Inside the Husqvarna 543xp

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
In this case (Zenoah vs. Swedish Husky), it is - and some parts that are metal on Swedish xp saws are plastic on the Zenoah made ones (most notably the clutch cover).
A lot good can be said about the Japanese and their products in many areas, but chainsaws for a large part isn't among them.

Generally there is a lack of neat design and "taste" with Japanese products. As an exemple; Neat Japanese cars are designed by non-Japanese designers, in every case I have heard of....;)
can i ask, where do you come up with this.................................................crap??? just curious
 
can i ask, where do you come up with this.................................................crap??? just curious

It all actually is pretty obvious, if you use your eyes!

As I said, there is many very good Japanese Products - but chainsaws isn't one of them, so far.

My snowblower is a Honda though. ;)
 
ST is on a roll. :D

I'd buy a 543xp if I needed a smaller saw than a 346.

Have not heard of any bad experiences with the 543 at all.

Not really, just some lackluster ones. I knew it wasn't what I had hoped for when I saw the first pictures of it.

Of course it isn't a bad saw at all - just not what was expected of a new 43cc Husky xp. Its most positive assets is that it is lighter than the competition, and it does have an outboard clutch. ;)
 
Not really, just some lackluster ones. I knew it wasn't what I had hoped for when I saw the first pictures of it.

Of course it isn't a bad saw at all - just not what was expected of a new 43cc Husky xp. Its most positive assets is that it is lighter than the competition, and it does have an outboard clutch. ;)
Actually I think that in the effort to make it more "XP" like they took a big step backwards compared to the GZ4500. They incorporated the oil tank into a larger mag case, which only added to the weight and provided no benefits at all. The engine design is obviously derivative of the GZ4500, only smaller displacement and a less direct exhaust outlet. They could have put a less restrictive muffler and the offset crank on the GZ4500 and had a better saw - or added AT to it.
 
Actually I think that in the effort to make it more "XP" like they took a big step backwards compared to the GZ4500. They incorporated the oil tank into a larger mag case, which only added to the weight and provided no benefits at all. The engine design is obviously derivative of the GZ4500, only smaller displacement and a less direct exhaust outlet. They could have put a less restrictive muffler and the offset crank on the GZ4500 and had a better saw - or added AT to it.
Back to inside the 543 like the title of this thread.

I looked at the ipl of both and the 20 page owners manual on line for the GZ4500. Ok it is one cc more but I couldn't find the bore and stroke. The 543 is 31mm one more than the Stihl 231/241/251. 0.4mm more than the Dolmar 351/421 but 1mm less than the echo 370/400. As for a step backwards I note the 543 has more oil and gasoline capacity and a rim drive. More power for the Husky 1.9 vs 2.2 kw is what I think they are converting off of. I don't see any vibration numbers for the red max. There may be ways of looking up test results but I have yet to master that. I would think more mass on the handle part, oil tank attached to the handle part is what I think you reference, would have vibration minimizing effect. Probably most folks would rather have metal on the front of the saw if they have a choice from a marketing standpoint.
 
Back to inside the 543 like the title of this thread.

I looked at the ipl and of both and the 20 page owners manual on line for the GZ4500. Ok it is one cc more but I couldn't find the bore and stroke. The 543 is 31mm one more than the Stihl 231/241/251. As for a step backwards I note more oil and gasoline capacity and a rim drive. More power for the Husky 1.9 vs 2.2 kw is what I think they are converting off of. I don't see any vibration numbers for the red max. There may be ways of looking up test results but I have yet to master that. I would think more mass on the handle part, oil tank attached to the handle part is what I think you reference, would have vibration minimizing effect. Probably most folks would rather have metal on the front of the saw if they have a choice from a marketing standpoint.
The front of the GZ4500 is metal. The GZ4000/4500 always had choked up mufflers, and I suspect that's most of the horsepower increase.
 
Not really, just some lackluster ones. I knew it wasn't what I had hoped for when I saw the first pictures of it.

Of course it isn't a bad saw at all - just not what was expected of a new 43cc Husky xp. Its most positive assets is that it is lighter than the competition, and it does have an outboard clutch. ;)

I'd have to say, the lackluster reports probably aren't coming from the kind of folk who would seriously consider spending their money on one anyway, certainly not buying one new at a dealers. There's no doubt about it, there's more that could have been stuffed into the saw in terms of features, but what it offers you sitting on the shelf, it delivers. It's light, it's easy to keep in good order in the field, spares availability is not a concern and the XPG version heats very well. That last bit is vitally important to me here in Finland during the winter. In terms of what's inside, I'm not very fussed to be honest, as long as it's made using good quality parts, which it is, the only thing I care is that it's reliable and gets the job done that I need it to do, and it does that admirably well. That's from a real world user, not a guy trying to justify a purchase after the fact!

