total NEWB,... Buy a refurb Husky 455R or a Stihl 290 Farmboss?

[hkusp9]

So im a total newb here who's planning on clearing a fair amount of good brush and small trees from a friends ranch and then cleaning and storing the saw till the next big hurricane.

Im looking for a good saw that will be medium duty use but will last a lifetime i guess.

Also, i can see how this chainsaw stuff can get extremely addictive. Im already watching those hotsaws while in complete awe!

Anyhow, should i get a husky 455R refurbished for 300 or a stihl 290 farmboss new for 380.00 ish?

 

[timberjack44]

So im a total newb here who's planning on clearing a fair amount of good brush and small trees from a friends ranch and then cleaning and storing the saw till the next big hurricane.

Im looking for a good saw that will be medium duty use but will last a lifetime i guess.

Also, i can see how this chainsaw stuff can get extremely addictive. Im already watching those hotsaws while in complete awe!

Anyhow, should i get a husky 455R refurbished for 300 or a stihl 290 farmboss new for 380.00 ish?

The husky 455 and stihl 290 are both consumer grade saws that are decent saws but for a little more you can get a lot more saw. Look at the Husky 346 XP, Stihl 261 or Dolmar 5105 if you want something that you will be proud to own and do a lot more for you than a 455 or 290, last longer and have less maintenance.

 

[bcorradi]

So im a total newb here who's planning on clearing a fair amount of good brush and small trees from a friends ranch and then cleaning and storing the saw till the next big hurricane.

Im looking for a good saw that will be medium duty use but will last a lifetime i guess.

Also, i can see how this chainsaw stuff can get extremely addictive. Im already watching those hotsaws while in complete awe!

Anyhow, should i get a husky 455R refurbished for 300 or a stihl 290 farmboss new for 380.00 ish?

A 290 or 455 will be adequate for the job at hand and will last you a lifetime imo. I'm not sure how big your trees are, but you may be able to go smaller like a stihl MS250 or the husky equivalent and it will also last u a longtime. I know more about the stihl consumer grade saws and I can say there isn't any reliability or durability issues I'd be worried about and I don't think there would be any with the husky either.

 

[safetyboy715]

Nothing wrong with being a newb

I cannot speak to the huskyas I have not used one, but I bought a farm boss when I needed a bigger saw to complimant my 170 also a Stihl. I have been pleased with it. It runs nice and cuts just fine for what I use it for. My dealer outfitted it with a 3/8 chain as opposed to the .325 as I cut mostly hardwood. I am sure either chain pitch would be all right for folks like us that do not cut for a living. Just make sure you don't leave gas in it for long term storage (more than a month), keep the air filter clean and it should last a long time. It is a bit heavier than the 250 so I would also consider that one. Whichever one feels best is what I would go with. Huskys are good saws as well and lots of guys love them, but I would buy the new saw as you do not know how the previous owner treated it.

So im a total newb here who's planning on clearing a fair amount of good brush and small trees from a friends ranch and then cleaning and storing the saw till the next big hurricane.

Im looking for a good saw that will be medium duty use but will last a lifetime i guess.

Also, i can see how this chainsaw stuff can get extremely addictive. Im already watching those hotsaws while in complete awe!

Anyhow, should i get a husky 455R refurbished for 300 or a stihl 290 farmboss new for 380.00 ish?

 

[mountainlake]

Both are heavy and underpowered, quite a few better ones for a few more bucks. Get a good one, that $100 or so is well worth it, sell a couple cords of firewood to make up the difference. Steve

 

[ZeroLife]

So im a total newb here who's planning on clearing a fair amount of good brush and small trees from a friends ranch and then cleaning and storing the saw till the next big hurricane.

Im looking for a good saw that will be medium duty use but will last a lifetime i guess.

Also, i can see how this chainsaw stuff can get extremely addictive. Im already watching those hotsaws while in complete awe!

Anyhow, should i get a husky 455R refurbished for 300 or a stihl 290 farmboss new for 380.00 ish?

What's a fair amount??? What diameter on average??? If you're working small trees and brush as a chore and not going to be using the saw to make money, go with the lightest 40cc to 50cc you can find....especially if it's hot where you are.(I'm assuming it is if you're worried about hurricanes). If it's 5" or 6" diameter stuff, save your back, brow, and pocket, and get yourself a decent MAC. You can buy the good(old) MAC's for a song on E-Bay.
To answer your question though....go with the FarmBoss. Stihls rock, Husky's rot.

