2lumbarleft
ArboristSite Operative
Husqvarna 435 Review
Product received - Initial impression: Box appears to be in new condition; however, there were signs that the box was opened prior to my receipt. Weighed saw with bar and chain fully assembled, and it came in at 11.5 pounds exactly, minus fluids. Chain was properly tensioned and seemed sharp, but not as sharp as some I have seen. No bucking spikes!
Every once in a while, I like to buy something new, especially if I have a hunch about it. Recently, I have been seeing very negative feed back from some Husky 435 purchasers. The feedback has been so negative in some cases that just recently, Amazon posted a statement that for the immediate near term future, they were discontinuing sales offered for any Husqvarna 435 and 440 saws. I have always been a contrarian, and believe this situation to be transitory at the worst. From what I have read, 90 percent of purchasers seem satisfied with their saws, and that figure somewhat perplexes me. Why? Because most homeowners don’t own a Husqvarna carburetor adjustment tool! I can’t speak for others, but my brand new out of the box Husky needed a little fine-tuning, which could have been supplied from any reputable dealer. The plain unvarnished truth is that if this saw had come furnished with fixed jets like the Stihl MS-170, I would have returned the saw to the box store, and you would have had a chance to repurchase it as a refurbished saw in the future. Sorry about your lost opportunity.
I purchased my saw on Fleabay, and wanted to experience what the average homeowner might encounter. I purchased a brand new, in the original box chainsaw, not a factory re-furbished model. I ended up paying $216.50 delivered to the door. The way I look at it, the difference between what I would have paid from a dealer, and what I paid in actuality, was the discount for accepting no warranty. That difference was about $67.56. If the saw turned out to be defective, that savings would have seemed insignificant, but like I said, I wanted the entire Fleabay experience. Earlier in the year, I could have purchased a refurbished model for about $142.50, but then again, you can never be sure about what you are buying into.
I gassed the saw with 47 to 1 (ethanol 10%), 93-octane premium gasoline, combined with Sea Foam and high quality synthetic engine oil from Stihl. I can get non-ethanol gasoline if I drive 40 miles, but I thought the test should be carried out under full combat conditions. First, I primed 7 times (watched the bulb and felt for hydraulic engagement) and then I followed the manufacturers starting instructions to the tee. The saw burped on the second pull, choke was dropped down one position, and the saw immediately started on the next subsequent pull, with the saw running at high idle. Once knocked down, the saw idled slowly and seemed barely able to maintain continuing engine function. Every time I attempted to advance the throttle, the engine seemed incapable of overcoming the chain resistance. I have seen this a million times, and knew instinctively what to do. First, I turned up the throttle rpms, rotating the appropriate screw in the clockwise direction. Because the saw accelerated slowly, I fattened up the low speed jet. For this, you need the Husqvarna tool. This helped immeasurably. The high-speed jet was already set pretty good, but final adjustments always need to be made in wood. I never did hear the saw four cycle, so I know more testing is in order. This concludes part 1 of the test, and next I will be beating the bee Jesus out of this saw, stressing it to the maximum of its abilities. Saws usually take at least four to five tank fills of gasoline until they break in, and as it happens, you surely can feel the power increase during the process. Final carb adjustments will be made at that time, and will be followed by a part II in this test. In the meantime, if you are a Husky 435 saw owner, buy the carb adjustment tool. It is not worth the money that you will be charged, but once you have it, it will seem worth its weight in gold. Don’t ask me where to get one, just search the net. Mine cost me about $17.00 delivered. If you find one cheaper, drop me a line, as I could use a backup, but I already have one. Hope you found this informative, instructive, or at the least entertaining. Keep your topknots on Pilgrims (that’s a saying dating back to the seventeenth century for the earliest of English colonists). Only a few will grasp the meaning. Watch for part II – Torture test.
Product received - Initial impression: Box appears to be in new condition; however, there were signs that the box was opened prior to my receipt. Weighed saw with bar and chain fully assembled, and it came in at 11.5 pounds exactly, minus fluids. Chain was properly tensioned and seemed sharp, but not as sharp as some I have seen. No bucking spikes!
Every once in a while, I like to buy something new, especially if I have a hunch about it. Recently, I have been seeing very negative feed back from some Husky 435 purchasers. The feedback has been so negative in some cases that just recently, Amazon posted a statement that for the immediate near term future, they were discontinuing sales offered for any Husqvarna 435 and 440 saws. I have always been a contrarian, and believe this situation to be transitory at the worst. From what I have read, 90 percent of purchasers seem satisfied with their saws, and that figure somewhat perplexes me. Why? Because most homeowners don’t own a Husqvarna carburetor adjustment tool! I can’t speak for others, but my brand new out of the box Husky needed a little fine-tuning, which could have been supplied from any reputable dealer. The plain unvarnished truth is that if this saw had come furnished with fixed jets like the Stihl MS-170, I would have returned the saw to the box store, and you would have had a chance to repurchase it as a refurbished saw in the future. Sorry about your lost opportunity.
I purchased my saw on Fleabay, and wanted to experience what the average homeowner might encounter. I purchased a brand new, in the original box chainsaw, not a factory re-furbished model. I ended up paying $216.50 delivered to the door. The way I look at it, the difference between what I would have paid from a dealer, and what I paid in actuality, was the discount for accepting no warranty. That difference was about $67.56. If the saw turned out to be defective, that savings would have seemed insignificant, but like I said, I wanted the entire Fleabay experience. Earlier in the year, I could have purchased a refurbished model for about $142.50, but then again, you can never be sure about what you are buying into.
I gassed the saw with 47 to 1 (ethanol 10%), 93-octane premium gasoline, combined with Sea Foam and high quality synthetic engine oil from Stihl. I can get non-ethanol gasoline if I drive 40 miles, but I thought the test should be carried out under full combat conditions. First, I primed 7 times (watched the bulb and felt for hydraulic engagement) and then I followed the manufacturers starting instructions to the tee. The saw burped on the second pull, choke was dropped down one position, and the saw immediately started on the next subsequent pull, with the saw running at high idle. Once knocked down, the saw idled slowly and seemed barely able to maintain continuing engine function. Every time I attempted to advance the throttle, the engine seemed incapable of overcoming the chain resistance. I have seen this a million times, and knew instinctively what to do. First, I turned up the throttle rpms, rotating the appropriate screw in the clockwise direction. Because the saw accelerated slowly, I fattened up the low speed jet. For this, you need the Husqvarna tool. This helped immeasurably. The high-speed jet was already set pretty good, but final adjustments always need to be made in wood. I never did hear the saw four cycle, so I know more testing is in order. This concludes part 1 of the test, and next I will be beating the bee Jesus out of this saw, stressing it to the maximum of its abilities. Saws usually take at least four to five tank fills of gasoline until they break in, and as it happens, you surely can feel the power increase during the process. Final carb adjustments will be made at that time, and will be followed by a part II in this test. In the meantime, if you are a Husky 435 saw owner, buy the carb adjustment tool. It is not worth the money that you will be charged, but once you have it, it will seem worth its weight in gold. Don’t ask me where to get one, just search the net. Mine cost me about $17.00 delivered. If you find one cheaper, drop me a line, as I could use a backup, but I already have one. Hope you found this informative, instructive, or at the least entertaining. Keep your topknots on Pilgrims (that’s a saying dating back to the seventeenth century for the earliest of English colonists). Only a few will grasp the meaning. Watch for part II – Torture test.