On the whole japanese versus swedish thing, you might be surprised to learn that the quality of finish on the cast parts is noticeably superior on the 543 than it is on my 560. Hard to believe? I was surprised to see rough edges on the castings on the 560 crankcase and there's not a single casting imperfection on the little jap made 543. If you put aside the fact that the top cover doesn't really have the same lines and 'feel' as other offerings in the XP range and that the clutch cover is plastic (but to be quite honest, it's small and solidly made, without any flex when trying to detect some yesterday), any criticisms levelled are weak. That's coming from someone who is very critical of poor build quality in premium priced products in general.

Is it perfect? No. Until this saw had a few tanks of Aspen through it I was actually thinking I'd bought a real dud. Once it hit about 8 or 10 tanks the difference was like night and day. It was after I'd bought it at the dealer that I realised it wasn't a 'real' Husky and that really worried me. I had my doubts and I'll admit that. Reading up on it afterwards, others had reported similar concerns and fears. If it hadn't woken up with some early use, I'd be telling everyone to just take the extra weight and get a 550, but even without rev-boost and AT, the little 543 with a 13" bar is a gem to use. Folks mention the rubber AV as though that's something awful and a backwards step. Look at the figures and tell me how so. The antivibe works very well, so anything else said is purely academic and doesn't translate to the real world.

It shouldn't be ignored that you're also in for close enough to 800 euro for a 550 versus 525 euro for a 543 (over the counter prices, both non-heated, 13" B&C's, same Husqvarna main dealer) here in Finland, so who in their right mind would stump up an extra 275 euro or 300 US$ for AT and revboost if they don't actually need a 50cc saw? The 55 I have is a 'hack' saw, the 560 is my 'big' saw here and it's more than enough for this neck of the woods as you'll know. Adding a new 50 into the mix would be a waste of good money. I'd admit that I'd have thought twice if the difference was only 100 bucks but then I'd only be fooling myself with the 'bigger is better' mantra. A 40cc class saw was what I needed and that's what I bought.

Looking inside a saw as a tech-fan on the bench or on the IPL and criticising it's make-up is all well and good but in real life the priorities of a buyer (the guy who pays for the saw when new) are often wildly different to an enthusiast who picks it up a few years down the line on clearance or used. It may not be the most in demand model and who knows whether it will ever have much of a following amongst enthusiasts but anyone in the market for a solid little 40cc class saw that they can maintain themselves would be a fool to overlook it just because of what a bunch of guys on the internet think about it, especially when they've never even used the saw they're banging on about! ;)

I might end up eating my words in time, but I don't think it'll be necessary. Hopefully anyone else sitting on the fence on this saw or looking at this thread however long in the future will be more comfortable viewing the 543 as a serious option. The naysayers often override the positive things people have to say about any product or service and in the case of the 543, I think that's a mistake.
 
It shouldn't be ignored that you're also in for close enough to 800 euro for a 550 versus 525 euro for a 543 (over the counter prices, both non-heated, 13" B&C's, same Husqvarna main dealer) here in Finland, so who in their right mind would stump up an extra 275 euro or 300 US$ for AT and revboost if they don't actually need a 50cc saw? The 55 I have is
price tag is different in different country.
The price tag have been stable in Norway for the 543, while 550 have become more expensive over the years.
550 - 543 - 545 = 860€ - 695 € - 635 €

Heathed handle cost slightly over 10€ for the 543, and slightly over 20€ to the 550
 
The plastic is not crap, the saw is not inferior, the side cover is fine just don't throw the saw any further than 6 feet or hit it with a skidder. Are we really bringing autotune into the picture?

The only thing wrong with this little gem is the price tag. Plain and simple.
 
The plastic is not crap, the saw is not inferior, the side cover is fine just don't throw the saw any further than 6 feet or hit it with a skidder. Are we really bringing autotune into the picture?

The only thing wrong with this little gem is the price tag. Plain and simple.
Exactly, in any world currency there are better options for less money. I have been messing about with my 543 but in all honesty I grab my 2152 (2153) any sad to say have grabbed my 240 from my slab table more often than I have touched my 543 for the small stuff.
I have used it enough in many applications to sell it to my market, but price wise there are sooooooo many better options.
 
I believe direct competition for this saw is the ms241. And the weights are very close to the same.

The slight weight differense and the outboard clutch are the assets of the Zenoah/Husky - but I don't want any of the current saws in the 42/43cc class. they simply don't make any sense when compared to the 550xp or 346xp.
If the MS261 or PS-5105 were the alternatives, they would make more sense.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top