Husky 55 Purchase, or ???

[DPDISXR4Ti]

I found someone to dump the Chineese junk McCulloch on, so now I'm in the market for a real saw. I like the 55 for the relatively low 108 dB rating, as there may be times when having a somewhat quiet saw is a big plus. I see this saw doesn't have the decompression valve for easier starting - should I be at all concerned about that? Any other input, suggestions, alternatives to consider? An 18" saw is about all I need.

Brad

 

[WOLF_RIVER_MIKE]

the new Husky 353 has been getting some good reviews.

 

[HUSKYMAN]

The 55 does indeed have a compression release. The 55 Rancher I believe does not.

The 55 is one fine saw IMO, the best saw for the money under $300 I have ever used.

It will handle up to a 20" bar with .325 chain, though I use a 16" on mine since I have bigger saws

The noise level was too quiet for me, plus I wanted a little more pep, so I had the muffler "worked" by Walkers

 

[Striker]

I have a Husky 55 that i really like. Mine has a comp release. (made in 1998) It lets me know when I forget to push it in. They must have come up with some other way to make it easier to start.

 

[Striker]

How much is the muffler mod and were do i get it done?

 

[DPDISXR4Ti]

I didn't realize there's a 55 and a 55 Rancher - what's the difference? Are both still sold? Husky's web site isn't working at the moment, so I can't go check.

Brad

 

[UNBforester]

My last company had a few 55 ranchers that kept blowing cranks in the them. I believe the rancher is a consumer (not professional) saw but I could be wrong.

Dave

 

[Tim Gardner]

I have used 3 different 55's. All three were good saws. The 55 makes for a great general purpose ground saw. Light for the power. Nice for limbing felled trees and blocking small stuff.

So in other words go buy a MS260.

 

[Ryan Willock]

I've used a couple of 55's and did NOT like them!!! I would go with either a Stihl MS250 ($275 and 3bhp) or a Stihl MS260 (not the pro but the regular model, $399 and 3.5bhp) both are good quality saws. the 260 is professional grade the 250 is consumer but it is still a good saw. If $$$ isn't a concern then go for the 260 if it is a consern go with the 250. also depends on how much cutting you will be doing.

 

[treeguy347]

How about a 346xp? Should be able to pick one of those up for about $350-375.

 

[HUSKYMAN]

Originally posted by Striker
How much is the muffler mod and were do i get it done?

Mine was done in British Columbia by Walkers, but Dennis and dozerdan could probably do them also if you asked them nicely. I had another one done at the same time so I dont know the exact price, but probably some where in the 40ish range plus shipping if prices have not gone up

I used a Stihl 250 and my 55 would smoke it.
I also used a 260 and it would smoke my 55 (b4 muff mod).
260 is nice but a 55 will last just as long and is $150 cheaper

55 has .1 hp more than the 55 rancher
55 rancher comes with 3/8 chain (too big IMO)
55 has comp release
Both are discontinued (last yr) but can be found new in shops still occasionally

Never heard of crank problems, the 55 is a proven design (15+ yrs) and for a while quite a few were being used professionally. Then the 346 and 357 took over.

 

[Bruiser]

Originally posted by HUSKYMAN
Mine was done in British Columbia by Walkers

Huskyman,
What did Walker's charge you for that custom pink paintjob ...

 

[DPDISXR4Ti]

353

Originally posted by WOLF_RIVER_MIKE
the new Husky 353 has been getting some good reviews.

Yea, the 353 does seem very similar in spec's to the 55, but with some additional features. It is a little louder at 113dB vs. 108dB for the 55, but maybe I should stop worrying about that so much - my cars all pretty much have an open exhaust!

Brad

 

[Newfie]

My Husky dealer was saying that the 55 is such a good saw that they ordered 100 of them when they had the chance since EPA regs will prevent further import. His opinion was you can't beat that saw for the money. A better all around saw than say the 346xp which is better suited for quick limbing cuts(IMHO).

 

[DPDISXR4Ti]

55 EPA non-compliance?

What's the deal with the 55's EPA non-compliance? I'd have to assume it's an emissions thing, since clearly it's not a noise issue. If so, this would be somewhat of a concern, since you do clearly breath in the exhaust emitted from these things. Also, this would likely mean it burns up fuel at a quicker rate, so time between fills might be shorter.

Comments???

 

[HUSKYMAN]

It means the saw will last longer than an EPA saw, since the common way to lower emissions is to plug the muffler and make the saw run hot, and hot engines mean less years of use.
And EPA saws have no means for adjusting the carb, so when you try to use it in the extreme cold or heat you cannot adjust the mixture for optimum saw life.

Saw emissions dont hurt anyone. Hasnt affected Fish or Lambert or Dennis or anyone else here at all


BTW the saw isnt pink, by buddies camera sux. dbabcock fixed it for me once and I lost the file

 

[DPDISXR4Ti]

Hmmm, I hear you, but there's some conflicting data here. The 55R is one of the most quiet saws, so that would lead me to believe it's got a fairly restrictive exhaust. Yet this is the one that we're saying does NOT comply w/ EPA regs and is thus being discontinued.

Does is maybe just come down to whether or not the saw has mixture adjustment screws? Does anyone know if the 353 has adjustment screws?

Brad

 

[Tony Snyder]

IMO the 55 Husky is one of the best buys out there in ist size range. It is far more saw than the 025, fairer comparison to the 026 altough quite a bit less money.

Of all the criteria considered by saw purchasers that come in my shop, noise level is well down the list. In this order: weight vs power, quality reputation, price, ease of starting. I don't reacall how long its been since anyone asked which saw is louder?

 

[Weatherby]

Im curious as to why your so worried about how loud the saw is. Dont want the saw to wake up someone while your stealing their timber? Just kidding. Never seen anyone have such an emphasis on noise level for choosing a saw.

 

[Ryan Willock]

If you wear hearing protection the noise level of the saw doesn't matter, besides who can deferinciate 8-10db's anyway??? must be an enginer