so what am i missing out on?

on one hand, i love that i found this forum as i've learned some very key things (such as replacing my stock chain), but on the other hand, its a bit problematic as it makes me wonder about buying another saw...

i've been working the hell out of my 455 rancher the last couple of weeks. as a member of the chicago area mountain bikers we've been very busy getting a small patch of park district woods in shape for the summer bmx/mountain bike dirt jumping season and i've been the guy thats made every cut necessary to do so.

so really, i've been SUPER happy with this husky, its just been tearing through everything i've put it against, including some fairly big stuff that the 20" bar was just barely big enough for. It starts with the flick of the wrist, runs all day like a champ, makes quick work of big stuff and it goes through everything under 8" pretty much like butter.

so... the rancher seams to get bagged on a good bit around here. i'd like to discuss why a little more. is it a pos just because its not a pro saw? or are there really some serious deficiencies compared to the pro models? maybe it is a great saw, but its just not built to last like others are? maybe i'm just a n00b and don't know how good a truly good saw really is?

so, lets discuss. in the meantime, i am having a wicked good time with the thing. i gave up racing cars years ago, and have directed that energy towards bikes, so i am enjoying playing with an engine again.

i've done OODLES of port work on car engines, would it be worthwhile to mess around with this 455? can't right now as i'm using it too much to take it apart. but could be fun when things slow down on a bit.

pics!

sorry people on here will tell you the 455 can not cut that wood, so your pictures are not a 455 but a professional saw disguised as a 455

btw i love my 455 as well, does every thing i ask it to do
has cut over 50 cord in the last two years and has never let me down.

and in your pictures you are not wearing enought PPE......your going to cut yourself into little parts if you do not watch out.......as the people on here have also stated.

The 455 is perfect for you. Don't change a thing except a dull chain.

Obviously the saw is getting the job done for you. I'd start and finish my inquiry with that point.

Welcome to the AS party, hold on to your wallet!

Very Nice Pics!

That's a nice bunch of pics.
Looks like you're having fun with the saw;
which is really (to me) what it's all about.

The guys will have much to say; which I think you would further enjoy, being handy with engines.
I wouldn't say you're missing so much - in that you have a decent saw to begin with; but if you want to enjoy tinkering - you're definitely at the right spot.

Welcome
Your first post is a good post. Nice photos. nice Husky. My buddy has a 455 and never failed him. Sharp chain, cut wood !
Rep for the neighbor

You are prolly fine with a rancher, but if you get 357xp or a 361 and port it, you will have a 90+cc saw in six months. Just a warning.

Either of those will hold a smile on your face for sure.

Welcome!

Welcome to AS. I'm very new to AS as well and we're running in parallel in many ways. Like you, I first bought a mid-sized "non-pro" saw, but mine's a Stihl MS 390, which is supposedly designed primarily to prevent boats from drifting while stopped. Like your Husky, my 390 somehow manages to cut wood just fine and make me smile at the same time.

I believe what you will find here is a learning curve much like you had with cars and I've had with motorcycles. As you get more "seat time" you'll become more discerning about many of the finer points of saws and how different models and makes have a "personality" if you will. The fun of all this--besides cutting wood, of course--is that you build a knowledge base and become more discriminating and expectant of what you really want in a saw. Then you begin a pursuit of the perfect saw, or more likely, the perfect COLLECTION of saws, for every occasion.

What I appreciate most about AS is that I can get smarter on somebody else's nickel; I don't have to buy 50+ saws to weed out the bad and stumble across the good ones. There's lots of info and experience here, free for the taking.

If you just want a cutting tool to clear trails so you can spend more time riding your mountain bike, take your Husky and run away from this site. If you're looking for a new internal combustion hobby, here ya go!

My beef with the 455 was it's a pound heavier than a 350 with a .1hp gain! The 350 is now off the market, and I know jack about the 450, so it's a moot point!

I also know, for a FACT, that MAJOR gains can be had from a 350 with some port work, soooooo............

And it really doesn't take that long either:monkey:

I wouldn't worry too much about pro's and wannabe pro's (like me), dumping on the 455. Everything depends on your application. In your case, you don't cut everyday and you don't cut that much. You should have a saw that meets that performance requirement. I think you do. For those of us who cut for a living, that .5lb weight savings and ¼hp power gain are an absolute requirement. We're more than happy to pull a pro saw out of our butt and get to cutting.

