New 346XP vs. 455 Rancher

[Boskaerm]

LOL...Your probably right but I've already got one.

If it makes you feel any better I'm going to put a new oil pump in my 455 and give it to my neighbor where I'm sure it will live out the rest of it's days in pampered in peace.

Well, guess it sounded harder, than I meant it! Just trying to say, even though the 346XP is a very reliable saw, it won´t continue being that, without service

 

[sawinredneck]

A mix of 25:1 will kill a saw as quickly as no oil at all! Not enough fuel to cool it down, and it will look just like a lean seize!
Really, 45-50:1 is plenty if you buy a good quality oil! I'm a real oil snob, I run ONLY Royal Purple in my two strokes with premium gas, the only thing I own that gets premium gas mind you! I do about the same as stated above, I leave a little of the old mix in, add oil and then 1.9 gallons of gas, I mix two gallons a time.

 

[indiansprings]

Good lord man, your wife just bought you one of the best 50cc saws made, treat it with the kindness and love that she exhibited when she bought it for you.
As stated 25:1 will kill it, maybe not as quick as just taking a scientific wild azz guess on pouring mix in the tank and adding gas. I've literally run several hundred gallon of 50:1 mix through saws and have never had an issue. Use a good synthetic mix, husky, stihl ultra, or woodland pro properly measured and mixed and the 346 will last you a life time be more pleasurable to run than your 455.

If your going to half-azz it, just return the 346 and go buy a used saw out of a pawn shop and give the difference to your wife ( who thinks you deserve the best) to buy her some new shoes, dress or something useful as no saw will last or run worth a **** the way you are feeding it. A 346xpne is too good of saw to treat like a disposable, their are guys on here that would give a nut to own one.

 

[tallguys]

A 346xpne is too good of saw to treat like a disposable, their are guys on here that would give a nut to own one.

I'd bet you that if his wife had bought that 346XPNE here in Canada and dropped $870 on it that he'd probably be whistling a different tune!

 

[mesupra]

The 346xp is an awesome tool, esp for anything under 18". I like to treat my tools & toys like my women, ride & work them hard, wine them and dine them & fix them when they are broken. I also second the 50/1, no problems with the sleds, boats and saws for many years, my father use to run 100/1 with cheap Pennzoil in our kicker motors for trolling (1/4 throttle) for years until he went 4 stroke.

 

[mayhem100]

I gave up on the old motor oil as bar oil when I had to replace the first oil pump and started using standard bar oil.

Good.

As for the mix, I can't bring myself to believe that 50:1 is enough oil, that's why I started mixing it in the tank. I first started by adding a little oil into the tank with the mixed gas then I quit mixing the gas and just started adding more oil to the tank.

I might just start mixing my gas 25:1 that way I know how much is in there.

Bottom line here, you're wrong. This isn't 1974 anymore. Saws are built with entirely different materials and to entirely different standard and tolerances. The engineers that designed and built that saw probably know a lot more about how 2 stroke motors work than anyone here.

Want your saw to last awhile? Run it according to the manufacturers specs. Use 25:1 and you're going to need a new saw in 5-6 years, run it properly and you can hand it down to your children.

With better care bar oil and fuel your 455 would still be going strong and we wouldn't be having this discussion.

 

[ncfarmboy]

Back around the late 80's I was @ my saw shop after parts. Met a logger there who cut, skidded and hauled 7-8 loads a week by himself. Was running his Husky saws @ 50-1. Was buying a new falling saw every 6-8 mo. He told me he went to 25-1 and had been running the same falling saw for years??????. You tell me why running 25-1 will kill your saw. He was using Husky oil. I know we have better oils today. I run mine @ 40-1 Husky XP or Stihl Ultra w/premium gas.
Shep

 

[BenPutnam]

Bottom line here, you're wrong. This isn't 1974 anymore. Saws are built with entirely different materials and to entirely different standard and tolerances. The engineers that designed and built that saw probably know a lot more about how 2 stroke motors work than anyone here.

