And that's what I meant by where you were.[emoji111] it's all good I've been there myself.
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- Thread starter Joseph W Santora
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I don't have the experience in regards to variety as Andy and many others here, but I Really like my 550XP OE, and the 353 is another saw I like.
I have heard Impressive things about the 346XP, but sadly, it is out of production, and the NIB that are still around go for absolutely STUPID money
, I would LOVE to have one, but just can't justify the price
Doug
I have heard Impressive things about the 346XP, but sadly, it is out of production, and the NIB that are still around go for absolutely STUPID money
, I would LOVE to have one, but just can't justify the priceDoug
Well I'm about 180lbs righ now lol.[emoji6]
Seriously now, to me the 45cc saws are too close in weight to 50cc saws, without the power.
Now the 241 out of the box was good, but still no 50cc killer, now ported the 241 with Stihl ps chain was right there. They were expensive though and if you wanted one to really run, porting cost time or money. Carb issues also seem to plague the model. And last but not least, the 241 is no longer available in the United States.
To me the perfect combination for a firewood cutter is a 50cc and 70cc saw.
Then try a 346 NE cylinder on a 350 chassis, lotsa performance on a homeowner saw! I’ve done 2 for friends and family with the cylinder coming WAY down in price for OEM, along with a few simple modifications that make it a screamer.I don't have the experience in regards to variety as Andy and many others here, but I Really like my 550XP OE, and the 353 is another saw I like.
I have heard Impressive things about the 346XP, but sadly, it is out of production, and the NIB that are still around go for absolutely STUPID money
Doug
I agree 100%
I actually like the way my OE 353 feels over my 346NE, slimmer, lighter and no primer bulb.I don't have the experience in regards to variety as Andy and many others here, but I Really like my 550XP OE, and the 353 is another saw I like.
I have heard Impressive things about the 346XP, but sadly, it is out of production, and the NIB that are still around go for absolutely STUPID money
Doug
I am totally Happy with both the 353 and 550XP, but those 346XP's have a Cult Like following
Doug
The 550 has great feel and ballance. But the 346 just goes, and feels right, better built too IMHO. Took me awhile to get my 550 running properly, that definitely soured the taste for me. The 261 is a really nice saw, I had the V1 model and loved it, the V2 is even better. Never a big fan of the Dolmar 5100, smoothest saw out there, but blocky with too many little things I didn't care for.I am totally Happy with both the 353 and 550XP, but those 346XP's have a Cult Like following
Doug
I think the OP is near me, judging by the zip code (I'm at 80302). I bought a 550xp several years back and had trouble with it. Hot restart issues mainly, though it was great when running. The local dealer said they shipped all their auto-tune saws back to Husq, as they were troublesome at our elevation (6-9,00o ft.). Maybe the early bugs of auto-tune have been worked out since. (I have a 562 at camp, closer to sea level, that I love.)
But I'm going to echo Andyshine--I love my 346s, got two of them. For small dia. trees and limbing that is my go-to saw. For big wood I run a 372 (similar to your 572) or a 371 (nearly same saw). I got both of mine used on ebay. Some of em sell for big bucks, but occasionally you can find one for reasonable $, especially if you do your own wrench work (I've put a new top end on one or both of mine, as I recall).
We have a lot of small wood here where I work, and I don't want to lug around the extra weight of a big saw when a 346 will do the job. I love that little hot rod.
One issue I've had with the 346 that had me flummoxed. The air filter--nylon or vinyl screen. I would tap the fine stuff out of it and it looked clean, but the saw would run like crap. Finally I tried running the saw without a filter (for a moment outside the shop, not cutting of course) and it screamed like it should. So I washed the air filter--it would hold water before washing, then flow water through when clean. What a difference!
But I'm going to echo Andyshine--I love my 346s, got two of them. For small dia. trees and limbing that is my go-to saw. For big wood I run a 372 (similar to your 572) or a 371 (nearly same saw). I got both of mine used on ebay. Some of em sell for big bucks, but occasionally you can find one for reasonable $, especially if you do your own wrench work (I've put a new top end on one or both of mine, as I recall).
We have a lot of small wood here where I work, and I don't want to lug around the extra weight of a big saw when a 346 will do the job. I love that little hot rod.
One issue I've had with the 346 that had me flummoxed. The air filter--nylon or vinyl screen. I would tap the fine stuff out of it and it looked clean, but the saw would run like crap. Finally I tried running the saw without a filter (for a moment outside the shop, not cutting of course) and it screamed like it should. So I washed the air filter--it would hold water before washing, then flow water through when clean. What a difference!
Before I got my 346s, I had a Dolmar 5100. Loved it. Until it burned up--probably a tuning error on my part. So I replaced piston & cyl., OEM of course. Can't recall how long it ran, but it burned up again. So I sold it (as is, needing top end). Great saw, but prone to that I believe.
Love my Dolmar 7900, but found I couldn't run the 5100.
Thanks for the input guys. Getting back to saws after a while and am surprised at the variety of offerings. My last saw was a my beloved 262xp that got stolen about two decades ago. I STILL miss it. It ripped through logs and screamed through branches.
I got the 572xp because the GF got tired of me reminiscing of my adventures with the 262 and tried to get me the equivalent modern day saw. Best Xmas present EVER.
I got the 572xp because the GF got tired of me reminiscing of my adventures with the 262 and tried to get me the equivalent modern day saw. Best Xmas present EVER.
There are two brand new 346xp saws on ebay. One for $1350 and the other for $1500....LOL
cuinrearview
Red saw lover
If tuned improperly any saw will burn up. I've put many loads of wood on 5100s and 5105s without issue.
Lots of the early 5100 has improper piston to cylinder clearance, which would cause them to lock up. They also had a cooling issue, Dolmar change the way the cooling feeds over the cylinder on later models. The carburetor compensating setup would also cause the carburetor to go wildly lean if the filter was even just a little dirty, that system was eliminated eventually. The very early models lacked the sealing ring in the intake boot, this often caused erratic idling due to an intermittent small air leak where boot seals to the carburetor. The foam tank vent filter would often fall off, a press-fit porous plastic filter fixed this.
I look at the early 5100 in the same way I look at the 550xp and 562xp, rushed to market before it was ready. They became pretty good saws, but it took awhile.[emoji111]
pavel408
ArboristSite Operative
This danger can be eliminated by choosing AutoTune/M-Tronic saw
pavel408
ArboristSite Operative
Very true. However there is also the price criterion, which could make PS420 good choice for a small saw.
cuinrearview
Red saw lover
Yah, then the folks that abuse regular equipment can further neglect the filter maintenance and the ingestion of **** kills 'em. Then it's "the POS computerized garbage".This danger can be eliminated by choosing AutoTune/M-Tronic saw
Fatherwheels
Addicted to ArboristSite
I would agree about the 241, there does seem to be a lot of carb related issues.
I also think given the size of the 572 that any saw between 45 and 50 cc would be
a very useful tool.
Even the Echo 501 with a 15 inch bar would work a treat, it’s way better than a 45cc
saw, but not quite as powerful as the best of the 50cc saws, I had two of them, they
are reliable, very easy to start, and no auto tune or moronic to give trouble.
Saying that, if I buy again it will either be a 261 or a ported 550 xp 11,
I just could not carry the extra weight of the new 550 over a 261 unless it
was giving more performance, so in my opinion the 550 without porting
is a no go.
