A ranty on new husky

[MMG]

I absolutely appreciate that. And the 365s is a phenomenal saw! I have a Jonsered 2065 and I honestly prefer it over the 2171 (372xp). It just has a longer power curve...or something. I actually bought a back up a OEM top end for it years ago...just in case.
Unfortunately the oil tank is leaking from the case gasket, so it's in need of a serious "refreshing".
I understand where the brand loyalty originates am I'm in no way trying to diminish the truly great saws from decades past.
I just can't see how a company, that had absolute success and created some of the most innovative and beloved saws made the decisions that they did.
If you ran 371/372xps (my case they would be the red versions) for 15 years, and then we're blindfolded and handed a 572xp then a 462c.... I don't think anyone honest would choose the 572xp as the direct descendant of those incredible saws.
It seems to me that Husqvarna did not learn from their success and took steps backwards.
Look at the 562xp, which is hands down a great saw! But it's had so many bearing issues... So husky decided to just scale it up??? Instead of realizing that there's an issue in sealed bearings! That's not specific to the 562, as it goes all the way back to the 385. It's a system that is prone to fail. I can't understand that thinking.
Not to mention the eradication of so many local dealerships.
What can compete with the 500i in weight, reliability, and power? Because if I recall, the 371 was a majority favorite over the 046, not necessarily because of how much power it had, but because of weight, and reliability.

By the way... don't run a saw blindfolded, I was being hypothetical.

Direct evidence of globalism and the efforts to ruin good companies. The people making these decisions are hell bent to run these companies into bankruptcy. It is their goal! I know it sounds crazy but something as simple as a chainsaw creates independence from the government but the bigger picture is that when Husky goes under, those folks who work there will now be dependent on the government and THAT is what the Globalists want. It’s incrementalism trying to get us where they want.

 

[MaddBomber]

Direct evidence of globalism and the efforts to ruin good companies. The people making these decisions are hell bent to run these companies into bankruptcy. It is their goal! I know it sounds crazy but something as simple as a chainsaw creates independence from the government but the bigger picture is that when Husky goes under, those folks who work there will now be dependent on the government and THAT is what the Globalists want. It’s incrementalism trying to get us where they want.

That's a bit much, my friend. Take a breath.
I don't disagree with you....but holy moose poo!

 

[Smitty Smithsonite]

Well what about when there are no more dealers because the manufacturer, in their infinite wisdom, pulled all of the franchise licenses?
And I absolutely agree with your issues and frustrations. However, what is stopping you from obtaining either an IPL or parts availability in MA? Burderelli, in W.Bridgewater. Morgan's in Halifax (expensive). Southeast Equipment in Plymouth. Stewart's in Holbrook. All have given me IPLs and Shop Manuals. Just ask.
Morgan's is actually where I bought this thing, as they are the only one left with a Husqvarna brand backing. All the others lost it despite the sales.
I can't speak on 4mix or whatever, as I buy cheap crap and toss it after the season. My main focus is on saws. That's what I grew up on and relied upon for paying the bills. That's my passion.

All those places are a 2 hour drive for me. The place 15 miles up the road is frustrating enough to get to. Why should I have to jump through these hoops when I can buy an Echo or Husqvarna, and have NONE of these issues? Plenty of other brands to buy. I've got 2 dead Stihl saws out in the shop right now, plus about 4 others I could fix and sell when I have a minute. Stihl's are a pain in the ass to repair if parts are needed, while the others are simple - guess which ones are going to get fixed first?

I'd be better served parting out the 2 Stihl's. More money and less frustration on my end. I just might do that. Glad this discussion jogged my brain a bit.

 

[J D]

Unfortunately the oil tank is leaking from the case gasket, so it's in need of a serious "refreshing".

I've had success repairing that in the past by cleaning the tank out, using vacuum on the pipe to the pump to draw loctite (or any oil rated anaerobic sealant) into the crack

 

[jamesmcsparron]

I may be biased. I'll get that right out of the way. I'm a Stihl guy.
Ok. My personal experience; 2020 550xp. Bought brand new. The auto-tune is all over the place. Blowing smoke like crazy and just didn't run right about 85% of the time. I struggled and did the "30 second" return thing which fixed it for a day.
Drove 30 miles to the nearest dealer (yay Husqvarna, great job shutting down so many dealerships).
A week later I got the saw back. "Nothing wrong".
Spark plug is jet black and it still blows smoke like crazy.
An associate (Maltby); 572xp. Absolutely crap! Racing and had a serious lack of power. After months it was found to have blown a seal....on it's 10th tank!!
Zero dealer support.. nightmare to replace with an 8 month backorder.
Another associate (Frank Dembro at Asplundh); 572xp. Same issue. Less than a dozen tanks and it has a crank seal issue.... but this particular one actually lost it's entire plastic bearing cage. Sorry.. nylon.
Seriously??? How many years of development? Huge bearings....that are plastic. That was a good idea? On a mediocre saw that is overweight and underpowered by the direct competition???
I'm so confused.
Back to my 550. What the hell?
Bumper spikes (dawgs) are pitiful, with zero options to upgrade them. The saw runs great, when it decides too, yet the bar (husky x force) has it's paint smearing. Case already has dings and missing paint right under the muffler.
Meanwhile, my MS362 that has 42 tanks is flawless. Sheeeeit, even the sticker with the bar code is still undamaged.
Plus the 20" Stihl light bar is almost flawless..... And it's been through a helluva lot more than the husky.
People actually like these orange things??? Why? I get brand loyalty, but seriously?

I've owned a Husqvarna 394 for nearly 20 years. Had to change the coil and once I replaced the on/off switch. Had several clutch springs and now the dead man's handle needs replaced. All minor wear and tear issues. I find this saw to be very reliable. It also ran a 42in bar for a few days when my 3120 stopped running because of a torn fuel pipe. I'll have them set it on top of my pyre before they shoot that flaming arrow I think, just incase there are trees in Valhalla.

 

[ken morgan]

for me its a 3 hour drive for a dealer for either brand... but I can buy parts, find schematics and get advice on huskies on line. I can buy parts from Ebay (several vendors) , jacks small motors, baily's, patano etc etc. for stihl I can get jack and ****. not so good when you have to drive 3 hours for service.... that about answers the whole loyalty thing... it has to do with parts availability and or service availability. If I had a dealer for either within an hour drive I would gravitate in that direction... but having neither and having to fix the saws myself.... its husky all day long.

 

[Evan]

Again, whats the topic of conversation

 

[Huskybill]

I just purchased another used 272xp, suppose to run. I been buying up, 1, 2, 3 series husky saws they made the Husqvarna name what it is today.

My newest saws are a 385xp, 575xp strato.

 

[NorthernMaverick]

Well what about when there are no more dealers because the manufacturer, in their infinite wisdom, pulled all of the franchise licenses?
And I absolutely agree with your issues and frustrations. However, what is stopping you from obtaining either an IPL or parts availability in MA? Burderelli, in W.Bridgewater. Morgan's in Halifax (expensive). Southeast Equipment in Plymouth. Stewart's in Holbrook. All have given me IPLs and Shop Manuals. Just ask.
Morgan's is actually where I bought this thing, as they are the only one left with a Husqvarna brand backing. All the others lost it despite the sales.
I can't speak on 4mix or whatever, as I buy cheap crap and toss it after the season. My main focus is on saws. That's what I grew up on and relied upon for paying the bills. That's my passion.

Really haven't had dealers lose their husky backing around here, so I don't know what you're talking about. Most Stihl "dealers" are a big pita around this area, not to mention expensive. So I guess it depends on your area.

 

[Smitty Smithsonite]

I still run the same 141 I bought back in 2003! Still has killer compression, too. Severely overworked this little guy!! Shocked it has lasted so long, honestly, since it's a lower-end Husky.

 

[Mike Gott]

I absolutely appreciate that. And the 365s is a phenomenal saw! I have a Jonsered 2065 and I honestly prefer it over the 2171 (372xp). It just has a longer power curve...or something. I actually bought a back up a OEM top end for it years ago...just in case.
Unfortunately the oil tank is leaking from the case gasket, so it's in need of a serious "refreshing".
I understand where the brand loyalty originates am I'm in no way trying to diminish the truly great saws from decades past.
I just can't see how a company, that had absolute success and created some of the most innovative and beloved saws made the decisions that they did.
If you ran 371/372xps (my case they would be the red versions) for 15 years, and then we're blindfolded and handed a 572xp then a 462c.... I don't think anyone honest would choose the 572xp as the direct descendant of those incredible saws.
It seems to me that Husqvarna did not learn from their success and took steps backwards.
Look at the 562xp, which is hands down a great saw! But it's had so many bearing issues... So husky decided to just scale it up??? Instead of realizing that there's an issue in sealed bearings! That's not specific to the 562, as it goes all the way back to the 385. It's a system that is prone to fail. I can't understand that thinking.
Not to mention the eradication of so many local dealerships.
What can compete with the 500i in weight, reliability, and power? Because if I recall, the 371 was a majority favorite over the 046, not necessarily because of how much power it had, but because of weight, and reliability.

