Husky 359/ 555 24" bar?

[Exophysical]

I regularly see these saws come up on the used market at fairly tempting prices, just wondering if anyone could tell me how well they will pull a 24" bar?

 

[J.Noss]

Well I used to own a 460 Rancher with a 24" and cut about a hundred cord with it in 9yrs, but realistically when you got in wood near the bar length it struggled severely and you'd have to baby it through the log.. And it'd take FOREVER! with a 20" on the same saw it was a night and day difference EVEN in smaller wood, less weight and drag from less chain running through less bar..
So, and remember this is my opinion:
Will a 555 or 562 pull a 24" full comp?
Yes it will..
Do I think if you're gonna be often cutting 24" rounds you should want to use a 359 or 555/562?
No.. I'd say to absolutely go up to a 372 or 572 because that 10cc makes a huge difference, it's not just about horsepower, torque is what you need and the best way to get more of that is larger CC.
But, if you're just wanting the 24" to help reach and not bend over to buck smaller logs it'll work just fine, but I'd definitely go bigger if more than half of your wood is 20"+

 

[J D]

24" is too much bar in my opinion. My 357XP wears an 18" or a 20" with skip chain. I'm sure it would manage a 24" on occasion if it had to, but it definitely wouldn't cut like I'd want it to (& I have bigger saws for that anyways). As the above post has mentioned, 24" bar is more like 70cc territory unless its just an occasional thing. Also, if you do it right you can deal to a 30" tree with an 18" chainsaw

 

[Exophysical]

Well I used to own a 460 Rancher with a 24" and cut about a hundred cord with it in 9yrs, but realistically when you got in wood near the bar length it struggled severely and you'd have to baby it through the log.. And it'd take FOREVER! with a 20" on the same saw it was a night and day difference EVEN in smaller wood, less weight and drag from less chain running through less bar..
So, and remember this is my opinion:
Will a 555 or 562 pull a 24" full comp?
Yes it will..
Do I think if you're gonna be often cutting 24" rounds you should want to use a 359 or 555/562?
No.. I'd say to absolutely go up to a 372 or 572 because that 10cc makes a huge difference, it's not just about horsepower, torque is what you need and the best way to get more of that is larger CC.
But, if you're just wanting the 24" to help reach and not bend over to buck smaller logs it'll work just fine, but I'd definitely go bigger if more than half of your wood is 20"+

Right now I either use a 70cc saw with a 28" bar or a 50cc saw with a 20" bar, I'm sort of wondering if a 60cc with a 24" would be a happy medium or simply lack the advantages of either. Bar is mostly for the reach but I'm looking for a rig that would pull a 24" with more authority than my 55 pulls a 20".

Most all of my cutting is away from the truck. In the winter I can pull my gear around the bush in a sled and the two saw thing works well. In the summer where I'm packing in a single saw, neither setup is ideal. The 70 is unnecessarily heavy to carry any distance, and the 50cc is a bit underpowered. I've tried an 18" bar on the small saw, performance improves but I dont enjoy bucking with the shorter bar for any length of time.

 

[sean donato]

359 Un modded won't be happy with a full 24" bar in hardwood. Even ported it won't be super happy. 18-20" is where it shines. They are dead reliable and great firewood saws, but not in the same class as a 562xp or ms400 for power. Both of which are much more happy to run a 24" b/c.

 

[Franny K]

If the bar is mostly for reach, then the 60cc class saw is likely not weight and handle placement best for a 24 inch bar. Small mount 24 inch would be a solid replaceable nose. I use a 24" bar on my Dolmar 6100 quite a bit. The bar I got has a .325 nose. Generally I use skip chain but have had good results with the NK .325 as well. (near new) The 555 by the numbers has pretty much the same torque as the 562 just does not rev as fast and make as much noise. I am not going to tell you how much authority it will pull with though, what is the hp of the two in the title? 4.3hp or so? There is a small spline drum for the 555 not sure what size is on a 359.

 

[sean donato]

359 is a small mount as well

 

[PJwoodcutter]

I run a 3/8 pitch chain on my 357xp on an 18" bar and it handles it great. If I was going to try a 24" bar I would go to a 325 pitch chain.

 

[Exophysical]

So in light of your responses, I guess the question would be: If you were packing a chainsaw around the bush by hand, selectively felling/ bucking/ limbing firewood in the 12 to 20" range, and you want to run at least a 20" bar... what STOCK saw do you think would be best suited for the task?

