371XP vs 372XP

[RonL]

The 371XP was my everything saw for many years. My 371XP is in need of a major overhaul. My thoughts are to buy a new 372XP as a spare 70cc class saw. How do the two saws compare? As I understand it the new 372XP is a strato saw and is somewhat heavier than the 371XP.

RonL

 

[w8ye]

I have a 371XP and compared with the non-strato 372 here are the differences with my chainsaw. Keep in mind that there wre some on-going changes to the 371 so there may be some differences. The origninal 371 piston was single ring but can be interchanged with the later non strato piston. The top cooling fin on the cylinder is shapped different than the 372 and does not have the rubber grommet in the right front bolt hole.

The 371 has the bar adjust in the crankcase with access on the front of the chainsaw beside the bar.
The 372 has the bar adjust in the coiver with access from the clutch side of the chainsaw

The 371 has the 272 style starter pawls and pulley and they are not like the 372 components however, you can convert to the new style

The top cover is shapped a little different and does not have the falling aiming stripes. That air filter cover clamps are red instead of black.

The gas tank/rear handle is more of a solid color orange

The Strato 372 has a different cylinder and piston, intake, carb, and choke lever.

 

[RonL]

Thanks for the reply. How does the new 372XP handle compared to the 371XP? When felling and limbing I don't usually switch saws. I drop the tree and limb it with the same saw. When I was clearing smaller trees my 357XP did a fantastic job. It had the umph to fell the trees and the speed to run down the tree limbing it. However, it was not at its best when the 20" bar was buried. That's where I feel a light, well balanced 70cc saw shines.
I rocked the chain on my 357 and finished up the day running my MS660 Magnum. I would not want to do that for twelve hours.

RonL

 

[w8ye]

The handling is pretty much the same but the new X-torq version has better fuel economy

 

[SawTroll]

The handling is pretty much the same but the new X-torq version has better fuel economy

The X-torq 372xp has a little more max power, but also a little more weight. Even the regular 372xp has a strengthened case vs. the 371xp, and is a little heavier.

All in all, it is possible that you will notice a slight difference between the 371xp and a 372xpxt in handling, specially when limbing - but it hardly is a biggie.
Trigger response may also be slightly slower on the xt version, as it often is on "strato" saws without "Revboost".

Btw, two- or one-ring pistons is about EPA version or not, not about 372 vs. 371.

 

[Freakingstang]

The 371xp is the same saw as the 372xp. There are Minor differences, but none that affect power and performance. Most were upgrades over the models long run. The gas tank on the 372 is semi transparent where it is opaque on the 371. The side chain adjuster is the biggest "difference" between the two. All the parts interchange, and most have the same part number. you can put 365/371/372 covers, recoil, muffler, carb, cylinders, etc on each of them. My 371has 372 covers on it, and you will like the side chain adjuster much bettter than the inboard chain adjuster.

The 372xpw was the last of the great "old" style of saws, it was 75cc and had a full wrap handle bar with big felling spikes for use out west.

The 372xp Xtorque is the newest model that has the different "strato" engine design

As ST mentioned, some 371's had single ring pistons, some had two depending on year of manufacture and EPA requirements. All US 372's had a double piston ring as per EPA requirements. The guys here worry about those little things for performance, but a double ring will last longer over hundreds of hours of use.

 

[Freakingstang]

I have a 371XP and compared with the non-strato 372 here are the differences with my chainsaw. Keep in mind that there wre some on-going changes to the 371 so there may be some differences. The origninal 371 piston was single ring but can be interchanged with the later non strato piston. The top cooling fin on the cylinder is shapped different than the 372 and does not have the rubber grommet in the right front bolt hole.

The 371 has the bar adjust in the crankcase with access on the front of the chainsaw beside the bar.
The 372 has the bar adjust in the coiver with access from the clutch side of the chainsaw

The 371 has the 272 style starter pawls and pulley and they are not like the 372 components however, you can convert to the new style

The top cover is shapped a little different and does not have the falling aiming stripes. That air filter cover clamps are red instead of black.

The gas tank/rear handle is more of a solid color orange

I think someone had changed some parts on your 371. The 371 and 365 were sold in 96 or 97 IIRC. They have always used the same parts. The 372 debuted in 2001. The 365 special had the semi transparent tank and side adjuster from day one. Husqvarna changed the plastic on the recoil cover in 2003/04 and added another support bridge between the air fins. The starter pawl assy is the same and interchanges. I've never seen a 272 pawl design on a 365/371/372 yet and have had 25-30 of these saws. The air filter snap clips were orange on the older models, and change to the dark grey around 2000-2001 IIRC.

here is a 98 371Xp and a 2001 372xp. The recoil cover was cracked, so I put a newer double finned recoil on it. Husky added the support fin to help with fin breakage.