Truthfully, while there are usually reasonable weight and power benefits to the pro saws, the main benefit is that they're actually designed to run all day, everyday. Homeowner and ranch class saws are a step below that spec.

Your 455 is a good saw. I had one and was content until i found this site. If you are content with yours forget this site, block it if you will. RUN!

I think what you'll find is no differnet than the biking world. You can go to the local store and buy a Huffy mountain bike that has everything you will need to get to point A to point B for an affordable price. Than there is the option to get full suspension carbon fibre everything with disc brakes, titanium axles and the lot for a bunch more $$$. And it really doesn't accomplish much more for the $$$ than the Huffy but it is sure cool as hell to have.

At the time I joined this forum, I was completely and forever happy with my 60 cc saw [036] and it has always done everything I needed or asked if worked a little hard couple times a yr. on a 30" tree. I read all the stuff on other saws and it took me two yr. or so to break. I got me a 70 cc saw now, to use in addition to my other one, and couldn't be happier. So, be forewarned that you may end up with more saws.

In your situation, with some mechanical ability and experience, maybe just keep you current saw stock for now--running great, reliable, and you like it. Meanwhile, consider buying cheap a used or damaged different saw [or as some here do get it or them free] and tearing into it to learn how and to figure out and experiment with restoring or modifying or whatever the heck turns your crank. That way you can experiment at will and always have that reliable main saw you can fool around with later, once once you have another working saw.....

You're a forum member now and you will end up with more saws.

SteveH said:

At the time I joined this forum, I was completely and forever happy with my 60 cc saw [036] and it has always done everything I needed or asked if worked a little hard couple times a yr. on a 30" tree. I read all the stuff on other saws and it took me two yr. or so to break. I got me a 70 cc saw now, to use in addition to my other one, and couldn't be happier. So, be forewarned that you may end up with more saws.

In your situation, with some mechanical ability and experience, maybe just keep you current saw stock for now--running great, reliable, and you like it. Meanwhile, consider buying cheap a used or damaged different saw [or as some here do get it or them free] and tearing into it to learn how and to figure out and experiment with restoring or modifying or whatever the heck turns your crank. That way you can experiment at will and always have that reliable main saw you can fool around with later, once once you have another working saw.....

You're a forum member now and you will end up with more saws.

Click to expand...

Yeah, take your time and find a good used one.

A good friend of mine bought a 455 before I could get a hold of him to tell him about the 346....It turns out that the 455 is exceptionally smooth. It is. He's pulling a 24" bar with full comp in Doug Fir, White Fir, and Maple. The saw does great for firewood cutting, as I burned a few tanks through it and liked what it was. A firewood saw.

Don't overlook how smooth a powersaw is.

did you use your saw to make any technical trail features?
I've made a fair amount for my son and we've had alot of fun doing it

striperswaper said:

did you use your saw to make any technical trail features?
I've made a fair amount for my son and we've had alot of fun doing it

Click to expand...

this site doesn't have any TTF's, it is strictly a dirt jump and pumptrack site. though in the past we have used store bought lumber to build some erosion control retaining walls to 'box in' jumps. i'm going to 'box in' a couple more jumps pretty soon and we intend to use on site wood to do it this time, so thats going to be allot of fun!!

we would LOVE to begin building some nice trail features, however we are still working on finding a good site for it. yes, there are some around back in the woods, but we are the legitimate sort of organization that works with land managers to develop areas.




for those wondering what a "technical trail feature" is, this utube link should help explain. saws and mountain bikes go together really well... i noticed stihl is sponsoring the uci world cup downhill this year!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLjpMXO5L8U

everybody, thanks for the huge welcome! yeah, i really do love my 455, and its doing a killer job for me. i could totally see myself having more saws in the future though!

where exactly are you located, inner city, burbs? If you need some stumps ground out give me a hollar

Some people think chaps are a good idea. It's be a pity to chop a hole in your leg and miss a summer of biking?

Ever get up to the southern unit of the kettle moraine?

You will end up having more fun with the saw than the bike.:greenchainsaw: