Opinions Husqvarna 42 and 455 Rancher

[RobR45]

Hello from eastern Indiana! I have had a Husqvarna 42 for several years, and it has performed pretty well (mostly trimming and limited firewood cutting). However, it is definitely underpowered for larger jobs. Recently, my father gave me A Husqvarna 455 Rancher for a Christmas gift. I have yet to have any problems with the saw, but crusing through the topics on the site the last couple of nights - it seems like there have been some 455s with issues. What do you all think about the 455 Rancher? Any opinions on the Husqvarna 42 would be welcomed as well. Thanks in advance!

-Robert

 

[kurtty]

i dont know about the 42 but the 455 is not a proffesional saw and isn't built to last as many hours as the XP line of saws. but with that being said it is an awsome homeowner saw. great for the guy who just wants to clean up around the yard and burn a bit of firewood. it gets a bad rap from the guys who try to compair it to the pro saws when its not supose to be able to compete with pro saws in the first place.

 

[scotclayshooter]

I couldnt complain about the 455 i had it made me a fair bit of money i learned a lot about saws from it and i sold it last week for just about what i paid for it
It wasnt the best hot starter ever but if i didnt set the de-comp it was fine
Yes it was heavy for the power but it didnt vibe much and had plenty torque

 

[SWE#Kipp]

No real world opinions on the 455, but the 42/42special saws are pro grade built, magcase etc, only a bit down rated in power against the 242xp/xpg which was the saw model for it to compete against.
and it's a very nice saw to run, got one in the shed right now for some service work

 

[SawTroll]

Apart from being a plastic cased saw, the 455 also is way overweight for its power. I don't think there are some general problems with them though......

The 42 is a pretty good saw, a somewhat detuned and simplified version of the pro 242xp, but still a good saw for limbing and small wood....

 

[spike60]

Had a customer stop in today. Bought a couple chains and some bar oil for their 455. Cutting 8 or 9 cords a year. And they buy the wood in log length, so they're just cutting block after block on the log pile. It works. I'm not the worlds biggest fan of that saw by any means, but they work.

 

[RobR45]

Thanks for all the info. I must have been going through a real brain fade earlier today. My older saw is a model 36 not a 42 - I guess wishful thinking :^)