 

[sunfish]

Since you already see this can get addictive and you want a saw that will last a lifetime. Get a pro model, 346xp, or ms261. Smaller, lighter and more power than the two you asked about.

Hang around here long and you'll want more saws, then modded saws. Next you'll go to a gtg and start racing saws. :msp_smile:

 

[o8f150]

i agree with the other guys,, instead of paying 380 for the stihl,,, add about 120 to that and get the 346xp,, it is lighter and cuts a lot fast and will last a long time since it is a pro saw,, the 2 you are looking at are not pro saws

 

[bcsizemo]

IMO if you are considering the consumer grades saws why not look at an Echo CS-450P, 500P, or 550P depending on what kind of prices you could find one for.

I've got the older CS-440 and it's been rock solid.

 

[Vibes]

Those are both good saws, but I always go for the value end of these questions, so I would go with the Husky and use the $80 for goodies, or possibly shop around for a good limbing saw in that price range.

If I were to be looking for that size saw though, and wanted a bargain, I would go for one of the Echo 600p's on Ebay. Might cost you a few more skins, but those are nice machines. Now is the time to shop also while the chainsaw buying public is on vacation.

 

[zogger]

Neither. Buy that husky 365 that is in the classifieds here. Spend what you save on personal protection gear.

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

I would buy neither of the plastic saws. Spend a little more now and get a new magnesium cased saw or same money and get a used pro grade. JMO :msp_thumbup:

 

[SawTroll]

i agree with the other guys,, instead of paying 380 for the stihl,,, add about 120 to that and get the 346xp,, it is lighter and cuts a lot fast and will last a long time since it is a pro saw,, the 2 you are looking at are not pro saws

I would buy neither of the plastic saws. Spend a little more now and get a new magnesium cased saw or same money and get a used pro grade. JMO :msp_thumbup:

Exactly! :agree2:

 

[hkusp9]

Neither. Buy that husky 365 that is in the classifieds here. Spend what you save on personal protection gear.

Wow, there are some amazing saws built and modded by some real pros on the classifieds here. I didn't even notice that section of the forum until you pointed that out to me, so thank you!

Im a hard worker and learn fast, but im completely ignorant in the world of chainsaws so im going to ask some of you pros for advice and guidance on finding the right one for me and getting started off.

All right, heres the deal:

I was a cop about 4 years until i got "laid off" for fighting some police corruption. Went into real estate investment with the family for a about a year which involves remodeling and rehabbing houses and its been an amazing learning process as well as a lot of work. Im planning on going back to law enforcement soon (for reasons that even i cant totally understand...) but I've developed a passion and respect for the trades as well.

I'm thinking about buying a nice saw (new, used/used by one of the pro's here and well cared for and maybe even a little tricked out:msp_smile: ect.) and a nice generator. I have about all the other tools i need at this point in my garage.

The plan is, next time Texas or a surrounding state gets hit with a huge hurricane, I will be able to take some time off and assist with disaster recovery in a useful way. Take my vacation time and go help out or something like that.

Anyhow, back to the topic... What im looking for is a good, durable, powerful saw that I wont be embarrassed taking out of the truck. My old supervisor just bought some land and is putting a shooting range and training facility on it and we need to clear alot of woods in the process. He has a Stihl 260 or 261 and as a result, you know that I've got to buy a saw that will beat his.

Seriously though, im looking for something big enough to handle the occasional heavy job. Im ok with owning one big saw and lugging it out every time i have a 10" tree to fell but dont want to mess with a 16" 30cc saw on a 40" oak.

So probably a 50cc or better, 18" bar and up, stihl, husky or echo. Something used by y'all and customized is fine too, and I was looking at spending 400 and under, but i can sell an HK pistol i dont carry anymore and get something a little nicer if a deal just screams at me.

 

[shadow745]

I was in the same boat as the OP several years ago. We bought some property that had quite a few trees, most being hardwood. We didn't mind paying a local guy to cut the 5-6 that were too close to the house and most of those had some lean to them. For the other 30+/- left I went to Lowe's and bought the 455 Rancher. For low-medium volume around the home-ranch cutting I don't think there's a better choice for the money. Over time I bought 1 extra bar and 2 chains, but that saw still performs great and has paid for itself many times over.

I haven't had much need for it lately, but still put fresh gas/bar oil in it and start/run at least every few months. The only issue I've ever had with it is the common leaky oil pump. I'm gonna tear into the saw soon and fix or replace the oil pump and anything else that looks worn.

Husqvarna or Stihl? Who gives a crap, as long as it serves you well for your lifetime, which I believe most power equipment will do if cared for properly.

 

[mountainlake]

No matter if the 290 455 are decent saws, they are heavy and under powered. Spend the extra $120 for a 346xp or around $80 more for a Echo CS500, both are way lighter, have more power and are built a lot better. Steve

 

[hkusp9]

what the crap?

I wrote out a long post earlier and after attempting to post it, it simply disappeared....

 

[JOE.G]

I Have a Rancher 55 and a Husky 450, along with a stihl 009, Between those three saws I get almost anything that I need to do done, If the saw looks to small for the tree, then the tree is to big for me to touch. I have bars from 12 Inch up to 20 In. If I could only chose one saw I think it may be the 450 since it has a nice weight to pow ratio and runs good with the 18 inch bar.

The saw I use the most is my 009.

The 455 I guess replaced the Rancher 55, but from what I hear is that the 55 was better. My buddy has the 290 Farm boss seems ok. I never was a huge fan of stihl saws, but that is just based on looks and feel I know they are a great saw.

P.S when I buy my next saw it'll prob be a XP series Saw.

 

[hkusp9]

ok, im going to try this again.

Heres my situation:

I was a cop for for years before i got "laid off" for fighting some police corruption. As a result/necessity, over the last year i have been doing real estate investment with my family which involves alot of me remodling/rehabbing houses before we resell them.

In doing this, i have developed a great respect for the trades and have come to enjoy working with my hands.

Now, for reasons even i cant begin to understand myself... Im planning on going back into law enforcement soon.

Anyhow, back to chainsaws. My old supervisor just bought 50 something acres of new and old growth forest land and we're turning it into a private shooting range and training facility and its going to involve a decent amount of land clearing. He has a stihl Ms 260 or 261 with an 18" bar that ive used a couple of times and really like. I've decided that i need one myself to help him and be prepared for any hurricanes.

Also, ive acquired enough tools and knowledge now (just need a good generator and chainsaw) that im thinking of taking vacation/comp time off after major hurricane hits to volunteer in storm damaged areas. I tried to during Katrina but didnt have the resources and worked during Hurricane Ike until my head got busted open by flying storm trash.

Long story short, i need a chainsaw!

I only want one (for now) and would rather lug around a big heavy saw to cut a bunch of little trees than use a little light chainsaw to cut the occasional really big tree. I get stuck on caliber and horsepower sometimes :rolleyes2: I want something that im not going to be embarrassed about pulling out of the truck.

Basically, im a hard worker and a fast learner but i need some guidance here from some of y'all chainsaw experts on what to get. I was trying to originally keep my purchase price under $400 but after seeing some of the awesome saws on here and some of the really amazing used saws that some of you pro's have modded and tweaked, im open to selling an HK pistol that i carry anymore and spending a little more if something really jumps out at me. Some of the engine modifications ive seen on here are really impressive.

Ill even trade somebody in the houston area gun handling knowledge for chainsaw knowledge or work for a cool saw. Ive got a little downtime before my next house and have basically been donating time doing home fix it up jobs to friends this week.

Anyhow, any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[shadow745]

No matter if the 290 455 are decent saws, they are heavy and under powered. Spend the extra $120 for a 346xp or around $80 more for a Echo CS500, both are way lighter, have more power and are built a lot better. Steve

If somebody considers a Rancher 455 "heavy" then maybe they shouldn't be handling a saw to begin with. And yes I've used the saw for hours at a time with no fatigue. May bother some, just not me. Honestly I appreciate a bit of heft in a saw (or a drill, etc) as it keeps things a bit more stable IMO.

Light weight would make a difference if I were climbing/limbing, but otherwise not an issue. I know many like to have maximum power/minimum weight, but for the majority of saw users it simply isn't necessary.

I refuse to give in to CAD and just focus on what I have onhand and simply making it work.