Suggestions, please

[VINIFIREWOOD]

455 throwin chains

We have two 455's at work one is new and the other is about 4 years old. The older one has had the snot run out of it and you can't throw a chain on that thing if you try but the new one you can't keep a chain on it.

 

[dingeryote]

Yea, I know the majority of my problems are my being a novice, but I would like to get a high quality chain for the Rancher. I purchased it at Lowes (yea, I know, not the place to get quality), and all they have is the standard Husq chains & Oregon. Went to a pro shop that specializes in Stihl & was told none of their chains would fit the 455. Anyone have knowlege where I could purchase a quality chain for my saw?
Also, someone mentioned a 044. Must be a discontinued saw, what is the current equivalent?

58,

Stick with your 455 untill ya run the crap out of it.
Used, you will get about 100 bucks for it, clapped out, or like new.
Ya might as well learn on it, as it will be more forgiving than a hotrod.

Here's the deal on chains for that Husky.
Take a look at the Bar back near the clutch cover.
It will be stamped with some numbers.

In those numbers it will say either 3/8 050 or .325 050 which will be your chain size, and after that it will have the number of links needed for that Bar.
If needed post the info here.

Write that info down and take it to another Saw shop or....
Just pick up the phone and call Bailys, spike60, or the cutting edge and tell 'em you need chain for the saw. They will hook you up properly.
All three are sponsors here, and all three are absolutely just plain old good folks.

You DO need a supporting shop locally though, so run a dealer locator on the husqvarna website and if none are close, another Stihl shop or even a dolmar or echo shop will do.

Dig though the site and check the stickies for usefull links.
There's LOTS of good info here.

 

[58HUSTLER]

We have two 455's at work one is new and the other is about 4 years old. The older one has had the snot run out of it and you can't throw a chain on that thing if you try but the new one you can't keep a chain on it.

Interesting. Like I said my friend has the older 55 & he's run it quite a bit (with little or no complaints) for over 8 years. Others here indicate older Stihls are better than their newer counterparts.

While I concede the majority of my issues are self inflicted, that does make me feel a little better.

 

[58HUSTLER]

dingeryote wrote

Write that info down and take it to another Saw shop or....
Just pick up the phone and call Bailys, spike60, or the cutting edge and tell 'em you need chain for the saw. They will hook you up properly.
All three are sponsors here, and all three are absolutely just plain old good folks.

I hate to be a pest, but what is spike60 & the cutting edge? Google search didn't really help. I do know about Baileys.

 

[rms61moparman]

Write that info down and take it to another Saw shop or....
Just pick up the phone and call Bailys, spike60, or the cutting edge and tell 'em you need chain for the saw. They will hook you up properly.
All three are sponsors here, and all three are absolutely just plain old good folks.

I hate to be a pest, but what is spike60 & the cutting edge? Google search didn't really help. I do know about Baileys.

Check the members list, both are well respected members here.


Mike

 

[danrclem]

The 441 is the new replacement for the 440 which replaced the 044. What size chain does the 455 come with? If it is 3/8 .050 gauge the stihl dealer should have that on a roll.

Yes, it's a 3/8 .050 - the whole thing was rather curious because the person who recommended the 455 had the previous generation 55, & he said he had a Stihl chain on it, & suggested I get the same & tried to do so the next day. But, not knowing anything about it myself, I didn't try to argue with the lady behind the counter at the pro shop so I left, thinking perhaps either the bar on my saw was a little different from the 55, or the sales lady made an error.

I think that the best thing for you to do is get your friend to come over and give you some pointers. It sounds like he's been cutting for awhile and should be able to point out what you're doing wrong. The two main things are a properly tensioned and well sharpened chain.

All you need is some guidance. Good Luck

 

[smilin possum]

I think that the best thing for you to do is get your friend to come over and give you some pointers. It sounds like he's been cutting for awhile and should be able to point out what you're doing wrong. The two main things are a properly tensioned and well sharpened chain. I agree.

Get him to help you out and get good at what you do. The 55 you spoke of is a whole different animal than the 455. When you get good at running the saw go around the hood and cut all the nieghbors trees for them they will thank you, I promise. Me and the boy hear a saw running around here and we load up go to get in on the action. We help if they want us to or not. If they throw a fit wait till they go on vaction and then go and treescape for um. HA HA HA!!!

 

[northcountry]

take your chain cover off, look at the chain sprocket, if its a "star" sprocket that's more likely your problem with the chain falling off. get an aftermarket Oregon drum and rim style from Baileys or one of the other sponsors and some quality chain (woodland Pro is what i like) to go with it. I had the same issue a while back with a 290 and it went away as soon as i went to the floating rim style of sprocket... $14.00 well spent. Oh and that 455 can take a pounding so dont feel like its not enough.. the husky sharpening kit with the rollerbar guide thingie that comes with it is great to learn to sharpen with. also a raker height guide for 3 bucks is recommended once you have cut back those teeth a bit. sharp and even is the key to cutting fast. I have dropped and bucked 24" pines with a sharp "wildthing" so your saw will do all you need... trust me.

 

[dingeryote]

Write that info down and take it to another Saw shop or....
Just pick up the phone and call Bailys, spike60, or the cutting edge and tell 'em you need chain for the saw. They will hook you up properly.
All three are sponsors here, and all three are absolutely just plain old good folks.

I hate to be a pest, but what is spike60 & the cutting edge? Google search didn't really help. I do know about Baileys.

Spike and the cutting edge are both sponsors here like Bailys, and are listed in the sponsors section.

And no, ya ain't bieng a pain.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Lignum]

We have two 455's at work one is new and the other is about 4 years old. The older one has had the snot run out of it and you can't throw a chain on that thing if you try but the new one you can't keep a chain on it.

I've beat the crap out of mine and I can't kill it.

 

[Lignum]

Interesting. Like I said my friend has the older 55 & he's run it quite a bit (with little or no complaints) for over 8 years. Others here indicate older Stihls are better than their newer counterparts.

While I concede the majority of my issues are self inflicted, that does make me feel a little better.

As far as the chain flying off, all new chains will stretch, and you will need to stop the saw and make the proper tensioning adjustments to accommodate. There are techniques that can be helpful, like lifting up on the nose of the bar while tightening the bar studs will help. As others said, learn with that saw for a while and wait to spend the big clams.

 

[gemniii]

One thing I didn't see mentioned yet -
If your throwing chain with the 455 you can throw it with twice the horse power with the 660.
Even though by specs the 660 is only about 3 or 4 lbs heavier.

As far as chains go I think you get the same high quality Oregon chain at Lowes as you do at Baileys, you get the added convenience at Lowes of being able to get it NOW and pay more.

 

[mdavlee]

Does lowes sell anything besides safety chain? All my saws run 3/8 .050 and last time I checked all they had was safety chain.

 

[northcountry]

yes all they sell is safety chain.

 

[constantine]

Good advice here.

The 455 will work fine for starters. The tip from 'yote about checking the bar and making sure that the chain has the proper gauge is very important. Until you have these issues worked out, hold off on buying the "very satisfying and more fun" pro saw.

In my experience, the chain should be tight enough so that you can't expose the entire drive link by lifting it from the center when cold, but not so tight that you can't pull it around the bar with a gloved hand. Be sure that you lift the nose of the bar before tightening down.

As the chain gets hot while cutting, it will expand and get looser. Also, new chain will stretch the first time it is used. Usually, you will not have to retension while cutting with a 20" bar, but it is worthwhile to retension the chain after the first use.

When you've got the 455 humming, you may want to step up to a pro saw in the 70cc class. The Stihl MS441 and MS460 are both fine saws, each with its own personality. The Husqvarna 372XP is excellent. Also, the Dolmar 7900 is a great saw, though it is harder to find Dolmar dealers in some locations.

The MS660 is great fun to use, but is heavier and vibrates more than the others. I would not want to cut for an 8-hour day with one.

Good luck and stay safe.

 

[58HUSTLER]

Thanks again for taking the time to help out a greenhorn, great info

yes all they sell is safety chain.

While we're at it I might as well ask, what is a safety chain & how does it differ from other chains?

 

[GNAR13]

Hey man, i'm about 20 minutes east of you over in tally and i can tell you that your 455 will tackle just about any pine in the area. unless you're gettin into the big oaks around here it'll do ya good. when you want to step up to a pro saw, i think an ms361 is a pretty good all around saw for the area. it'll chew through any pine here with a 25" bar and ask for more. if you want any info on local shops or anything just send me a pm.

 

[GNAR13]

While we're at it I might as well ask, what is a safety chain & how does it differ from other chains?

Safety chain in going to have bent rakers (oregon vanguard), humped drive links (stihl rsc3), or humped tie straps (stihl rm2). The rsc3 cuts dang good for a safety chain, but i'd stay away from anything with humped tie straps. btw, oregon lpx (full chisel) and oregon dp (semi chisel) both have small humps on the drive link to help with kickback, but aren't technically considered safety chain. i use both and they cut real nice

 

[JustinM]

Run that 455 regularly for 5 years........................................THEN get yourself a better saw.
That way you will make all of the greenhorn mistakes on a 300.00 saw and not a 1200.00 saw.

JMHO


Mike

Terrific advice. Its not like the 455 is some 30cc poulan - its got some power & should do you ok for a bit. Learn with it & once you're ready, THEN start looking for a big powerhouse machine.

 

[northcountry]

Now don't immediately poo-poo the safety chain right away. It does have some advantages. Safety chain is designed so that as the chain starts its bend around the tip of the bar (the first 90 deg top area) the tie strap hump sticks out enough to partially hide the actual cutter. this stops or lessens its ability to strike wood and cause the sudden upward jerk known as kickback. This also continues around the lower 90 degrees of the tip and a side benefit is that if you touch down in dirt/rocks the raker/tiestrap hump combo will cut a trench in the dirt prior to your sharpened teeth and cause less damage to said cutter. Out of the box most all safetychain i have ever used (and yes i have at least one loop for every saw i use) cuts slow as ^%$$&% !! I find it needs to have a flat file knock down those humps just a tad right from the start ( i usually hit them with three or four strokes fresh out of the package). It will never throw chips like a full chisel chain but you will be surprised at how well it really can cut ( I like the stihl and husqvarna much more than the new Oregon product). And If your cutting dirty its the only chain to bother with unless you have carbide chain and a way to sharpen it.


-My .02 cents are free because common sense is more expensive than that