I'm not sure what you are talking about? Wrong about what? I wasn't born in 1974.

Want your saw to last awhile? Run it according to the manufacturers specs. Use 25:1 and you're going to need a new saw in 5-6 years, run it properly and you can hand it down to your children. With better care bar oil and fuel your 455 would still be going strong and we wouldn't be having this discussion.

I think you may be a bit confused, my 455 runs great and has ran great for the past 8-10 (I can't remember exactly when I bought it) years.

I guess I don't see the point of your post.

 

[BenPutnam]

Good lord man, your wife just bought you one of the best 50cc saws made, treat it with the kindness and love that she exhibited when she bought it for you.
As stated 25:1 will kill it, maybe not as quick as just taking a scientific wild azz guess on pouring mix in the tank and adding gas. I've literally run several hundred gallon of 50:1 mix through saws and have never had an issue. Use a good synthetic mix, husky, stihl ultra, or woodland pro properly measured and mixed and the 346 will last you a life time be more pleasurable to run than your 455.

I use some oil called Pro Mix, have you heard of it? Is it any good?

If your going to half-azz it, just return the 346 and go buy a used saw out of a pawn shop and give the difference to your wife ( who thinks you deserve the best) to buy her some new shoes, dress or something useful as no saw will last or run worth a **** the way you are feeding it. A 346xpne is too good of saw to treat like a disposable, their are guys on here that would give a nut to own one.

Technically I think 25:1 would be double-azzing it.


Trust me when I say my wife is spoiled already, she has every pair of shoes ever made and clothes she has had for years that still have the tags on them.

 

[Boskaerm]

Back around the late 80's I was @ my saw shop after parts. Met a logger there who cut, skidded and hauled 7-8 loads a week by himself. Was running his Husky saws @ 50-1. Was buying a new falling saw every 6-8 mo. He told me he went to 25-1 and had been running the same falling saw for years??????. You tell me why running 25-1 will kill your saw. He was using Husky oil. I know we have better oils today. I run mine @ 40-1 Husky XP or Stihl Ultra w/premium gas.
Shep

I don´t really see how 25: 1 could kill a saw! Since it didn´t kill it in the 70`s! I just say that you should know PRECISLY what your mix ratio is!

I don´t think it´s because of the saws, but because of the better oil quality, tha you can go 50:1 instead of 25:1.


Personaly I run 50:1, and it works very fine for me!
Guess 25:1 just will give some smoke..

 

[SawTroll]

I don´t really see how 25: 1 could kill a saw! Since it didn´t kill it in the 70`s! I just say that you should know PRECISLY what your mix ratio is!

I don´t think it´s because of the saws, but because of the better oil quality, tha you can go 50:1 instead of 25:1.


Personaly I run 50:1, and it works very fine for me!
Guess 25:1 just will give some smoke..

If 25:1 killed a saw, it probably would be because of excessive carbon that ended up in the wrong place.

I have a 1970 Jonsereds Raket 621 (speced for 25:1) that has run on 50:1 Aspen premix since that stuff was introdused, several decades ago by now. The saw and the engine is just fine!

 

[Boskaerm]

If 25:1 killed a saw, it probably would be because of excessive carbon that ended up in the wrong place.

I have a 1970 Jonsereds Raket 621 (speced for 25:1) that has run on 50:1 Aspen premix since that stuff was introdused, several decades ago by now. The saw and the engine is just fine!

My point in a nutshell

 

[SawTroll]

My point in a nutshell

Yes, I know! :smile2:

 

[hamish]

I'd bet you that if his wife had bought that 346XPNE here in Canada and dropped $870 on it that he'd probably be whistling a different tune!

You should really shop around, $870 is more than a $100 over msrp here in Canada, and not many dealers sell at list price.

 

[tallguys]

You should really shop around, $870 is more than a $100 over msrp here in Canada, and not many dealers sell at list price.

