Husqvarna 50ish cc saw suggestions

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sven556

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I am mostly a stihl guy but I have been having fun working on some older saws and I want to try out a husky. I don't have a need for another saw but that doesn't seem to matter here! So what models would you recommend I look for on my next project saw? I am thinking something with easily available oem parts (that's my main issue with stihl, needing a dealer for parts), reasonable parts cost, good reputation for reliability, widely available. Thinking something around 50cc seems to be a good size.

I'm not very familiar with Husqvarna models but I have read about the 346 and 55 rancher. That's where I am starting to look. I'm curious what suggestions you all have.
 
My 2 cents.......I've had most of the 50cc Husky's and my all time favorite is the 52 cc 350.....will take a 346 or 353 top end ( I like the 353 top end with the HyWay pop up ) but it is a light( 10 lbs) reliable, cheap and powerful saw. I've got most Husky's from 40 cc to 70 cc and the 350 is the one I look to the most.
 
I just bought and cleaned up an old 55 rancher today. I was surprised at the torque of the saw, and being on the 2 series frame its pretty light. I have used a 550 and its a great saw but I was taken back by the weight of the saw for 50cc. I have a 460 rancher which is heavier, so I'm guessing the 450 and 455 would weigh the same.
 
I am mostly a stihl guy but I have been having fun working on some older saws and I want to try out a husky. I don't have a need for another saw but that doesn't seem to matter here! So what models would you recommend I look for on my next project saw? I am thinking something with easily available oem parts (that's my main issue with stihl, needing a dealer for parts), reasonable parts cost, good reputation for reliability, widely available. Thinking something around 50cc seems to be a good size.

I'm not very familiar with Husqvarna models but I have read about the 346 and 55 rancher. That's where I am starting to look. I'm curious what suggestions you all have.
I run a H-353. I love that saw.
 
I would highly recommend the husky 346XP. Husky made a 346XP old edition with a orange clutch cover 46cc, and a 346XP new edition with a silver clutch cover 50cc. Find a good used 346XP NE, you can’t go wrong. It is rated for a 24” bar. I have a 346XP NE that I have had ported with a 18” bar That is my go to saw for anything 20”and smaller. Great power to weight ratio.
 
I can only echo what others have said.

The current 50cc saw is a 550 MK II. It’s great with all the latest bells and whistles but expensive, a little heavy, and it actually ties you back into needing a dealer if you have to work on adjusting the autotune system- something I sense you’re trying to avoid.

The previous generation 550 XP I would skip- it had too many issues with hot-starting due to design. Not all of them were all bad, but I wouldn’t take a chance rolling the dice on one with so many other options out there.

Previous to the 5-series were the 3-series, and the best 50cc pro saw in that size was a 346 XP, which was a true 50cc saw, if it had the silver clutch cover. Sometimes referred to as NE, or new edition. In its day it was called a light saber. It was light, reliable, well designed and very powerful for its size, and made good gains if you went into porting it for more power. I would definitely recommend looking for one, but it will be hard to find or you’ll pay a lot for a good one.

On the same chassis is the 353, which is the pro-sumer piston and cylinder. Also a very good saw, just a touch behind in peak power, but nice wide power band and probably more torque than a 346 XP. You can also upgrade the top end if you want. And if you’re in the camp of buy-then-upgrade-parts, you can also look for a 351, or 350 which take upgrades very easily to become a 346 XP.

Before the silver clutch cover 346 XP was an orange clutch cover 346 XP “OE” (original edition) that was 46cc. Still a great saw, just a hair under 50cc. It’s identical to the NE version except for a different top end piston and cylinder. I wouldn’t walk away from a good one of these.

Before the 3-series and you’re going back into the 90’s with the 2-series, and the later model 254 XP is where it’s at. It’s better build than the 3-series, simpler, but a little stocky. Its about the same size as a current 550xp MK II, but it’s actually 54cc so it’s got great power to weight. Parts are getting hard to find, so if you’re looking for one you should 1) make sure you buy something working and complete, or 2) have a lot of spare parts and or parts hoarding friends, or 3) be a collector.

The early 2-series 254 SE is even simpler in design : rubber mounts, not spring antivib, no ‘air injection’ centrifugal pre-filter, etc. These are good saws but parts availability means it’s hard to recommend. I’m sure there are some great examples tucked away in garages and they may hit eBay in good shape, so they can still be a good buy. But keeping them going is getting harder.

Before the 2-series was the 1-series in the 80’s, and I would just skip the 154 SE unless you’re like me and want to see where it all began.

Also, in the 2-series I would look at a 257, which has a little more power than the 254XP, but wasn’t the factory hot rod the 262XP was. It’s a ‘non pro’ non XP model that was positioned between two XP models at 57cc.

And in the 3-series I would look at the 357XP (which was the actual successor to the 254XP; the 346XP OE was a replacement to the 242XP), but was often poo-poo’ed by people expecting a 60cc replacement to the 262XP. The 357XP is well into the 50-cc class at 56cc. Second to the 357XP was the non-XP 359 model. Like the 353 to the 346XP, it’s down on peak power but there is actually slightly more displacement in a 359 than a 357XP, with a nice wide power and and lots of torque, at just shy of 60cc.
 
The 362 was the replaced for the 262,and it flopped. Rather than the biggest saw on a smaller chassis, it was the smallest saw on the 371/372 chassis.

No 254 had spring A/V, all of the 254's and 257's use the 55 tank and are rubber mounted. Only the 262 was spring.
For some reason, even though the 154 was marked SE, prior to the XP designation, the 254 was just the 254, same goes for the 242.
The 257 was marketed as a Non XP pro saw, not a non pro.
 
Certainly my vote goes to a ported 346XP NE but I am partial. I have run the snot out of this saw and it's a pocket rocket with a 16" bar and 3/8.

 
Thanks for all the suggestions and information. Sounds like a 3 series of some flavor is closest to what I'm looking for. I'll keep my eyes open and see what I can come up with.

How is the 455 rancher? I only ask as I can get one cheap but it looks rough and I'm unsure what sort of issues it has.
 
455 Rancher is heavy and lower on power compared to the pro XP saws like 346 and 550. But it will still cut wood.

Common to have a bar oil leak, there is a new oil sump hose part that fixes that.
I had one for a few years and didn't have any issues other than the bar oil leak.
 
I've ran my dads 550 mk2 some and have to say its a strong saw for its size. One of few saws in its class that I feel can pull 3/8 full comp chain decently. Muffler mod definitely helps. We've had no problems so far with 3 auto tune husky saws.
 
You won't hear a lot of saw fanatics sing the praises of the ranchers because they aren't as light or fast or as easily hopped up - they are a clamshell design so you can't do a base gasket delete or bolt on a bigger cylinder so easily.
But they are a reliable saw at a good price and Husky has likely sold more of them than any of the other models.
 
I kinda figured the rancher series was that way, heavier and slow, but reliable. I'll think about it, but it might be a decent project if I can get it cheap enough. The 346XP sure sounds fun though!
 
I kinda figured the rancher series was that way, heavier and slow, but reliable. I'll think about it, but it might be a decent project if I can get it cheap enough. The 346XP sure sounds fun though!
I have heard more people rave about the 346xp than any other saw listed in this thread. Supposed to respond really well to tweaking
Unfortunately I can't vouch for that firsthand
 

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