Husky: 55 vs 55R

[kalmos]

What is the difference between 55 and 55R? The only diff I can see from Husky site is:

55 : Power 2.5 kW / 3.4 hp
• Smart Start. Decompression valve for very easy starting.
• Double acting chain brake, right hand guard and chain catcher make the saw safer to use.

55R: Power 2.4 kW / 3.3 hp

Is that it? Is that why some people would choose 55 over 55R?

 

[racereric]

Kalmos,

I have heard from some of the more experienced posters that the 55 has a closed tranfer port design compared to an open port design on the 55R. The closed port design changes the power characteristics so that power is made higher in the RPM band. At least that is what I have been told. I'm sure some of the engine tuning gurus here can shed even more light on this.

 

[mikey]

In last years brochure,they list these two saws almost identical except for horsepower and chain pitch.3/8 vrs .325?

 

[Newfie]

I thought the difference besides those indicated already was consumer model versus a better built not quite pro model. I would bet the .325 to be the consumer version. A different quality piston in there also(I think if that makes sense). Of course I have been wrong before.

 

[Bruiser]

55 vs. 55R

I would bet the .325 to be the consumer version.

Actually, not... The 55 Rancher is the lower hp, open-port 'consumer' saw and come standard with 3/8 pitch. The 55 has a 'pro' closed-port cylinder, with a little more hp, compression release, higher pricetag, and .325" pitch. Piston quality would be equal, probably the same part. The 55 is out of production, I believe, although I'm sure some new ones are still on the shelf. I believe the 55R to be the better workhorse firewood saw with a wider, flatter torque curve, albeit less peak. Can't beat the price either. Get 'em while you can. I'll bet money they won't be in the next catalog.

 

[motorhead]

Husky 55 vs 55 Rancher

The 55 has the .325" pitch bar and chain and the 55 Rancher has a 3/8" pitch bar and chain. The 55 has a compression release, the 55 Rancher doesn't (you don't need a compression release on a 53 cc saw anyway - except maybe for the ladies). As far as the horsepower rating difference that Husky provides (3.4 for the 55 and 3.3 for the 55R) I'm not really sure. My guess is that either they are exactly the same and Husky did it for marketing reasons to try to differentiate the two models or, maybe, they have a different outsourced 'off-the-shelf' item like the carburetor. The 55 Rancher has a Zama C1Q-EL7 carb. - anyone know what carb. is on the 55? I doubt Husky would go to the expense of tooling a different cylinder or piston - especially for only .1 hp difference - not to mention the expense and complications of carrying another part number. Other than this, the models are identical.

Steve

 

[motorhead]

Hello Brusier, you posted while I was posting so I didn't see your post until after I posted haha. Are you sure that they have different cylinders? Have you had actually had a look at them or talked to someone who has? The reason I ask, is that I recently 'acquired' a 55 Rancher and, had I known that the 55 had a closed transfer port cylinder and the 55 Rancher had an open transfer port cylinder, I would have pushed for the 55 - although I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter as it was a 'trade' type of situation. I can't believe that Husqvarna would go to the expense and complications of tooling two separate cylinders with the same engine displacement. Huh, or is that eh?

Steve

 

[Bruiser]

I can't believe that Husqvarna would go to the expense and complications of tooling two separate cylinders with the same engine displacement.

Believe it... Actually Husky farms out the production of almost all of the cylinders. I've not seen inside both saws, but have it on good authority that's the difference (any Husky techs wanna back me up?). Seems strange to me too. I don't know why they wouldn't change model numbers. Guess the 55 has some history and loyalty attached to it. Marketing folks weren't ready to kill it. I wouldn't be disappointed if I were you. Dennis has proven that there is little or no performance difference between open and closed loop porting. A worked 346xp performs the same as an equally tuned 3149 in his tests.

 

[motorhead]

Bruiser, thanks for the info. - I'm going to dig into this a little more to confirm the cylinder difference - any Husky techs or dealers out there care to comment? I was already aware that Husqvarna outsources the majority of it's cylinder production to Mahle, a German based company that also manufactures the majority of the cylinders for Stihl, Jonsered, Dolmar and Solo (and pistons too, I believe). Mahle also does a lot of work within the automotive industry - cylinders and pistons for auto companies like Daimler Chrysler, BMW, VW, Audi, and Ford to name a few - they're a top flight company in my book. However, Husqvarna still has to pay for the tooling and fixtures necessary to produce the part plus they have to carry the extra part number at the assembly plant as well as for spare parts inventory, both of which increase operating costs.

As far as the performance difference between the open and closed transfer port design - I do recall Dennis's post between the 346xp and the 2149 Jonsered - modified, they cut about the same. However, the 2149 (open transfers) has got about 3cc more displacement than the 346xp so that somewhat offsets the advantage that the 346xp has with the closed transfer port cylinder. I still believe that there is a performance benefit to the closed transfer port cylinder design, otherwise manufacturers like Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, KTM, Husky, Stihl etc. wouldn't subject themselves to the increased complexity and expense that is required to manufacture the closed transfer port cylinder.

Steve

 

[jokers]

OK, I`m going out on a limb here because I`ve never had the two cylinders in question in my hand, but I`m going to say that the only difference is that the 55 has decompression vs the 55R not having it. There are two part #s for the cylinder kits, 503 6091-04 for the 55 which is the complete kit including the decomp valve, and 503 6091-08 which is the complete kit for the 55R which is minus the valve. It`s funny because there is a service bulletin from early on stating that due to market demand, all 55s would be available with the valve, and then a later revision to the model, the 55R comes without the valve. The models also have different carbs, the 55 has a Walbro WT 170 while the 55R has a Zama C1Q-EL7. All the other parts appear to be the same with the exception of the pitch related components. Weren`t all 55s open port, while the 154 and 254 were closed port? I`m thinking that the discrepancy in the rated horsepower between these two is nothing more than marketing, and the 55R would seem to substantiate this claim to a user because performance with 3/8s pitch chain vs .325 would be a little less in most cases. Just my two cents, anyone else care to add anything? Russ

 

[Bruiser]

Admittedly, my info comes from an old TSF thread from last year where the differences between the cylinder porting between the 55 and 55r was discussed. A knowledgable Husky tech (maybe Butch?) discovered the porting differences. As I recall, somebody else backed up his fact, so it wasn't some freak experimental saw that left the factory. Alas, a search on TSF turned up nothing... their database dumps old threads periodically, apparently. Hoping somebody here can back me up.

 

[bbstacker]

If you buy a new 55, not the 55R, check to make sure you are getting a 53 cc saw, the later 55's are 51 cc. I bought one on 05-08-02 of this year, the saw is now 51 cc's, I checked with Husqvarna, Alan Joyner, on this and he confirmed that the bore size has been decreased by 1 mm due to EPA regs. Also the new saws have a Zama carb on them. Bob