The msrp is $769 with a 16" which tax in puts you at $870. When the only two dealers are the only Husky game in the area... yes, they sell at full list. Where in Ontario are you? If I look for a Husky I should try your dealers. The GTA ones don't budge.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

I use some oil called Pro Mix, have you heard of it? Is it any good?




Technically I think 25:1 would be double-azzing it.


Trust me when I say my wife is spoiled already, she has every pair of shoes ever made and clothes she has had for years that still have the tags on them.

25:1 , is that like adding an extra 6-8 quarts to the crankcase of your woodhauler ? Takes me back to "A little salt is good and good for you. A ton of it will kill you !"

Oh and all those extra clothes/shoes in her closet, that's a sign of displaced boredom, sorry. I'd offer some advice but I'm afraid it would fall on deaf ears.

I'm thinking the expensive saw is either a last ditch effort at attention from you or a consolation gift for you. She deserves Flowers, dinner, dancing and a foot rub with no expectations afterwards, let it be her call. Wait! I said no advice. Figure it out on your own.

Nice saw BTW, congratulations on the gift .

 

[sawinredneck]

I don´t really see how 25: 1 could kill a saw! Since it didn´t kill it in the 70`s! I just say that you should know PRECISLY what your mix ratio is!

I don´t think it´s because of the saws, but because of the better oil quality, tha you can go 50:1 instead of 25:1.


Personaly I run 50:1, and it works very fine for me!
Guess 25:1 just will give some smoke..

If 25:1 killed a saw, it probably would be because of excessive carbon that ended up in the wrong place.

I have a 1970 Jonsereds Raket 621 (speced for 25:1) that has run on 50:1 Aspen premix since that stuff was introdused, several decades ago by now. The saw and the engine is just fine!

Lakeside had an explanation, that I can't find right now, of how too much oil would cause the same problems as a lean seize, something about the oil plugging up the jets in the carb, not enough fuel to cool it, or something like that. Really, I'm not making it up.
You also have to remember the fuel we got in the '70's was fuel. not this neutered crap we have now, and the oil's have improved dramatically! If said logger was burning his saws up at 50:1 using good gas and modern oils, he had bigger problems going on! They were set too lean, he was using cheap oil, cheap gas or a combination of all of the above!
I'd venture to say you could take any saw from the '70's and run 50:1 in it with today's oils and never have a problem!
Regardless, the OP NEEDS to know for sure the mix that is going into the saw!

 

[BenPutnam]

Oh and all those extra clothes/shoes in her closet, that's a sign of displaced boredom, sorry. I'd offer some advice but I'm afraid it would fall on deaf ears.

I'm thinking the expensive saw is either a last ditch effort at attention from you or a consolation gift for you. She deserves Flowers, dinner, dancing and a foot rub with no expectations afterwards, let it be her call.

I loved all the free saw advice that had nothing to do with my question but the free marriage advice, well, that’s just icing on the cake. I hate to take the bait Loverboy but here it goes, I assure you I 'figured it out' a long time ago and she bought me the saw because she asked my friend what I wanted and he picked out that saw and told her where to go pick it up, the money is of no consequence to her.

 

[BenPutnam]

Well Ben you have a nice wife.The 346 is light years ahead of the 455.Are you cutting good sized wood? if so the 372 might be better.I would keep the 346 sell the 455 and get the 372,take wife out to lunch.

I took my new 346 back to the dealer to have them put an agressive chain on it like the one I have on the 455 and they said it wouldn't fit. They said the 346 takes a smaller chain tooth size than the 455, I asked them what saw had a big tooth like the 455 and they said the 372, so I traded it for a 372 with a 20 inch bar, they said it will be here in a week.

 

[MacLaren]

You should be thankful to have such a kind and intelligent wife. She couldnt have done any better IMHO picking out a saw for you. You really hit the proverbial "jackpot" w/ this b-day present IMHO.