Intro Post

[MZilliox]

hello Arboristsite!

I just bought my first piece of property and will slowly convert mixed hardwoods and pine over to productive food forest and more intensive gardens. I will be cutting a lot of wood in the next 2-3 years. I have some experience running a saw managing invasive species for the City of Portland. They were Stihl saws, sometimes they worked, sometimes not so much.

After research into many many saws, I am thinking a 50-60cc saw for my first saw. The common favorite all round saw seems to be the Husky 346XP.
As I type this I am working on purchasing a Husqvarna 346xp locally. Not sure yet if its OM or NE. (orange cover)???
It comes with a 20 inch bar/chains setup I will have to downsize to a 16".
Is 300 a fair price for this saw in good working order?

Looking forward to learning more and sharing. Thanks for a great site!\

Best

Matt

 

[SS Sniper]

$300 seems reasonable for it if it's in good shape, all OEM, and has good compression.
You've made a good choice going with husky!

 

[zogger]

Howdy! Ya, that is a fair deal and a great saw, you'll like it!

 

[jcouch]

Great saw you will enjoy it. Welcome to the forum.

 

[deaves61]

Great go to saw, welcome to AS.

 

[stihlaficionado]

Welcome to AS…Portland, eh? My son's in Portland,

 

[Beer Gut]

Welcome

 

[MZilliox]

So i got a saw last night... gonna cut a bit with it then take it in for some love, maybe a new 16" bar and chain.

 

[ColdStihl]

Have fun, be safe!

 

[SS Sniper]

View attachment 367916
So i got a saw last night... gonna cut a bit with it then take it in for some love, maybe a new 16" bar and chain.

Clean looking OE 346!

 

[MZilliox]

I cut a bit with the 20" bar and it cut fine. Took it into the husky dealer to just have the experts give it a once over. talked to them about a 16" bar and they thought i was crazy to not want to run the 20"?? he said they used to sell them with 20s and 24s. weird... he also told me I should go with at least an 18" bar so I can have the .325 chain. But I assume a 16" bar can also run a .325? I love reading 100 opinions in agreement on the internet (best bar size is 16") then getting something completely different in person. from what i read, a lot of guys are running a 16" bar with a .325 x .050.

Saw will mostly be for limbing, cleanup work, and firewood duty. Just not experienced enough to know what call to make.

 

[ColdStihl]

On my 56cc, I run a 16" and 20", mostly a 20" because I also have smaller saw for limbing. I do find that the saw pulls the 16" a bit stronger and it balances in my hands a lot nicer (little lighter, too, and less sharpening). With that being said, the 20" seems to be more versatile for felling and bucking, for me.

 

[SS Sniper]

I cut a bit with the 20" bar and it cut fine. Took it into the husky dealer to just have the experts give it a once over. talked to them about a 16" bar and they thought i was crazy to not want to run the 20"?? he said they used to sell them with 20s and 24s. weird... he also told me I should go with at least an 18" bar so I can have the .325 chain. But I assume a 16" bar can also run a .325? I love reading 100 opinions in agreement on the internet (best bar size is 16") then getting something completely different in person. from what i read, a lot of guys are running a 16" bar with a .325 x .050.

Saw will mostly be for limbing, cleanup work, and firewood duty. Just not experienced enough to know what call to make.

If he was selling 346's with a 24" bar... then I may as well run a 36" on my stock 372...

 

[MZilliox]

On my 56cc, I run a 16" and 20", mostly a 20" because I also have smaller saw for limbing. I do find that the saw pulls the 16" a bit stronger and it balances in my hands a lot nicer (little lighter, too, and less sharpening). With that being said, the 20" seems to be more versatile for felling and bucking, for me.

thanks for the fast response. At 56cc that is 10cc more than this saw... and already having a 20" bar, I feel like an 18" won't be so different? confused in oregon

 

[ColdStihl]

thanks for the fast response. At 56cc that is 10cc more than this saw... and already having a 20" bar, I feel like an 18" won't be so different? confused in oregon

I think that will depend on how it functions so far with the 20", for you. Does it bog down? Does it throw any oil off the chain? I bet you'll like the 16" b&c better, but the 18" will be a little better but not by much. Check the Husky website for their bar length recommendation and/or what they equip the saw with brand new.

Let's see what else the gang says....

 

[MGoBlue]

Welcome! Nice start with the 346xp.

 

[nmurph]

A stock 346 is happiest with .325 16 or 18". I would not run a 20" and I don't know how much faith I would put in a shop that recommends a 24" bar for that saw.

 

[MZilliox]

A stock 346 is happiest with .325 16 or 18". I would not run a 20" and I don't know how much faith I would put in a shop that recommends a 24" bar for that saw.

In all fairness, they recommended an 18" or 20", not a 24" but said they had sold them with 24s.
That being said I went in asking for a 16" setup and the guy tried to talk me out of that choice and onto an 18" because he said the 16" doesn't come .325. i checked the manual and the recommended lengths were 13" to 20", quite a range, and all come in .325 pitch with choice of .050 or .058. gonna have to talk to the shop again tomorrow. the guy who came out to help me was pretty young, maybe a different guy will have a different call.