Husky 455 vs 353

Just looking around at a few saws and doing some reading & research when i ended up getting a new Husqvarna 359. I was looking at the Husqvarna 353 and 455 just for the heck of it and was thinking ........whats the point ? I just dont get it. Husqvarna 353: Specifications

Cylinder displacement
3.2 cu.inch / 51.7 cm³
Power 3.3 hp / 2.4 kW
Maximum recommended engine speed 13 000 mm
Fuel tank volume 1.06 US pint / 0.50l
Oil tank volume 0.59 US pint / 0.28l
Oil pump type adjustable flow

Cutting equipment


Chain pitch .325"
Recommended bar length 13-20" / 33-50 cm

Ergonomics


Sound level 102 dB(A)
Noise emissions, LWA 113 dB(A)
Vibrations, front/rear handle 3.1 m/s² / 3.2 m/s²

Overall dimensions


Weight excl. cutting equipment 11.0 lbs

Husqvarna 455: Specifications



455 Rancher







Cylinder displacement
3.4 cu.inch / 55.5 cm³



Power
3.4 hp / 2.5 kW



Fuel tank volume
0.9 US pint / 0.44l



Oil tank volume
0.7 US pint / 0.32l



Oil pump type
-





Weight excl. cutting equipment
12.8 lbs / 5.8 kg

About the same price but the 353 is 13000 rpm-with Power 3.3 hp-weight 11.0 lbs
When the 455 is 3.4 hp @ 9600 rpm Max 13,000 RPMs -weight 13.0 pounds

Why ? Why have them both ? The 455 has more cc but shows about the same hp. with added weight of 2 lbs. Now i'm not trashing the saws i just dont see the point. Maybe just to keep the Rancher name out there . It sure looks like there are a lot of 455 going out the door even tho the 353 is right there. Is the 455 plastic or metal ? These saw just have me

The 455 is there to score cheap EPA points for Husky, trough massive marketing towards :stupid: user groups that don't take the trouble to investigate further....

....which help them keep the EPA related restrictions on the rest of the product line slightly down. :greenchainsaw:

The 570 and 575xp are another part of the same story, but not to the same extent. :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

455 vs

I believe troll is correct but will add: i use a 350 and it is much lighter and smaller than 51/55 and cuts about the same. So i will take it anyday. But some companies keep a popular product in there line even though there is a better object. and others keep it to fill a spot (look at stihl) they have about 5 saws at every 5cc increment!! cant figure that one out either.

The 455 is a beast, IMHO. The most underrated saw around. The performance, while looking somewhat lousy on paper, shines in real use. Plenty of low-end torque and muscle...a gutsy, heavy duty saw for getting down and dirty. Runs a 24" bar no problem too....and is a softwood milling 'machine'.

I don't know how they make the thing EPA compliant, let alone "low emmission", as it appears (and sounds) like the three exhaust holes in the muffler are bored straight thru.

For about $350, it's the best deal around...which is evidently why they fly off the shelves in agricultural areas. Made in Sweden too.

The Husqvarna 359 i just bought was $360. total - out the door and is about the same price tho i seem to get a good deal over what normal sale price is ,the 359 has 3.9 hp 59cc 13500 rpm and weights 1 lbs less than the 455 and the 359 is not an XP. I also see now they show the 353 & 455 as a 16"-20" bar . The 359 shows 16"-24" tho i'll only run the 359 at a 20" and leave every thing over 20" to the 372XP . You know what the big problem is with chainsaw research (and this forum)?.........once you get looking its always "well for just a few dollars more and i could have the next size or the extra options " HA !

You know what the big problem is with chainsaw research (and this forum)?.........once you get looking its always "well for just a few dollars more and i could have the next size or the extra options " HA !

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Ain't that the truth.

The (print version) 2005 and 2006 Husky catalog(s) list the 455 Rancher bar sizes as 16"-24", just like the 359. My dealer had the 359 listed for $440...equipped with a 24" bar. (The 365 on the shelf had a 28" bar....and a $565 price tag)

I like the 455 24" with a rip chain...but again, I'm strictly using it for milling softwoods. The 24" bar is necessary as the milling seems to go effortlessly when the bar is angled back 45 degrees in the cut (as opposed to being perpendicular to the log...90 degrees...in the cut).

