 

[mt.stalker]

"I even bought a chain sharpener because I was tired of having someone sharpen all four chains at least twice every season."

+1 on touching them up every tank, and keep them tight on the bar.

After every other outing or soclean out the bar groove and excess chips and build up inside the chain cover. Your saw will love you for it.

I also noticed a few years ago that Husqvarna chains started showing up with the "folder over dorsal fin" rakers. Those are pure JUNK, they're only good for one or two sharpenings anyhow. I'd go to Oregon 3/8" semi-chisel for that saw if you stick with a 24" bar, which, as mentioned, is too much bar for that saw right to start with......Cliff

I grind off the "folded over dorsal fin" from the open side , with my Makita 4" angle grinder and : Voila , instant aggressive chain . Kicks like a mofo though , be careful .

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Well, I feel slightly retarded.

A:

I have a 460 Rancher, which came with a 24" Bar and 3.7 hp. But I almost agree, its too much bar and chain for this saw, even with .2 more HP. The Stihl saw I read has 3.8 and does great with a 20".

B:

I do not have any luck filing chainsaw chains, and have always in the past had them done at saw shops. Maybe its because I use the chains until they simply don't work efficiently anymore (and sometimes past that point). So this "point of no return" and when I quit using a chain because its not cutting... Whenever I tried to file a pretty boogered up chain, it ends up duller than I started.

The Stihl over the last month has hit some fence wire, dirt, rocks and has cut dirty wood... And despite that still "cuts" pretty well and is useable still after about 8 cords. My Husky cut about 3 in comparison, and goes through twice as much gas in the process. This kind of performance has been pretty typical throughout the time I've used it. Again, superior to the Poulan knockoff Sears brand saws my dad and I both ran before we got the Husky, but inferior to the Stihl, and it was more expensive than a Stihl too. Is this just the nature of the type of chain that comes with this saw?

 

[Cliff R]

I don't know why or where they decided to make "Vanguard" chains with the folded over dorsal fin rakers? I was in a hurry one day and needed a loop for my 268XP, and grabbed one up at our local TSC store.

It wasn't worth two squirts of duck poop right out of the box. Got worse after every outting. I tried lowering them down some, and after a couple of outings the chain just wasn't cutting worth a crap.

I've been cutting firewood and working on chainsaws since the later 1970's, so I just might know a little bit about these things. I do know for sure that the 268XP hated that chain, and it seriously hurt cutting speed no matter how sharp it was or how much I lowered the "dorsal fins".

I can see a casual user or homeowner becoming a bit frustrated with their saws performance, espeically after having someone grind on their Vanguard chain a couple of times. Even new the chains cutting potential was just OK, and degraded quickly with each sharpening. I'm certainly no chainsaw chain expert, but with close inspection you can imagine what happens with that chain as the large folded over "dorsal fins" pass thru the wood, and the cutters get smaller.

IMHO it's pure junk, and to be avoided......Cliff

 

[hoosier daddy]

...???

Not to jump on the pile but...it's but I run a 600p (60 cc) and wouldn't want anything larger than a 20" bar if i'm planning on cutting all day...I think your just pulling the saw down way too far...as far as chians going dull...if im cutting all day I will take at least 4 chains, two to three strokes of a file everyother tank of fuel and after I touch them up twice they go back in the box and a new (Fresh) one goes on the saw. I still have the "junk" safety chain that came with the saw and while not quite as fast as a LGX it still comes to the woods. The thing (my opinion) about chains is do NOT let them get to the point of making saw dust or your just killing the chain and the saw.

I have a buddie that runs the 455 rancher with a 18" bar and it's a nice saw...

I can't imagine thinking of cutting for a year and expecting to sharpen chains once or twice???

Advice from my elders..."keep em sharp, your cutting wood not burning wood" and "quit leaning saw boy or I'm going lean on you..."

 

[sunfish]

Well, I feel slightly retarded.

A:

I have a 460 Rancher, which came with a 24" Bar and 3.7 hp. But I almost agree, its too much bar and chain for this saw, even with .2 more HP. The Stihl saw I read has 3.8 and does great with a 20".

B:

I do not have any luck filing chainsaw chains, and have always in the past had them done at saw shops. Maybe its because I use the chains until they simply don't work efficiently anymore (and sometimes past that point). So this "point of no return" and when I quit using a chain because its not cutting... Whenever I tried to file a pretty boogered up chain, it ends up duller than I started.

The Stihl over the last month has hit some fence wire, dirt, rocks and has cut dirty wood... And despite that still "cuts" pretty well and is useable still after about 8 cords. My Husky cut about 3 in comparison, and goes through twice as much gas in the process. This kind of performance has been pretty typical throughout the time I've used it. Again, superior to the Poulan knockoff Sears brand saws my dad and I both ran before we got the Husky, but inferior to the Stihl, and it was more expensive than a Stihl too. Is this just the nature of the type of chain that comes with this saw?

Man, that's just hard to read. You really need to spend the time to learn to use a file and sharpen your chains before the cutters are a rounded off nub.

Nothing wrong with the 455, but you do have a bar and chain problem. :msp_wink:

 

[nmurph]

Man, that's just hard to read. You really need to spend the time to learn to use a file and sharpen your chains before the cutters are a rounded off nub.

Nothing wrong with the 455, but you do have a bar and chain problem. :msp_wink:

Somebody rep this man...that is exactly right...and the Vanguard chains can be made to cut very well. If the raker is lowered enough, it really doesn't know if it is bent over or not. You have to lower them a little more than with a conventional rake design bc those rakers actually enter the wood a few thousandths of an inch as the cutters are porposing through the kerf. The wider design of the Vanguard means the raker can't get into the wood and that raises the effective height of the raker.