By the way... don't run a saw blindfolded, I was being hypothetical.

I have 2 2171’s and a 2175 and I pick my 572 every time. That and my 2260 are my 2 favorite saws to run. I’m no logger but I have plenty of time on them to know if they’re a problem child. I’ll admit I am brand loyal but I feel if something has treated me well I see no reason not to be. I think a lot of the issues are operator problems. It’s the same weather it’s a saw, tractor, truck or whatever I’m fixing. It’s always the same type of person that’s having troubles and then calling it junk when 10 other people can have the same piece of equipment and never have a problem. Anything mechanical will have breakage that’s a given. It’s just like a John Deere guy saying his tractors never brake but you goto the dealership and they have mechanics and are always busy, Stihl is the same way, they never brake but have service departments always working on something

 

[Smitty Smithsonite]

Whoever engineered the carburetor location on the 350 should be beaten, though. Couldn't have buried the screws any farther down inside the body ...

 

[Derrick Sawyer]

I only run my 550 mk2 and 572xp cuz theyre smooth and the 372s, 346, 272 are retired collector, plus i get 3 chains with the newer ones and i dont resharpen well, so i wait till a new saw comes out...the 572 chains gettin dull, hope the 592 is avail soon

 

[Husky77]

I am a 200 series fan, had them since the 80's and all run perfect, I do look after them and not used these days anything like they were I'm sure they are getting heavier! Also have stihl but prefer working on husqvarna, the german saw always seem too over engineered and fiddly to work on. Personally I never been fussy on the new auto tune saws, they are clever things but that's not always a good thing as you know. I have had new cars and every one has had problems, we now have 3 20 year old cars and no trouble. New is not always best, I like to know when I pick up my saw it will work faultlessly maybe need a 10 second tune but thats no big deal. When a saw plays up all the fun goes out the window and frustration sets in. That's when accidents happen. Good luck, stay safe.

 

[pdqdl]

I may be biased. I'll get that right out of the way. I'm a Stihl guy.
Ok. My personal experience; 2020 550xp. Bought brand new. The auto-tune is all over the place. Blowing smoke like crazy and just didn't run right about 85% of the time. I struggled and did the "30 second" return thing which fixed it for a day.
Drove 30 miles to the nearest dealer (yay Husqvarna, great job shutting down so many dealerships).
A week later I got the saw back. "Nothing wrong".
Spark plug is jet black and it still blows smoke like crazy.
An associate (Maltby); 572xp. Absolutely crap! Racing and had a serious lack of power. After months it was found to have blown a seal....on it's 10th tank!!
Zero dealer support.. nightmare to replace with an 8 month backorder.
Another associate (Frank Dembro at Asplundh); 572xp. Same issue. Less than a dozen tanks and it has a crank seal issue.... but this particular one actually lost it's entire plastic bearing cage. Sorry.. nylon.
Seriously??? How many years of development? Huge bearings....that are plastic. That was a good idea? On a mediocre saw that is overweight and underpowered by the direct competition???
I'm so confused.
Back to my 550. What the hell?
Bumper spikes (dawgs) are pitiful, with zero options to upgrade them. The saw runs great, when it decides too, yet the bar (husky x force) has it's paint smearing. Case already has dings and missing paint right under the muffler.
Meanwhile, my MS362 that has 42 tanks is flawless. Sheeeeit, even the sticker with the bar code is still undamaged.
Plus the 20" Stihl light bar is almost flawless..... And it's been through a helluva lot more than the husky.
People actually like these orange things??? Why? I get brand loyalty, but seriously?

You count how many times you have filled a saw's fuel tank? Now that's some dedication.

Myself, I would lose track of the tank-count somewhere around 3 tanks in.

 

[J D]

Whoever engineered the carburetor location on the 350 should be beaten, though. Couldn't have buried the screws any farther down inside the body ...

View attachment 942420

Oh yes they could've... If you ever get the chance to work on a 45 or similar you'll see what I mean
Looks like a plastic intake clamp on that saw, there's an updated metal one that could save you a headache down the road

 

[Huskybill]

Every upper crankcase adapter is warped on the 350.

 

[Huskybill]

I talked with my buddy who a husky dealer told me he’s using three at saws right now with no problems. The operator needs to read the operators manual on how to use it. It’s totally different.

 

[Huskybill]

Whoever engineered the carburetor location on the 350 should be beaten, though. Couldn't have buried the screws any farther down inside the body ...

View attachment 942420

If I can build one anyone can I’m short on paitents.

 

[Huskybill]

Watch this,