Reasons for 455 the same as for Stihl MS290. Big, heavy and quite powerfull for homeowner; costs: nothing

I'd like to see the numbers of 455 Ranchers sold vs. the number of 353s sold. I wonder which makes more economic sense to keep? I don't know the numbers of sales, but I do know that despite what's on paper the 455 is more impressive than the 353 when you run it. I don't exactly know why, it just is. Both are good saws. My cousin uses a 353 on occasion in his business and loves it. I'm pretty fond of my 455. I happened to get mine in a barter for some roofing work I did, so i didn't exactly comparison shop.

As an aside, a friend of mine who normally runs a Farm Boss dropped some sizeable pines with my 455 and was very impressed. So maybe it has that going for it too.:sword:

My only two criticisms are the flimsy choke lever that seems to break any time it's 20 degrees or cooler and the limiter screws. Man I hate those things.

The 455 has a plastic case, the 353 has a metal case. Last fall I ran a 455 for about an hour. The 455 does seems to have a bit more torque than my 353, but it felt as heavy as my 372 and more bulky. I guess the 455 is an ok saw. I however do not think it's built as strong or as well as the 353.

coveredinsap said:

The 455 is a beast, IMHO. The most underrated saw around. The performance, while looking somewhat lousy on paper, shines in real use. Plenty of low-end torque and muscle...a gutsy, heavy duty saw for getting down and dirty. Runs a 24" bar no problem too....and is a softwood milling 'machine'.

I don't know how they make the thing EPA compliant, let alone "low emmission", as it appears (and sounds) like the three exhaust holes in the muffler are bored straight thru.

For about $350, it's the best deal around...which is evidently why they fly off the shelves in agricultural areas. Made in Sweden too.

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A beast? Compared to what? A 372XP that only weighs a little more, or a Stihl 460? Or a 288Xp or a 394Xp? For milling wood none the less, when you have run some more saws you opinion will mean something, here are some more saws I can speak to cause I have run them, 266XP, 272XP, 034, 038Mag2, 066, 028, 2101XP, 2100XP, ms200T, 365, 357XP, think that about it for real use. How about you?

A beast? Compared to what?

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For starters, compared to the Stihl MS390 that broke after 10 minutes.

coveredinsap said:

For starters, compared to the Stihl MS390 that broke after 10 minutes.

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An MS 390 isn't exactly world renowned for being a good saw, and neither is the 455. If you moved up in the world of saws to the models clearance is talking about, you'd realize how crappy they both are. They are both homeowner models meant for a couple cords of firewood, whereas every one that clearance mentioned are professional models meant for daily use for months on end, then tossing a rebuild into them and running them some more. There is a big difference between the professional models, and those targeted for homeowners. Try one, your opinion of the 455 will change in a hurry.

Andyshine77 said:

The 455 has a plastic case, the 353 has a metal case. ..... I however do not think it's built as strong or as well as the 353.

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Important points, and I believe you are right.

I have not run a 455, and I don't want to. The :censored: thing felt at least as heavy as my MS361W with heated handles, and a ton heavier than the 353 and 346xp that was sitting next to it in my dealer shop, when I handled it a little.

It is close to 2 lbs too heavy for its power output, and should have put out 1 hp more to make much sence.....:taped:

havvey said:

I believe troll is correct but will add: i use a 350 and it is much lighter and smaller than 51/55 and cuts about the same. So i will take it anyday. But some companies keep a popular product in there line even though there is a better object. and others keep it to fill a spot (look at stihl) they have about 5 saws at every 5cc increment!! cant figure that one out either.

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Just for the record, I have not run a 455 or a 353. I have run a 351 which is basically the same as the 353. It ran good for what it was and was light years ahead of the 350. I bought a 350 for my father that needed a little work. What a piece of crap. If the 455 is a newer version of that style (plastic case, etc). It is not worthy of the name. The 55 rancher will out cut a 350 any day of the weak, and a good running 51 (closed port) will out run them all.