 

[PJwoodcutter]

If you are cutting firewood in the 12 to 20" range why do you need a 24" bar?

 

[Exophysical]

If you are cutting firewood in the 12 to 20" range why do you need a 24" bar?

I started using a longer bar because I often work on snowshoes, using a 20" bar on snow shoes you are constantly off ballance and reaching... and pretty dang sore by the end of 4 hours or so. Your cutting with the tip regardless of bar length because the shoes have you back from the log, and then there is the considerable concern of keeping the tip/ cut further away from the snowshoes themselves.

After a few winters of using the longer bar, I've simply come to preffer them for most things.

 

[PJwoodcutter]

The 555 is rated for a 24" bar but its the recommended max. So it would work but I would temper the expectations on the cutting speed. As I said above you could gain some of the speed back with 325 pitch chain. How much I dont know. Now, with the longer bar the actual balance of the saw will be compromised and maybe even uncomfortable to use. My opinion so take it for what its worth. For that length of bar I would opt for a little larger saw.

 

[Exophysical]

The 555 is rated for a 24" bar but its the recommended max. So it would work but I would temper the expectations on the cutting speed. As I said above you could gain some of the speed back with 325 pitch chain. How much I dont know. Now, with the longer bar the actual balance of the saw will be compromised and maybe even uncomfortable to use. My opinion so take it for what its worth. For that length of bar I would opt for a little larger saw.

Yeah, I'm gathering it wont be a happy compromise, likely little better than the 55/ 20" setup that I'm currently packing around in the summer. Possibly a more powerfull 50cc saw running the 20" would be better, since I miss the length less with a lighter saw.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

According to the specs- 359 (I'm using 2159 specs) is rated for the 24 inch bar max.
K095 24 inch bars are not as common as D009 ones.

Is a 59cc saw with a 24 inch bar ideal? No, but if you are using it for reach to cut timber an 18 or 20 inch bar would handle, knock yourself out.

If wanting a saw to run a 24 inch bar full time with the ability to run that chain buried- I would be reaching for 70cc plus- 65cc minimum.

 

[redray46]

My 359 is a go to saw, it runs a 20”/3/8/050 pro chain in hardwood,with authority. I have run a 24” on it a number of times to finish the butt end of a log, and it handles it fine, never fully buried it in oak though. Starts easily and runs well . I go up to the Dolly 120si for 24, any bigger and the H494 handles it .
First choice for a smaller saw at 50 cc is my Shinny (3x) 488, love the smaller saws a lot more at 77 .

 

[Exophysical]

My 359 is a go to saw, it runs a 20”/3/8/050 pro chain in hardwood,with authority. I have run a 24” on it a number of times to finish the butt end of a log, and it handles it fine, never fully buried it in oak though. Starts easily and runs well . I go up to the Dolly 120si for 24, any bigger and the H494 handles it .
First choice for a smaller saw at 50 cc is my Shinny (3x) 488, love the smaller saws a lot more at 77 .

That sounds more promising, I'm almost exclusively cutting birch, poplar, and ocasionally Tamerack which I think is a sort of cedar. Mostly hardwoods that are not very hard, but often frozen. Seems like a 359 with either a 20" or 24" might be a better lightweight option than my old 55.

 

[bwalker]

That sounds more promising, I'm almost exclusively cutting birch, poplar, and ocasionally Tamerack which I think is a sort of cedar. Mostly hardwoods that are not very hard, but often frozen. Seems like a 359 with either a 20" or 24" might be a better lightweight option than my old 55.

There is nothing wrong with a 55. Bullet proof saw and while not a pro saw, it is constructed like one.
No 60cc saw is going to be happy with a 24" bar in hardwoods like oak and maple. However, the woods you mentioned are soft and a 359 should work well enough with a 24" assuming you don't have the bar burried all the time. You might try skip chain and also make sure your using full chisel non safety chain.

 

[diver64]

So in light of your responses, I guess the question would be: If you were packing a chainsaw around the bush by hand, selectively felling/ bucking/ limbing firewood in the 12 to 20" range, and you dont want to run at least a 20" bar... what STOCK saw do you think would be best suited for the task?

My Jonsered CS2152. I use a Total 18in bar and it chews through maple, birch and beech

 

[NSEric]

If I was running a 24 inch bar on a 359 or 555 I'd get skip tooth chain for it.
I tried a 24 inch skip tooth chain on my 660 but it didnt like it, the skip felt dull and didnt load it enough but it would be great on a 60cc saw.