 

[RonL]

Thanks for the replies. Of particular note to me is ST's comment that the "new" model 372XP (strato) might rev up slower. What impressed me about the 357 was how it revved up when I was limbing.
The 371xp was my first "real" saw. I bought it new when a huge hickory tree came down on my property in the city. I cut up the entire tree with the saw. I then used the 371 for everything, including pruning, cutting down hedges and climbing. I bought acreage up in the mountains and used the 371 for everything there.
My downfall was when I came to AS. I bought a Stihl ms200t. That is the single most impressive saw that I have ever used. I was like Steve Martin when he discovered his "special purpose". I was climbing, cutting broken branches, and pruning ornamentals. I then bought a NOS Solo 642 40cc rear handle saw. I put a 16" Oregon 91 series bar and chain on it and that became my second climbing saw.
I bought the 357XP with a twenty inch bar and a Stihl MS660 Magnum with a 36" bar. I needed to take down a huge pine that was becoming a threat. I have subsequently bought a 24" bar for the 660.
I spend a week in April, two weeks in May, and two weeks in September up at the mountain trying to get 5 months worth of work done in 5 weeks. Never seems to work out quite the way I planned. This past September I spent two weeks at the mountain working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. I had a large pile of half rotted logs that needed to be gotten rid of. I cut them up with the 660 and hauled them away. By the time I was through one of the chains for the 660 was pretty chewed up. The dirty wood took its toll. The chain will need to be brought back on a grinder. The next project was clearing an area alongside the power line right of way. I put a fresh chain on the 660 and took it and the 357 every day. The trees I needed to clear ran from saplings to 10 or 12 inch hardwoods, with one huge pine that needed to be felled.
I don't have the experience that some of you have, but i have learned some lessons. First and foremost, there is no substitute for a sharp chain! Next, having the right saw for the job at hand makes a world of difference. If I had only a few things to cut it might not matter. Spending twelve hours a day, seven days a week trying to get as much done as possible gives you a different perspective.
Sorry for the long rant, but I thought it might be helpful for some people.

RonL

 

[NORMZILLA44]

Welcome to the site, my friend has a 371, I have a 372 xp 71cc. Both outstanding saws, any version of the 372 as well.

 

[RAMROD48]

The 371XP was my everything saw for many years. My 371XP is in need of a major overhaul. My thoughts are to buy a new 372XP as a spare 70cc class saw. How do the two saws compare? As I understand it the new 372XP is a strato saw and is somewhat heavier than the 371XP.

RonL

Why not just overhall the 371...

 

[Boleclimber]

I think someone had changed some parts on your 371. The 371 and 365 were sold in 96 or 97 IIRC. They have always used the same parts. The 372 debuted in 2001. The 365 special had the semi transparent tank and side adjuster from day one. Husqvarna changed the plastic on the recoil cover in 2003/04 and added another support bridge between the air fins. The starter pawl assy is the same and interchanges. I've never seen a 272 pawl design on a 365/371/372 yet and have had 25-30 of these saws. The air filter snap clips were orange on the older models, and change to the dark grey around 2000-2001 IIRC.

here is a 98 371Xp and a 2001 372xp. The recoil cover was cracked, so I put a newer double finned recoil on it. Husky added the support fin to help with fin breakage.

I have worked on early 371xp models that had the 272 style pulley and starter pawls. I have seen this same set up on 371K saws.

 

[w8ye]

I changed my 371 starter pulley and pauls to be like all the 372's I have. The 372 parts fit perfect. The 272 style worked fine but I wanted the starters to all be the same internally so I could swap them if necessary as the pawls are different too.

The 272 style pulley has been problematic for a friend of mine on his 272. The metal sleeve type pulley was popular on several model husky's for many years. The sleeves come in several diffferent lengths. This becomes a real identification problem on the used market.

 

[hardpan]

Husky, Stihl, and Solo, a guy that doesn't care what name is on the saw. I bet if it said "Fred" on the side you would use it if it had the quality and fit the need. Open-minded, I admire that but some on here might have a thing or two to say to straighten you out. HaHa

 

[RonL]

Why not just overhall the 371...

Actually, as I stated in my original post, that was my intent. I figure that this is going to be my most used saw. Having a spare will preclude down time. I have limited time to do the work that I have to do and having a spare will give me the option of switching out.

Is the 371XP a good candidate for a porting job? If there was an upgrade from the 371 to the 372 does that mean that there was a weakness in the 371?

RonL

 

[RonL]

Husky, Stihl, and Solo, a guy that doesn't care what name is on the saw. I bet if it said "Fred" on the side you would use it if it had the quality and fit the need. Open-minded, I admire that but some on here might have a thing or two to say to straighten you out. HaHa

Funny thing is I just picked up an Echo CS500P. For now it is going to complement my MS200T and my Solo 642 as climbing saws. The CS500P is the lightest 50cc saw out there. I've only run it a short time but I am impressed. I have two trees that have to come down this April and I don't have the option of down time with my saws.

RonL