TimberPig said:

An MS 390 isn't exactly world renowned for being a good saw, and neither is the 455. If you moved up in the world of saws to the models clearance is talking about, you'd realize how crappy they both are. They are both homeowner models meant for a couple cords of firewood, whereas every one that clearance mentioned are professional models meant for daily use for months on end, then tossing a rebuild into them and running them some more. There is a big difference between the professional models, and those targeted for homeowners. Try one, your opinion of the 455 will change in a hurry.

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Not renowned by whom?

The 455 seems to get trashed by everyone who has never run one. I have pro saws as well, and I still think that the 455 is a good saw. I didn't purchase the saw myself, so I started off with the attitude that if I ran it into the ground it really wouldn't break my heart. That was two years and many, many trees ago. I cut with it at least once a week and I'm confident that the 455 meets or exceeds the durability standard of what would be considered a "ranch" saw - or one that sits somewhere between homeowner models and pro models.

I think that it's worth mentioning again that we have someone here who took a 455 with a 24" bar, mounted on an Alaskan mill and milled a cedar with it - and then provided the pictoral evidence.

That was asking a lot from that saw and it worked out just fine. From what you read here, one would have expected the lined case to fail immediately and for the saw to explode on the first cut.

The idea that the 455 is a piece of junk just isn't accurate.

Full Skip, its evident you haven't run many professional model saws. They are lighter, faster, stronger, and tougher. Not to mention, that for something that weighs as much as a 455, they put out about twice the power.

Try running a 70cc pro saw, and then see what you have to say about the 455. It weighs just about as much as an 044/440 or a 372, but with less power. I'm sure you'll quickly realize why I say that claiming the 455 is a great saw by comparing it to a 390, is like being the tallest man on Pygmy Island. You might be the tallest on the island, but in the rest of the world, you come up short.

coveredinsap said:

The 455 is a beast, IMHO. The most underrated saw around.

For about $350, it's the best deal around...which is evidently why they fly off the shelves in agricultural areas. Made in Sweden too.

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Yep,
I work in a farm store and sold a 455 this morning with a 20" bar at about $370 plus another $16 for an extra chain. It’s destined for farm duty and I believe he made a good choice. Another fellow looked at a 345/16" and decided to shop around. There is a local Stihl dealer that I do not hesitate to recommend if we can't meet the needs of our customer in house.

"Made in Sweden too."

That is good news to most people these days because they are so sick of having to buy junk made in China.

It appears that the same folks that think that anything other than a 'pro' saw is somehow a lesser or substandard saw are the same kind that think that having a computer running Windows XP Pro makes their computer a 'professional' model. Not.

The primary differences between 'pro', 'semi-pro', and 'light-duty' saws from quality manufacturers appear to be the power/weight ratio (a lighter saw is better if you work with it hour after hour, day after day, week after week, year after year), easier to service (quick-release access covers because time is money and you're maybe servicing it in the field on the clock), and easier to rebuild innards (it's cheaper to rebuild a smoked motor after 6 months of constant hard use than buy an entire new saw) ...and that's about it.

If anyone can prove how the internals are substantially any different in quality ...than have at it.

coveredinsap said:

It appears that the same folks that think that anything other than a 'pro' saw is somehow a lesser or substandard saw are the same kind that think that having a computer running Windows XP Pro makes their computer a 'professional' model. Not.

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Exactly, anything other than a pro saw is a lesser saw (not neccesarily a bad saw, 365=372XP etc.) and in in many cases a substandard saw. When you have run some saws the big boys use, come back and talk to us.

Exactly, anything other than a pro saw is a lesser saw (not neccesarily a bad saw, 365=372XP etc.) and in in many cases a substandard saw. When you have run some saws the big boys use, come back and talk to us.

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I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but....simply buying/using/owning a 'pro' saw doesn't make you a 'big boy', or any better than anyone else.

And no, they're not any 'lesser' or 'substandard' than a professional race car is to a ordinary 'homeowner' vehicle. Just different is all.