Buying a saw.

[Old_Smokie]

Hey bys' nice too meet your acquaintance; one thing I am not is too prideful which is why I'm signing up to the forum to ask a couple of questions and get some feedback. For those of you who read past the first sentence, thanks for sticking around.

I have done sawing with my dad in the past for home use; we usually buy/bought our wood in 8 foot lengths, spruce, birch mostly. I spent a tad bit of time using dad's 455 Husky rancher to help him out as we usually blaze through 8 to 10 cord of wood over a week or so in the summers, chunking it. Again I'm green and mostly using local lingo so for the purposes of non-confusion, cutting em into pieces for the ole NewMac.

I have about 10-15 cord coming in 2 weeks and have been diligently been looking at saws, Stihl vs Husky as is the age old adage, however I am pretty sure I narrowed it down to either the 550 XP or the 562 XP Husky. First off from the experiences of more professional arborists out there is it a major jump from the Rancher to the Pro series and if I have the coin to drop, should I just go with the 562 over the 550? I'm looking for a versatile saw and I don't plan to get in the business of buying 2 saws or more to get me wood cut for the year. Thanks bys' and I'm glad for any advice or guidance you can give.

 

[Old_Smokie]

As a reply I'm not sure this wouldn't better be placed in the Chainsaw Forum...... I'll wait and see if I can get some responses.

 

[Bmezz88]

I own a 550xp that I bought off a member on this site and I am very pleased with the way it runs. In my opinion I would get the 562 if you don't want to end up buying 2 saws. I think its always better to have more power. Im sure more members will be along to steer you in the right direction. Oh yeah....Welcome to AS

 

[IyaMan]

The 562 has lots of good reviews, though the 550 is mixed. (FYI, I own neither)

Not to discourage, but you may want to read some of this before deciding: http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/550xp-updates.295332/

And you may want to search or post specifically about the 550 and 562 to find current info.

Happy cutting!

 

[bayard]

i am a big fan of 2 saws, when working anywhere. the 372 is a very good husky.

 

[rburg]

If your wood is <16" in diameter the 550 would work well. If it is>16" the 562 would work better. The 545 or 555 would both do fine for a little less money.

 

[Old_Smokie]

Well, I just wanted to share a reply and again say thanks to those who responded. I dropped the extra coin and went with the 562 xp with 18 inch bar. I have a decently sized saw buck setup and do 3 logs at a time; after making a bunch of donuts for about 4 minutes at max rev I have not had a problem with starting cold or warm at all. I had a couple buddies show up this morning and with 2 saw bucks going we managed to buck 3 and 1/2 cord in 2 hours. I did lose a bit of time having to tighten the chain and for refuels and also random old fellas who stopped by for a yarn.... but all to be expected. And now, I must say I'm looking forward to getting more familiar with the rest of the site and read the wealth of information that's already here. Thanks again!

 

[Amp4027]

Remember to always let the saw idle for 3-5 minutes after hard work before shutting it off for the day so it can cool down, and always loosen the bar nut and chain so they are floppy after the day is finished. Don't go super tight on chains, because as the saw heats up, so does the bar as well (from the chain sliding over it) and metal likes to expand when it gets hot. Same goes for putting the bar nut on, don't overtorque it. For a Stihl, it only takes 22inchpounds (~2ftlbs) to keep the nut on, and as the saw heats up, it squeezes it on. I found putting the screwdriver portion of the swench into the crook of your thumb and wrapping your fingers around the socket part and turning until it just starts to hurt/thumb wants to pop out of socket, is plenty tight enough and beyond 2ftlbs.

I usually gauge the chain where with very mild pull, you can see the oil holes in the underteeth, and putting the handle on your hip and letting the saws weight on it while holding the chain, it comes up no further than 3 teeth completely clearing the groove/above the bar.

And if the dealer tightened that sucker where the chain barely pulls off the bar, loosen it up - he is trying to get you back in for worn/bent shaft and bearings.