husquvarna 345 chainsaw

[Derag2]

I have been toying with the idea of a getting a chainsaw for use around the farm and whatnot to cut trees out of the groove, and probly cut it up for firewood for ourselve and to sell. At work we have 2 husqu 136's and they've been an awsome saw they've cut through anything and everything and have never given us any problems. We had a johndeere chainsaw before i bought the second 136 and it was a hunk of junk it ran like crap since the day it was bought and it finally locked up after 3 years of hardly beeing used.

So i'm looking in to a husqu 345 for my self, what do you guys think of this saw, i can get it for 245 free shipping and no sales tax, there selling the same saw in town for 280. The only other brand i'd consider is a stihl but i don't know what to get or how they compared in price, i looked at the farmboss MS290 and the MS250 but i the book i got don't have prices in it just the specs.
So what do you guys think.

Thanks

 

[Wolfcsm]

Have used a 345 for two years. A great smaller saw. Cuts anything I put in front of it. Have had no problems with the saw.

Hal

 

[HiOctane]

Why not go with the 353?I dont know price in US ,i dont think there is much difference.The 353 is more"pro"than 345 with a non plastic crankcase,lot more hp and to do firewood ,HP is the main thing to look for.345 is more for the guy that cut a tree and branches here and there few times a year.

 

[Derag2]

well the 353 is 100 bucks more than the 345, and we used the husky 136 out at work to cut firewood for our wood burner to heat the greenhouse and it does fine...... we cut down and sectioned out a tree that was probly 3ft in diameter with that 136 and it never missed a beat. So i'd say that 345 should be just fine......... I aint looking to do it for a living just some cleaning up for now.

 

[TimberPig]

we cut down and sectioned out a tree that was probly 3ft in diameter with that 136 and it never missed a beat

I bet that was slow going A saw that small with the bar buried couldn't have been turning the chain very fast.

 

[Derag2]

accually it wasn't too bad....... I can't say enough how that little 136 has impressed all of us out there at our nursery.... Its an amazing little saw.

 

[Lawn Masters]

with a sharp chain, and enough patience, almost anything can be done.

 

[fwf]

...and enough patience...

That's the stuff that is hard to come by.

 

[Derag2]

we kept a good blade on it, i think we put 3 blades on it that day to keep it cutting good. So i'm pretty sure i'm going with a husky for myself i looked at stihl and there prices are a bit higher than husky and i really don't have any experience with stihl. im glad i found this site I never woulda thought there was so much stuff involved with cutting out trees like some of you guys do for a living.

 

[Sparkkky]

Go with the 350, wish I did need the Adj. oiler for the 20" bar I run on cedars and the chain does not get enough oil.

 

[MickJ]

If you could afford the extra for the 350 then i'd go for that over the 345, ive got one and its great, it's the same body as the 345 and 340 with more grunt - no negatives, with the 18" bar its really well balanced. But sure if the money runs high enough a 353 is a more pro version for harder work.

 

[Wolfcsm]

The question to ask yourself is: Do I really need (want) a "PRO" saw? Do I do enough cutting to need the additional features of a "PRO" saw?

Stihl has some very good saws. As you can see from my signature, I have both. Both are good solid makers.

A small saw, like a 345 is not supposed to be used with long bars and 5' trees. They do cut 14-16 inch and less wood very well. Ad, I maight add, it is a lot nicer working with a lighter saw all day than one that has all of the power in the world but weighs twice as much.

My suggestion: think about the kind of cutting you are going to do and the ammount and get a saw to fit that need.

Hal

 

[Lawn Masters]

Hal, you hit the nail on the head. it all boils down to your needs, and what you can spend.

 

[Blowdown1]

If you are cutting enough firewood to sell, you need more saw than that. A 345 would be fine for cleaning stuff up, taking down the occaisional small tree. But even a considerable amount of firewood for your own use (good hardwood of any real size) needs more saw than that.

It sounds like you are going mailorder, so if that is the case a 353 can be had for less than $100 more, ann in my opinion would be well worth the extra money.

And rather than buying several chains to get through a tree you really need to get a sharpening rig. Quicker, cheaper, better. Get the Husqvarna roller guide and learn to sharpen by hand, otherwise you are wasting time and money on additional chains. They are not meant to be thrown away.

 

[Derag2]

I'm not going to be trying to make any money on firewood if any at all. I just wanna cut up some trees in our groove then are dead or just need to be taken out. Its gonna get used alot for about a week and then won't get use a whole lot after so i don't think i can justify 300+ bucks on a chainsaw. We don't throw away blades we get them resharpened. I just won't use it enough to need a big saw, I think the 345 would be fine, i won't be cutting any trees that big with my saw i'd saw 16 and under, that big tree was just a fluke thing someone asked me if i could do and i said sure why not. I aint gonna cut another one down like that again.

 

[buck futter]

the stihl

You had mentioned the ms 250 and it will cost you a little more probably about $270-280, but I tell you I like the way the 250 balances better than the huskys.
I have put mine to some serious homeowner use and so far it has been gas and oil. Back about 10 years ago when I used to make money with a saw I was running huskys, thats what most everyone ran well some of the things I saw I didn't care for and thats why I'm running stihl now. I may someday go back to husky but for now I like the stihls, so if you are willing to spend 30 bucks more for another option at the very least hold a stihl and see for your self which you prefer. the bottom line it comes down to a ford vs. chevy situation they coth have their virtues.

Lucky

 

[SWE#Kipp]

When I was buying a new saw a couple of month back i was thinking the same way, that i didn't really needed a "pro" , though i ended up with a 346xpg also ordered a muffler from walkers ,, i have no regrets, it's a joy to run =)
Bought it mostly because i knew that if i didn't bought a pro saw i would have to do so in a while anyway because i hate things that don't do the job fast and accurate ( i know the accuracy is up to me )
its also, I think a little wonder of balance ergonomics

/Kristoffer

 

[buckwheat]

A friend of mine that I cut with has had a 345 for two years. Nice little firewood saw for less than 5 cords/year. Very smooth. Keep the revs up.

 

[Derag2]

I think i'm gonna just go with the 345 with an 18 inch bar instead of the 16........ I looked at the 350 and i just can't spend the money, its only .2hp more, and i aint gonna use the saw a bunch....... I guess if i get into cutting more than i think i'll be able to then i'll buy a bigger saw but for now i can't see spending it when we use the little 136 at work for all our firewood and it runs like a champ.

Thanks guys i appreciate all the help.........

one more thing how big of a pain is the adjustable oiler on the 350? thats one of the things i didn't want to get into right now i don't know enought about cutting and different woods to be able to know how to adjust it properly. Hopefully i'll learn something on here...

thanks again

 

[buckwheat]

18" is too much for a 345. 16" max. If you're into 18" wood, than you need a much larger saw.